CHAPTER 56: THINGS KIDS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO SAY

"Yes, this is me—Alpheus. And about your number... I’m sorry, Sylvia. I asked Teacher Amie for it because there’s something really important I need to ask you. Have you, by any chance, seen a five-year-old boy named Gabriel?"

"Y-Yes.." I said, my breath catching before I sighed in relief.

"Is he there? In your house right now?" he pressed.

"Yes, he is."

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a soft exhale—like a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"Actually," Alpheus continued, "that boy is currently being searched for by both the Monteverdes and the Haristons. He’s my nephew too. I just needed to know if he’s okay. Is he... comfortable there?"

I glanced toward the living room where Gabriel sat quietly on the couch. His eyes wandered around the unfamiliar space, observing everything with cautious curiosity. Egypt, meanwhile, was cheerfully chatting with him, doing her best to make him respond.

"He seems a bit shy, still adjusting... but I think he’s doing fine."

I heard another sigh of relief from Alpheus.

In the background, I heard a familiar voice spoke.

’So, what did she say? Is Gabriel okay?’ Alfonso said.

"Yes. Gabriel’s at her house. Can you lower your voice?" Alpheus whispered back.

’Good. I thought he might’ve ended up somewhere dangerous. Tell Sylvia I’m thankful she took Gabriel in.’ Alfonso added.

"Ahem... Alfonso says he’s thankful you took Gabriel in. Uhmm... how did he end up there, anyway?" Alpheus asked.

"I honestly don’t know. The kids saw him wandering around and thought he was lost. We didn’t realize he was from the Hariston family until he mentioned it himself. And after that... I just couldn’t leave him out there. I was worried someone might hurt him, or worse. So I brought him in—for the meantime."

There was a brief silence, and I could almost sense Alpheus’s hesitation through the phone.

"I assume his parents are probably going out of their minds looking for him," I added. "Will they be coming to pick him up today?"

For a moment, Alpheus said nothing. The line went quiet again—and that silence made me uneasy.

"Ah... haha... what?"

"I said, can his parents pick him up today? They must be really worried by now."

"W-What? Uhmm, sorry, Sylvia. The signal suddenly dropped... how about I call you again tomorrow instead?"

His voice was hurried now—almost like he was trying to escape the conversation.

"I’m really sorry, but... could you look after Gabriel for the meantime? We promise—someone from our side will come to pick him up first thing tomorrow. Bye!"

Before I could say another word, the line went dead. I stared at my phone, blinking.

He hung up on me?

What was that about?

Did I say something wrong? I was just asking if Gabriel’s parents were coming to get him... unless—

My eyes slowly shifted toward Gabriel. Egypt was still beside him, trying to chat with him cheerfully.

Could it be...? Is Gabriel Rome’s son?

I narrowed my eyes, studying the boy’s face again. But there was no strong resemblance. Then maybe... is he Daniel’s?

I walked toward them slowly, while Egypt leaned closer to Gabriel, speaking in her usual energetic tone.

"Gabriel. Why aren’t you saying anything? Did you suddenly lose your voice?" she teased, tilting her head. "Why did you run away from home? Are your parents that bad?"

Gabriel averted his eyes, not saying a word.

"Egypt, that’s a bit too personal," Paris gently scolded her twin. "You should ask him if he’s okay instead. I heard his parents are getting divorced soon."

Egypt paused to process that.

"Oh... well, uhmm, are you okay, Gabriel? It must really hurt knowing your parents are separating, right? If that happened to me, I think I’d cry my heart out."

I groaned inwardly hearing that. The twins were always so blunt. They didn’t mean any harm, but they really needed to learn how to be more sensitive with their words.

"Kids," I began gently, walking closer, "you shouldn’t say things like that to Gabriel—"

"Hikk... what do you even know?" a small, fragile voice cut me off.

I froze mid-step.

Gabriel wasn’t looking at me, or at the twins. His eyes were locked on the floor.

He was crying.

"You’re not experiencing what I’m going through... because even if your life isn’t perfect, at least your family seems complete," Gabriel said, his voice shaking. "Unlike me—my parents are about to abandon me. So don’t act like you understand my pain."

Egypt froze, stunned by his words.

"W-What are you saying? I just said it must hurt—your parents breaking up—but I never said I don’t understand your pain.." she replied, her voice trembling, eyes beginning to water.

W-Wait... where is this conversation going?

They’re just kids, but how come they’re sounding so... mature? Talking about things like this?

"Kids, you know what—" I tried to interrupt gently.

But Gabriel suddenly snapped, cutting me off. "You don’t understand how I feel! You have your mom with you. And your dad—he’s probably out there working hard for your family!"

He turned his tear-filled eyes to me.

"Unlike me—I don’t even have a mom who cares whether I’m alive or not. The only one who truly loves me is my dad... and now, even he’s going to leave me soon."

I saw Paris suddenly stand up from the couch, her usual calm demeanor gone, brows furrowing as she took a sharp breath.

"What are you saying all of a sudden?"

"Kids, hold on—" I tried again.

"I’m saying," Gabriel raised his voice, backing away slightly, "you seem to have this perfect family, so don’t just assume I’ll be fine when my parents split up!"

Paris took a step forward, her gaze sharp enough to make Gabriel flinch.

"Then how can you assume we have a perfect family—or even a father? Did you see our dad here?"

Paris spoke in a cold, quiet voice that made Gabriel pause.

"N-No, but he’s probably—"

"That only means we don’t have a father."

"W-What do you mean? Isn’t your father just working somewhere...?" Gabriel asked hesitantly, then glanced briefly at Egypt, who, like him, was now crying.

"We don’t have a father. So you should at least be thankful that you still have both of your parents, even if they’re divorcing soon. Unlike us... we never even got the chance to meet ours."

With that, Paris sat back down on the sofa where she had been sitting earlier.

"Did your father abandon you—"

"Ahem... ahem."

I quickly walked over to Egypt and gently wiped the tears forming in her eyes.

These kids... I didn’t realize they’d grown up enough to talk about things like this.

What if they found out the truth about their dad?

Would they think he left them on purpose... that he didn’t want them at all?

"Kids.."

I said softly, trying to hold my voice steady. "You should remember—no parent stops loving their child." I looked at Paris and Gabriel. "That goes for your parents too, Gabriel."

I gripped the fabric of my clothes tightly. How can I explain this to a child?

How do I help him understand without breaking him more?

"Your parents might be going through a divorce, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to abandon you," I continued. "Sometimes relationships just stop working. People grow apart, and they end up hurting each other emotionally. And when that happens, separating can be the better choice—especially when kids are involved."

" It’s better for children not to grow up watching their parents constantly fighting or pretending to be okay when they’re not. Love doesn’t disappear just because two people part ways—it just changes."

I noticed Gabriel looking down, shoulders trembling slightly as he took it all in.