---
Flashback End.....
------
Alpheus glanced at Ro, who had finally slumped into sleep after drinking heavily. His body had given in to the weight of alcohol, yet the tension on his face remained, as if even in sleep he could not escape the feelings of the past.
It had been an hour since Ro had poured everything out, telling him what truly happened in his relationship with Sylvia, about how their whirlwind romance had burned so brightly only to end just as quickly.
For the whole ti, Alpheus had believed it was Ro who had betrayed Sylvia first. But after hearing Ro’s version, that it was Sylvia who had broken their love, his certainty wavered.
Guilt gnawed at him for being so quick to assu it had been Ro’s fault that Sylvia left him.
At first, he assud Sylvia had left because Ro had agreed to marry his cousin. But the bitterness in the way Ro spoke about their past suggested that their separation run much deeper.
Alpheus couldn’t bring himself to judge Sylvia solely based on Ro’s story. He knew there must have been other reasons—reasons Ro perhaps never knew. Around that ti, Sylvia had already been carrying the twins.
Maybe that alone had pushed her to walk away. Or maybe there were other, deeper reasons that forced her into making that painful choice.
Throughout Ro’s drunken confession, Alpheus could still feel the rawness of the wound in his chest.
The heartbreak was still alive inside him. Even with all his pride and obsession, it was clear, Ro had loved Sylvia deeply, and losing her had broken sothing within him that could never fully nd.
Alpheus let out a deep breath, lifting the bottle of whiskey and finishing the last burning swallow.
Silently, he reached into his pocket and pulled out what he had promised Ro—a lock of Paris’s hair. He held it in his palm for a long mont.
He hoped that, by giving this to Ro, maybe sothing good could finally co of all this. That Ro and Sylvia would face each other again—not to fight, not to reopen old wounds, but to finally find closure. To speak aloud the truths they had buried, to finally understand what had truly gone wrong between them.
And maybe, just maybe, that would be the start of setting them both free from the chains of their past.
Alpheus was about to step outside for a mont to call Ro’s secretary and arrange to get him back to his condo when he froze. Ro had suddenly grabbed his hand, causing him to stop.
"S-Sylvia... don’t leave ... I’ll be good. I’ll listen to you... I don’t care if you love soone else... please, co back to ..." Ro muttered weakly, his voice trembling as he squeezed his hand tightly.
Alpheus scratched his head in exasperation. Ro’s grip only tightened instead of loosening.
"D-Don’t... just don’t..." Ro muttered.
He glanced toward the table beside them when a soft giggle from a group of won caught his attention.
A tipsy woman sitting just a few ters away was staring at them with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Don’t laugh. He’s my friend, he’s just heartbroken."
The woman smirked flirtatiously. "What are you saying? I-I’m not laughing... I’m just smiling because I see two handso n holding hands, hehe." She took a sip of her drink and smiled at him flirtatiously.
"Your friend looks like he needs company. He’s broken-hearted, right? Maybe he needs soone to comfort him tonight." said another woman from the sa table.
Damn it.
Ro wasn’t safe to leave alone in the bar. Not only was the woman beside their table watching, but other won at nearby tables were also staring—especially at Ro.
He had no choice. He had to carry Ro. But damn... Ro was heavy. With a grunt, Alpheus lifted him again and gently slumped him back into the seat.
He tried calling Ro’s secretary, but there was no answer.
What the heck? Why couldn’t he reach him at this hour? Who else could he call for help?
He tried their other friends, but none answered either.
Alpheus sank onto the sofa, feeling the dizziness creeping in from exhaustion and the alcohol in his system. His hand stopped on the phone when his eyes landed on Sylvia’s number.
A silly thought stopped him. Why wait any longer for her and Ro to et when the opportunity was right now?
He dialed her number, and after a few rings, her voice ca through.
"Hello? Who’s this?"
It seed Sylvia hadn’t saved his number.
"Ehem... Sylvia, this is Alpheus. I have a favor to ask—"
Tut... tut...
The call was cut off before he could even finish.
"What the...?"
He really wanted the two of them to talk, and part of him couldn’t wait any longer for them to have closure in their broken past.
Another thought crossed his mind.
Whatever happens, happens.
He lifted Ro again, nearly straining under his weight. His vision blurred from the effort, but he forced himself to carry Ro out of the bar and carefully place him in the car.
He dialed Ro’s secretary again. After a few rings, the call was answered.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Alpheus, for not answering sooner. Did sothing happen to—Ro? I’ll head there imdiately. Please tell your location—"
"Wait, Regan, chill," Alpheus interrupted. "Ro is safe with . I just called to inform you that he’s drunk, and I’ll drive him back to his condo myself."
"He’s drunk? Then let drive for you both—"
"No need. He’s safe with , and I’m not drunk. I can handle it. What I want you to do is just take the day off tomorrow—Ro’s too drunk to make it to work anyway. That’s all. Thank you."
He didn’t wait for Regan to respond before hanging up.
Alpheus started driving toward Sylvia’s house, even whistling absentmindedly to keep his nerves steady.
He knew that by morning, Ro would be furious at him for leaving him in front of her house. But he didn’t care about Ro’s anger. His only goal was to give Ro the closure he deserved with Sylvia.
He would clear the path for the two of them.
Whatever happened after that, Ro would have to handle it himself. If Sylvia got angry at him for leaving Ro there early in the morning, that would be on him to deal with later.
The most important thing was for Ro to face her himself if he truly wanted her and the children to accept him in their lives.
Alpheus parked the car a few ters away from Sylvia’s house, his heart pounding in his chest.
He glanced at Ro slumped in the passenger seat, still completely unconscious.
He shook his head. This is insane... but it’s now or never.
He carefully lifted Ro and carried him through the narrow alleyway that led to Sylvia’s front door.
Midnight had settled over the neighborhood, and the streets were quiet, with only the shadow of him carrying Ro moving across the surroundings.
He set Ro down gently near the door and draped his own jacket over him to keep him warm against the chill of the night.
The tipsiness he had felt monts ago had vanished entirely and was replaced by the steady thrum of nervousness in his chest.
He knew both Ro and Sylvia would be furious with him for what he was about to do.
Ro mumbled sothing weakly, but Alpheus didn’t pay attention.
He took a deep breath and knocked on the door gently. His mind raced.
What if Sylvia opens it and screams?
He needed to stay calm, to give Ro the chance to face her, no matter what happened.
However, after several knocks, there was still no response. Alpheus furrowed his brow and scratched his head.
It seed Sylvia was already asleep. He didn’t bother knocking again. He knew the twins would wake if he made too much noise.
After he ensured Ro was safely resting near the door, Alpheus started walking away.
He sighed. He didn’t want to leave his friend like that, but it was the only way to make Ro realize that if he still loved Sylvia, he would have to do everything in his power to earn her back—even if that ant waiting outside her door until morning.
He wasn’t sure if he had been harsh on his friend, but he simply shrugged to himself.
There was nothing more to do tonight. He would just watch and wait to see what tomorrow would bring.
With that, he walked away from Sylvia’s house and got back into his car.
*********
Morning ca...
"Mommy, is he dead?"
Egypt asked, poking Ro’s cheek with her tiny finger as he lay sprawled at the door of their house.
"He’s not dead," Paris said, pinching her nose. "He slls like alcohol... maybe he sleepwalked last night."
"Mommy, what are we going to do with him? He doesn’t seem like he’s waking up anyti soon." Egypt said, still poking Ro’s cheek.
Sylvia clenched her fists tightly, trying to control her fury.
At the very last thing she wanted to see that early morning was Ro lying comfortably, sprawled across her front door.
Why would this jerk co to her house? And worse, he looked like he had been heavily drunk.
No matter how much Egypt poked his cheek, he didn’t stir at all.
Reviews
All reviews (0)