Ro’s gaze didn’t waver from Egypt. For a long mont, he simply looked at her softly, as if he were afraid that even sothing as small as the wrong expression might shatter her.
Then, just for a second, he glanced at . It wasn’t obvious. Anyone else might have missed it. But I didn’t. There was a question in that look. A silent ask for permission... or maybe support.
My chest tightened, but I nodded.
That was all it took.
He looked back at Egypt.
"...Yes." he said at last.
His voice was low and steady but beneath it, there was sothing unfamiliar. Sothing fragile. Was he nervous?
"I’m your father."
Silence swallowed the room whole.
Egypt didn’t move.
She just stared at him, her eyes searching his face, as if she was trying to find sothing that would make this make sense.
"...Father?..." she whispered faintly, shaking her head once.
Her voice faltered. Slowly, she turned to .
"Mom...?"
There was confusion in her eyes.
My chest tightened painfully, like sothing was squeezing it from the inside.
"I-it’s true," I said softly, forcing the words out even when they felt like they were tearing through . "I’m sorry... I should have told you sooner."
Egypt’s lips parted slightly, but no words ca out. She turned back to Ro, studying him more carefully now. As if she was seeing him for the first ti.
Not as the man she had casually called "uncle." But as sothing more.
"...But..." she started slowly, her voice trembling. "If he’s our dad... then why wasn’t he there when you raised us?"
Her question landed hard. It was too honest.
Ro didn’t look away.
"I wasn’t there," he said quietly. "Because I failed your mom."
There were no excuses in his voice. No attempt to soften the truth. Just honesty.
"I wasn’t soone your mother could trust back then," he continued, his voice calm but heavy. "And I failed her... more than once. Because of that... I lost the chance to be with all of you."
Egypt frowned slightly, still trying to piece everything together.
"...So... you left?" she asked.
"No," he said, shaking his head faintly. "Your mom left. And she had every reason to."
My fingers tightened slightly around Cairo’s hand. Even now. He didn’t bla .
"I didn’t go after her," he added. "And that was my mistake."
Silence followed again, stretching longer this ti.
Then Paris moved.
She stepped closer, stopping beside Egypt. Her posture was calm and composed but there was sothing different in her gaze. Less confusion and more understanding. Maybe... because she already knew.
"You said Mom left you... and I think I know why," Paris said quietly, looking at Ro, then at . "I already knew you were our father. And Mom didn’t tell us because you already have a family... and telling us the truth would have hurt us."
She paused slightly.
"Am I right, Mom?"
I froze for a second. Surprised.
Not just by what she said but by how calm she was. She didn’t even blink as she looked at .
And suddenly, I felt... small.
Because she was handling this better than I was.
"...Yes" I answered softly.
"I understand," she continued. "I’m not hurt or disappointed at you. I just wanted to know the truth."
Her voice wasn’t loud but it carried weight.
"So... thank you for not lying this ti."
My chest tightened painfully at her words.
"I-I’m sorry..." I said honestly. "I should have told you sooner. I was just... afraid. Afraid that if you knew, things would change... that I might lose you."
Paris studied for a mont. Then she shook her head.
"You won’t lose us, Mom."
Her voice softened just a little.
"We’re your children. We won’t leave you, no matter what happens."
Sothing in cracked at that.
"But..." she added, her gaze shifting to Ro, "that doesn’t an we wouldn’t want to know him too."
Ro didn’t respond.
But I saw it again, that small shift in his expression. Regret.
Egypt looked between us again, overwheld.
"...So... what now?" she asked, her voice small. "Do we just... call him Dad now?"
The question caught all of us off guard.
Even Ro.
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his slightly ssy hair.
"You don’t have to force anything," he said gently. "You can take your ti."
Egypt frowned slightly.
"...But you are our dad." she said, more like she was reminding herself than asking.
"Yes.." he answered.
She stared at him for a long mont.
"...Okay.." she said softly.
It wasn’t excitent not rejection either. Just... quiet acceptance.
She placed her hands on her hips, trying to mimic Paris’ composed deanor, though there was still a slight tremble in her stance.
"Since Paris already knows and accepted the truth... there’s no reason for not to understand it too." she said, trying to sound firm.
She hesitated briefly.
"So listen... Uncle Ro—no... f-father..."
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay strong.
"Paris and I have always wanted a father. But we understand Mom more for not telling us about you. You already have a family, and knowing the truth would have hurt us."
Her voice wavered just slightly but she continued.
"But we’re not weak. We won’t cry just because of that."
She lifted her chin a little.
"So even if you are our father... we’ll protect Mom. We won’t let you hurt her again."
The room fell silent after that.
Paris simply nodded in agreent, staying quiet. Then her gaze shifted toward Cairo.
"...Did you already tell him?" she asked.
My heart clenched.
"Yes," I answered softly. "He found out last night."
Paris nodded faintly.
Ro’s eyes flickered at that.
Then, a small movent. Barely noticeable.
All of us turned at the sa ti.
Cairo stirred.
His brows furrowed slightly, his fingers twitching weakly in mine.
"Cairo..." I whispered, leaning closer.
His eyes fluttered open slowly, heavy and unfocused at first.
"...Mom..." he murmured.
"I’m here..mom’s here.." I said gently, brushing his hair back.
His gaze shifted sluggishly, landing on Paris, then Egypt... then Sylvester.
"...You’re all here..." he whispered.
"Of course we are," Egypt said quickly, stepping closer. "We ca right away."
Paris nodded softly, her hand resting lightly near his arm.
Cairo blinked slowly. Then his gaze moved again and stopped on Ro. This ti, recognition ca instantly.
"...Dad..." he murmured.
His word settled into the room differently this ti.
Ro froze for a fraction of a second. Then slowly and carefully... he stepped closer. As if he was afraid that even the slightest wrong move might break Cairo.
"I’m here.." he said quietly.
Cairo smiled faintly but genuine.
"...You stayed..." he whispered.
Ro’s throat tightened.
"Yes."
That one word seed to ease sothing in Cairo. His body relaxed slightly. His fingers shifted weakly, as if searching for sothing.
Without thinking, Ro reached out.
And took his hand.
Cairo’s grip was weak.
But he held on.
"...Don’t go..." Cairo murmured, his voice barely above a breath.
Ro’s hand tightened just a little.
"I won’t."
Sothing in my chest tightened again.
But this ti... It wasn’t just pain. It was sothing else. Sothing that felt like it was trying to grow in a place that had been broken for far too long.
Egypt watched them quietly, her expression softening.
"...He really is our dad," she whispered, almost to herself. "He looks so much like Cairo..."
Paris didn’t say anything. But she didn’t look away either.
Sylvester exhaled quietly from where he stood. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly.
"...Took you long enough." he muttered under his breath.
Ro didn’t respond.
But there was no hostility in the silence this ti.
After a mont, Cairo’s eyes began to close again.
His grip loosened.
"Rest baby.." I whispered gently.
He nodded faintly and within seconds, his breathing steadied once more. He’s asleep again.
The room fell quiet but not like before. Not suffocating and heavy. Just... still. A quiet kind of stillness that felt like sothing had shifted. Sothing had changed.
Egypt leaned lightly against the bed, her small hand resting near Cairo’s.
"...Is Cairo really going to be okay?" she asked softly.
I looked at her.
"...Yes," I said gently. "Cairo is strong. He’ll overco this."
She nodded slowly, though worry still lingered in her eyes.
Sylvester crossed his arms, glancing between all of us.
"...I’ll step out for a bit," he said after a mont. "Give you ti."
I looked at him, surprised.
But he didn’t wait for a response.
He turned and walked out quietly, closing the door behind him.
And just like that, it was just us again.
But the mont the door shut, sothing in stirred.
Because no. I wasn’t just going to let him walk away like that. Not after everything that he forced this mont.
I stood up slowly, careful not to disturb Cairo.
"I’ll be right back.." I said softly.
Paris nodded.
Egypt didn’t protest.
Ro glanced at briefly but didn’t stop .
So I followed.
The hallway outside was quiet. For a second, I didn’t see him.
Then..
"There you are."
Sylvester was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Like he had been waiting.
I stopped a few steps away from him.
"You couldn’t just let handle it?" I asked, my voice low but firm.
His gaze t mine. It was cold this ti.
"But you weren’t handling it," he said bluntly. "You were delaying it."
My jaw tightened.
"That wasn’t your decision to make."
"No," he agreed. "But it beca mine the mont I saw how much it was affecting the kids."
I clenched my fists slightly.
"You think I didn’t know that?" I shot back. "You think this was easy for ?"
His expression didn’t change.
"I know it wasn’t easy," he said. "But that doesn’t an avoiding it was right."
His words hit because they weren’t entirely wrong.
"I was protecting them..." I said, quieter now.
"I’m not saying you weren’t protecting them. But they deserve to know the truth too. And now that it’s co to this," he replied. "I guess it was ti for you to be honest with them. You may not realize it, but the kids are smart. If you’re not honest with them, they might start thinking you’re not doing what’s best for them. They may be young, but they understand more than you think."
Silence fell between us.
"I know... but you didn’t trust to handle the situation.." I said after a mont.
His gaze softened slightly.
"I’m sorry if you feel like I overstepped," he said. "I just didn’t want the kids to feel like you were hiding too much from them. And I hate their father. What I did earlier wasn’t for his sake."
He paused, his expression hardening just a little.
"I just think you’ve suffered enough. It’s unfair that you’re the only one carrying everything. Why not let him share so of that burden? Let him feel the weight of what you went through."
I looked away briefly.
Then sighed.
"You always do this... and I hate how you think you’re always right." I muttered.
"What do you an?"
"You step in like you know what’s best."
He shrugged slightly.
"I told you," he said. "He has to share the burden too and he needs to regret it. Now that it’s co to this... let him. Let him suffer too."
I didn’t respond to that because... again he wasn’t completely wrong.
"...They’re stronger than you think..especially Cairo." he added quietly.
I nodded faintly.
"I know."
And for the first ti since everything started. I actually believed it.
They weren’t breaking..
And maybe...
That was enough for now.
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