CHAPTER 102: PHOTOS OF BETRAYAL

"Hmph... Rome... please stop..."

Sylvia repeated the plea over and over, but Rome only bit down harder on her neck, pausing his grinding for just a moment before resuming again, pouring all his anger and jealousy into every movement.

He lifted his head, his eyes scanning Sylvia’s tear-streaked face, searching for any sign of remorse. But all that met him was coldness, a silence that only fanned the fire burning in his chest.

He finally slid off her, lying back and staring up at the ceiling.

A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by Sylvia’s gasps and muffled sobs.

In that moment, it was as if Rome couldn’t hear anything at all.

His emotions felt sealed shut, distant, as though he couldn’t even acknowledge whether he was hurting her.

It was as if he had closed himself off from her entirely. Her pain didn’t touch him, not in the way it should have.

The sting of betrayal, the thought of Daniel and another man in her life, outweighed everything else.

He wanted to confront her about Daniel, about the other man, but his tongue felt tied, his fury overwhelming every rational thought.

So he let the moment pass without comforting her, without saying a word. Until Sylvia herself slowly slipped out of the bed, the blanket wrapped tightly around her bare body.

He could see the way she winced as she walked, her pain obvious even in the smallest step but still, he let her go. He didn’t stop her, not even when she finally disappeared from the room.

A bitter smile tugged at his lips. Now they were both hurting each other.

***********

"Rome, son, it’s been a while since the last time I saw you."

Rosana’s gentle voice stopped him in the hallway as he made his way toward his father’s office. Her eyes softened with concern.

"Did you and Sylvia have a fight?"

Rome’s brows furrowed, his steps halting.

He had never shared any of his misunderstandings with Sylvia with his family, so how could his mom know?

"You must be wondering how I found out," Rosana continued, as if reading his thoughts.

"It’s because Sylvia told me."

His chest tightened. Sylvia? Why would she tell their problems to his mother of all people?

"I asked her why she hasn’t been contacting me recently, and she admitted it was because you two had a fight."

Rosana hesitated, her expression heavy with worry. "She also told me... that she’s planning to leave you soon—"

"W-what?... What did you just say, Mom? Sylvia is what?"

Rome stopped in his tracks completely, his brows colliding in disbelief.

Rosana’s eyes widened. She lifted a trembling hand to cover her mouth, as if she hadn’t meant to let the words slip.

"Oh... s-son... that... that was a slip of the tongue. Did I just say that out loud?" she murmured, her voice faltering.

But it was too late. His frustration only deepened, his chest burning. His voice turned cold.

"Tell me, Mom. Did Sylvia really say she’s planning to leave me?"

He couldn’t stop himself from shaking, his fists curling tight. Just earlier, he had left Sylvia silently crying in his condo, locked inside while he came to his family house after being summoned by his father.

He hadn’t meant to trap her there, but the thought of her leaving while he was gone ate him alive.

He didn’t want her to disappear. He had even planned to apologize for being too harsh, to give her the chance to explain herself. Even if she lied, even if she denied everything, he was ready to accept it, because losing her was something he couldn’t bear.

But now... to hear this? That Sylvia herself had told his mom she was planning to leave him? The weight of it pressed down on his chest like a stone.

"Oh, son... I’m sorry if I said too much," Rosana whispered, regret written all over her face.

"I didn’t mean to upset you. I just spoke with Sylvia briefly over the phone, asked her how she was doing, nothing more. I didn’t intend to pry into your relationship... but she sounded so certain, Rome. She told me herself, as if she’d already made up her mind to leave you. That’s why I had to ask, are you two really okay?"

She reached for his shoulder. Rome felt the sincerity in her touch, in her words.

His mom might have disapproved of Sylvia at first, but she had never lied to him, never tried to deliberately drive them apart. Over the past weeks, she had shown nothing but quiet efforts to accept Sylvia.

And he believed her.

Which left him with only one conclusion.

Maybe Sylvia was simply... tired of him.

He gently brushed off his mom’s hand from his shoulder. He tried to appear calm, as though her words didn’t affect him in the slightest.

He even forced a faint smile and pretended that what she said was nothing serious at all.

"I’m fine, Mom. Sylvia and I are okay. She might have said something, but maybe she was just annoyed. We only had a small misunderstanding, something very trivial. But we’ll never separate, and she would never leave me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go meet Dad."

He turned his back on her and was about to open the door to his father’s office when his mom’s voice called out again.

"But it doesn’t sound like your fight with Sylvia was just a small matter. You know I’m concerned about you both, and I only hope you resolve things before your birthday. And... I’m also worried because it seems your father is angry about something."

He paused, glancing over his shoulder. For the briefest moment, he caught the twitch of a smirk crossing his mom’s lips before it vanished and was immediately replaced by her concerned expression.

His brows furrowed. Maybe he was just imagining things.

"Dad is angry?" he asked carefully.

"Uh, yes. I don’t know why, but it seems like it concerns you. So whatever your father tells you, don’t take it too seriously. You know I’m always behind you and I’ll always be on your side." She smiled warmly.

"Thanks, Mom."

He turned away, ignoring the strange unease in her words. He shook it off before opening the door and stepped inside.

The sight before him made him freeze.

His father sat at the desk, posture straight and commanding. His face was dark and stern, and he was holding several photos in his hands.

He looked furious, just as his mom had warned. When his gaze shifted to him, the fury etched even deeper into his features.

"You’ve finally come." his father said coldly.

"Y-yes, Dad..." he muttered, suddenly aware of the photos in his hands.

His chest tightened for no reason he could explain.

"Do you have any idea why I called you here?"

He shook his head before lowering his gaze. "No, Dad."

"Tch. I thought I heard your mom’s voice outside before you entered, so I assumed she’d already given you some idea. But it seems your attachment and blind devotion to that girlfriend of yours have dulled your mind."

Rome lifted his head and coldly met his father’s icy glare.

His father’s gaze grew even harsher.

"When you told me you were serious about your girlfriend and intended to marry her, I was deeply disappointed. Still, you insisted that it was the first time you had ever truly experienced love. And so, even though I and our family disapproved, I still allowed you to continue your relationship with her. I let you defend her against us. I let you keep her, even though she could contribute nothing to the growth of this company." His voice hardened further.

"But now, once again, you’ve disappointed me and it has only proven me right to doubt her. Especially after seeing... these."

He flung the photos across his office. His expression remained calm, but his eyes burned with fury.

His father had always been strict and unyielding. He was the kind of father whose anger made both him and Daniel fold without questioning him. With his jaw clenched tightly, there was no mistaking his contempt.

"Pick them up," he ordered coldly. "See for yourself what’s in those pictures."

Rome hesitated, his pulse pounding, then crouched to gather the scattered photos.

His fingers trembled as he lifted them one by one. He already had an idea of what he might see, but when the images became clear, his blood ran cold.

Some photos were the same ones Ingrid had shown him yesterday....Sylvia with Daniel. But among them were new ones, unfamiliar to him.

His breath caught when his eyes landed on a different set of images. They didn’t show Daniel. Instead, they showed Sylvia with another man, someone he had never seen before.

The man’s face was always turned away from the camera, but his build was different. Taller than Daniel, broader in the shoulders, his physique commanding and powerful. Judging by the details, he looked foreign.

In one photo, Sylvia was sitting across from him at a restaurant, laughing brightly, her eyes sparkling. In another, they were shopping together at a famous luxury clothing brand.

Sylvia was holding clothes up to herself, smiling as if asking for his opinion, while the man carried several shopping bags for her.

The images made it appear as though Sylvia was happily indulging in the man’s money, enjoying herself in his company.

Rome’s grip on the photos tightened until his knuckles turned white. His jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

Maybe this is the man from Sylvia’s message... the one she told I love you.