CHAPTER 34: DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS

"Then... who is our daddy if it’s not them? Is it you?" my daughter asked Dave.

I could see the way her eyes searched his face, uncertain and hesitant... but still hopeful. Like a part of her was silently wishing Dave would say yes.

Dave, probably caught off guard, scratched the back of his neck, his usual composure slipping for the first time.

His gaze briefly flickered to me, and I could see the inner debate playing out behind his eyes.

"Uhm... no," he said carefully. "Your real dad isn’t one of us."

His voice turned more serious, and suddenly, I felt a knot of anxiety twist in my stomach.

"But... I do know who he is."

My heart sank.

Seriously?

I immediately stepped in before he could say another word.

"Sweethearts, how about we head home now, hmm?" I said, trying to sound as calm and cheerful as I could, hoping to steer the conversation away before it spiraled any further.

"But Mommy!" Egypt protested, her eyes growing wider with insistence. "Mr. Dave said he knows who our daddy is! We want to know too... please..."

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I fought the urge to snap.

Damn it, Dave. I was mentally cursing him in a thousand different ways, doing my best to think fast.

I crouched down to their level and gently took their hands in mine.

"Uhm... kids," I began, keeping my voice soft and steady. "The truth is... you don’t need to look for your daddy anymore. Sometimes, people who’ve been gone for a long time... they’re better left in the past."

Paris tilted her head. "What do you mean, Mommy?"

I hesitated. The words weighed heavily on my tongue. I took a deep breath, looked into their eyes, and said as gently as I could.

"The truth is... your daddy passed away a long time ago."

It wasn’t the truth—but it was the safest thing I could tell them, for now.

Behind me, I could feel the stunned silence of the four men. I didn’t need to turn around to know, they hadn’t expected me to say that.

Seconds later, I heard them gasp behind me, like they were only now beginning to process what I’d said.

I already knew they each had their own reactions, but I didn’t bother looking back. Instead, I tried my best to stay composed and maybe a little dramatic in front of my kids, before Rome’s friends could say anything else.

"Your father died while I was still pregnant with you," I continued. "So it’s better if we just stop talking about him altogether."

A long, heavy silence followed, stretching between all of us.

"Damn... I didn’t know women could be this scary."

I heard Calyx mutter under his breath. It was barely a whisper, but in the thick silence, everyone heard it.

All eyes turned to him.

"Gotta agree with you, Calyx." Alfonso added, as if trying to lighten the mood—but failing miserably. "I can’t imagine being declared dead by the woman I love just because I made mistake."

I shot them both a death glare.

"Good thing I haven’t fallen for anyone yet," Calyx went on with a dramatic sigh. "And if I ever do, I just hope it’s not someone who’d casually ’kill me off’ in front of people like this."

Alfonso stifled a laugh beside him. I, on the other hand, was fuming.

I turned to the twins, doing my best to push the irritation aside.

"Come on, kids," I said with a forced smile. "Let’s go home. And don’t pay any attention to those men—we don’t even know them."

It was my final jab at Rome’s ridiculous friends—my way of shutting them out completely.

"W-wait, where are you going, Sylvia... hold on! Don’t do this to us, please!" Calyx called out. "I remember how sweet you were to us last night, and now you’re acting like you don’t even know us right in front of the kids!"

That made my blood boil.

I stopped in my tracks and turned slightly toward him, crossing my arms as I shot him a deadly glare.

"Excuse me, sirs, but last night was different. I was a waitress doing my job—serving customers at the bar. This is a completely different situation. We’re not in a bar anymore—we’re standing in front of my children."

"I-I’m sorry... I understand—I mean, we understand how you must feel, since you just met us last night and now here we are, acting like this," Calyx said, raising his hands in defense. "But... we’re not trying to take the kids away from you. And we’re definitely not planning on telling their dad about them either."

The moment those words left his mouth, I shot him another death glare.

How could he forget what I just said? I had just told them their father was dead. I had erased him from my children’s lives—buried him in their memories—and here he was, casually dragging him back like it was nothing.

"Aha... r-right. Their dad’s dead. Totally forgot about that," Calyx stammered, forcing a nervous laugh in an attempt to save himself. "It’s just... you know, his memory is still so fresh in our minds. It’s like... like he’s still with us sometimes."

I noticed his three idiot friends beside him struggling—and failing miserably—not to laugh.

"Uncle! Uncle, I have a question!" Egypt suddenly chimed in. "What’s our daddy’s name?!"

I groaned and slapped my forehead, already feeling the stress pile up. As if the situation wasn’t chaotic enough, Egypt’s curiosity was now joining forces with the mess stirred up by Rome’s annoyingly persistent friends.

I thought she had finally decided to stay quiet, but it seems she was just trying to understand the situation first. Now, she was just as stubborn and mischievous as they were.

"Ah... hahaha..." Calyx let out an awkward laugh and glanced at me for help. "Uhm, I... I can’t really remember. But we used to call him..."

Before he could finish, I shot him a warning glare that made him stop mid-word.

"Rom—"

"Rom?" Egypt asked, eyes wide with interest.

"Ah! R-Romeo! Yes, that’s it—Romeo was your dad’s name. And your mommy here was his Juliet, haha..." Calyx added with a teasing grin in my direction.

"Pfffttt! Hahaha!"

Amie, who had also been quiet for a while, burst into laughter. When I turned to glare at her too, she quickly stopped. "Hehe, sorry! It’s just... that’s so cute. Romeo and Juliet. Your love story sounds so dramatic." she said, still giggling.

I didn’t find it funny. Not even a little.

"There’s nothing cute or funny about it," I said coldly. "And I suggest you all leave. I have no intention of introducing the kids to any of you."

"M-Mommy, are you mad? Is it our fault? Paris and I already introduced ourselves to them even though you told us not to talk to strangers." Egypt said nervously, clearly worried she had upset me.

I shot her a look too. This little girl just couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

"But Sylvia! We really have no intention of telling Rom—uh, him—anything about what we’ve found out, we promise! We just... we just want to get to know the kids a little more—"

"No. And that’s a firm no!" I cut him off sharply before he could say anything more.

I grabbed both children by the arms, one on each side, holding them close. "Come on, kids, we’re going home now!"

I leaned down slightly, adding in a warning tone to the twins, "Next time, don’t talk to strangers like them, they might sell your organs to shady people if you still don’t listen. You understand?!"

The twins gasped, clearly alarmed, and clung to me tightly as I turned us around to leave.

"Yes, Mommy!"

"Bye, Teacher Amie!" I heard Paris call out sweetly behind me, waving at the only person she recognized.

I didn’t bother looking back. I kept walking without so much as a glance at those four men behind us. They didn’t need any more of our time or our trust.