The Mistress Who Ran Away With The Twins-Chapter 168: Too Late To Run

I didn’t move.

I couldn’t.

The music was still pounding, lights flashing red and blue across the dance floor, but none of it mattered anymore. Everything narrowed into a single point—him.

The man who looked exactly like Rome Hariston.

We stared at each other from across the room like the world had been paused mid-breath. It wasn’t dramatic in a cinematic way. It was worse. Quiet. Heavy. The kind of stillness that presses down on your chest until breathing feels optional.

His body stiffened the moment he recognized me. I saw it, the way his shoulders went rigid, the way his jaw clenched like he was holding something back. Surprise flickered across his face first. Then Shock and Disbelief.

Like he couldn’t believe I was real.

I hated that look.

My fingers trembled around the glass in my hand. I hadn’t realized how dizzy I was until I tried to shift my weight and the floor tilted beneath me.

"Sylvia?" Amie’s voice reached me, muffled, distant. "Hey... you okay?"

I didn’t answer.

Because the man who looked exactly like Rome took a step forward.

Just one.

But it was enough to send panic flooding through my veins.

Run.

The thought screamed through my head, sharp and desperate. Get away. Now.

I turned abruptly, grabbing Amie’s wrist.

"W-we need to go."

"What—why—?"

"I said now."

I tried to pull her, but my legs betrayed me. The room spun violently, lights smearing into streaks of color. My balance slipped, and I stumbled forward instead of away.

"Whoa—Sylvia!"

I barely heard her.

I felt him before I saw him.

A warm hand closed around my wrist.

Firm. Steady. Familiar.

The contact sent a jolt through me like electricity.

"No," I gasped, trying to pull free. "Don’t—"

"Hey," Rome said, his voice low, close—grounding in a way that made my stomach churn. "Easy. You’re dizzy."

I froze.

That voice.

I yanked my hand back weakly. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Don’t... t-touch me."

But my legs gave out at the same time.

The alcohol hit me all at once, harder than before. My vision blurred, black spots dancing at the edges. I swayed, breath catching in my throat.

The next thing I knew, strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me upright before I could hit the floor.

"Sylvia!" Amie shouted. "Hey! Let go of her!"

Rome caught me easily, one arm around my back, the other steadying my elbow. I could feel the heat of him through my clothes.

"I’ve got her," he said quickly. "She’s going to fall."

"I said l-let go!" Amie shoved his shoulder, nearly losing her balance herself. "You don’t get to touch her!"

Rome glanced at her, irritation flashing briefly before concern overtook it.

"She’s drunk. She can barely stand."

"I don’t care!" Amie snapped. "You’re the last person she should be with!"

I tried to speak, to protest, but my tongue felt thick. Heavy.

"A-amie..." I slurred. "It’s fine. I’m fine."

I wasn’t.

My head was spinning violently now, nausea curling in my stomach. The room felt too loud like my thoughts tangled, slipping through my fingers.

Rome tightened his hold slightly when I sagged against him.

"I’m taking her home," he said.

"No, you’re not," Amie shot back. "She’s coming home with me."

Rome’s friends—Alpheus and Alfonso, faces I vaguely recognized, had gathered around us now, forming an unconscious barrier as curious eyes began to turn.

"She needs to sit down," one of them said. "She’s really out of it."

Amie laughed bitterly.

"Don’t tell me you’re trying to kidnap her?"

"She’s already drunk—and look at yourself," Rome snapped sharply. "You’re drunk too. You can’t even get her home safely."

He started guiding me toward the exit.

"No," Amie said, grabbing my other arm. "Sylvia, look at me. Do you want to go with him?"

I tried.

I really did.

But my vision doubled, Rome’s face blurring into two—then three.

"I..." I frowned, confusion seeping in. "W-why... why are there so many of you?"

Amie cursed softly.

"She’s wasted."

Rome exhaled through his teeth.

"Please. I’ll explain everything later. She can’t stay here."

One of his friends gently but firmly pulled Amie back when she tried to follow, holding her shoulders.

"Hey—!" Amie protested. "Don’t touch me!"

"I’m sorry," Alpheus said quietly. "But she’s safer with him right now."

"Like hell she is!"

"Hey, Teacher Amie," Alfonso said calmly. "Are you really raising your voice at the principal and co-owner of the school you work at?"

Amie glared at him.

"I’m not a teacher right now. Working hours are over. I’m free to do whatever I want, Mr. Co-owner and Mr. Principal."

Their voices faded as Rome steered me out of the bar.

Cool night air hit my face, sharp and sobering, but not enough. My stomach lurched. I gagged softly, clutching at Rome’s shirt instinctively.

"Easy," he murmured. "I’ve got you."

I hated that my body believed him.

The parking lot lights were too bright. I squinted, head pounding, thoughts drifting strangely.

"R-rome?" I asked suddenly. "Is it really you?"

"Yes."

"H-hehe...Are you real?"

He stilled.

"What? Yes I’m real"

I frowned, trying to focus on his face.

"Am I dreaming?"

My voice sounded small. Childish.

"No," he said quietly. "You’re not dreaming."

I stared at him, really stared, trying to match this man to the memories in my head.

"...You look older," I said. " Meaner and c-colder."

His jaw tightened.

"And I hate you," I added suddenly, anger bubbling up from somewhere deep and ugly.

"I really hate you. H-how can you act like nothing happened? H-how can you stand there like you didn’t destroy me?..hikk.. Are you really Rome? Then I h-hate you..."

He stayed silent as he opened the passenger door and helped me inside, buckling the seatbelt when I fumbled uselessly with it.

"I know you hate me," he said quietly. "I regret everything. I just want to talk to you."

I laughed bitterly.

"I-is that my fault?"

The car hummed to life. Streetlights streaked past as we drove.

"Am I going to wake up?" I whispered. "Because if I am, this is a really cruel dream."

Silence.

Then softly—

"Sylvia..."

"N-no," I snapped. "Don’t say my name like that."

"Y-you don’t know me anymore," I said. "You don’t get to."

"You’re right," he replied. "But I want to."

"You’re not the one I needed," I sobbed. "I just want to see my babies..."

"Our babies.." he whispered.

"W-what?"

"...Nothing."

The silence inside the car felt heavier than the noise of the bar.

It pressed in from all sides, thick and suffocating, broken only by the steady hum of the engine and the faint sound of my uneven breathing. My head throbbed, alcohol still swirling violently in my system, but the pain in my chest was clearer.

Rome kept his eyes on the road.

I watched his reflection in the windshield instead. The sharp line of his jaw. The familiar crease between his brows when he was thinking too hard.

"How can you drink like this and leave the kids?" he asked suddenly, voice tight. "What if something happened to you? What if I didn’t come?"

I laughed weakly, a sound that barely resembled humor.

"So w-what if something h-happened to me?" I slurred. "W-what does it matter to..hikk..you?"

My vision swam again, stomach twisting unpleasantly.

Silence stretched between us.

The car slowed.

I didn’t know why he stopped, but the sudden stillness made my thoughts spill out uncontrollably like a dam finally breaking.

"D-do..do you know what happened after I disappeared?" I asked, voice shaking.

"N-no," he answered quickly. "That’s what I want to know."

"T-then listen," I whispered fiercely. "Because you don’t get to interrupt."

I swallowed hard, my throat burning.

"I lost everything.." I said. "E-every opportunity I tried to build. I was blocked from working—everywhere. I thought I was cursed."

My hands clenched tightly in my lap.

"I had children," I continued. "Triplets. Alone. Do you know what that’s like? Being terrified every single day that you won’t be enough?"

His grip tightened on the steering wheel.

"I sacrificed everything," I said. "Sleep. Dreams. Pride. I survived because I had to."

My voice cracked completely.

"I even had to give one of them up—Cairo," I whispered. "He was sick. I didn’t know how to raise him. T-two children were already so hard... h-how could I handle three when one of them needed more than I c-could give?"

Tears streamed freely now.

"I felt like a useless mother," I sobbed. "I had no one. No help. No home. I ran away broken... only to b-break again."

Rome pulled the car over.

The engine shut off.

The silence this time wasn’t empty.

It was shattered.

"I never stopped thinking about you," he said hoarsely. "Not for a day."

I laughed through my tears.

"H-ehe..hikk..n-no one would believe that. W-while I was raising my kids alone, you were building your life. You even have a son."

His breath hitched.

"Y-you weren’t there," I whispered. "When I was drowning. You weren’t there."

He didn’t defend himself. Didn’t deny it.

I wiped my face angrily.

"I hate you. I hate that my heart still reacts to you. I want you to hurt the way I did."

He turned toward me fully now, eyes red, raw.

"I deserve that..I’m really sorry.." he said quietly.

I stared at him, exhaustion finally dragging me down.

"I hope this isn’t a dream," I whispered. "Because I need you to hear this. I need you to know how much you broke me."

His hand reached out hesitantly, brushing my cheek, wiping away a tear.

"I’m sorry," he said. "I’m not leaving."

I closed my eyes, body finally giving in.

"Liar.." I murmured.

But before sleep claimed me completely, I felt his forehead rest against mine—warm, trembling.

And for the first time I didn’t pull away.