"…Is he my father?"
Everything inside me froze.
For a moment, I couldn't hear anything, not my own breathing, not even my heartbeat. It felt like the world had narrowed down to just that one question and the two people standing in front of me.
I looked at Cairo.
Then at Rome.
Rome hadn't moved. Not even a step. But I saw it—the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw tightened slightly, the flicker in his eyes when he glanced at me before looking back at Cairo. He wasn't going to answer.
He was leaving it to me.
My throat went dry.
"Cairo…" I said softly, forcing my voice to work.
He took another small step forward, his fingers curling into the hem of his shirt like he was holding onto something just to steady himself.
"…Just answer me mom..." he said.
I swallowed hard and crouched down to his level, trying to steady myself before I spoke.
"Y-you're supposed to be asleep," I said gently. "It's late. We can talk about this tomorrow, okay?"
He shook his head immediately.
