What is the meaning of のようにin the expression 今さらのように？

I understand the common meaning of ～のように meaning "like" or "as" or "similar to. And I know that 毎日のように means "almost every day". But none of those meanings seem to make much sense in the expression 今さらのように。What's the difference between 今さらand 今さらのように？

Here's the original context: あと少しで大事故になっていた現実が今さらのようにのしかかってきた。

Thanks in advance for assistance!