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Novel Catalog
Chapter 48
Lucian strode into the kindergarten with purpose, fully aware that he was running late. However, his mind was preoccupied with the meeting he had just left, and he didn’t notice the boys sitting quietly in the car.
The moment he entered, his eyes landed on the scene by the slide. There, he saw Estella sitting with two other figures—Roxanne included—who had been comforting her. Estella had managed to squeeze herself into Roxanne’s arms.
“Mr. Farwell, you’re here!” The teacher greeted him with respect, noticing his arrival.
Lucian gave a curt nod in acknowledgment before his gaze shifted to Estella. His eyes then locked onto Roxanne, his face hardening. “Why are you here?”
Roxanne furrowed her brows at his hostility, taken aback by his coldness. She wasn’t sure what she had done to provoke such a reaction.
The teacher, sensing the tension, looked between them in surprise. “Do you know each other?”
Until now, she had assumed that Roxanne had no connection to Estella. But seeing how Estella had clung to Roxanne so willingly, she began to wonder if there was more to their relationship than she initially thought.
Roxanne glanced at the teacher but didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned to Lucian, her tone neutral. “I’m here to pick up my boys. Estella wouldn’t let go of me, so I stayed with her until you arrived.”
Lucian’s jaw clenched at her words, and his gaze turned ice-cold.
“How can you say such a thing in front of your own daughter?” he muttered under his breath, though his eyes never left Roxanne. The accusation hung in the air, the weight of his judgment palpable.
Roxanne, completely unaware of what she had said wrong, blinked at his sudden hostility. She was about to respond when she saw the change in Lucian’s expression. His focus had shifted to Estella, who was still holding onto Roxanne’s sleeve.
Without a word, Lucian extended his hand toward Estella. “Come here,” he said, his voice cold and commanding.
Estella’s eyes flickered toward him, and for a brief moment, she hesitated. She raised her gaze to Roxanne, her expression a mix of reluctance and sadness.
For Estella, this was the one rare moment she had found comfort in another person. She didn’t want to let go of Roxanne, not now, not when she finally felt like she belonged.
Lucian’s gaze hardened when Estella refused to move. His tone grew sterner. “Estella Farwell, let go and come home with me.”
Estella’s small hands only gripped Roxanne’s sleeve tighter at his demand. The fear in her eyes made Roxanne’s heart ache.
For a split second, Estella lost her balance while attempting to pull away, her body swaying dangerously. Roxanne’s reflexes kicked in just in time, reaching out to steady the little girl before she could fall.
Holding Estella securely in her arms, Roxanne’s frown deepened. “Lucian, if you’re upset with me, then take it up with me. Don’t take it out on her.” Her voice was firm but laced with concern.
Lucian, his own emotions simmering, snapped at her. “How I treat my daughter is none of your concern. Don’t think that just because she likes you, it gives you the right to get involved.”
The air between them thickened with tension, every word charged with hostility. Roxanne’s chest tightened, not just with frustration but with the overwhelming sense that this man, the father of her children, still held so much power over her.
“Estella’s just a child,” Roxanne responded, her voice now low and filled with frustration. “She’s not a pawn in our battles. You’re the one who should know better.”
But Lucian’s face hardened, the bitterness in his eyes growing darker with each passing second. He glared at Roxanne, his anger barely contained. “Don’t lecture me about my daughter.”
The teacher, watching the unfolding scene with increasing concern, hesitated. She could feel the tension mounting, the unspoken animosity between Roxanne and Lucian practically crackling in the air.
Estella, who had been clinging to Roxanne for dear life, looked back at her father. There was no denying the confusion in her eyes. The little girl was caught in the middle, torn between her attachment to Roxanne and the sternness of her father’s presence.
In the midst of this unspoken battle, Roxanne’s heart ached for the little girl, who had no control over the conflict unfolding before her.
“Lucian,” Roxanne said quietly, her tone softer but no less resolute, “if you care about her at all, then stop using her as a way to hurt me. She deserves better than that.”
Lucian’s eyes narrowed, the coldness in them a warning. He took a step closer, his voice dangerously calm. “You don’t get to tell me what’s best for my daughter.”
Roxanne felt her blood run cold, but she didn’t back down. “Then prove it.”
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Neither of them spoke, the air thick with unresolved tension.
Estella, still clinging to Roxanne, let out a soft, heart-wrenching whimper, her tiny voice barely a whisper. “Please… don’t fight…”
Roxanne’s heart clenched at the sound. She looked down at Estella, her features softening. She knew she couldn’t keep her in this limbo forever, not when Lucian was standing right there. But at the same time, she didn’t want to abandon Estella to this harsh reality.
With a resigned sigh, Roxanne met Lucian’s gaze one last time. “You win, Lucian. Take her home.”
And with that, the weight of the unspoken truce fell over them both.
