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Novel Catalog
Chapter 59
Catalina had always been the one to tend to Estella, so Lucian had little experience handling his daughter’s emotional outbursts. When he saw her weeping, he thought she was just throwing a tantrum. His instinct was to be stern, to set boundaries—something he assumed would calm her down.
But when he glared at her and ordered, “Stop crying,” his voice carried more harshness than he intended. He wasn’t aware of how his words pierced the little girl’s heart.
Estella’s tears only increased, streaming down her ashen cheeks like a floodgate that had broken open. Her sobs were raw and uncontrollable, and Lucian’s brows furrowed as he watched her. He had no idea how to respond to the overwhelming sadness that seemed to flood the room.
Meanwhile, Roxanne, unable to watch the cold treatment any longer, rushed to Estella’s side. The sight of the girl in such distress tugged at her heart, and she couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Is that how you treat a child?” she snapped at Lucian, her voice laced with disbelief. “She’s already in tears, and you’re still talking to her like this? Can’t you just talk to her nicely?”
Lucian froze at her words. Her admonishment struck him more than he expected, and he stood there momentarily stunned. Before he could respond, Roxanne knelt down beside Estella, pulling the little girl into her arms with a comforting tenderness.
“There, there, Essie,” Roxanne cooed softly. “Don’t cry! You can come over to play whenever you like, okay? I’ll give you my number, so just let me know when you want to drop by. You’re always welcome here.”
As she spoke, she wiped away Estella’s tears, her heart breaking at the sight of the girl’s sad eyes. Slowly, Estella’s sobs began to quiet as she clung to Roxanne, finding solace in the woman’s embrace.
Archie and Benny stood close by, their faces twisted with anger at seeing Estella so upset. They had always been protective of her, and now, seeing her in tears, they couldn’t contain their frustration.
“Why won’t you let Essie be friends with us?” Archie asked, his voice filled with indignation. “We’ve never been mean to her! For the past two times she ran away from home, my mommy took care of her. We played with her, and she had fun with us. She likes us a lot, so why can’t she be friends with us? It’s not like we’re bad guys!”
Lucian stood motionless, his stone face betraying no emotion as he struggled to come up with a response. He hadn’t expected to be confronted like this by two young boys. He didn’t want Estella to be friends with them—not because they weren’t good to her, but because he had his own reservations.
But now, hearing the boys’ words, he felt trapped.
“Essie doesn’t have many friends at school,” Benny continued, his voice wavering with frustration. “Only Archie and I let her hang around with us. When someone bullied her at school, we were the ones who helped her. If she can’t be friends with us, she’ll be all alone. Is that what you want?”
Lucian’s chest tightened at Benny’s accusation, his mind whirling with conflicting thoughts. He wasn’t used to being questioned like this by anyone, let alone two children. Their words rang in his ears, their innocence mixing with a pointed guilt that gnawed at him.
The boys’ anger was palpable, and as Lucian stayed silent, their frustration only deepened.
“Why won’t you let us protect her?” Archie demanded. “We play with her, we take care of her, but you keep questioning us. What kind of people do you think we are?”
Benny nodded in agreement, his eyes flashing with disapproval. The two boys glared at Lucian with hurt and disappointment, unable to understand why their kindness and friendship weren’t enough.
For a moment, Lucian felt the weight of their words pressing on him. They were right, in some ways. He had been too quick to judge, too quick to dismiss their bond with his daughter. But pride held him back from fully acknowledging it. These boys were strangers to him, and their closeness to Estella made him feel exposed, vulnerable.
In the silence that followed, a heavy tension filled the room. Lucian’s thoughts swirled as he met the boys’ gazes. His heart was a battlefield—he wanted to protect his daughter, but he also couldn’t help but resent the way these boys had come into their lives.
Roxanne held Estella tightly, offering her a quiet, soothing comfort. But even as the little girl rested her head on her shoulder, Roxanne couldn’t help but glance at Lucian, knowing the rift between him and the boys was only widening.
