Skip to content
Novel Catalog
Chapter 97
Hearing Estella’s soft sobs, Lucian’s gaze shifted toward them.
Roxanne gently patted the little girl’s back, trying to soothe her, but Estella’s sobs only seemed to grow louder. Tossing the blanket aside, Estella suddenly sat up and threw herself into Roxanne’s arms. Her tiny hands clutched Roxanne’s top tightly as she cried pitifully.
Gradually, Estella opened her eyes and stared at Roxanne’s face with a look of intense longing, as if needing confirmation that she was still there. When she saw that Roxanne hadn’t left, her sobs began to quieten, though the tears continued to flow. Her cheeks were flushed from both fever and emotion, and Roxanne’s heart ached seeing her like this—Estella reminded her so much of her own boys.
“Hush, Essie. I’m right here. Don’t cry,” Roxanne murmured, wiping the girl’s tears away as gently as she could.
Estella sniffled, her tears still falling, but she showed no signs of letting go of Roxanne’s top. The sweat from her small palms soaked through the fabric, crumpling it up, but Roxanne didn’t say a word. She just kept comforting the little girl, her tone soft and soothing.
After a while, Estella’s sobs finally died down, and she drifted into a restless sleep, still sniffling even as she slept. Roxanne carefully wrapped her in a blanket, leaving only her small hands exposed, still clinging to Roxanne’s top in her sleep.
Lucian observed the tender scene, his eyes shadowed with an unfathomable emotion. He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt the fragile moment between them.
A few moments later, Catalina arrived, still concerned about Estella. When she saw the little girl peacefully sleeping in Roxanne’s arms, her face softened with relief. “Ms. Estella can sleep soundly when she’s with you. She was always so difficult to calm when she was sick before. No one could soothe her, not even Mr. Farwell.”
Roxanne’s eyes widened in surprise. What about Aubree? she thought. She’s Essie’s mother. Why isn’t she here to comfort her daughter? Where is she now that Estella is sick? Doesn’t she care about her?
Roxanne opened her mouth to ask, but before she could, Lucian’s voice interrupted.
“She’ll probably wake up again tonight. Why don’t you bring her to the guest room? You can rest there as well,” he suggested.
Catalina nodded in agreement, her tone warm. “Yes, it’s late, and you must be exhausted after coming here with Mr. Farwell straight from work. You should head upstairs and rest along with Ms. Estella.”
Roxanne hesitated, her gaze flicking to the staircase that led to the second floor. The weight of past memories settled over her, and a bitter ache filled her chest. She shook her head softly. “No need. I’ll just rest here for a while. Essie only just fell asleep, and I don’t want to wake her.”
Lucian and Catalina exchanged a glance but didn’t press further. They gave up on trying to change her mind and let the matter rest.
Catalina lingered for a moment longer, chatting briefly with Roxanne before excusing herself to leave them alone.
The living room fell into silence.
Roxanne’s thoughts were still clouded with the memory of Lucian’s question earlier about Archie and Benny’s age. She kept her gaze fixed on the sleeping Estella, unwilling to meet his eyes. Despite the quiet, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in her chest.
Lucian remained silent for a long while, and as time passed, Roxanne’s tense posture began to soften. Her day had been exhausting, from treating Alfred in the afternoon to now dealing with Estella’s fever. She was physically drained, and Estella’s warm body in her arms, with her steady breathing, was starting to lull her into a sense of drowsiness.
Despite her best efforts to stay awake, the pull of sleep became too strong, and Roxanne finally succumbed to it, drifting into a deep, restful slumber.
