Roxanne was hit by a pang of guilt. “Sorry, I didn’t realize that. I just-” She had only subconsciously taken more photos of Estella because she was thinking about her.
Benny was only joking. He immediately. explained when he saw that Roxanne had taken the joke seriously, “Mommy, I was just kidding! Don’t take it to heart…”
Then, the boy planted a kiss on Roxanne’s cheek and said sweetly, “We know you love us! We’ve just reunited with Essie, and we know you want to make it up to her because we’ve lost so much time with her. That’s why you favor her a little. We understand that. Besides, Archie and I will love Essie more too!”
Estella’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “I will love Mommy and you guys more too!” Roxanne felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her chest after hearing Benny. However, she still couldn’t help feeling guilty.
Truth be told, after being separated from Estella for so long and finally having her back by her side, Roxanne couldn’t deceive herself into believing that she could treat all the children. equally. She knew that, at least for now, she would favor Estella more.
“Mommy, we’re a bit tired. We want to go sit on the beach for a while,” Archie said. He knew Roxanne was still feeling guilty. He thought it was best to give her some alone time to think things through.
Roxanne thought the same. She wanted to cool off a little and take some time to think about how she should treat her three children. Just when she was considering how to start, Archie’s voice rang out.
Roxanne flashed a grateful smile at the considerate boy. “Go on, but you guys can’t go too far. Be sure to keep a distance from the sea and wear your watch properly.”
Archie nodded and brought his siblings back to the beach. “It’s all my fault. I’ve made Mommy upset,” Benny muttered apologetically. Then, he turned to look at Estella. “What I said earlier was just a joke. I really, really like you!”
Benny was afraid that Estella might take it seriously as well. Estella hurriedly nodded. She knew Benny was just joking. After all, Archie and Benny had always taken. good care of her ever since they knew her.
Estella was apt at discerning whether someone was being sincere. Benny heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Estella nodding. Then, he turned to Archie and said in a small voice, “I wish Daddy was here.”
He can definitely make Mommy feel better. With that thought in mind, Benny secretly sent their location to Lucian. Daddy will come to find us if I send him the location, right? Mommy will feel so much better with Daddy around.
Benny felt better afterward. “Um, why did Mommy refuse Daddy’s proposal?” Estella mumbled. Despite knowing that she had probably taken Benny’s words the wrong way, Estella couldn’t help but feel dejected.
I enjoy both Mommy’s and Daddy’s love, but Archie and Benny receive only Mommy’s love. Aren’t they receiving less than me, then? If Mommy and Daddy get together, Daddy will surely treat Archie and Benny like his own children.
Benny stole a glance at Archie after hearing Estella. We can’t tell her that Mommy refused Daddy because of Grandma, can we? It didn’t matter if they knew about it or not since they couldn’t actually do anything substantial about it.
However, Archie and Benny knew that Estella would definitely confront Sonya if she knew about it. The boys were afraid that they might accidentally trouble Roxanne again.
