Chapter 284 I Did Not Take Care Of Her
After the meal, Lucian told Cayden to send Archie and Benny back home to rest while he stayed in the ward with Roxanne so they could both keep Estella company.
Roxanne couldn’t bear to leave the little girl alone in the ward. Estella was still afraid and refused to release her grip on the corner of Roxanne’s clothes.
Roxanne felt guilty at the sight of Estella’s pale face. She caressed Estella’s cheek and apologized, “I shouldn’t have rejected you this afternoon. I’m really sorry.”
Estella shook her head silently.
The guilt in Roxanne’s heart remained, and she looked downcast.
Regret had overwhelmed her when she learned of Estella’s disappearance.
Now that she knew that Estella was emotionally affected by the incident, she got so heavy-hearted that she could barely breathe.
“It has nothing to do with you.” Lucian’s brows knitted together when he heard her blaming herself.
Roxanne forced out a smile and glanced at him without a word.
She had experienced losing her child, so there was no way Lucian could understand her feelings.
As she didn’t seem reassured by his words, Lucian fell silent for a few moments before saying, “If you say so, then it’s all my fault.”
Hearing that, Roxanne shot him a confused look.
Estella pursed her lips and glared at Lucian.
Lucian met their gazes solemnly and walked toward the bed. He stopped beside Estella and said, “I should’ve stopped Essie in time. It was my fault; I didn’t take good care of her.”
Seemingly displeased, Estella whipped her head away. Her cheeks were puffed up, and she refused to meet his gaze.
Lucian’s brows snapped together. “I knew Essie was upset. I should’ve said no to Aubree’s suggestion. If I had done that, Essie wouldn’t have run away recklessly.”
He knew Estella hated Aubree but didn’t reject her advance, so it was his fault.
Estella whipped her head around and shot him a satisfied look.
It was clear to Roxanne that he was trying to console her, and she had to admit that he should be shouldering most of the responsibility.
Estella was his daughter, but he had failed to take care of her and had caused her to suffer.
Recalling Lucian’s negligence when he took care of Estella previously, Roxanne felt that he was indeed a careless father.
I wonder how much Essie has suffered over the years.
Lucian didn’t know what she was thinking. He heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed her guilty expression fading a little.
Before he could say anything else to divert their attention, his phone rang suddenly.
He glanced at his phone and saw that it was a call from his mother.
A deep line appeared in the middle of Lucian’s brow as he answered the call.
“How’s Essie doing?” Sonya asked anxiously. After learning that Estella had been admitted to the hospital, she wanted to visit Estella and also defend Aubree.
Glancing at the bed, Lucian responded, “She has regained consciousness. She’s fine, so you should go to bed. I’ll bring her back home tomorrow morning.”
Sonya was about to insist when Lucian added, “Essie is traumatized. She needs to sleep now. You should leave her to rest.”
Sonya had no choice but to cave in.
After the call ended, Roxanne and Lucian stopped talking about Estella’s disappearance as if they had reached a tacit agreement. Roxanne started chatting with Estella gently.
Alas, no matter what Roxanne said, Estella refused to say a word and would only nod or shake her head.
Roxanne was exhausted by the time she managed to put Estella to bed after reading the little girl a bedtime story.
Estella gripped the corner of her clothes and refused to let go, so Roxanne got herself a chair and fell asleep on the edge of the bed.
