Chapter 344 Melted Heart
After lunch, Archie and Benny wanted to play with Estella, but Roxanne promptly stopped them. “The two of you can play on your own. I’m going to send Essie back.”
She had wanted to make things clear to Estella but realized she couldn’t bear to utter such harsh words, especially since the little girl had just bawled her eyes out. Thus, her only option was to send the kid back first.
Despite Archie and Benny’s reluctance to part with Estella, they still nodded obediently at their mother.
However, now that Estella couldn’t play with them, the two boys lost all interest and stood silently beside her and their mother.
Estella, on the other hand, was miffed by Roxanne’s words. When she felt the latter’s gaze on her, she pouted and looked away, refusing to say anything else.
Seeing how averse the little girl was to her, Roxanne’s heart ached.
My goodness, Essie has never given me the cold shoulder before. In all honesty, I’d never have been so cruel to her if I had a choice. How could I, when I’ve been treating her like the daughter I lost? There’s nothing I want more than to be with her forever, but what else can I do when her family keeps us from getting close?
As she gazed at Estella’s delicate profile, Roxanne pulled herself together and gently grabbed the little girl’s shoulders. “Essie, I’ll send you home, okay?”
The kid, however, pretended not to have heard anything and continued staring at the ground, only to have tears welling up in her eyes again when she blinked.
Having noticed the change in Estella’s demeanor, Roxanne instantly felt a lump in her throat. A while later, she furrowed her brows and added, “I promised Ms. Ward I’ll send you back. If you stayed here too long, she’d tell your father, and then he’d come looking for me.”
In other words, she didn’t want Lucian to drop by.
Upon hearing that, Estella turned back to look at Roxanne.
Thinking that the little girl might finally concede, Roxanne was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Estella mumbled, “Daddy won’t come.”
Naturally, Roxanne was a little baffled by that comment.
It had been a while since Estella held a proper conversation, so she couldn’t help but stumble over her words. “I-I won’t let Ms. Ward tell Daddy.”
With that, she carefully approached Roxanne and tugged at the hem of her shirt with a pitiful look. “I want to stay with you, Ms. Jarvis.”
This time around, Roxanne didn’t flinch. After all, she had grown accustomed to Estella’s little tricks.
Alas, by the time she realized what was happening, the latter had already latched onto her.
Roxanne’s heart instantly melted when she saw how sad and vulnerable the little girl was.
For some time, she had tried her best to avoid Lucian and Estella, and even when they met, she made sure to act a lot colder than before.
However, with Estella being so sensitive to emotions and the environment, Roxanne was sure she must have realized the physical and emotional distancing she did earlier.
I thought that with time, Essie would reduce her dependence on me, and I’d also stop missing her so much. But who knew the kid would cling to me so stubbornly? No matter how much I try to distance myself, she still refuses to leave my side. Then again, aren’t I the same? I haven’t seen Essie for so long, yet my heart still softens at the sight of her.
After seeing that Roxanne wasn’t pushing her away, Estella leaned closer into her arms and mumbled, “Ms. Jarvis, I know you don’t like Daddy. I won’t let Daddy come. Please don’t chase me away.”
