Roxanne retracted her hand the moment Estella got up. The warmth on Lucian’s skin was still lingering on the back of her hand after the contact.
When Roxanne regained her cool, she looked at Lucian’s hand hesitantly. Although Estella was not heavy, the impact was still strong given how fast she was running.
Even Roxanne found it hard to stop her on her own. On top of that, the edge of the coffee table was sharp. Is his hand all right?
Roxanne wanted to check if he was injured, but she felt that Lucian was deliberately hiding his hand away, so she could not see anything.
After some time, Lucian put down his phone and glanced at the guilty-looking child beside him. “Let’s go out and play.”
Estella’s eyes glittered with excitement when she heard that.
Then Lucian got up and went over to the entrance to take a tourist map from the shelf. “You guys pick a place.”
The children took the map and started poring over it.
As for Roxanne, she was still thinking about Lucian. “Mr. Farwell, your hand…”
“It’s fine,” he answered, looking at her, but Roxanne did not believe him.
“Let me have a look,” she insisted.
Lucian stared at her for a few seconds until he finally budged and showed her his hand.
There was a long and narrow cut on the back of his hand. She noticed traces of blood from the cut, and the area around the wound was red and swollen.
Roxanne knew this kind of cut was rather painful, but Lucian did not complain at all.
When the children noticed what they were doing, they put down the map in their hands and ran over.
“Daddy…” Estella was filled with worry and guilt.
“We’re sorry, Mr. Farwell. We won’t fool around with Essie again,” Archie and Benny said apologetically. Lucian raised his brows and held out the
other hand to rub their heads. “It’s just a scratch. Don’t worry about it.”
Then, he gazed at the girl and comforted her, “You don’t have to feel bad, Essie. I know you like playing with Archie and Benny. I’m happy you’re enjoying yourself. Injuries are unavoidable when you play, so it’s not your fault. I just want you to have fun playing with other kids.”
Despite what he said, Estella still puckered in regret.
She knew Lucian was worried about her not being able to socialize with other children because of her condition.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she cried, circling her arms around Lucian’s leg.
“It’s okay, really. Why don’t you go over and choose a place for us to visit later?”
“Yeah. You should go pick a spot while I treat your daddy’s wound,” Roxanne chimed in.
Although the children were still worried, they listened to the adults in the end.
“Thank you, Ms. Jarvis,” Lucian said as he looked at her and held out his hand.
Roxanne smiled at him rigidly, then went to look for the first aid kit. She asked him to sit on the couch while she sat next to him to bandage his wound.
Neither of them talked, but a lot went on in Roxanne’s mind.
From what she observed in Lucian and Estella’s interaction, she concluded that Lucian was a careless father. But what he had said to Estella back there made Roxanne feel heartbroken.
He’s indeed rather inattentive in some regards, but it’s no doubt that he loves Estella. If he really didn’t care about her, the news would not have said that she was the apple of his eye. Sometimes I wonder who Estella’s mother is and what she’s like. She has given him a daughter he loves so dearly.
