As soon as he finished his sentence, Estella burst out crying all of a sudden. She hugged Roxanne’s thigh tightly and bawled. “Mommy…. Mommy…”
Estella’s wails snapped Roxanne out of her trance, and the woman found her face covered in tears. “Oh Essie, I’ve missed you. I miss you so much….”
She pulled Estella into her embrace and tightened her arms around the little girl, wishing they would never be separated again. Not a day went by in the past six years without her missing the child she thought she had lost.
In fact, the thought of that child was the reason she was motivated to wake up from her previous coma. Little did she know the child she had been missing dearly was right by her side all this while.
As she thought about everything Estella experienced in the past six years, she felt extremely guilty. I’ve missed out on her life for so many years. Yet, since the day we met, she’s been helping me recover from my hurt and pain.
“I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault…” Roxanne could not help but apologize profusely. Meanwhile, tears started to well up in Archie and Benny’s eyes.
They always knew they had a sister, but they thought she was gone. As such, they had been caring for and loving Roxanne on behalf of their little sister as well.
Now that they found out that Estella, whom they had been taking care of, was their biological sister all along, the two boys were over the moon. “Hooray! Our sister is alive, and she’s always been by our side!”
Benny wiped the tears off his face and looked at his brother, who also shed tears of joy. The latter then nodded vigorously at Benny. Yes! This is great news! Lucian’s heart clenched in sorrow when he saw Roxanne and the kids sobbing uncontrollably.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Roxanne. It was entirely my fault. I should have told you the truth the moment I found out you had no clue about Essie’s background, but I had too many reservations. If you need to blame someone, blame me.”
I never knew she thought Essie was dead all these years. Lucian tightened his grip on the ring. He could not imagine how devastating it must have been for her when she was told the baby was stillborn. I knew nothing! I even resented her for being so cruel to Essie when we finally reunited.
Meanwhile, Sonya, too, was dumbfounded. She had always assumed that Roxanne was a heartless person who abandoned her husband and child. That woman thought Essie was dead? Then, how was Essie sent back to the Farwell residence?
Roxanne kept Estella locked in her arms and wept for what felt like an eternity before she gradually regained her composure and turned to Lucian who was still down on one knee.
“What took you so long to tell me? Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed her? I’ve always thought… my daughter was dead!” Over the years, she had lost count of the times she woke up from her sleep crying whenever she thought about her stillborn child..
Guilt and self-reproach inundated Lucian as Roxanne questioned him. Why? Why did I worry so much? Why did I have so many reservations? He was dying for an answer too.
If only I had told her about this earlier, could there be a different ending to our story? Unfortunately, it was too late for such wishful thinking.
Truth be told, he had missed the best time to reveal the secret to Roxanne. If she had found out earlier, would she cry less? “This is wonderful, Mommy! Essie is our little sister!” Benny exclaimed, exhilarated as he hugged Roxanne’s thigh after he was done crying.
Archie bobbed his head in delight, whereas the mother-and-daughter duo could not stop the tears from streaming down their faces. Lucian stood up and immediately wrapped his arms around the two.
Roxanne felt Lucian’s arms wrapped tightly: around her, and her voice gradually grew weaker until only faint sobs were heard from her. “Why… Why did you…”
Lucian was a man who had dominated the business world for many years, but in the face of Roxanne’s tears and questioning, he had no idea how to respond. All he could do was apologize repeatedly.
“We want hugs too!” Archie and Benny exclaimed as they hopped around with joy. Happiness was the only emotion left within them after all the crying. To them, the hug they shared was a hug of joy and excitement.
Roxanne slowly recollected herself and felt slightly embarrassed when she heard the children’s voices. I can’t believe I cried so hard in front of the kids….
She then looked at Estella’s tear-streaked face as the little girl nestled in her arms and couldn’t help breaking into a smile. She’s back! My little angel whom I thought I lost is back, and she’s right in my arms!
Roxanne swore to herself that she would never abandon Estella ever again. The grim look in Lucian’s eyes eased away when he saw Roxanne smiling.
Noticing Archie and Benny’s eagerness to give them a hug, Lucian bent over and embraced the two little boys as a look of tenderness surfaced in his eyes.
At that moment, Archie and Benny were filled with joy, for they found their sister and were hugged by their father. All of a sudden, Lucian let go of them.
Just as the two boys were confused as to what was going on, a shiny thing appeared in their line of sight. Upon taking a closer look, they realized it was the ring that Lucian had used to propose moments ago.
“Can you please do me a favor and put this ring on your Mommy’s finger?” Lucian’s tone carried an unprecedented gentleness that Archie and Benny had never heard before.
The boys exchanged glances. Of course, they would be happy to help Lucian. Since Estella could already change the way she addressed Roxanne, the boys wanted to address Lucian as “Daddy” too.
Benny carefully took his mother’s hand while Archie slowly slid the ring through her finger. When their mission was completed, they looked up at Roxanne in anticipation.
However, Roxanne was busy trying to comfort Estella at the moment. Her mind was in such a mess that she didn’t have the time to pay attention to what the boys were doing though she had sensed something.
“Please stop crying, Essie. I will never leave you again. I promise,” said Roxanne, assuring the little girl. “From now on, I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone bully our Essie. You’re my precious little baby.”
The woman patted Estella’s back as she spoke. Estella was struggling to keep her emotions in check after going through such an eventful day. When she heard Roxanne’s promise to her, she asked through sobs, “R-Really? You won’t leave me, Mommy?”
Roxanne felt her heart clench when she saw how red Estella’s eyes were from all the crying. She held out her hand without hesitation and said, “Let’s make a pinky promise! From now on, I promise to take you wherever I go!”
Archie and Benny’s eyes were filled with anticipation when they saw their mother’s action. Lucian, too, felt uneasy, which was a first.
Roxanne caught sight of something shiny out of the corner of her eyes, but she did not pay much attention to it. She was focusing on Estella.
However, Estella fixed her gaze on Roxanne’s hand. A few seconds later, she smiled through her tears and exclaimed excitedly. “Mommy, did you say yes to Daddy? Then we’re going to be a family! Mommy, you won’t leave anymore!”
Overjoyed, she wrapped her arms around Roxanne’s neck and hugged the woman tightly. Roxanne froze in shock.
When did I say yes? As she glanced in the direction where the little girl was staring just now, she noticed the diamond ring that Lucian was holding was currently on her finger.
Roxanne remembered the strange sensation she had felt earlier and looked down at Archie and Benny, who were standing by her side. The boys were smiling adorably.
Roxanne then turned to look at Lucian, who was gazing affectionately at her. The tender glow in his eyes hindered her from questioning and blaming him.
“Mommy, please say yes to Mr. Farwell!” Benny pleaded with his cute voice. He grabbed Roxanne’s arm and swung it back and forth, his tiny face filled with anticipation.
Archie, who was usually reticent, piped up to express his opinion as well. “Mommy, since Essie is our biological sister, you should give her a complete family!”
Roxanne felt guilty when she heard the boys’ words. Archie is referring to himself, too. Ever since they were old enough to understand things, they’ve always wanted a daddy, but they never expressed their feelings because of me. Deep down, they must yearn for a complete family too! But…
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.