Before she knew it, the surgery had lasted over seven hours. By then, all the other kindergarten children had left; only three remained. Estella had moved out, but Archie and Benny treated her as if she still lived with them.

Noticing no one was there to pick Estella up, the boys took her to the sandbox. They built a sandcastle together and had fun.

When Lucian arrived, he saw the three children crouching in the sandbox, their laughter filling the small playground. He waited until they finished playing before calling, “Essie.”

Estella, however, reluctant to leave her friends, stared at them even as her father called. Lucian frowned and turned to Archie and Benny. “Where’s your mother?”

The boys, though they disliked him, stood up politely. Archie, reluctant to answer, pouted and looked away at their sandcastle. Benny, however, looked innocent and explained, “Mommy has an important surgery today. She’s probably dealing with something troublesome, and that’s why she’s not here yet.”

He then saw Archie’s expression and quickly added, “But, uh, she should be here soon. Bye, Mr. Farwell. Bye, Essie.”

Lucian reached for Estella’s hand, but she tilted her head, backed away, and shook her head at him. The boys, realizing she refused to leave, tried to coax her. Despite their efforts, Estella stubbornly shook her head, clutching their bags and insisting, “Stay together.”

Estella had been difficult since Lucian took her from Roxanne. Her constant crying had made Lucian give up on forcing her to do things she didn’t want to. He sighed and said, “I’ll wait here with you boys.”

With Lucian present, the children played less freely. They sat quietly on the bench.

After an hour, as dusk approached, Roxanne still hadn’t arrived. Lucian frowned, called Roxanne several times, but received no answer. He checked the time and then asked the children, “Are you hungry? I’ll get everyone some food.”

Estella looked at Archie and Benny with anticipation. Archie, however, scowled and shook his head. “We’re going to wait for Mommy. Mr. Farwell, please take Essie home.”

Benny, agreeing, added, “I’m sure Essie is hungry, so please take her home quickly, Mr. Farwell.”

Estella’s expression dimmed. She stubbornly shook her head and said, “Not hungry. I will stay with Archie and Benny. I want to keep them company.”

Lucian felt a headache coming on. Despite his attempts to persuade them, all three children remained adamant.

With no other choice, Lucian asked Cayden, who was waiting outside, to buy them food.

“Thank you, Mr. Farwell, but we’re not hungry,” Archie lied, refusing the offer. Benny, though caressing his stomach, echoed his brother.

Lucian guessed their hostility stemmed from a past incident. He sighed, thinking them frustrating. He then pretended to look for a trash can, saying, “I specially bought this for you two. If neither of you will eat it, then I have no choice but to throw it away.”

Hesitantly, the boys, unwilling to see the food wasted, accepted it.

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