"How did she go missing?" Roxanne asked as they left the botanical garden. She wouldn't forgive herself if she didn't learn the truth.

Lucian gave her a deep, sullen look. He knew Estella had gone looking for Roxanne, though she hadn't said so. Roxanne's anxiety grew as she met his gaze. "Wasn't she with you two? How could two adults—"

How could two adults lose a child, especially one as obedient as Essie?

Roxanne trailed off. Lucian was already panicking. She knew accusing him would only make things worse, so she held back her words. He frowned, looking deeply into her eyes. "There was a disagreement with Aubree," he said tersely.

"What happened?" Roxanne asked, bewildered. What could have made Estella run away?

Lucian looked away, silent. Guilt was etched on his face, even before she knew the full story. If she learned Essie had gone looking for her, she'd blame herself entirely. Roxanne saw he wouldn't tell her the truth, and she frowned. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. It was their family matter; she had no right to interfere.

She could only search for Estella.

"I'll look over there. You should try the route to the hotel," she said.

They split up after leaving the garden. Lucian gave her instructions before heading toward the mountain. The urgency spurred Roxanne to run directly to the hotel.

Inside the botanical garden, Archie and Benny searched separately, calling Estella's name. Small as they were, they crawled through every nook and cranny. Still, Estella was nowhere to be found when they reunited.

"Essie, come on out. Let's not play hide-and-seek anymore," Benny choked out, worried sick.

Archie, though upset, held his brother's hand. "Don't cry. Mommy's already worried, and we can't worry her more."

Benny sniffled, stifling his tears. "Let's leave the garden and look outside, too."

Archie shook his head. "Let's not make it harder for Mommy. We'll wait at the entrance."

Benny nodded.

As they headed to the entrance, they ran into Pippa.

"Archie, Benny, why are you here alone? Where's your mommy?" Pippa asked, concerned. Archie explained that Estella was missing and their mother had gone to find her.

Pippa's face fell. "When did this happen?"

"We don't know," Archie replied, "but we searched the whole garden, and she's not here."

Pippa realized it had been some time. "Okay," she said. "You two stay here. I'll get others to help look for Essie."

Archie and Benny nodded. Pippa messaged the parents' group chat for help and enlisted other kindergarten staff. Fortunately, everyone knew Estella, making the search easier.

The repeated promotional message "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality" has been removed as it is irrelevant to the story.