Roxanne looked up Lucian's number in her contacts. She had saved it only to ensure she didn't miss his return call after Estella had wandered away from home. She then remembered she had saved his contact as simply "A." After changing it to his actual name, Roxanne dialed.

Lucian was about to search for Estella himself when his phone rang. Seeing the name, his eyes narrowed as he answered.

"It's me," Roxanne said.

Lucian scoffed internally at her having escaped his previous attempts to reprimand her. "What do you want?" he asked, matching her frigid tone.

Roxanne glanced at Estella. What's with that tone? I would have hung up if it weren't for the child! she thought.

"Estella came looking for me this morning. Come get her if you're free, or give me your address and I'll bring her."

Lucian's brow furrowed. "Give me your address."

"32 Durwest Garden."

He hung up.

Roxanne breathed a sigh of relief as her screen went black. Turning to Estella, she said, "Your daddy's coming. Be a good girl and go home with him, okay?"

Estella nodded but secretly pondered her next move. She had enjoyed being with Roxanne and didn't want to leave. But Daddy's on his way. What should I do to stay?

Unfortunately, Archie saw through her. He crossed his arms. "Your daddy hates my mommy, so he definitely won't let you stay. Give up on the idea."

Estella's gaze darkened. It's true. Daddy doesn't like her. He even argues with her in front of me. But I like Ms. Jarvis!

The girl had left home early that morning just to see Roxanne. She didn't know why, but she adored her. They hadn't spent much time together, but Estella preferred Roxanne to Catalina, her usual caretaker.

That's right! Her eyes lit up. She had brought gifts! She jumped off the couch, rummaged in her backpack, and presented Roxanne with a tiny, exquisite crystal ball.

Roxanne stared, puzzled.

Estella took another step forward, eyes full of anticipation.

Roxanne slowly took the ball. "Is this…for me?"

Estella nodded and wrote in her notebook: "For you. I like you!"

Roxanne laughed. "Thank you, Essie. I like you a lot too," she said, caressing the girl's head.

Archie and Benny hadn't expected gifts. They jumped off the couch. "You gave Mommy a gift? What about us?"

Estella smiled, dug in her backpack, and produced two racecar figurines for the boys.

Archie and Benny's eyes twinkled. They had always loved those cars, and Roxanne often bought them similar toys. They had even had their eye on these particular models, but they were expensive. Yet, Estella had bought them. The boys knew immediately that they were genuine.