The Rabbit Girl Who Shook the Walker Family Chapter 03
Lucas looked at her.
“This is the Walker family.”
Lily hugged the stuffed rabbit tighter.
“Then do I still have to leave tomorrow?”
For once, Lucas had no answer. Old Mr. Walker turned to the butler.
“Bring dry towels and children’s slippers.”
The butler froze.
“Sir, we don’t have any children’s slippers in the house.”
The long table fell silent again. The Walker estate was huge. It had a wine cellar, a private study, a cigar room, and an entire floor of wardrobes and dressing rooms. But not one pair of slippers small enough for a child. Lily looked down at the tips of her shoes.
“It’s okay.”
“I can go barefoot.”
Lucas stood.
“Bring my slippers.”
The butler hesitated.
“Sir, yours are too big.”
Lucas glanced at him. The butler lowered his gaze at once.
“I’ll get them now.”
Soon, a pair of dark gray men’s slippers was brought over. Lily’s feet only reached halfway into them. She took one step forward. One slipper slapped off her foot. She pressed her lips together and bent down to pick it up herself. Lucas watched her crouch down.
In that instant, his eyes fell back to the hospital bill. The line marked Father’s Name had blurred slightly from the rain. But it could still be read.
Lucas.
His name had been sitting on that paper for three years. That night, no one at the Walker estate ate again. The dishes on the long table were removed one by one. The dining room soon emptied. Lily was taken to a small sitting room. The butler brought dry towels.
She held the stuffed rabbit and sat alone on the very edge of the sofa. Both of her feet were still inside Lucas’s huge slippers. The slippers were too big. Whenever she moved, her toes sank into them. Lucas sat across from her. In front of him lay the hospital bill, half of a family crest pendant, and an old photograph from the child’s backpack.
In the photo, Emma stood in a hospital hallway. Her face was bloodless, and she held a newborn baby in her arms. The baby was wrapped in a pink blanket, only a bit of her little face showing. There was one line written on the back of the photo. Lily, seven days old. Lucas stared at that line for a long time without turning the photo over.
John stood to one side.
“Lucas, these things alone aren’t enough.”
Rachel nodded.
“Yes. The child is pitiful.”
“But the Walker family can’t accept a child without proof.”
Lily heard “without proof” and looked up.
“I’m not here without proof.”
“Mommy said I could only come to Lucas.”
Lucas looked at her.
“Where is your mother now?”
Lily pinched the rabbit’s ear. She looked down and picked at the rabbit’s stitching.
“Mommy is asleep.”
The sitting room went still. Lucas’s voice lowered.
“Where is she asleep?”
Lily thought about it.
“In the white room.”
“Aunt Grace said Mommy was tired and had to sleep for a long time.”
She did not know the words hospital room or death certificate. She only remembered that when Emma touched her head for the last time, her hand had been cold.
Mommy had said:
“Lily, from now on, you have to eat by yourself.”
“If you have no food, go to the Walker family.”
“Find Lucas.”
“He owes you.”
Lily did not say all of this. She only hugged the stuffed rabbit tighter. Lucas’s throat moved. Old Mr. Walker sat on the single armchair. He studied the child.
“Arrange a DNA test immediately.”
John frowned.
“Dad, it’s too late.”
Old Mr. Walker struck the floor with his cane.
“It’s not too late.”
“Whether the Walker family has another child, or someone is bold enough to use a child against us, neither is a small matter.”
Ethan Walker walked over from the far end of the long table. He was the youngest son of the Walker family. He served as the family’s legal counsel. He spoke little, and his expression was even more unreadable than Lucas’s. He picked up the hospital bill and glanced at it.
“I’ll contact the DNA lab.”
Lily heard “test” and went tense.
She asked in a small voice, “Do I need a shot?”
Lucas looked at her.
“Just a cheek swab.”
Lily was even more confused. Ethan rephrased it.
“A cotton swab goes inside your cheek.”
Lily covered her mouth.
“Will it hurt my mouth?”
Ethan paused. Clearly, he did not know how to comfort a child.
“No.”
Lily still covered her mouth.
Lucas watched her for a long moment before saying, “After it’s done, I’ll buy you food and milk.”
Ethan looked at him. Old Mr. Walker also glanced at him. Lucas himself paused too. Even to Lucas, it sounded awkward. But Lily understood that. Slowly, she lowered her hand.
“Just buy one can.”
“It’s expensive.”
Lucas looked away. The butler brought a cup of warm milk. There was also half a bowl of oatmeal. When Lily saw the oatmeal, her eyes lit up. But she quickly held herself back.
“Can I eat it?”
Lucas nodded.
