Ch. 111..120
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 111
Guilty But Pitiful
Roxanne sped back home after thinking things through.
The kids had already eaten, and Madilyn was watching a science channel with them.
The three of them stood up and rushed toward her when she walked in.
Her two sons could tell that their mom wasn’t in the best mood and hugged one leg each, looking at her in concern. “Mommy, did something happen? You look so tired.”
Roxanne’s heart warmed up at the sound of their concern, and she did her best to force out a smile. “Nothing’s wrong. Just some stuff at work that is a bit hard to deal with.”
Knowing how hard their mother’s job was, the two boys didn’t question it and comforted her, “Mommy, you can definitely do it! You’re the best!”
Roxanne nodded and looked at the time, ushering them to go upstairs and sleep.
The two of them obediently went upstairs, leaving only Roxanne and Madilyn in the living room.
Madilyn could already tell that her best friend was feeling down the moment she walked in and asked, “What happened? Don’t even think about lying to me. I could tell you were lying just now.”
Roxanne hesitated for a few seconds before telling Madilyn about everything that had happened today.
When she heard about Lucian being petty enough to take it out on the two kids, Madilyn was extremely pissed off. “What kind of man is he? How can he do that to kids? I won’t let this happen to my godsons! I’m going to tell him off.”
She was about to storm out of the house, but Roxanne quickly pulled her back.
They sat down on the couch and Roxanne chuckled. “It’s fine. I’ve already gone to talk to him. On the way back, I thought it through. You know what? This is a good chance to really cut things off with him. I don’t have to worry about him stealing the boys away from me anymore.”
However, Madilyn still couldn’t let it go. “What about Archie and Benny? How are you going to explain to them?”
Roxanne was still stressing out about that. She hesitated before replying, “I’ll come up with something.”
The two of them continued chatting about the matter for a little while until it got late and Madilyn went home.
Early the next day, the two kids woke up right on time and ate breakfast, waiting for their mother to send them to school.
Roxanne hadn’t slept for almost the entire night trying to come up with an excuse, but the moment she saw the two of them sitting there all bright-eyed, she almost cracked. Still, she went along with the excuse she had come up with. “I’ve been thinking about it and I feel like you two don’t have to go to kindergarten anymore since you guys are well past that stage. I’ll send you two to some specialty classes instead, okay?”
The two of them seemed like they didn’t really know what was going on.
Roxanne chuckled and said, “Benny, you’re interested in computing, right? How about I sign you up for computing classes? Archie, would you like to go for finance managing classes, or would the two of you prefer something else?”
The two kids finally realized what was going on and looked at their mother in confusion. “Why aren’t we going to kindergarten anymore, Mommy? We didn’t even say goodbye to Essie. If she doesn’t see us, she’ll definitely start crying.”
Roxanne felt her heart prickle at the memory.
Lucian had brought Estella over personally, and she had gotten along perfectly with her two sons. They all had a rather good time.
She was even worried that Lucian would sense something was off.
She definitely hadn’t expected something like this to happen just a few days later.
With this in mind, Roxanne shook her thoughts away and said, “I’ll talk to Essie for you guys, so why don’t you go get prepared? I need to stop by the school so they can do all the necessary procedures.”
The two boys still didn’t really know what was going on, but since their mother seemed to already have made up her mind, they just nodded.
Once Roxanne walked off, the two of them ran over to the house next door and knocked.
Madilyn opened the door and saw the two of them standing in her doorway. When she thought about what Roxanne had said last night, she couldn’t help but feel both guilty and pitiful at the same time.
She couldn’t withstand the two boys’ interrogation for long and told them everything.
When they heard that their father had expelled them from kindergarten, Archie’s and Benny’s expressions immediately darkened, and they began to look disappointed.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 112
I Will Not Keep Annoying You
After learning the truth, the two of them bid goodbye to Madilyn and trotted home sadly.
Madilyn didn’t know she could be won over so easily. When she saw how disappointed the two kids were, she hurriedly applied for a leave from work and went over to accompany them.
Archie and Benny were completely down.
All this time, they had been under the impression that their father probably didn’t really hate them.
Now that they knew he had expelled them from school, they realized that he did actually hate their guts.
Benny couldn’t help but tear up at the thought, and his small hands clutched at the couch cover nervously, his small mouth pressed into a straight line.
Archie was also extremely disappointed, but he was slightly calmer compared to his brother.
When he saw the tears in Benny’s eyes, he began to comfort his brother. “Don’t cry over that bad man. If he doesn’t like us, then we shouldn’t like him either. Besides, Mommy doesn’t seem like she wants us to know about it, so let’s pretend like we don’t know, okay? Let’s not make her worry.”
Benny sniffed and nodded silently.
Meanwhile, Roxanne had just finished up at the kindergarten when she bumped into Lucian, who was sending Estella to school.
Estella looked as if she was in another mood and was pouting, barely letting her father drag her to school.
When their eyes met, Estella’s gaze lit up as if she were excited about something.
Roxanne’s heart lifted for a second but dropped again at the sight of the man next to the child.
The two of them quickly approached her.
Estella tugged at Roxanne’s skirt lightly as she looked up at the latter with watery eyes, as if waiting for her to say something.
Roxanne fell silent before stepping back slightly, removing her skirt from Estella’s grip. “Archie and Benny won’t be coming here anymore, so you should take care of yourself, okay? You can make friends with the other kids.”
She saw the light in Estella’s eyes slowly fading off as she spoke and Roxanne looked away, trying her best to sound calm. “I have to go to work. Goodbye.”
After that, she walked past them and was about to go back to her car when a large hand grabbed her wrist.
Roxanne stopped abruptly and turned back, meeting his gaze dully. “Is there something you need, Mr. Farwell?”
Lucian frowned. “Expelling the boys was not my idea. This is a misunderstanding.”
Roxanne scoffed at that. “I can’t believe you’re still trying to defend yourself now, Mr. Farwell. I’m willing to hear your excuses, though. Who’s the lucky one you chose to frame this time?”
Lucian didn’t seem annoyed at her tone and said in a deep voice, “I asked Cayden to look into it. This is all because of Aubree. Because of what I said previously, the head of kindergarten was under the assumption that I was okay with it.”
Lucian trailed off, full of regret about what he had said.
He had never felt so much regret in his life than the moment he learned about the reason behind the kids’ expulsion. If he hadn’t said that before, then the head of kindergarten wouldn’t have misunderstood.
He wanted to salvage the situation, so he had personally made a trip here today.
Unexpectedly, he had bumped into Roxanne.
Roxanne’s expression became even more scornful at his explanation. “Aubree? So basically it was your idea too, right? Who in Horington still doesn’t know about the marriage between the Pearson family and the Farwell family? Aren’t you afraid she’ll feel bad after hearing how desperately you’re trying to clear boundaries with her right now?”
She pulled her wrist out of the man’s grasp and said coldly, “Don’t worry, Mr. Farwell. I’m not shameless, and I won’t annoy you anymore, so you don’t have to explain anything to me.”
After that, she walked off without looking back.
A dark cloud formed over Lucian’s expression as he watched her leave.
Estella began crying uncontrollably after standing in shock for a few seconds. She tossed her father’s hand aside and started to run after Roxanne’s car.
She had a feeling that she might not see Roxanne again after this.
Estella felt immense panic at the thought and she didn’t know what to do.
In her panic, she tripped over a rock on the ground and fell.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 113
Her Autism Was Triggered
Lucian watched in astonishment while his daughter chased after Roxanne’s car frantically.
She hasn’t even met Roxanne that many times, so why is she so attached to her?
While Lucian was mired in bafflement, the girl suddenly fell over, jolting him to his senses. He promptly hastened over to embrace her. “Are you okay? Let Daddy have a look at you.”
Estella refused to let go of the arms she had wrapped tightly around his neck, and while he worried about her plight, he heard the little girl break into a sob.
For a moment, Lucian thought his ears were playing tricks on him.
Even if she was merely crying, that was the very first time she had broken her silence growing up.
Estella bawled her heart out and clung to him so tightly that he really felt it around his neck. In spite of the emotional turmoil he was experiencing, he endured it quietly and directed his own attention toward comforting her instead.
“Ms. Jarvis… want Ms. Jarvis…”
Estella’s abrupt and stuttering enunciations of these words took Lucian aback, as he had never expected those to be her first words.
To think that that woman would matter so much to her.
The thought of that left a bitter taste in his mouth. In the end, he could only tell the girl the truth between gritted teeth. “Ms. Jarvis is gone, but Daddy will be right here with you, so don’t cry anymore.”
Estella’s incessant weeping took so much out of her physically that her tiny body started trembling.
Bereft of options, Lucian could only ask for her to be excused from school and take her home.
On the way back, the little girl settled down, slowly but surely, only sniffling from time to time while she sat in the back seat in utter silence.
Disregarding everyone when they got back in, she went straight back to her room and slammed the door behind her.
Lucian assumed that Estella must be on one of her usual tantrums, considering the frequency with which similar such outbursts from her had occurred before.
On top of everything else, his presence at the company was still very much needed that day.
After some deliberation, Lucian nonetheless asked Catalina to keep an eye on the girl before he drove over to the office.
When he was just about finished with his work in the afternoon, a call came in from Catalina. “Please come back home quickly, Mr. Farwell! I think that something might be wrong with Ms. Estella!”
She sounded almost panicky to him.
With his heart in his throat, Lucian immediately set aside whatever he had on hand and drove homeward like a bat out of hell.
“After you left, I tried to console Ms. Estella but saw that she had no reaction whatsoever no matter how I spoke to her…” Catalina was so unnerved that her voice was quivering.
With swift strides and a tremendous sense of urgency, Lucian made his way into Estella’s room. Sitting curled up in the corner with vacuous eyes, the girl did not respond to their entrance.
“Daddy knows how upset you are, Essie, but you will still get to see Ms. Jarvis in the future, all right? This, I promise you.”
In the past, the mention of Roxanne would at least elicit some sort of reaction from Estella, but this time, she was completely and unflinchingly immersed in her own world.
Lucian’s heart sank when he saw that.
From the girl’s reaction, it was evident that her autism had worked up.
That realization prompted Lucian to phone and request the immediate attention of his good friend, James Lann.
James was a well-regarded professional in the field of psychology and had been the one responsible for treating Estella over the years.
Very quickly, James came by to check on Estella. He, too, became solemn after assessing her condition. Turning to the other two persons in the room, he said, “Please step outside. I’d like to try talking to her for a while.”
Lucian and Catalina cooperatively did as asked.
Inside the room, James patiently spoke to Estella, but whatever he said was only met by her unfocused stares.
Compared to their previous sessions together, this situation was proving to be significantly more challenging.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 114
Unhappy With Him
Close to an hour later, James stepped out of the room, looking quite exhausted.
Nothing had worked to the effect that he was hoping for, in spite of him having doled out every trick in the book that he knew of just to coax some manner of response from Estella.
“How did it go?” Lucian inquired anxiously.
James shook his head. “Essie has completely shut herself in. She has refused to communicate with anyone and is resistant even to me. My guess is that she must have been triggered by something. The only way to resolve this is by identifying the source of her trauma.”
Lucian’s expression dimmed when he heard that.
Seemingly unaware of the change in his friend’s mood, James continued to ask of the latter in earnest, “Has Essie encountered any situation recently that might have brought about this change in her emotional state?”
Memories of the kid breaking her silence because of Roxanne came flowing back to Lucian. The answer thus became obvious to him.
After a moment’s pause, Lucian recounted the events that transpired earlier that morning.
James was stunned after learning how that woman managed to bring about such a sharp fluctuation in Estella’s emotions. “Perhaps this woman may be the key. Essie’s condition may see some improvements if we could just get her to come over.”
Getting that woman to come to Essie?
Recalling the manner of the former’s departure that morning caused Lucian’s brows to bunch up in frustration. “Got it. I’ll try to talk to her about this.”
James nodded.
Elsewhere, Roxanne remained completely in the dark about Estella’s predicament.
Unsure whether it was owing to what Lucian said to her, she had been feeling rather unsettled since leaving the kindergarten premises behind.
As she reflected upon it, the man’s tone of voice and expression did not seem feigned, but she had logical cause to believe that Lucian must be somehow involved.
All the way home, Roxanne’s mood had been in the doldrums but driven by concerns that her children would notice, she did her best to collect herself.
The two wee ones had already sorted themselves out. When they saw her enter, they approached docilely. “Are you done with the paperwork, Mommy?”
Smilingly, Roxanne nodded as though nothing was wrong. She even mentioned her meeting with Estella. “It’s done. I’ve also spoken to Essie on your behalf.”
“Thanks, Mommy!” The children expressed their gratitude biddably.
Patting them on the head gave Roxanne a greater sense of rootedness.
Opposite them, the sight of the drama between the trio that was playing out in front of her pained Madilyn, who had become increasingly unhappy with Lucian.
Leading their mother by her hands, the two kids sat her down on the couch excitedly. “Since we can’t go to kindergarten but haven’t enrolled for tuition yet, would we be allowed to take a short break?”
The doting mother of the pair of boys consented to their stated request without hesitancy. “Sure. I can make arrangements for you to attend tuition after you’ve rested enough.”
“In that case, could you also take a break for a while?” Benny hugged Roxanne’s arm, appearing adorable. “It’s been so long since we’ve been here that we’ve gone out together. Take us out to play, won’t you, Mommy? Archie and I would really like to go visit Universe Park because Aunt Madilyn told us that it is lots of fun!”
In their discussion prior, they had come to the conclusion that their father’s decision to have them expelled from the kindergarten could have saddened their mother no less than it did them, so they thought about getting her to go out and take a load off.
Roxanne appeared a little apprehensive.
Guessing as much how they felt, she thus chose to accommodate them. “I haven’t been there in quite a while too. Seeing that I’m on leave today, why don’t we head there together?”
Coupled with the fact that there she had nothing pressing to do over at the research institute, Roxanne was in no mood to go in for work anyway. Hence, she dispensed with her own hesitancy and assented.
Gathering a few things, the four of them then set off for Universe Park together.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 115
We Will Protect You
Soon enough, the four of them arrived at Universe Park.
Even though Archie and Benny wanted to make their mother feel better, they had also been wanting to have some fun since before they arrived and had already come up with a plan.
Right after they entered, both of them tugged at Roxanne’s hands, saying that they wanted to go to Jurassic Park to see the dinosaurs.
She agreed to it and brought them to the park. Both children were so engrossed in their surroundings.
Once they left Jurassic Park, they headed straight to the ET Adventure Ride for a trip to space on bicycles with the alien,
Roxanne was already feeling a little tired after the two rides. However, Archie and Benny were still in high spirits, and they went on many other rides after that.
Each time they went on a new ride, they would insist on getting their pictures taken, and their mother would do as they wished every time.
All the negative emotions from the past few days were forgotten having been distracted by their antics.
After the discussion with James, Lucian still felt that it would be best if they called Roxanne over as soon as possible. Hence, he quickly gave her a call.
However, she never picked up the call.
His expression dimmed at that.
After spending some time with her, he had almost forgotten how ruthless the woman could be.
Not only would she not listen to his explanation, but she had also blocked his number on her phone too. It was as though she was trying to show him how resolute she was.
“How is it?” James’ heart sank when he noticed the man’s expression.
Time wasn’t on Estella’s side. The longer they waited, the worse her condition would get.
Lucian followed his gaze and glanced at the little girl’s room, his voice low as he said, “Please stay here and look after Essie. I’m going to go look for her now.”
Once he was done speaking, he headed straight for Roxanne’s house with Cayden tagging along.
The one who opened the door for them was the housekeeper from before. Seeing that it was them, she greeted with a smile, “Are you here for Ms. Jarvis? She’s not here right now. Do you want to head in and wait for her?”
Lucian’s face darkened at her words. “Where did she go?”
“I think she went to Universe Park. Is something the matter? Should I inform her of your visit?” Lysa said.
However, the man had already turned and left by the time she finished her sentence.
Cayden then said with a smile, “No need. We’ll head there to look for her.”
Then, he quickly followed closely behind Lucian.
“Mr. Farwell, where…” He had only made something up earlier as he did not know what the latter was thinking.
“We’re going to Universe Park,” Lucian said, his brows furrowed.
Hearing that, Cayden hurriedly drove to the theme park.
After getting the tickets and entering the place, both of them realized that they did not know where Roxanne was.
“Let’s split up. Call me the moment you find her,” Lucian ordered coldly.
Cayden nodded in response, and the both of them headed in different directions to look for the woman.
Soon, the assistant called, “Mr. Farwell, I think I see Ms. Jarvis.”
Lucian asked for his whereabouts and instantly headed that way.
Since it was a weekday, there weren’t a lot of people visiting Universe Park. Both of them instantly saw the four figures standing outside the haunted house.
It seemed as if the four of them were in a stalemate. Though, to be exact, Roxanne was at a standstill with Archie and Benny.
The children were holding on to each of her arms, and she was standing rooted to the ground.
“Mommy! Come on in with us. We’ll protect you,” Benny whined while tugging at her arm.
Apprehension was written all over Roxanne’s face.
Right then, Archie chimed in, “How are you going to be our role model if you’re so timid, Mommy?”
After a moment, she finally relented. “All right… I’ll follow you guys in.”
After saying that, she was dragged into the haunted house.
At the same time, Lucian was following closely behind.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 116
Into His Arms
Everything was pitch black the moment they stepped foot into the haunted house. Roxanne held tightly onto the children’s hands while Madilyn led the way in front of them.
Archie and Benny snickered silently. They had never expected their mother to be so afraid of ghosts.
But she’ll probably forget about whatever’s been bothering her after getting scared here, right?
With the plan in mind, both of them decided to not tell her that their hands hurt from being held so tightly and dragged her along.
The longer they walked, the more frightened Roxanne felt.
She had been afraid of things like this since she was young. Even though she knew that ghosts weren’t real, with the music and lights setting off the mood, she couldn’t help but feel terrified.
It was especially so when she didn’t know when the NPCs would appear.
The three people walking in front of her had been saying that they were going to console her. Yet, it seemed like they were not talking on purpose, making her more and more terrified. She wanted so much to just turn around and leave.
However, at the thought of what Archie had said earlier, Roxanne braved it and continued walking ahead because she wanted to be the children’s role model.
Just as she was feeling restless, a pair of stiff legs appeared before her eyes.
The woman froze upon seeing that, but she subconsciously looked up.
Under the dim lights, a pale face with its tongue out hovered before her face.
“Ah…” At the sight of this, Roxanne felt as though her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She couldn’t even make a sound out of shock.
It was already too late by the time Archie and Benny realized that something was wrong with their mother.
The woman flung her hands away from them and ran in the direction they came from.
It’s too terrifying. I want to leave!
“Mommy!” The children were stunned by her reaction. Nonetheless, they quickly chased after her once they snapped back to their senses.
Madilyn turned around and saw the hanging ghost that had appeared some time ago. She couldn’t help but feel exasperated seeing this.
The NPC had appeared at such perfect timing. It wasn’t there when she and the children walked over. Yet, it had appeared right in front of Roxanne.
The three of them went after the woman hastily. However, she was nowhere to be seen after taking two turns.
At that moment, Madilyn, Archie, and Benny couldn’t help but worry.
They knew how much Roxanne feared these things. They only wanted to take her mind off of things when they brought her in here.
No one had expected something like this to happen.
She would have been shocked to the core if she ended up encountering a horrifying part of the haunted house alone.
“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have insisted that Mommy come in here,” Benny mumbled guiltily.
Madilyn didn’t know what to say to console him at that point.
Taking a look around, Archie took his brother’s hand and said, “This is not the time to be blaming yourself. Let’s look for Mommy now. If we really can’t find her, we can go to the employees here for help.”
At that, they started to look for Roxanne in the haunted house.
Meanwhile, the woman was clueless about their worries. Fear had taken over her, and all she could think of at that moment was the stiff legs and the NPC’s pale face. She had even forgotten about the three’s existence as all she wanted was to leave the place.
Roxanne ran around the haunted house for a long time, but she was still unable to find the exit. She couldn’t stop herself from feeling despair, and she started to mumble while running, “Please don’t scare me… Please…”
Suddenly, while in the dark, she bumped into someone’s firm chest.
The woman’s body stiffened, and she let out a scream a moment later. Her mind had already gone blank.
The four of them were nowhere in sight by the time Lucian and his assistant entered the haunted house. It turned out that they had gone through different entrances. Both of them spent so much time looking for them but to no avail. Just as he was starting to feel frustrated, someone fell right into his arms.
Right when he was about to push the person away, he heard the scream coming from the person. He paused instantly and started to take the person into his arms.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 117
What Is There To Explain
Roxanne was scared out of her mind. Her body was trembling as she instinctively tried to burrow further into his embrace.
When he felt her body tremble, Lucian’s heart softened, and he asked, “Why did you come in here if you’re so scared?”
She was too stunned to react when she heard his voice.
Sighing, the man said, “I’ll bring you out.”
Roxanne slowly snapped back to her senses. She felt that the voice was really familiar, and the scent surrounding her senses made her heart sink.
Lucian? No. Why is he here?
She looked up in confusion and met up with the man’s worried eyes.
Roxanne froze as soon as their eyes met. She responded immediately after, and all fear seemed to have left her body. Her face turned expressionless as she struggled to free herself from his embrace.
Lucian could feel her resistance, and he quickly became cold toward her, allowing her to move away from him.
“Why are you here?” she asked, watching the man before her warily.
Taking some time to recollect himself, Lucian replied indifferently, “To find you.”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne furrowed her brows slightly. “I think I’ve already made it clear enough. Seeing that you’re doing so much to look for me, there must be something you want, right?”
She had already blocked Lucian on all platforms after she left the kindergarten in the morning.
Now that he had found her, all her efforts had gone to waste.
Besides needing her help, Roxanne could not think of any other reason why he would look for her.
Lucian’s eyes darkened at her words. He originally planned to get straight to the point and tell her what he was after, but it felt as though her question had pierced right through his heart.
If he were to tell her that he needed her help, the woman would have come up with something sarcastic to ridicule him.
Staying silent for a few seconds, Lucian approached her in another way. “I just think that I haven’t given you a proper explanation regarding Archie and Benny getting kicked out of school. I hope that you’ll calm down and hear me out.”
Roxanne was already determined that he was the one behind this incident. All she felt was irony when she heard what was just said.
Explain? What’s there to explain? Did he not have enough of his fun over the past few days?
At the thought of this, a cold glint flashed through her eyes. Her tone was distant as she said, “Mr. Farwell, you hold great power, so do whatever you want. You don’t have to deliberately explain after doing what you did. I don’t want to hear it either.”
The man scrunched up his brows as he said, “I always have a clear conscience whenever I do things, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t admit to. However, this isn’t my doing. I’ve been blamed by someone else for no reason. I admit that I have spoken to the head of the kindergarten to kick Archie and Benny out when I found out that they were in the same school as Essie. But after the fuss she made that day, I promised I would never do it again as a consideration for my daughter’s feelings. The only reason this whole thing had happened was that Aubree saw that the boys were studying there when she sent Essie to school that morning. She took the liberty of telling the head of the kindergarten to expel the boys. I only found out about this when you came looking for me.”
In the end, he was saying that Aubree was behind everything.
This made Roxanne feel more ridiculed. “So? What makes you different from her? You made the request first, and as your marriage partner, when Aubree brought it up again, do you think that the head of the kindergarten would not have thought about what you said? Ultimately, this all happened because of you!”
Upon hearing her putting Aubree and him together again, Lucian couldn’t stop himself from feeling frustrated. “She’s her own person, and I’m my own. Why do you always lump us together? I have no reason to intervene in Archie’s and Benny’s lives. I’ve already warned the head of the kindergarten last night. The boys can return to kindergarten any time now.”
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 118
Not Her Child
Roxanne found his words humorous.
She could still clearly remember how the man had sworn that he would not marry anyone else but Aubree six years ago. He had even treated her coldly because she had taken Aubree’s place.
Yet, now that six years had passed, he was separating himself from that woman.
Roxanne wondered how Aubree would feel if she were to hear what Lucian had said.
Nonetheless, regardless of the truth, the head of kindergarten had still received the latter’s orders. Besides, Roxanne had already made up her mind to draw a clear line between her and Lucian.
If something like this could happen once, there was a possibility for a second occurrence. She didn’t want her children to get hurt even when they were innocent.
Having thought of that, Roxanne gathered her emotions, not wanting to obsess over this issue anymore. “I’ve already listened to your explanation. If there is nothing else, I will be leaving now,” she said apathetically.
With that said, she turned to leave.
She didn’t want to stay any longer in this haunted house. Now that she was in a more reasonable state of mind, she was sure that she would be able to find the exit quickly. I can wait for Madilyn and the boys once I’m outside.
The woman had only just turned around when the man grabbed her wrist.
Roxanne halted her steps and turned back to ask icily, “What else do you want, Mr. Farwell?”
Pausing for a moment, Lucian decided to come clean. “I need your help with something.”
At his words, she bit her lower lip in disdain.
I knew it. If he didn’t need my help, why would he work so hard to find me?
“You know that Essie had made a fuss when she didn’t see Archie and Benny at the kindergarten the last time. Now that she found out that they aren’t going to kindergarten anymore, she made an even bigger fuss. Her autism was triggered when she saw you leave this morning, and she locked herself up. Nothing works no matter what we say. Her psychologist said that it might work if you came, so I’d like you to follow me back.”
Lucian’s expression was grim, and he did not loosen his grip on her wrist, seemingly afraid that she would leave just like that.
Roxanne was briefly stunned at his words.
I can’t believe Estella’s condition is so bad that they even need to hire a psychologist. Based on his words, it seems like even the psychologist can’t do anything about it.
What’s more, she’s only like this because of Archie and Benny…
I didn’t know that they’re so important to her.
She started to falter at the thought of Estella’s teary face the last time she went to look for them.
However, she remembered that she was Aubree’s daughter, and a determined glint flashed across her eyes.
“You’ve been saying that Archie and Benny getting expelled was all because of Aubree, Mr. Farwell. Why do you think I would help you? She has been bullying my children like that, so why should I help her daughter? Do you think I’m a saint?” Roxanne questioned coldly after she snapped back to her senses.
Then, she struggled to free herself from Lucian’s grip.
The man tightened his grip on her, a hint of bewilderment written on his face.
Seeing the look on his face, Roxanne frowned in puzzlement.
Lucian snapped out of it a moment later and narrowed his eyes. His voice was cold as he asked, “What do you mean? Did you think that Essie is Aubree’s daughter?”
The woman thought that he was about to drag her away forcefully and was prepared to attack him. Yet, she was taken aback by his question.
In an instant, she felt a tug at her heartstrings. Nonetheless, she pretended to be calm and replied with a question, “Is she not?”
Besides Aubree, she couldn’t think of any other woman.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 119
What Will You Do To Mommy
Lucian’s expression darkened, and he stared attentively at Roxanne. However, he couldn’t identify any trace of disingenuousness.
Lucian looked away eventually, his heart throttled, and he was swarmed by a wave of confusion.
All this while, Roxanne thought that Estella was Aubree’s child!
He was under the impression that Estella was abandoned by Roxanne. When Roxanne acted aloof toward Estella when she returned to the country, Lucian thought that Roxanne was a cold-hearted woman.
However, from the way she spoke earlier, she seemed to not know that Estella was her child.
What is going on?
Or is she such a great actor that she’s managed to deceive me?
Lucian was perplexed and dumbfounded.
It was only after a long time that Lucian managed to recollect his thoughts. He held on to her slender wrist, lowered his voice, and uttered word-by-word in precise clarity, “Since when did I say that Estella is Aubree’s child?”
Roxanne’s wrist started to hurt, but she was distracted by his mind-blowing statement. Shock and suspicion filled her heart.
Estella is not Aubree’s child!
No wonder Aubree was not there that day when Estella was sick.
However, from what she knew, no one else got together with Lucian besides Aubree.
Who can it be? Who’s Estella’s mother?
The thoughts started to overwhelm Roxanne, and she struggled to resist popping the question.
“Mommy!” two familiar voices called out to Roxanne. “We finally found you! Are you okay?”
The children ran frantically toward Roxanne, whose wrist was clutched tightly by Lucian.
Archie and Benny exchanged glances before scrambling toward Roxanne.
“Mommy, don’t be worried. We will protect you!” Benny extended his arm and stood in front of Roxanne. He looked up, and he finally saw Lucian’s face clearly.
Archie, too, walked to Roxanne’s side and held on to her arm. With a deadly stare, he looked Lucian ferociously in the eye.
Realizing that it was Lucian, Archie’s face tensed as he pursed his lips. He then stormed furiously toward Lucian, mustered all his strength, and pushed Lucian away forcefully. “Let go of my Mommy! What do you want to do to her?”
Lucian frowned before releasing his grip. He quickly explained, “I’m just asking your Mommy for help. I’m not going to harm her.”
Archie nonetheless continued to stare at him warily.
Benny turned backward and held on to Roxanne’s hand. He shook her hand gently and said, “Mommy, are you okay? Did he bully you? Archie and I will protect you!”
Roxanne, however, had yet to recover from her discovery about Estella’s background. In response, she shook her head mindlessly. “Don’t worry.”
Looking at her troubled expression, Benny became even more worried. Enraged, he glared in response at Lucian.
Stupid Daddy! It’s one thing to bully us, but now he’s bullying Mommy when we’re not around!
When I grow up, I will teach him a lesson!
All of a sudden, the atmosphere became tangibly stiff.
While Madilyn was displeased with Lucian, she managed to keep her cool. Understanding that it was not an appropriate place for a conversation, Madilyn walked up and pulled them over. “Maybe you should take this conversation outside.”
After that, she tapped lightly on Roxanne’s shoulder. “If you’re afraid, then we should pass on the haunted house. Let’s head out.”
Roxanne finally came back to her senses. She nodded and followed Madilyn out, ignoring Lucian in the process.
Benny gripped Roxanne’s hand tightly, worried that she would be frightened. Like a knight in shining armor, he protected Roxanne while she walked.
Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 120
Must Protect Essie
Lucian followed right behind.
The exit was not difficult to locate. However, Roxanne was lost because she was frightened by the sophisticated gimmicks, causing her to panic.
After calming herself down, she managed to find her way out of the haunted house in a short time.
The sunlight shone on her face, dazzling Roxanne a little.
Lucian, who was right behind Roxanne, couldn’t take his eyes of her.
At this point, both of them had different thoughts running through their minds.
Noticing that the atmosphere was tense, Madilyn pulled Roxanne to a side and whispered softly, “What’s going on? What is he asking for?”
Roxanne snapped back into her senses. She gazed at Lucian, only to notice his anxious and worried look.
The next second, she recalled what Lucian said in the haunted house.
It didn’t seem like he was lying.
With that thought in mind, Roxanne started to feel worried about Estella.
Before this, she had always thought that Estella was Lucian and Aubree’s child. After knowing that Aubree was not involved, Roxanne couldn’t help but like Estella even more.
“Nothing, just some personal matters.” Roxanne smiled.
Madilyn, however, was in doubt.
What personal matter did they have to discuss between them anyway? Even baffling was the fact that Lucian came here all the way.
Just as Madilyn wanted to pry further, she realized that Roxanne had already left her and was walking toward Lucian.
Madilyn’s doubts intensified.
Lucian saw Roxanne walking toward him. He furrowed his brow and wanted to continue asking her for help.
Roxanne, nonetheless, spoke first. “Let’s take a stroll.”
Lucian immediately heaved a sigh of relief. He thanked her profusely, saying, “I truly appreciate this.”
After deciding to pay a visit to Estella, Roxanne took over Archie and Benny from Madilyn and said, “I think you may head back first. We’re going with him.”
She knew that Estella was reliant on Archie and Benny. With the two of them around, it could aid in her recovery.
Madilyn decided not to pester Roxanne further. Quietly, she stared at the four of them leaving, behaving no differently from any other adoring family.
After coming out of Universe Park, Roxanne, together with Archie and Bernie, got into Lucian’s car, leaving behind Madilyn and the car that they came with.
Cayden was already waiting in the car. He revved up the engine and sped toward the Farwell residence.
While on the way, Lucian briefly explained Estella’s condition to Roxanne and her history of medical treatments.
Roxanne was disheartened to find out about the mental illness and hardships that Estella faced at such a young age.
It appeared that Estella’s condition had deteriorated.
Holding that thought, Roxanne began to feel some guilt.
If she knew that Estella’s condition was that severe, she would not have said those things in front of her.
Archie and Benny sat quietly beside Roxanne. They listened attentively to Lucian, and their hatred toward him was slowly replaced by heartache.
Estella was about the same age as they were, but she had to endure such horrific grievances in life. Even in kindergarten, she was ostracized by the others.
We must protect Essie!
Cayden was driving at a blazing speed, and they arrived at the manor shortly after.
After getting down from the car, Lucian led Roxanne, Archie, and Benny and rushed toward the second floor of the building.
Meanwhile, James was waiting upstairs. Because of Estella’s resistance, he had to keep his distance while monitoring her, fearing that she would harm herself. Hence, he left the door slightly ajar and silently stood at the entrance.
When he saw the four of them, James had his brows slightly knitted before nodding. “Ms. Jarvis.”
Roxanne nodded in reply, and her attention was focused exclusively on Estella. “Where’s Essie? Let me take a look at her.”
James pointed toward the corner of the room.