Ch. 971..980

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 971 Are You Feeling Better Now

Roxanne was preparing lunch with the kids when the doorbell to their mansion rang. Believing it might be Lucian wanting to see the children or Madilyn coming to ask her about the progress, Roxanne did not think much and put down her things to open the door.

Upon opening the door and seeing who was behind it, she suddenly froze. “It’s been a while,” Sonya began, looking Roxanne up and down.

Roxanne regained her senses, and lowering her eyes, she greeted, “Mrs. Farwell.” Sonya hummed coldly in response. “Is this how you treat your guests? Having them stand at the door?”

Furrowing her brows, Roxanne gazed at Sonya cautiously as she remembered clearly what Sonya had done to the research institute.

We haven’t met since then. I wonder why she came to see me today. Moreover, Essie is here. Last time, Sonya destroyed the research institute because I got too close to Essie. I’m afraid of what she will do if she sees Essie here. But perhaps Sonya already knew, and that’s why she’s here.

At that thought, Roxanne stepped aside to let Sonya in. “Please.” Sonya strode in and looked around the living room. “Where’s Essie?”

Roxanne’s heart skipped a beat. Indeed, she came because she knew Essie was here. Before she could reply, the three kids had already run out of the kitchen.

Thinking that Lucian was here, they all beamed happily, but the smiles on their faces froze at the same time when they saw the person sitting on the couch.

“Grandma…” Estella called out hesitantly. I remember Grandma doesn’t like Ms. Jarvis. Moreover, the expression on Grandma’s face doesn’t look good.

Sonya hurriedly looked Estella up and down at the sight of her. Only when confirming Estella was unharmed did she sigh in relief. “Essie, come to Grandma,” she said, waving to Estella.

Estella stared at Sonya hesitantly and did not move. “Come here now,” Sonya repeated, frowning before shooting Roxanne a look of displeasure. She thought Roxanne was the reason for Estella’s disobedience.

Noticing the look Sonya shot Roxanne, Estella slowly walked over, afraid Sonya would take her anger out on Roxanne. Sonya carried Estella into her arms and examined the latter carefully again. “I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better now?”

Estella glanced at Roxanne. Smiling comfortingly at Estella, Roxanne replied warmly, “Essie rested for a week and is much better now.”

Immediately, Sonya announced in a voice that allowed no disagreement, “Since you’re feeling much better now, come home with me.” Upon hearing that, Estella furrowed her brows, reluctance written on her face.

Sonya understood what Estella was thinking and knew she wouldn’t be able to convince the child, so she looked in Roxanne’s direction.

“I heard from Lucian that Essie recovered well thanks to your care. Since she’s all right now, I want to take her home. You have no objections, right?”

There was not a hint of gratitude in her voice. Roxanne was the reason Estella got sick in the first place. And in Sonya’s opinion, it was expected for Roxanne, Estella’s biological mother, to take care of Estella while she was sick.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 972 You Have No Brothers

Roxanne had long guessed Sonya would treat her with an unpleasant attitude. Although she was displeased, she didn’t show it on her face.

“It’s Essie and Mr. Farwell’s wishes that Essie stays here. As you’re her grandma, I have nothing to say if you want to bring her back, but I hope you respect Essie’s opinions.”

Sonya frowned in displeasure. I’ve already asked Essie just now. I wonder what sorcery Roxanne has cast on her to make her refuse to go home. That’s why I turned to ask Roxanne, but I didn’t expect this woman to be so tactless!

Sonya was livid. Just then, Estella spoke. “Grandma, I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here and play with Archie and Benny.” Estella looked at Sonya pitifully.

Usually, when Estella wore such an expression, Sonya would have gone along with her wishes. However, she was filled with rage right now, so Estella’s look only added fuel to the fire.

“You have to go home even if you don’t want to. You belong to the Farwell family. How can you stay at someone else’s house all the time and cause them trouble?”

Cowering in fear, Estella replied forlornly, “I didn’t cause trouble.” She turned to look at Roxanne, wanting to get her agreement. Roxanne’s heart softened as she met Estella’s gaze and nodded with a smile. “You didn’t cause trouble.”

Upon hearing that, Estella turned to look at Sonya again, hoping the latter would understand that she wasn’t a trouble to Roxanne.

The fire in Sonya’s heart burned even stronger when she heard their conversation, but she couldn’t vent her anger at Estella. She raised her head to look at Roxanne, who was standing at the side.

“If you’re so free, you might as well spend more time on your two children. Essie belongs to the Farwell family. You don’t need to pretend to be nice and look after her!” Sonya said, sweeping a cold glance at Archie and Benny.

Archie and Benny had been staring longingly at Sonya. Since she was Estella’s grandmother, it meant she was also their grandmother.

Although they never lacked the love of an elder, they still felt an inexplicable sense of kinship seeing Sonya.

However, that warmth faded when they noticed Sonya’s attitude toward Roxanne, and now, they felt even more disappointed to be looked upon so coldly by Sonya.

With that, they averted their gazes from Sonya. Roxanne stepped forward and pulled them behind her. “I’m only doing what I’m supposed to do as a doctor. Mrs. Farwell, you don’t need to worry. I have no interest in that position.”

Archie and Benny did not understand what position she was referring to, but Sonya did. “You better be!” Sonya snorted before standing up from the couch while carrying Estella.

When Estella realized that Sonya was taking her away, tears immediately gathered in her eyes. “Archie, Benny… My brothers…” she choked out.

Sonya’s heart ached for a moment when she heard Estella’s sorrowful voice, but she soon steeled her heart and said sternly, “They are not your brothers. The Farwell family only has one child. You have no brothers.”

That only made Estella wail harder. Unable to look on any longer, Roxanne wanted to go forward and comfort Estella, but Sonya’s gaze pinned her to her spot.

However, Archie and Benny only noticed that Estella was crying badly, so they hurriedly ran over to comfort her. “Grandma, please let Essie stay for another two days! We will take good care of her!”

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 973 Deal With The Marriage Contract

Archie and Benny had only addressed Sonya as grandma out of politeness, but in the next instant, Sonya snapped, “You two don’t belong to the Farwell family, so you shouldn’t be calling me that! If you want to see your grandma, ask your mom to take you to her!”

Having said that, Sonya was about to walk around them and leave. Archie and Benny felt dejected and pained to hear Sonya scold them and deny their relationship. But upon hearing Estella’s wails get louder, they regained their senses and stood before Sonya, gritting their teeth.

Seeing Archie and Benny blocking her way, Sonya furrowed her brows, irritated by their persistence.

“We won’t call you Grandma anymore, but it’s obvious Essie doesn’t want to leave. You can’t force her! You also know about her situation. She can’t continue crying like this!” the two said stubbornly.

“Mind your own business! I will naturally take care of my granddaughter well!” Sonya replied icily before turning to speak to Roxanne. “Control your sons. Tell them to stop blocking my way!”

Seeing Archie and Benny argue with Sonya while she stood in her original spot, Roxanne felt touched.

My heart aches too when I see Essie crying so badly. But as Sonya said, Essie belongs to the Farwell family, so I have no reason to stop Sonya. However, even Archie and Benny have stepped forward. I cannot stand idly by any longer. Moreover, Sonya is treating Estella in such a manner. I wonder how Archie and Benny would feel if they knew their biological grandmother had been refusing to acknowledge them as her grandsons. I would feel aggrieved too if I were in their shoes.

“Although Archie and Benny are not part of the Farwell family, they are just as concerned about Essie as you!” Roxanne walked forward and pulled Archie and Benny behind her. “Essie is crying so badly. If you really care about her, have you considered the consequences of her crying like this?”

Roxanne’s and her sons’ words rendered Sonya speechless. After a brief pause, Sonya replied impatiently, “I will bear responsibility for my own granddaughter. There’s no need for you to worry!”

If not for these three, Essie wouldn’t be crying this badly! Sonya glowered at Roxanne. “Nothing will happen to Essie if you stay away from her!”

“Ms. Jarvis…” Estella cried, gasping for air in Sonya’s arms. Roxanne’s heart clenched painfully. She wanted to hug and comfort Estella. However, under such circumstances, she knew it was impossible for her to do so.

Sonya glanced at Archie and Benny who were standing behind Roxanne. “Ms. Jarvis, you’re a mother of two. Lucian already has Essie and will be marrying Aubree in the future. I hope you have some self-respect.”

Upon hearing that, Roxanne, Archie, and Benny froze. Lucian had told them he would be pursuing Roxanne and would settle the issue regarding Aubree. They never asked him how he would deal with that marriage contract afterward.

Little did they expect to hear this from Sonya. The matter they had almost forgotten came rushing back to their heads because of Sonya.

At that moment, they were all dumbstruck. Sonya shot them one last icy glare before striding toward her car with Estella in her arms. Soon, Estella’s cries were muffled as the car door closed.

By the time Roxanne snapped back to reality, Sonya’s car had already sped off.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 974 Four Servings

Estella had already been taken away, so there was nothing they could do now. Roxanne could only return to the mansion with Archie and Benny. The three kids were going to help her with lunch, but in the end, she had to do it herself.

After finishing cooking lunch with mixed feelings, Roxanne went to the living room to call Archie and Benny over to eat. However, she received no reply after calling them twice.

Confused, she walked over to them and saw them sitting on the carpet absent-mindedly with the untouched Lego model before them. “What are you thinking about?”

Noticing that they looked depressed, Roxanne squatted before them in concern. Only then did the two come back to their senses. They only shared a glance and did not reply to Roxanne as they were thinking about Sonya’s words.

As they had been focused on helping Estella stay, they had no time to care about their own emotions. Now that Sonya had left with Estella, they felt despondent thinking about what had happened just now.

That’s our grandma, but she doesn’t want to acknowledge us. “Mommy, can we still play with Essie in the future?” Benny could not help but ask. Roxanne paused to ponder upon hearing that question.

I’m not sure too. From what I know of Sonya’s personality, I think she may make Estella transfer schools or do like what Aubree did and kick Archie and Benny out of kindergarten.

However, meeting Benny’s hopeful look, Roxanne could not bring herself to say no. “Of course,” she said, forcing a smile.

Wearing a doubtful and disappointed look on his face, Archie lowered his head and said, “But Grandma doesn’t like us, and she doesn’t allow Essie to call us her brothers.”

They were indirectly complaining about Sonya not recognizing them as her grandsons, but Roxanne thought they were worried Sonya wouldn’t let them play with Estella.

“What she says isn’t important. It’s enough as long as Essie loves you two.” Roxanne stroked Archie’s and Benny’s heads. “You two treat Essie so well and love her so much. She will remember that. Although you may not see her for the time being, she will definitely come back and play with you again in the future.”

“Really?” “I believe Essie loves you two as much as you love her,” Roxanne responded with a smile. Only then did a faint smile spread across Archie’s and Benny’s faces.

“All right, get up. Let’s go eat. The food is getting cold.” They stood up and sat down with her at the dining table obediently.

Roxanne thought she had already successfully comforted the two, but unfortunately, their dejected expressions were blatant as they ate. “Are you both still upset?”

Archie and Benny were still thinking about Sonya, but they didn’t want Roxanne to know. Benny panicked upon hearing that since he didn’t know what excuse to give.

Thankfully, Archie was quick to react. “We made four servings.” Roxanne glanced at the dining table. Estella’s favorite meatballs were still on the table, untouched.

Archie’s reminder also saddened Roxanne, but she forced herself to suppress it and comforted her sons first. Giving them a meatball each, she said, “Since Essie can’t eat it, we’ll help her eat it. That way, it will be as if Essie’s eating with us.”

Staring at the signature meatballs in their bowls, Archie and Benny nodded obediently.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 975 Breaking My Heart

After lunch, Archie and Benny made up an excuse by saying they wanted to nap before running back to their room. Roxanne was feeling drained as well, so she tidied up the dining room before taking a nap herself.

In the boys’ room upstairs, Archie and Benny, who were supposed to be asleep, sat facing each other on the edge of their respective beds. At that moment, sadness was written all over their faces.

“I feel so sad, Archie.” Benny pursed his lips, and tears were welling up in his eyes. Benny had always been more sensitive. Not only did Sonya scold him, but she also brought Estella away.

Archie raised his gaze toward Benny. When Archie saw Benny’s red eyes, he immediately got up and sat next to him. “You can feel sad, but you can’t cry,” Archie said.

Hearing that, Benny pouted and replied, “But why did Grandma have to talk to us that way?” Benny thought he was just being polite when he addressed Sonya as Grandma.

When he recalled how Sonya had scolded him moments ago, he couldn’t help but want to burst into tears.

Archie knew exactly how Benny felt. “Grandma treated us that way because she doesn’t know about our background. Besides, she hasn’t even accepted Mommy yet. I wonder what happened when Daddy and Mommy separated back then. It seems that Grandma doesn’t like Mommy one bit.”

Benny agreed with Archie’s analysis, and he nodded. What Grandma said to Mommy was worse than what Grandma said to us. With that in mind, Benny couldn’t help but worry about Roxanne’s feelings. Mommy must be feeling worse than we do.

“If we want Grandma to treat Mommy better, we must get Daddy and Mommy back together,” Archie uttered in a serious tone. “Only then can they resolve the misunderstandings between them, and Grandma will finally know about our background.”

Benny looked excited when he exclaimed, “By then, Grandma won’t have a problem with Essie addressing us as her brothers!”

Archie nodded upon hearing that. There was also a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

“But…” Benny suddenly frowned.

Archie looked at Benny in puzzlement.

“I don’t know what is Daddy going to do about Ms. Pearson,” Benny continued in his cute voice. As long as Ms. Pearson is still around, there’s no way Mommy is going to accept Daddy. Daddy is also at fault. He told us he would settle the matter, but it’s still not settled.

Archie was worried about the same thing, but he chose to have faith in Lucian. Since Daddy has already said he would handle it, he surely will!

Right then, the boys made up their minds. If Daddy succumbs to Grandma’s pressure and marries Ms. Pearson, we’ll tell Daddy about our identities! By then, Daddy will surely leave Ms. Pearson!

Meanwhile, Sonya was driving Estella back to the Farwell residence.

Estella was crying throughout the journey.

Prior to that, Sonya was only pissed off at Roxanne. But now that she was alone with Estella, her cries broke her heart.

“You’re a good girl, Essie. I’ll bring you to shop for pretty dresses and dolls, okay?” Sonya tried to distract Estella, but it did not work at all.

Estella was still crying just as loud.

Sonya had no choice but to change her tactic and coax the little one along the way home.

“I want Daddy…” Estella sobbed, her face full of tears.

Sonya had no choice but to give in. I would rather her ask for Lucian than Roxanne!

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 976 Give Her To Me

Thirty minutes later, Sonya’s car slowly came to a halt at the entrance of the Farwell residence. By then, Estella, who was sitting in the back seat, had gone quiet.

Sonya heaved a sigh of relief inwardly because she thought Estella was finally done crying after crying throughout the journey home. To her surprise, she saw that Estella’s face was still covered in tears when she opened the car door.

Estella had gotten tired from all the crying, but she was still crying silently. Upon seeing Sonya opening the door, Estella didn’t even bother turning her head toward Sonya.

Sonya’s heart ached when she saw her granddaughter sobbing silently. She reached out to lift Estella into her arms and consoled helplessly, “Why are you still crying? Do you really like Roxanne that much? Do I not treat you well enough?”

Estella shook her head. Sonya’s heart sank when she saw that. Is Essie turning rebellious because of Roxanne? This little girl doesn’t even want me anymore.

Her anger toward Roxanne intensified. Right when Sonya was about to say something, Estella suddenly wrapped her arms around Sonya’s neck.

She was using her actions to show Sonya that she was still fond of her. Noticing the gesture, Sonya felt better, and her expression softened.

While wiping the tears off Estella’s cheeks, Sonya said, “Listen to me, okay? Since she doesn’t want you, we’ll also shut her out!”

Back then, Roxanne’s cruel decision to abandon Estella had always been a thorn in Sonya’s side.

Estella didn’t know what Sonya was talking about. She thought Sonya was badmouthing Roxanne, and she started crying once again.

At that moment, Sonya felt utterly helpless and frustrated. All she could do was carry Estella into the mansion.

“Mrs. Farwell, Ms. Estella,” Catalina greeted respectfully when she saw them walking in. She had been upstairs telling Lucian to head down for a meal.

As soon as she finished her sentence, she noticed Estella’s face was drenched in tears.

Before she could react to it, Sonya demanded, “What are you waiting for? Go and prepare the dishes Ms. Estella likes to eat! Quick!” Sonya then patted Estella’s head and coaxed in a gentle tone, “What would you like to eat, Essie? I’ll get Catalina to prepare for you…”

Sonya spoke while carrying Estella toward the couch in the living room.

“Daddy…” Estella suddenly called out and let go of Sonya’s neck.

Sonya was stunned.

In the next second, she heard a set of heavy footsteps approaching her.

After that, she heard her son saying unhappily, “Didn’t you say you give up?”

Lucian furrowed his brows and reached out to carry Estella.

Sonya didn’t react in time, so she didn’t let go of Estella immediately. At the same time, she was feeling guilty.

Soon, Estella’s sobs grew louder, and she started struggling to break free.

Finally, Sonya regained her senses and saw her granddaughter struggling in her arms. Upset, she sat down on the couch with Estella still in her arms.

“I want Daddy!” Estella cried and stared at Lucian.

Lucian stood where he was and said, “No matter how angry you are, you can come at me. Essie is feeling uncomfortable, so I suggest you give her to me.”

Needless to say, Sonya’s heart wrenched in pain.

She could let go of Estella, but she couldn’t accept the fact that her granddaughter was fighting so hard to break free from her embrace. The thought of Estella’s attachment to Roxanne brought her anger to new heights.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 977 Guilty

“Be good, Essie. Let me carry you. Don’t cry,” Sonya comforted patiently. Unexpectedly, the more Sonya consoled Estella, the harder Estella cried. Estella was crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath.

Upon noticing that things had gotten out of hand, Sonya reluctantly passed Estella to Lucian. Estella’s wails soon grew weaker again and gradually turned into whimpers after she got into Lucian’s embrace.

The moment Lucian noticed how aggrieved Estella looked, he knew exactly what had happened. I wonder what ruthless things my mother did in order to bring Essie out of Roxanne’s house.

“You’ve spoiled her.” Sonya was dissatisfied. “Don’t you remember how heartless that woman was back then? Why do you still want Essie to get near her? I told you countless times to stay away from her! Why wouldn’t you listen? Are you happy now? Essie doesn’t even want to return to her own home anymore!”

Estella didn’t know what Sonya meant, but she could feel that Sonya was badmouthing Roxanne to Lucian.

Knowing that, Estella tugged at Lucian’s shirt and whined, “I want Ms. Jarvis…”

Sonya was infuriated when she heard that. “Why would you want her? She didn’t even want—”

Before Sonya could finish her sentence, Lucian interrupted, “Catalina, bring Essie upstairs.”

Catalina hurried toward Lucian and reached out to carry Estella.

Considering how hard Estella had been crying earlier on, Catalina didn’t know if Estella would allow being carried away.

Fortunately, Estella was sick of Sonya’s complaints. When she saw Catalina reaching out to her, she immediately leaped into Catalina’s embrace.

Catalina couldn’t help feeling helpless and heartbroken when she felt Estella sobbing silently in her arms. This is obviously an issue among adults. Why did they have to drag Ms. Estella into it?

Sonya was startled by Lucian’s aura, and she ended up stunned for a few seconds. She only regained her composure after Catalina brought Estella upstairs. It’s so obvious that Lucian doesn’t want Essie to hear our conversation after this.

Sonya’s expression turned increasingly grim by the second.

“Shouldn’t Essie know about it as well? Why did you ask Catalina to bring her upstairs? Are you going to hide the truth from Essie forever? You can only keep her in the dark for so long. Don’t you think once Essie grows up she’s going to find out that the woman she’s so in love with is the same woman who abandoned her after giving birth to her? Do you think she’ll be able to accept it?”

Sonya’s stubbornness was giving Lucian a headache. “As I said, there must be some misunderstandings. I just haven’t figured it out yet.”

As soon as those words fell, he heard his mother speaking those usual prejudiced words. “What misunderstandings are you talking about? What lies before our eyes is the truth! Unlike Roxanne, Aubree—”

“I’ll judge Aubree on my own,” Lucian interrupted coldly. If I let her continue talking, she’s only going to talk about how great Aubree is.

Sonya frowned, and she wanted to continue talking. However, she quickly noticed the change in Lucian’s aura.

Lucian stared at her with a grim expression and said, “How about you? You knew about Essie’s condition, but you still used extreme means to take her away from Roxanne. Have you ever considered that Essie’s condition may deteriorate at any time?”

When Sonya was at Roxanne’s, she had heard something similar from her, but she didn’t take it seriously.

Perhaps Sonya just didn’t want to accept the fact that Roxanne cared about Estella.

Evidently, Sonya only felt guilty for her actions when she heard Lucian mentioning it.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 978 As Much As You Want

Lucian noticed the guilty look on his mother’s face. “I’ll handle my own marriage and Estella’s life. What you think is best may not be the best in others’ eyes.” In other words, he was telling her to stop meddling in his personal affairs. Sonya felt angry and guilty at the same time. “Whatever I did, I did it for your own good.” Lucian refused to respond to her because he knew how stubborn his mother was. Whatever I say is pointless.

“Essie is my granddaughter, so obviously I care about her. I wanted to bring her back with me, but she was crying for you. In the end, I still brought her back here, didn’t I? Even if Essie has accepted Roxanne, Roxanne still has two more kids. If you were to be with her in the future, what would happen to those two kids of hers? Are you going to give the Farwell family’s inheritance to those… children?”

With much effort, she managed to stop herself from calling Archie and Benny a pair of illegitimate children.

Prior to that, Sonya had never thought about the matter in that manner.

However, when she realized how biased Lucian was toward Roxanne, she had no choice but to consider the issue from that perspective. What if Roxanne really comes back? What’s going to happen to those two illegitimate children? Are they going to be a part of the Farwell family? Am I supposed to watch Lucian give the Farwell family’s inheritance to those two illegitimate children? I can’t let that happen! That’s it. I want no one but Aubree to be the Farwell family’s daughter-in-law! At the very least, Aubree is a lot more decent than Roxanne! Even if Lucian and Aubree decide not to have their own children in the future, at least I know Essie is still a descendant of the Farwell family!

Lucian remained silent the entire time.

Although Sonya’s words were harsh, Lucian could only frown in response.

Seeing how bullheaded Lucian was, Sonya abruptly stood up and roared, “I can’t do anything about the fact that you’re delaying your wedding with Aubree. But for as long as I’m still breathing, I’ll never accept Roxanne as your wife!”

With that, she left without turning back.

Lucian merely watched her leave the mansion instead of sending her off.

“Mr. Farwell.” Catalina had been waiting upstairs the entire time. She only went down with a concerned expression after she saw Sonya leave.

“How’s Essie?” Lucian asked.

Catalina looked upstairs and said, “She’s still crying.”

She couldn’t console Estella, so she had gone down to ask Lucian for help.

Lucian nodded and went up to Estella’s room.

As usual, she was hiding at the foot of the bed, hugging her knees, and burying her head in between her knees.

It was as if that was the only way she could isolate herself from the rest of the world.

Seeing that, Lucian paused in his tracks for a brief moment before continuing forward with a casual expression on his face.

“Don’t cry, Essie.”

Estella raised her head when she heard his voice.

That tear-filled face of hers could definitely break one’s heart, Lucian’s included.

He wiped the tears off of her cheeks and asked in a deep voice, “What did your grandma say to you?”

“Grandma said I can’t play with Archie and Benny anymore,” Estella choked out tearfully.

Lucian patted her head and uttered, “You don’t have to take those words seriously. You can play with them as much as you want.”

“Really?” Estella was skeptical.

“Whatever I say, goes.” Lucian nodded.

Estella gradually stopped crying when she heard that.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 979 Suspects

After comforting Estella, Lucian left the room. As he walked to his study, he contemplated the reaction of Sonya and Estella. Lucian furrowed his brows at that thought and pulled out his phone.

Essie was crying so badly when my mother brought her back. Something must have happened. What did my mother say to Roxanne? It’s not a good idea for me to ask Essie about it, as it might trigger her emotions again. I don’t want to see her cry.

After much pondering, Lucian decided to give Roxanne a call. What if my mother said something mean to Roxanne? If that’s the case, I should give her a call to apologize…

Because of Sonya’s abrupt appearance, Roxanne kept having dreams during her nap. In her dreams, Estella was crying and wanted a hug from her. However, she could not reach her at all.

Roxanne woke up feeling uneasy after encountering those awful dreams. Before she could return to her senses, the phone on the table suddenly rang.

She grabbed her phone to take a glance, only to see the phone call from Lucian. It’s him. There are only two possibilities for him to call me at this odd hour. It’s either he has found my stalker or he’s calling me to talk about Essie.

No matter what, Roxanne had no other option but to answer his call. “I’m sorry.”

The moment the call got connected, Lucian’s deep voice rang out. Roxanne was still half awake. She was slightly stunned when she heard his words. Why is he apologizing to me?

“It’s not my intention to bring Essie back,” Lucian went on.

Only then did Roxanne snap out of her daze and recall Sonya’s callous remarks. Realizing that Lucian had called because of Sonya’s behavior, she sensed a peculiar sensation swelling within her.

She could guess that it was not Lucian’s intention to bring Estella back. Otherwise, Lucian would have appeared at her house instead of Sonya.

Nevertheless, Roxanne had never expected an apology from Lucian.

“It’s fine. It’s just that Essie was crying very badly just now.”

She skipped the awkward conversation by switching the topic to Estella.

“She was bawling when she got home. It took some time for me to comfort her. She stopped crying after I assured her that she could still hang out and have fun with the kids another time,” Lucian said.

Roxanne heaved a silent sigh of relief. She knew how difficult it was to calm down a crying Estella. “That’s good.”

“About my mom…”

Lucian was trying to dive deep by asking her the question. However, Roxanne was reluctant to bring up the matter. She merely replied casually, “No worries. I understand that Mrs. Farwell did that for the sake of Essie.”

There was a note of finality in her tone. Lucian stopped probing further.

“Is there anything else, Mr. Farwell? If there’s none, I’ll hang up now.”

Somehow, Lucian could sense a hint of resistance and avoidance in Roxanne’s voice.

The look in Lucian’s eyes turned increasingly gloomy as he realized that.

Hearing no reply from him, Roxanne was about to hang up.

Sonya’s harsh words had been as sharp as a blade, hurting Roxanne’s feelings. Naturally, she refused to recall that incident by talking about it.

As she moved her phone away from her ear, she heard Lucian speaking again on the other end of the line.

“By the way, do you have any suspects in mind regarding the person who followed you?”

Hearing that, Roxanne paused and placed the phone to her ear again.

She hesitated for a few seconds before answering, “No.”

As a matter of fact, Roxanne had a suspect in mind all this while, and that was Aubree.

Whether it’s Aubree or Sonya, their only motive is to keep me away from Lucian.

Leaving The Country After Divorce Chapter 980 Excuse

Roxanne lowered her head at that thought. As long as I keep a distance from Essie and Lucian, Aubree and Sonya won’t come and bother me. If I get close to them, Aubree might do something even crazier.

Previously, Aubree had ruthlessly infected Estella with bacteria. Thinking about that alone, Roxanne felt a chill running down her spine.

“Have you tried thinking about it carefully during this period?” Lucian interrogated. He was quick to notice Roxanne’s strange attitude and tone. He refused to let her hang up on him just like that.

He had already spotted her behavior change at the campsite and had a hunch that she might be concealing something. There must be something fishy going on.

Meanwhile, his question caused Roxanne to feel a wave of turmoil within her. She persisted in not revealing anything, nonetheless.

“Mr. Farwell, didn’t you ask people to watch over me? If none of them find anything suspicious, it’s impossible for me to have anyone in mind.”

The crease between Lucian’s brows deepened. He stayed silent after hearing her words.

It’s because I sent someone to spy on Cory as well. That’s why Cory stops appearing around Roxanne. However, I didn’t find anything suspicious about him.

Roxanne remarked, “I don’t feel anything unusual during this time. Moreover, Estella is now back at your place. I think it’s safe for you to send your people away.”

After all, she had only agreed for Lucian to arrange for people to keep an eye out on them to ensure Estella’s safety.

Now that Estella had gone back, there was no need for that anymore.

Lucian wanted to reject her request instinctively, worried that Roxanne might get into danger if he dismissed the men around her.

However, something popped into his mind, changing his thoughts. It’s a futile attempt for me to tail both sides. I might never be able to find out the person behind this. Instead of remaining at this impasse, I might as well reveal a flaw to them.

With that thought in mind, Lucian said, “Okay. I’ll ask them to leave soon.”

Hearing how Lucian agreed almost instantly, she could not help but feel a queer feeling arise within her.

It took several seconds for her to finally suppress her peculiar sensation.

Roxanne stayed silent for a long while before saying, “I’ll be busy with work these days, so I might not be able to take care of Essie. Could you please help me with that if Essie looks for me?”

Her words caused Lucian to furrow his brows deeply.

There she goes again with this excuse. She’s trying to use work to avoid me and Essie again!

The images of Estella crying pitifully just now occurred to him, and he could feel anger stirring within him.

Roxanne did not expect any reply from him. She added, “This project is important to me. I hope you understand, Mr. Farwell.”

Upon hearing the mention of the project, Lucian could not help but think of the Damaris family, as it was a project led by them.

Why did she bring that up? That means she’ll be hanging around with Jack often again!

Rage quickened Lucian’s blood. He could not contain his frustration and responded in a blunt tone, “Yes. I understand that you’ll be occupied with work. I’ll tell Essie about that and ask her to behave well!”

With that, Lucian hung up the phone.

Just when Roxanne was about to say something, the call got disconnected.

She felt utterly helpless as she watched her phone screen fade to black.

I have to keep a distance from Essie. This is the only way I can protect her for now.