Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
Lucian arched his brow at her body language. “You getting mad isn’t going to change my mind.”
Estella furiously snapped her head to him and shot him a death glare.
Daddy is the worst! I hate Daddy the most! I like the beautiful Ms. Jarvis and Archie and Benny. Why did Daddy have to fight with her and even forbade Archie and Benny to attend kindergarten?
Estella was crestfallen at the thought of never being able to see Archie and Benny at the kindergarten anymore.
Daddy is too unreasonable! I don’t want to like him anymore!
Estella sulked the whole way back.
She ignored Lucian who was trailing after her and dashed up the stairs to her room without one glance back at him. After slamming the door, she even locked the door angrily.
Catalina was standing at the door when the father and daughter arrived, so she noticed Estella’s angry mood. When she shifted her gaze to the expressionless Lucian walking behind Estella, she knew they were once again at outs with each other.
“Mr. Farwell, what is Ms. Estella angry about?”
Hearing the loud slamming from the door upstairs, Catalina turned to Lucian with a concerned look.
Recalling the reason Estella got mad at him, Lucian answered impassively, “Nothing. She’s just throwing a tantrum. Look after her.”
Catalina nodded habitually, “Yes, sir.”
I wonder why Ms. Estella would lose her temper with Mr. Farwell when she was rarely expressive. Moreover, Mr. Farwell isn’t good at coaxing others. All in all, we need a lady of the house.
Estella was only mad at Lucian, so she obediently opened her door when Catalina knocked on it.
“Ms. Estella, come and have something to eat.”
Catalina carried a tray of Estella’s favorite food into her room.
Alas, Estella didn’t have an appetite. After taking two bites of the food, she pushed the plate away and sat gloomily by the desk.
Catalina’s heart ached for the little girl.
However, she knew this was something between father and daughter, so she wasn’t in any position to give any advice. She took the food back to the kitchen and came back to help Estella shower after a few hours later.
After cleaning up the bathroom, Catalina saw Estella lying on her stomach on her bed, staring at the laptop in front of her with a hardened look. She wondered what the little girl was doing tapping on the keyboard so seriously.
However, Catalina was used to Estella tapping away on the keyboard, so she silently left the room after cleaning up without asking anything.
Meanwhile, Roxanne was stuck in a traffic jam on her way back with Archie and Benny.
Archie and Benny silently sat in the back seat, occasionally exchanging glances with each other, all the while studying their mom’s expression through the rearview mirror.
They didn’t know what happened at the kindergarten earlier. Even though Roxanne didn’t tell
them anything, they noticed that she was in a bad mood.
“Mommy, we made some cards at the kindergarten today! The teacher had us make it for the people we love, so Archie and I made one for you!”
Benny secretly cast a glance at Archie, hinting at him to cheer their mother up.
Archie nodded with understanding. “Mommy, do you want to know what we wrote?”
Roxanne knew they were trying to lift her mood, so she nodded with a smile. “Sure. What did you guys write?”
Sounds of someone shuffling through the bag came from the back, then Benny’s emotional voice read loudly, “The person I love the most is Mommy! My mommy is an amazing doctor! Even though she’s always busy with work, my brother and I know she loves us the most! We think Mommy is a great person for saving lives every day. Sometimes, we would feel bad for her and wish she won’t get too busy and tire herself out. I hope Mommy will stay beautiful forever!”
Roxanne couldn’t keep her giggle in. “It’s so long. It was no wonder your teacher would tell me you guys excelled in Chanaean. What about you, Archie?”
Archie sat up straight and began reading aloud, “My mommy is an amazing doctor. Saving lives is a difficult job, and so is taking care of my brother and me. I want to be like her when I grow up. I wish I can grow up quickly and earn money for my family, so Mommy doesn’t have to be so tired all the time.”
Roxanne’s heart melted into a puddle at their heartfelt confessions. She had thrown out everything that happened at the kindergarten earlier out of her mind. “Thank you, boys.”
The kids exchanged glances and released a relieved breath simultaneously when they noticed her mood had brightened.
The next day was a weekend, so the kids didn’t have to go to kindergarten.
Roxanne planned to take the boys to the research institute with her.
Right after she packed everything and was about to head out the door, she heard the doorbell ring.
Thinking it was a visit from Madilyn, Roxanne got up and went to get the door.
Her brows furrowed with confusion when she saw the person standing at the door. “Essie? What are you doing here?”
Roxanne instinctively swept her gaze at the surrounding, thinking Lucian would be standing and waiting somewhere within sight.
Yet, shockingly, she didn’t see anyone else but Estella outside her door.
Roxanne decided to focus her attention back on Estella. She bent down to the little girl’s eye level and asked, “Estella, tell me how you got here? Did your daddy send you?”
Judging from Lucian’s attitude at the kindergarten yesterday, I highly doubt he’ll let Essie meet me, but there’s no other possibility for now.
Estella was wearing a white dress and carried a small backpack on her back. It was the one she brought to kindergarten the day before. Hearing Roxanne’s question, Estella reached for the notebook in her backpack, flipped it open, then started writing something.
She wrote: I came here myself.
Roxanne was stunned. “Yourself? How did you find your way here?”
Estella scribbled across the page: I took a cab here.
Roxanne was still suspicious, but after checking her surroundings a few times, she finally believed Estella’s words.
So Lucian’s daughter took the cab in the early morning all by herself to my house. This situation is giving me a headache.
She suppressed the mix of feelings in her heart and asked tenderly, “Is there a reason you’re looking for me?”
The girl answered in writing: I wanted to be friends with Archie and Benny, so I came to play with them. Is that okay? Estella raised her notebook and gazed at Roxanne with anticipation.
Just for this reason?