Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
Archie and Benny were used to her being late, so they didn’t mind and shook their heads when they heard what she said. They were actually worried about her. “Mommy, have you been working all this time? Are you tired?”
“Not at all,” replied Roxanne while grinning.
Despite her words, her body was actually exhausted.
If it weren‘t for her kids, she wouldn‘t even have the strength to lift her arm.
Years ago, a complication occurred when she gave birth to her kids, and she lost a lot of blood. As a result, she had been frail and weak.
It was also why she would be exhausted every time she operated for an extended period and would need to rest a lot to recuperate.
“Why is Essie…?” asked Roxanne as she stared at Estella in confusion.
Lucian is already here to pick her up, so why hasn‘t she gone home yet? Or… did he stay out of the courtesy to take care of Archie and Benny?
Conflicting emotions welled up in Roxanne when she came to that conclusion
No one knew when Lucian had made his way to them, but when he heard that question, he answered in an even tone, “Essie refused to leave them behind.”
Roxanne couldn‘t help being taken aback when she heard that. A self mocking thought ran past her mind immediately after.
“I tried calling you earlier, but you didn‘t pick up,” said Lucian.
Right then, Roxanne came back around. She stood up to look right into his eyes and forced a smile. “I turned my phone off and didn’t see your calls until I was out of the operating room. Thank you for taking care of Archie and Benny.”
Lucian frowned a little when he realized that Roxanne was slightly pale. “It‘s only right for me to do that. After all, you took care of Essie for such a long time.”
The two of them didn‘t have much to say to each other, and Roxanne was truly exhausted, so she exchanged some pleasantries with him before putting some distance between them and nodding. “Okay, I‘ll take Archie and Benny home now.”
The two boys then politely bid goodbye to Lucian.
Estella, however, kept staring at Roxanne with her big, round eyes. The little girl didn‘t want to part with her just like that.
When she saw the look on Estella‘s face, Roxanne‘s heart melted, and she crouched down to stroke Estella‘s head. “Be good, Essie, and go home with your daddy. Archie and Benny will play with you again tomorrow, okay?”
Only then did Estella nod obediently and reply in her baby voice, “Bye–bye, Ms. Jarvis.”
“See you tomorrow,” replied Roxanne, whose heart softened even more
when she heard Estella‘s adorable voice.
After saying that, Roxanne held her boys‘ hands and left.
Lucian‘s gaze was indecipherable when he watched all three of them leave.
That was the first time they interacted again after he took Estella home.
That woman is treating me the way she did when we first met. If I hadn‘t helped take care of the two boys, she likely wouldn‘t have bothered to talk to me at all.
Estella waited for a while, but her father just stood there without budging, so she swung his arm in confusion.
Only then did Lucian return to his senses. He picked his daughter up and walked toward the exit.
Back at the mansion, Lysa had been waiting for them to return and have dinner for quite some time.
When she saw everyone entering the house, she hurried to them and asked, “What happened? Why is everyone home so late?”
Roxanne forced a smile and answered, “It’s nothing. I had to work overtime. Please babysit the kids. I’m a little tired, so I think I’ll go to bed now.”
When Lysa saw how pale and tired Roxanne looked, she agreed to babysit right away.
Roxanne cooed her kids a little, then retired to her own room.
When Lysa finished making breakfast the next morning, she realized that Roxanne was still nowhere to be seen.
The kids, on the other hand, had already made their way downstairs. They even dressed themselves up.
“You boys eat away. I’ll go check on your mother,” said Lysa. She was a little worried when she recalled how tired Roxanne looked the previous night.
However, the kids stopped her in her tracks when they heard what she said. “There is no need for that. Mommy is always tired after she has performed surgery. Let her sleep in. Wake her up only if she is still asleep in the afternoon.”
Lysa hesitated for a moment, but she eventually agreed to do as they said.
She made sure the boys had their breakfast, then took them to the kindergarten.
It was rather late by the time she got home, but Roxanne was still sleeping.
Nevertheless, Lysa decided that she wouldn’t disturb Roxanne. She simply made some oatmeal so that the latter had something to eat when she woke
up.
Roxanne sprung up from her bed immediately after she woke up and saw the time.
It’s eleven o’clock, and the kids are late!
She was about to kick her blanket off when she recalled that she had already hired a housekeeper. The kids are probably at school already.
Strangely, Roxanne felt drained after she relaxed.
She rested on her bed for a while before someone knocked on her door.
“Ms. Jarvis, are you up?” asked Lysa. She had waited for an entire morning and was quick to check on Roxanne when afternoon came around.
Roxanne replied, “Yeah, I’m up. I’ll be right out.”
She didn’t realize that her voice had become hoarse until she finished speaking.
Do I have a fever?
Nevertheless, Roxanne didn’t pay much attention to it. She got out of bed and freshened up before going downstairs to have some food. However, her fatigue became more apparent when she walked.
“Ms. Jarvis, why is your face all red?” asked Lysa in a surprised tone as she served Roxanne the bowl of oatmeal she had prepared.
Roxanne frowned and spoke a beat later, “I think I might have a fever. Please find some medicine for me.”
In a panic, Lysa quickly searched the medical kit and gave Roxanne some pills.
Although she didn’t have any appetite, she forced herself to have some food before she returned to her room to rest.
Roxanne hadn’t expected herself to fall sick so easily. I only performed one surgery. I can’t believe that is all it takes to wear me out so much that I’ve fallen ill. When did I become so weak?
Maybe because she had a fever, her mind became fuzzy soon after.
A flurry of thoughts flashed past her mind, and she fell asleep.
That night, Lysa noticed that Roxanne was still resting and guessed that the latter hadn’t recovered. Hence, she went to the kindergarten to pick the boys up.
When she reached the place, she saw Estella hanging out around the boys. Disappointment flashed past Estella’s eyes when she saw Lysa there.
Archie and Benny knew that Estella missed their mommy and worried that she would refuse to go home like she did the day before. Hence, one of them took the initiative to ask, “Where is Mommy?”