Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
Cognizant that Madilyn had helped her pick up the boys two days in a row, Roxanne planned to pick them up herself that day. Thus, she headed to the Queen residence in the afternoon after finishing her work in the morning.
After she arrived, she examined Alfred to make sure there weren’t any complications before continuing his treatment by inserting needles.
While waiting for the time to remove the needles, Jonathan approached with a document in hand. “Dr. Jarvis, here’s the contract I’ve prepared. If you’re fine with the terms, you can just sign on it.”
Roxanne wasn’t surprised, as that was what they discussed the night before. After going through the document in detail, she placed her signature at the bottom.
With the contract signed, Jonathan’s attitude toward her grew warmer. “From now on, we have become partners. Nevertheless, we’ll still need your help with regards to Grandpa’s condition.”
Roxanne nodded in acknowledgment. “That’s the least I can do.”
After a brief chat, Roxanne looked at the time and extracted the needles from Alfred’s body.
Even though she had tried her best to rush, school had already ended for the boys by the time she finished packing.
Taking her leave quickly, Roxanne drove to pick them up.
Along the way, she wondered if they would be worried since she didn’t inform them that she would be late.
By the time she arrived, all the students were gone, leaving behind an empty kindergarten.
Upon scanning the surroundings, Roxanne saw the two boys sitting on a small bench in the field, but there was no sign of any teachers at all.
As a result, she hurried up to them anxiously.
“Mommy!” the boys ran in her direction the instant they saw her,
Hugging them, she knelt down to stroke their faces. “I’m sorry. I was busy and lost track of time.”
Archie gave her an understanding shake of his head. “It’s all right. We’re safe in the kindergarten. Plus, there’s a teacher here with us. There’s no need for you to be worried.”
Benny, too, gave a corresponding nod.
Roxanne gave them a confused look. “A teacher?”
Archie pointed at the corner of the field.
Trailing the trajectory of his finger, Roxanne saw a teacher by the slide. With a warm smile on her
face, she was kneeling on the ground while speaking to a little girl.
Looking adorable in her kindergarten uniform, the girl had her hands tensely placed on her knees while sitting in an upright position. At the same time, she was staring intently in their direction.
The moment she recognized the girl, Roxanne was stunned.
If memory serves me right, that’s clearly Lucian’s daughter. Is she studying here too?
Initially, Estella was just watching Archie and Benny. However, the moment she saw Roxanne, her eyes lit up.
Realizing that Roxanne was looking at her, her lips curled up in delight as she attempted to greet the former.
But the very next second, Roxanne looked away, causing Estella’s smile to fade as she gave them a dejected stare.
She obviously recognizes me but chooses to ignore me.
“Mommy, what’s wrong? Are you tired from work?”
Archie shook Roxanne’s hand when he noticed her looking distracted.
Regaining her senses, Roxanne replied with a grin, “Not at all.”
With that, Benny happily grabbed her hands and exclaimed, “In that case, let’s go home!”
Roxanne gave him a noncommittal nod, before leading the boys over to greet the teacher.
Just before she left, her gaze subconsciously fell upon Estella again.
When she saw that the three of them were about to go, Estella stood up anxiously while staring intently at them.
Worried that she would fall, the teacher quickly held onto her.
After a brief hesitation, Roxanne couldn’t help inquiring out of concern. “Is she”
Well aware of what she was about to ask, the boys answered right away, “Mommy, she’s a student here too. In fact, she’s in the same class as we are. Since her daddy and mommy have yet to pick her up, she was waiting together with us.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, Roxanne’s heart melted slightly at the sight of Estella.
Nevertheless, she didn’t intend to stay, for it will either be Lucian or Aubree who would be picking Estella up soon, neither of whom she had any intention of seeing again.
However, Estella was visibly reluctant to see her go.
Not wanting to disappoint her, Roxanne stroked Estella’s head with a smile. “Your parents will be here soon. As I need to go first, you must obey the teacher and wait together with her, all right?”
Just as Roxanne was about to leave, Estella grabbed her sleeve tightly.
Halted by Estella’s reaction, Roxanne lowered her gaze and saw the former shaking her head with slightly reddened eyes.
The look on Estella’s face caused Roxanne to feel so heavy-hearted that she couldn’t bring herself to move.
When the teacher saw Estella refusing to let Roxanne leave, she sighed in resignation before approaching the latter to explain, “Estella has recently been very close to Archie and Benny. Due to her autistic character, very few students are willing to play with her. But the very first day the brothers came to class, they ended up protecting her. That’s why she has grown to rely on both of them. And now, she’s probably scared that they’re leaving.”
After hearing about Estella’s situation, Roxanne could feel the discomfort within her intensify.
Not only is the little girl mute, but she’s also autistic. No wonder the teacher let the boys wait by the side.
Unfortunately, the thought of running into Lucian and Aubree caused Roxanne to feel hesitant about staying behind.
Despite the teacher’s coaxing, Estella refused to let Roxanne go no matter what.
After a while, the teacher appealed, “Ms. Jarvis, are you rushing for time? If not, shall we chat a
little? Ever since Archie and Benny came to school, I have yet to speak to you about their progress.”
It was clear to Roxanne that the teacher was just getting her to wait with Estella under the pretext of discussing the boys’ performance in school.