Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
After the braid was done, Roxanne led Estella out.
She turned and spotted the man standing at the door.
Immediately, the warmth in Lucian’s gaze disappeared and was replaced by an indifferent look. He told her courteously, “Breakfast’s ready. Let’s go downstairs.”
With that, he turned around and left without waiting for them.
Roxanne was rooted to the spot.
His expression was different just now. It appeared for a fleeting moment only, though. Was I seeing things?
Snapping out of her reverie, Roxanne led Estella down the stairs.
Estella took the seat next to Lucian at the dining table.
Roxanne was about to take the seat across from them when Estella tugged at her sleeves, forcing her to stop in her tracks.
“Ms. Jarvis, why don’t you sit beside Ms. Estella?” Sensing Estella’s intention, Catalina chuckled and pulled out the chair beside the little girl.
Estella nodded in agreement and gazed at Roxanne expectantly.
At once, Roxanne glanced at the man sitting on the other side of the little girl.
Lucian’s expression was stiff, and he averted his gaze as though he couldn’t be bothered where she sat.
Estella tightened her grip.
Roxanne hesitated slightly before occupying the seat next to Estella’s.
During breakfast, Roxanne subconsciously helped Estella with the food. Lucian also did the same.
Tiny, almost imperceptible crinkles formed around Estella’s eyes in joy. She ate all the food they placed on her plate obediently.
After breakfast, Roxanne glanced at her watch. It was time for her to get to work, so she got up and bade goodbye to them.
However, Estella seemed reluctant to let her leave.
“Essie, be good. I need to go to work. I’ll visit you another day, all right?” Roxanne held her chubby hand and assured her.
Hearing that, Estella released her grip on Roxanne’s top grudgingly and waved goodbye to her.
Roxanne grinned and patted her head affectionately before turning to leave.
Before heading to work, she went home to change her clothes. She was also worried about her sons and wanted to check on them.
Back home, the boys lunged toward her. “Mommy! Why didn’t you come back home last night? Did something happen?”
Lysa chuckled and explained, “They’ve been worried the entire night and woke up early today.”
Roxanne nodded. She decided to tell them how she took care of Estella last night.
After learning that Estella was ill, the boys asked anxiously, “Is Essie all right? Is she seriously ill? Can we visit her?”
Roxanne assured them, “She has a slight fever and has recovered after sleeping through the night. You’ll see her at the kindergarten.”
She would’ve agreed to let the boys visit their ill friend, but she didn’t want them to run into Lucian.
The boys nodded obediently.
Meanwhile, Aubree followed Roxanne’s car all the way to the Farwell residence. As a result, she flew into a rage and couldn’t sleep well the entire night. She didn’t forget to order her subordinate to keep an eye on Roxanne so she would know when Roxanne left the Farwell residence.
The next morning, she was having breakfast when she received a call from her subordinate informing her that Roxanne had just left the Farwell residence.
“B*tch!”
Aubree cut the line and clenched her jaw in fury. “She can’t wait to get back together with him after her return!”
Fear clawed up her throat instantly.
I can’t believe she got to spend a night in the Farwell residence! Over the years, I’ve never spent the night there. Lucian will usually ask me to leave after dinner. Looks like Lucian treats her differently…
The more Aubree pondered over the matter, the more frantic she became.
Sitting across from her was her mother, Gina Walker. Seeing her anxiety, Gina asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you upset this early in the morning?”
Aubree gritted her teeth. “That b*tch Roxanne spent the night at the Farwell residence! If I don’t do anything to stop her, she might end up remarrying Lucian!”
Gina’s expression turned grim. She thought over the matter briefly before saying, “We haven’t met Sonya for some time. Why don’t we invite her to tea later? You can take the opportunity to tell her about this.”
That afternoon, Aubree and Gina met Sonya at a café.
They were already waiting at a table by the window when Sonya arrived.
“Sorry you had to wait,” Sonya apologized as she sat across from them.
Aubree’s lips curled into a gentle smile. “We’ve just arrived. Here, take a seat. I’ve ordered some desserts. I hope they are to your liking.”
She then gestured for the server to serve their food.
Soon, a few delicate desserts were served.
Sonya flashed a satisfied grin. “Oh, how nice of you, Aubree. You still remember that I like sweet food. Lucian isn’t as thoughtful as you.”
They chatted for a while before Gina casually mentioned Roxanne’s existence.
“By the way, Aubree visited Old Mr. Queen a few days ago and bumped into the woman who divorced Lucian six years ago. When did she come back? Do you know about this?”
Sonya’s smile slipped. “Roxanne? Roxanne Jarvis? How dare she show up here? I wouldn’t have known if you didn’t tell me about it!”
Back then, Roxanne left the divorce agreement behind and left without saying goodbye. A year later, Estella was sent back to their family without a guardian.
Sonya was furious whenever she recalled the past. How dare Roxanne come back to Chanaea?
Gina feigned surprise. “Didn’t you know? Aubree saw Lucian there, too. He seemed to be on friendly terms with that woman. I thought you wanted her to come back so she can take care of Essie.”
Sonya frowned in displeasure. “The nerve of her! If I knew about this, I wouldn’t have allowed her to even meet Essie!”
Roxanne left the country stubbornly and was heartless enough to abandon her daughter. I’ll never let someone as cruel as her come any closer to Essie!
Gina and Aubree had seen that coming.
Aubree shot her a placating smile. “Mrs. Farwell, calm down. Perhaps Lucian doesn’t think that way.”
She lowered her gaze in dejection as her smile became forced.
Sonya’s fury increased. “What’s wrong? Did Lucian bully you?”
Aubree merely shot her mother a conflicted look.
Gina broke the silence. “I’ll be frank with you. Lucian didn’t show up when we had a meal together. I told Aubree to invite him over, but he seemed to insinuate that he wanted to break off the engagement with her. Aubree didn’t tell me anything. If I hadn’t realized she seemed dispirited and urged her to tell me the truth, she would’ve kept it a secret until now!”
Whipping her head around, she glared at Aubree before turning back to look at Sonya. “I asked you out to confirm the matter. If you’re planning on asking that woman to return to the Farwell family, I’ll ask Aubree to give up now.”
Aubree hung her head low, appearing utterly crestfallen. She didn’t utter a word.
That was the first Sonya had ever heard of it. Her gaze turned dark. “Did Lucian say that for real?”
Both Gina and Aubree said nothing. It was a silent acquiescent.
“Got it.” Sonya grabbed her bag and rose to her feet. “Don’t worry, Aubree. We’ve come to an agreement, so you’ll be my daughter-in-law. I won’t agree if Lucian insists on marrying someone else! There’s no way I’ll allow him to remarry Roxanne.”
Aubree shot her a doleful look.