Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
With that in mind, Roxanne nodded and led him upstairs.
As Estella had already fallen asleep, the room was only illuminated by a night lamp at the time. Afraid that she would wake her up, Roxanne made sure to be extra careful and gentle.
While standing by the door with his hands in his pockets, Lucian shifted his gaze from Estella to the decoration in the room.
Not only did the room look exceptionally neat and tidy, but the dolls that Roxanne’s kids brought over also added a warm and homely feel to it.
Looking at the room caused the anger that Lucian was suppressing to vanish completely and filled his heart up with warmth.
After applying the ointment, Roxanne made sure that Estella was still fast asleep before getting up. “It’s done.”
Her gaze met Lucian’s the moment she turned around, and the two of them locked eyes in silence for a few seconds.
Eventually, Lucian snapped out of it and said with a nod, “Thanks.”
Roxanne then closed the door behind her and walked him downstairs.
After giving him a brief summary of Estella’s condition, Roxanne tried to end the conversation when she saw that it was quite late. “It’s getting late, so you should head back and get some rest. Don’t worry; I’ll take good care of Essie.”
Lucian nodded and got up from the couch. “I’ve spoken to the person in charge of the kindergarten. If you don’t mind what happened before, you may let Archie and Benny continue studying there.”
Roxanne agreed to it immediately. “I will. Also, I think Essie should study there and hang out with the other kids too.”
Having her return to an environment that she’s familiar with might just help improve her condition.
She then anxiously waited for Lucian’s response as his permission was necessary for that to happen.
Roxanne had assumed that Lucian would at least ask her for a reason, but he simply went silent for a few seconds before saying, “Okay, just go ahead and do as you wish. There’s no need to inform me about it.”
As Roxanne was Estella’s biological mother, she had every right to make such decisions on her behalf.
Huh? Isn’t Lucian trusting me a little too much? On second thought, maybe it’s just because he loves Essie deeply. He knows that Essie has taken a liking to me, so he’s placing her fully in my care.
With that in mind, Roxanne replied with a nod, “Okay.”
Lucian said nothing further and left after that.
The next morning, Roxanne woke the three kids up early in the morning and got them ready for kindergarten.
They were about to leave the mansion when they saw Lucian standing at the door.
“Please, allow me to help with sending the kids to school. It’s the least I can do after placing Essie in your care.”
Roxanne, Archie, and Benny froze upon hearing that.
The two kids then turned to look at Roxanne and waited for her answer.
Roxanne glanced at Estella, who was still holding on to the hem of her shirt, and accepted his offer after a brief moment of hesitation.
The four of them got into the car and took the same seats as the night before.
While Lucian was driving, Archie kept stealing glances at him with a conflicted look in his eyes.
He felt that he should be hating Lucian for abandoning Roxanne and bullying them, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so.
Roxanne was the only one talking to Estella along the way. Everyone else simply kept quiet throughout the entire drive.
The teacher at the kindergarten felt both happy and awkward when all five of them showed up together. “Ms. Jarvis…”
Although it was Aubree who demanded the expulsion of Archie and Benny, Pippa still felt bad about it and wanted to apologize.
“Looks like I’ll be placing Archie and Benny in your care again!” Roxanne cut her off with a smile.
Pippa nodded profusely. “Of course! They are both very obedient children, so taking care of them is truly a pleasure!”
Roxanne nodded. “Also, Essie seems to be acting a little strange lately. She doesn’t really talk to people much, so please keep a close eye on her.”
Fearing that Estella would feel hurt if she heard about her autism, Roxanne chose to not mention it directly.
Pippa nodded and reassured her that she would take good care of them.
Archie and Benny too, each held one of Estella’s hands as they said, “We’ll help look after Essie too! We won’t let anyone bully her!”
Roxanne simply patted them on the head with a smile.
Pippa was preparing to bring the kids inside for class when she saw Roxanne still standing there with Lucian behind her.
His icy-cold gaze sent a shiver down her spine. “I-Is there anything else I can help you two with?”
“I’m just a little worried about them. Would it be okay if I watch them for a bit while you teach?” Roxanne said with a smile.
Pippa didn’t dare say no with Lucian around, so she had no choice but to let them into the classroom as well.
Roxanne sat down in a corner and felt a strange sensation deep down inside when Lucian sat down beside her, but decided to keep her feelings to herself.
Just like that, the two of them sat there in a corner and watched the kids play games in class.
In order to help improve Estella’s mood, Pippa even arranged for her to be in the middle of the group. With Archie and Benny acting as examples, the other kids took turns interacting with her as well.
However, Estella simply kept her head low and showed no response whatsoever.
It didn’t take long before her behavior started to affect the mood of the other kids as well, much to Roxanne’s dismay.
She had assumed that having Estella return to a familiar environment would help with her emotions somewhat, but it didn’t seem to work at all.
Although Estella still didn’t respond much, she seemed to have grown attached to Archie and Benny after a few games. Not only did she follow them around all the time, but she would also show some response whenever they played with her.
Roxanne was still a little worried even after observing them for about an hour, but it was time for her to head over to the research institute.
Lucian too, left shortly after she excused herself.
After spending an entire afternoon at the research institute, Roxanne saw that it was time to pick up the kids from kindergarten and quickly rushed over.
To her surprise, Lucian was already waiting there by the time she arrived.
Oh? Looks like he’s planning on sending the kids to and back from kindergarten…