Filed to story: Leaving the Country After Divorce Novel (Lucian & Roxanne)
With that in mind, Roxanne greeted him and waited for Pippa to bring the kids out the door.
It wasn’t long before class was over, and the kids walked through the door in a straight line.
Archie and Benny could be seen escorting Estella on both sides as they came out.
After the five of them got into Lucian’s car, Benny kept tugging at Roxanne’s sleeve with a huge smile on his face.
Unsure of why he was grinning from ear to ear, Roxanne flashed him a confused look in response.
“Essie seemed to have a bad dream after waking up from our afternoon nap today! She kept crying even though Ms. Ward and the other kids tried to comfort her. In the end, Archie and I were the ones who calmed her down! Do you think she knows us, Mommy?”
Roxanne had felt the same way earlier that morning, so hearing about it filled her heart with a warm sensation. “Maybe. I’m really glad that you two are able to look after Essie.”
Benny patted himself on the chest confidently as he said in his childish voice, “Don’t worry, Mommy! Archie and I will continue to keep Essie safe!”
Roxanne couldn’t help but giggle when she heard that.
Lucian glanced at them through the rear-view mirror when he heard Benny’s promise and Roxanne’s laughter. A hint of tenderness formed in his eyes when he saw the heartwarming moment they were having.
She sure has raised those boys well. They’re so much more mature than the other kids around their age.
Lucian was planning on leaving after dropping them off at the house as he had seen for himself how well Roxanne took care of Estella. On top of that, Archie and Benny were treating Estella like their own sister too, so there was no reason for him to stay and make them feel uncomfortable.
While getting out of the car, Roxanne glanced at Estella and said after a brief moment of hesitation, “How about you join us for dinner? I’m sure Essie would have a much better time with you around.”
Lucian gave her a strange look and paused briefly before replying, “Thanks, I’ll take you up on your offer.”
Roxanne kept quiet and led the kids inside while Lucian followed behind after parking the car.
Upon entering the kitchen, she quickly washed her hands and started making dinner. Archie and Benny led Estella into the living room and played with their Lego set to kill time.
Lucian was a little hesitant at first, but decided to stand next to them and help out when needed.
With the two boys working closely together, the scattered Lego pieces were soon transformed into a complete unit.
When it came to attaching the final piece, Archie glanced at Lucian with a hesitant look in his eyes.
Lucian then held his hand out, prompting Archie to place the Lego piece in his palm. The boy pursed his lips and lowered his head wordlessly as he watched Lucian attach the final piece.
Estella, who was watching Lucian attach the Lego pieces together, reached out to grab a Lego piece all of a sudden.
Both Archie and Benny’s eyes lit up with excitement when they saw that.
After a brief pause, Estella began assembling the Lego pieces herself at a pace similar to theirs.
Thinking that Estella had recalled playing Lego with them in the past, Archie and Benny exchanged joyful glances.
Lucian froze in shock when he saw that, only to have a warm smile spread across his face seconds later.
Looks like Essie really likes their company, huh?
Seeing as they were all focused on playing with the Lego set, Roxanne chose not to disturb them and proceeded to serve up dinner.
She had just stepped out of the kitchen when her elbow bumped into the door frame, causing her to drop the bowl of soup onto the floor.
Everyone in the living room turned around in unison upon hearing the noise.
Naturally, Lucian was the first to respond. “Are you injured?” he asked while running toward her.
As he took a closer look at her, he noticed a red spot on the fair skin of her forearm.
Before she could even respond, Lucian cautiously grabbed an uninjured part of her arm and led her toward the sink, holding it under running water.
Although Archie and Benny were worried about her, they knew they were unable to help with her wound, so they decided to clean up the floor instead.
“Don’t touch it, you guys! You could get scalded by the hot soup! Get Essie away from here!” Roxanne called out to them when she saw what they were doing.
Archie and Benny hesitated for a bit, but did as told and prepared to lead Estella out of there.
However, Estella stubbornly refused to leave and struggled to remain where she stood.
Unsure of what to do, Archie and Benny were about to ask Roxanne for help when they heard a sobbing noise beside them.
Everyone paused and turned toward Estella in shock, only to see tears flowing from her reddened eyes.
Archie and Benny were stunned when they saw tears running down Estella’s cheeks. They did not know if they should console her or not.
After all, it seemed like she was crying because their mother was hurt. In a way, she was responding to the outside world. It was great news for them.
However, their hearts broke at the sight of Estella’s watery eyes. They then turned to seek help from their mother, but the next thing they saw was their mother, frowning in pain as she washed her wound.
At that, Archie and Benny calmed down. Their eyes continued to flit between their mother and Estella, nevertheless.
A while later, Lucian grabbed Roxanne’s arm and pulled it away from the running water.
Roxanne lowered her eyes to look at the site of the wound. Although it was still red, it did not hurt as much anymore.
When Lucian noticed her action, he frowned as concern seeped into his eyes. He asked, “What’s the matter? Does it still hurt a lot?”
Roxanne tensed up for a second but shook her head. “I’m feeling much better. I’ll treat the wound, and it should be fine after that.”
With that, she shook off Lucian’s hand and walked toward the door.
Just as she turned around, she saw the helpless gazes of her two sons.
Roxanne turned in the direction they were looking, only to see Estella sobbing miserably. Her small body was shaking, but no sound was coming from her.
It was the first time Roxanne had ever seen her cry after her autism diagnosis. Moreover, it seemed like the little girl was extremely upset, so she could not help but feel worried. “Why are you crying? Were you frightened?”
As she spoke, she crouched down in front of Estella and raised her hand, about to wipe the girl’s tears away.
However, Estella leaped into her arms as she continued sobbing, her eyes fixed on Roxanne’s injured arm.