Chapter 352 – Her Sudden Departure: A Tale of Love and Redemption (Lucian & Roxanne)

Roxanne could not bear to see Estella teary-eyed again.

It’s really wonderful that he can make a compromise. I hope he can keep up the behavior and keep his distance from me during the concert.

Roxanne’s mind was in a mess the entire night when she thought about all the possible scenarios that could happen at the concert. She even wondered if she had made the wrong decision. Unfortunately, it was already too late to regret her choices.

Roxanne was awakened by the sound of laughter downstairs early the following morning. Her mind was so chaotic last night that she fell asleep only after a long time. And now, her head pounded from the lack of sleep.

Roxanne glanced at the time. She wanted to get some more sleep, but there seemed to be no end to the laughter downstairs. Given no choice, Roxanne had to crawl out of bed and walk out of her room with half-closed eyes.

When she looked down from upstairs, she spotted Madilyn playing with the two children in the living room. Seeing that, Roxanne could not help but sigh helplessly.

This woman lives so near to our house, but we haven’t heard from her for the past few days. Yet, she’s here to disturb my sleep now. “Mommy!” The boys looked up as soon as they heard Roxanne’s room door open.

Madilyn, too, followed their gaze. The moment she saw Roxanne’s terrible complexion, the smile on her face was replaced with a look of worry. “Did we wake you up?”

Roxanne nodded without beating around the bush. Massaging her pounding temples, she asked, “Why are you here today?”

Sensing Roxanne was feeling unwell, Madilyn stopped playing with the children. “What’s wrong? Are you unwell? Why do you look so terrible?”

Archie and Benny gazed at their mother with concern, looking extremely guilty for waking her up.

Roxanne sighed in exasperation when she met the trio’s worried gazes. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t sleep well last night. Then, I got woken up by you guys.”

Hearing that, Madilyn pulled the children to her side and said apologetically, “Go and get some sleep. I’ll take them out to play for a while.”

Roxanne shook her head. “I can’t fall back to sleep, anyway. Please carry on. I’ll be down in a while.”

With that, she turned around to wash up.

Meanwhile, Madilyn exchanged glances with the boys.

“It’s all your fault. I told you to lower your voices, but you boys didn’t listen,” Madilyn reprimanded first.

The boys angrily placed their hands on their hips as they stared at their godmother, who said those words shamelessly.

It did not take long for Roxanne to wash up. When she was done, she descended the stairs, yawning at the same time.

Madilyn had bought breakfast for them. The children had already eaten theirs, and Roxanne’s portion was set aside on the table.

Hence, Roxanne went over to the dining table to have her breakfast.

Madilyn brought the boys over to the dining table and sat beside her, asking, “What were you thinking about last night? You look like you were up the entire night.”

A look of exasperation flashed in Roxanne’s eyes when she thought of the reason that kept her awake. She shook her head as if nothing was wrong. “It’s nothing. I drank some alcohol during my social gathering last night. That’s why I didn’t sleep well.”

Hearing that, Madilyn shot the boys a suspicious glance.

The boys nodded, though they were not really sure.

Only then did Madilyn believe Roxanne’s words. Frowning, the former advised, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You might not be worried about your health, but these kids are.”

With that, she gazed downward at the two kids, who immediately nodded to play along.

Roxanne could not help but smile at their act. “All right. Besides, I’m not the only one who’s guilty. You’re the same, too. You’ve been swamped with work lately, haven’t you?”

Madilyn rolled her eyes. “Ugh. I had no choice.”

For some reason, the hospital had been severely understaffed for the past few days. Madilyn had no choice but to do whatever she could to help, which threw her into a spiral of hecticness for the past month. Now that she finally had more free time that week, she decided to pay Archie and Benny a visit.

Roxanne chuckled when she heard Madilyn grumbling. Pulling the children into her embrace, Madilyn said with a sigh, “It’s been such a busy month, but I’m already feeling much better after seeing these two kiddos.”

With that, she forcefully planted kisses on the boys’ cheeks, only to be shoved away by them in disdain.

“Let’s go out and play tomorrow! We haven’t spent much time together ever since you guys returned. It’s my day off tomorrow. I can take all of you out for the entire day,” Madilyn suggested, looking expectant.

The boys’ eyes lit up at the idea of going out to play. They instantly turned to Roxanne to hear her response. Roxanne felt conflicted when she was met by the trio’s expectant gazes. “I’m afraid tomorrow is a no-no.”

The moment those words left her mouth, the trio’s faces fell simultaneously. Madilyn stared at Roxanne with an exaggerated expression. “Don’t tell me you’re working tomorrow.”

Roxanne shook her head. “No,” was all she replied, leaving Madilyn even more confused. “Then, what? Spit it out. There’s nothing we can’t tell one another.”

There was a slight change in Roxanne’s countenance, and she cast the boys a troubled glance. The boys looked just as inquisitive as Madilyn. Seeing that, Roxanne shook her head in exasperation.

The concert was tomorrow, and she had yet to inform the boys about it. Their expressions told her they would not let her off easily if she did not come up with a valid reason.

However, Roxanne feared her best friend would get the wrong idea if she told them she was going to a concert with Lucian. Just as Roxanne was wondering if she should tell them the truth, the children guessed, “Mommy, are we going to the concert tomorrow?”

Roxanne froze, and she subconsciously turned to check Madilyn’s expression.

Madilyn was puzzled. “A concert? Since when were you interested in events like that? Spill. Are you hiding something from me?”

Roxanne stuttered, “N-No… I-It’s just—”

The boys cut her off while looking at Madilyn seriously, “Aunt Madilyn, we’re going to a concert with Mr. Farwell and Essie tomorrow. So, we can’t go with you. We’ll hang out with you next week, okay?”

Roxanne could not help but sigh at the boys’ betrayal, averting her gaze guiltily.

“Mr. Farwell?” Madilyn’s look of confusion was gradually replaced with shock. “You mean Lucian Farwell?”

Roxanne pursed her lips without saying a word.

Right then, Madilyn’s confused expression returned. “Lucian invited you to a concert? Is he… changing his ways?”

She was well aware of the drama between Roxanne and Lucian that had been going on for six years until now.

Madilyn still could not bring herself to forgive Lucian for treating Roxanne so coldly six years ago.

---