The children ran back downstairs to call for Lysa. “Ms. Lane, Mommy is not responding to us. Could you come and have a look?”
Lysa was frightened when she heard that, so she quickly made her way up and opened the door with a key.
Once she opened it, Archie and Benny rushed into the room only to see Roxanne lying weakly in her bed.
Her eyes were shut, her cheeks were hot and red, and her lips were parched. It was obvious she was down with a high fever.
“Mommy!” the kids cried out. When Roxanne still did not respond, Lysa went forward.
She touched Roxanne’s forehead, and her face darkened.
This is way worse than the last time she was sick. What should I do now? It doesn’t seem like she will wake up anytime soon, and we can’t send her to the hospital either…
Lysa was on pins and needles.
When Archie saw this, he took a quick glance at the clock and said to Lysa, “Ms. Lane, could you help Benny and me apply for a leave of absence today? We’ll take care of Mommy at home.”
Lysa nodded immediately and went to make a call to Pippa. Then she took a wet towel and put it on Roxanne’s forehead to help cool her down.
As for the boys, they stayed by their mother’s side for a long time until she finally came back to her senses.
Roxanne felt that she had fallen into a deep, deep sleep. She could not wake herself up although she wanted to. It was the voices of her children that eventually plucked her out of her reverie.
“Mommy!” the children cried out and went closer to her the instant they saw her moving.
Roxanne was stunned at first, but she gradually registered her surroundings and wanted to sit up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sleep in.”
She was still thinking about sending Archie and Benny to school when the children pushed her back into bed.
“Mommy, you’re sick. We’ve already asked for leave to stay at home to look after you today,” they said in all seriousness.
It was only then that Roxanne realized how sick she was.
Roxanne felt touched that the children cared so much for her.
Meanwhile, Estella had been waiting at the kindergarten entrance way before school started that morning, hoping she could see Roxanne, Archie, and Benny.
The brothers had told her the day before that Roxanne was finally coming home and would be fetching them to school.
The night before, she had also waited for Roxanne eagerly, but in the end, she only saw Madilyn.
She felt disappointed at first, yet when she knew that Roxanne had a message for her, she was comforted because it meant Roxanne still thought about her.
That was the reason why she was not altogether upset, and she was looking forward to seeing Roxanne the next day.
However, not only did she not see Roxanne, but she also did not see the two brothers at school.
That made her extremely sad.
“Essie! Come on in! It’s almost time for school!” Pippa did not call out until school was about to start since she did not know what the kid was doing.
Estella pouted and shook her head in refusal.
“What’s going on?” Pippa asked.
Ever since the child got lost in the mountain, the teacher had been paying extra attention to her because she felt sorry for the child.
Estella looked far away without answering. She was hoping the car she had waited for would show.
They are coming to school!
The girl stood waiting until the school bell rang, but there was still no sign of the people she wanted to meet.
Since Pippa could not get her to go in, she stood with the girl at the entrance and asked the other teachers to take over her class.
The recent trauma had made Estella lose her sense of security, so when she thought of Roxanne’s attitude toward her and the boys’ absence, she started tearing up.
Does this mean Ms. Jarvis doesn’t want me anymore? Did she transfer Archie and Benny to another school? They almost went to another school last time…
Pippa was worried when she saw that the girl was about to break down. She bent down and tried to comfort her. “What’s the matter, Essie? Why don’t you tell me what you’re upset about? I can help you.”
Estella bit her lip and took out her notebook before writing: Archie and Benny.
Pippa finally understood what Estella wanted. Ah, she was waiting for the boys! But she doesn’t usually wait for them even when she comes to school early, though.
Pippa could not wrap her head around what Estella was thinking, yet she still patiently explained everything to the girl. “Archie and Benny are not coming today. Their mommy is sick, so they asked to stay home for a day,” she said, patting Estella’s head. “Why don’t we go in first? They’ll be here tomorrow.”
Estella looked upset when she found out that Roxanne was ill.
She shook her head and retreated a few steps, trying to dodge Pippa’s hand.
The teacher was confused, yet before she could even ask the girl anything, Estella turned and ran toward the Farwell family’s car parked beside the road.
“Essie!” Pippa shouted as she ran after the girl.
After Estella went missing the other time, Lucian had arranged for a driver to follow her around just in case she ran away again.
The driver was stupefied when she saw Estella running into the car with her teacher chasing her from behind.
The next thing he knew, Estella opened her mouth and spoke out of the blue. “Go to Ms. Jarvis’ house!” she ordered in a compellingly cute voice.
The driver was stunned. A smile broke out on his face, and he nodded before driving away, ignoring the teacher who was chasing after them at the back.
“Ms. Estella, have you told Mr. Farwell about this?” the driver asked.
It did not occur to him that he should ask until they were on the way.
When his question was met with dead silence, the driver knew he was in deep trouble.
She must’ve run away without telling him… I’m good as dead if Mr. Farwell finds out about it…
Thinking, the driver spared her a hesitant glance from the mirror. “How about I call him?”
“No,” Estella said, shaking her head.
I don’t want to tell him! He’s the reason why Ms. Jarvis refused to let me stay the other time. She doesn’t like Daddy. She won’t even let me in if Daddy’s around.
Since Estella was adamant about it, the driver did not push her. I’ll just call Mr. Farwell when we reach.
Soon enough, they arrived at Roxanne’s house.
Estella jumped out of the car right away, sprinted over to the door, and rang the doorbell.
Since everyone was upstairs looking after Roxanne, no one heard the doorbell.
The violent dinging slowed down as time passed when no one came to get the door. Estella was on the verge of crying again.
It was not until Lysa came downstairs to make Roxanne some oatmeal that she heard the doorbell.
She was perplexed when she saw the child at the door. “Essie! Are you here alone?”
“Ms. Lane…” she cried.
“Did you come alone?” Lysa inquired again.
Estella nodded furiously before poking her head in to see if Roxanne or the two boys were around. But to her dismay, she saw no one.
In front of her, Lysa hesitated for a while before stepping aside to let her in.
Having witnessed Roxanne sending Lucian and Estella away, Lysa was unsure about Roxanne’s attitude toward them. But seeing that the girl had come alone, Lysa thought it would not be good to just send her away. Hence, she asked her to wait in the living room while she informed Roxanne about her visit.
“Did she come alone?” Roxanne asked in confusion. She looked sickly with her face flushed and pale lips cracked.
Lysa nodded. “She’s waiting for you downstairs. Should I let her come up, or should I contact Mr. Farwell and ask him to get her?”
Because Roxanne was not feeling well, she had been taking longer to respond to everything.
Before she could answer, Archie and Benny had beaten her to it.
They knew how much Estella missed Roxanne, and since she had come alone, they figured they should just let her see Roxanne, or else she might feel so disheartened that she ran away again.
On top of that, they were well aware that it was Lucian whom Roxanne was angry with, not Estella.
When they saw that Roxanne did not disagree, they quickly made a case for the girl. “Mommy, just let her in. She must’ve found out about it from Ms. Ward. That’s why she came all the way here.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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