She said all that with a genuine tone. Lucian’s eyes darkened as he listened to her words with furrowed eyebrows.
As she saw his attitude mellowing, Aubree’s expression became even more sincere. “After all, we’ve been friends for many years. Even if we can’t become husband and wife, I still don’t want to lose you as a friend. If Essie doesn’t like me, then I won’t visit her as often. I just hope you’ll treat me like how you did before since I’ve never mistreated you…”
Silence filled the room when she finished.
She stared at him carefully.
Moments later, Lucian spoke. “I’ll think about it.”
In the end, he still chose to sit outside.
Because of Sonya’s order, Lucian spent his time in Aubree’s ward after he got off work for the next few days.
As for Sonya herself, she visited Aubree on time every day. Although, it would be more appropriate to say she was there to check if Lucian was taking care of Aubree.
“How is he taking care of you?” Sonya asked with a caring smile since Lucian was still at work.
Aubree lowered her eyes shyly. “Quite well.”
Seeing her like that made Sonya relax. Sonya comforted, “I told you that Lucian isn’t a cold-hearted person. Both of you share a relationship that has lasted for years, after all. He’ll always see you.”
Aubree pursed her lips and smiled, though she felt a pang of irony in her heart.
Lucian’s attitude toward her did change for the better, but it was only because she said she hoped they could both still be friends.
And so, he treated her as nothing more than a normal friend.
However, she wasn’t satisfied with that.
What she really wanted was to be his wife.
On the other side, Roxanne’s job at the research institute had been going smoothly.
As the collaboration had been underway for quite a while, the research institute staff were eventually able to keep up with her pace. Additionally, with Colby’s help, work was no longer as busy as it initially was.
It was the morning during the weekend. Archie and Benny played with Lego bricks after breakfast.
Their mother was sick not too long ago, and every time they played with Lego bricks, they would think about their little sister. So, they weren’t very enthusiastic while playing with those bricks. The model that they had finished halfway through still hadn’t been completed yet.
Currently, they were sitting on the carpet. The speed at which they were playing with Lego bricks was a lot slower.
Roxanne sat on the couch and stared at the children. She could see that they weren’t energetic, and she could guess why, but she didn’t know how to comfort them.
There was no way she could get back with Lucian. If his future wife isn’t Aubree, maybe I wouldn’t have needed to distance myself from Essie. However, that person just has to be Aubree, and I can tell how much she detests me. I’ve always said that children are innocent, yet their relationship has been affected by the matters of us adults. I can’t help but feel guilty about this. Hmm, now that I think about it, I hadn’t brought them to play outside ever since I came back here, aside from the times when they asked me to do it.
When her train of thought ended there, she managed to come up with a remedy and approached the children. “How about we play outside today, Darlings?”
Archie and Benny put down the Lego bricks in their hands and turned to their mother with sparkling, eager eyes. “Where to?”
Seeing how excited they were, Roxanne felt as though she had been healed.
However, she just thought of the idea, so she had no clue where to bring them to.
After checking the internet with her phone, she noticed there was a swimming pool nearby, so she suggested, “How about we go swimming? It’s been a long while since you two went swimming.”
It was a popular activity overseas. Additionally, she was worried their bodies might get weak, so she had already sent them to swimming lessons before. In fact, she would often take them to practice strengthening their bodies.
The boys hesitated. “You just recovered not too long ago, Mommy. What if you catch a cold?”
They were really worried about their mother after she fell ill twice.
Roxanne didn’t know her falling ill affected Archie and Benny that much. For a few moments, she was at a loss for words. Thinking back, these two have been with me ever since they were born. In their eyes, I’m probably a superhero who always takes care of them and protects them. They had never seen me being that sick twice before. I suppose it’s only natural that they are spooked.
The silence lasted for a while before she patted their heads with a complicated feeling. “I’m glad you two are concerned about me. Since both of you are afraid I’ll catch a cold, I can just stay on land and watch you swim.”
The boys glanced at each other, hesitated for a few seconds, and nodded obediently.
Roxanne smiled with relief. After she packed things up with the children, they went to the swimming pool by car.
Thinking that they might visit often, she registered to be a member there.
It was a swimming pool in the mansion district, so the environment inside was serene. The area was pretty big, too.
Because it was the weekend, there were a lot of people inside. Nevertheless, it wasn’t overly cramped, and the pool water was so clean that one could see the bottom.
The pool was split into two areas, the adult area and the children’s area. Archie and Benny were pretty skilled at swimming, and there wasn’t that kind of distinction overseas, so she let the boys swim with the adults.
The crowd’s attention was immediately drawn to the two cute children swimming in the pool.
They were amazed by how well the boys could swim.
Roxanne sat at the side, eating snacks and drinking. She kept her eyes on the children as she snacked.
While she didn’t plan to swim, she was at a swimming pool, so she still changed into a swimsuit. It wasn’t very revealing, but it definitely did show her figure well.
She sat cross-legged, relaxed. A smile was seen on her face as she watched her boys swimming in the pool.
Her focus was placed entirely on the children. Suddenly, the voice of a greasy man entered her ears. “Hello, gorgeous. May I ask what’s your name?”
When Roxanne returned to her senses, she subconsciously studied the man.
The man only wore a pair of swimming pants. He had an acceptable figure, but his expression was unsettling.
Sensing Roxanne’s line of sight, the man narcissistically posed in different ways and introduced himself, “I’m the fitness instructor of a nearby gym. If you’re interested, I can teach you a thing or two.”
She smiled distantly. “Thanks, but I’m not interested.”
The man stared at her white, slender legs greedily and stubbornly continued, “If you’re not interested in fitness, there’s something else—”
Before he could finish, a child’s voice rang in his ears.
“Leave my mommy alone!”

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.