Roxanne instantly snapped back to her senses. She then walked over to the window and looked outside. Standing at the mansion’s entrance was Lucian. He wore a gray shirt and a serious expression as he kept ringing the doorbell.
At the sight of Lucian, Roxanne felt her heart lurch, and her eyes reddened. When no one came to open the door after many knocks, Lucian yelled, “Roxanne, open the door!”
Biting her lip, Roxanne picked up her phone and dialed his number. Lucian suddenly stopped ringing the doorbell and answered the call with a frown. “Where are you? Is no one home?”
Roxanne held back her tears and forced herself to sound calm. “I’d like to be alone for some time. Please go home first.”
Lucian immediately understood the meaning behind her words. “You’re at home, aren’t you? No, I won’t go home. Please open the door. Let’s talk this out.”
It was at that moment Roxanne’s tears finally rolled down her cheeks. Without saying anything else, she ended the call and walked away from the window. However, she felt troubled when she sat back on her bed.
Watching his screen turn black, Lucian frowned and stopped ringing the doorbell. Instead, he banged on it, calling out Roxanne’s name at the same time. “Roxanne, open the door! Let’s talk!
I won’t go home if you don’t see me!”
The children, who were in the living room, were discussing ways to cheer Roxanne up when they heard the yells at the door. Their eyes lit up. instantly.
“Daddy! It’s Daddy!” Estella’s face was full of tears, but her tone was filled with joy. With that, she leaped off the couch and ran over to open the door.
Upon seeing the children, Lucian knitted his brows. He could not hide the worry in his eyes. “Where’s she?” The children knew who Lucian was referring to.
Hence, Estella pointed in the second floor’s direction and choked, “U-Upstairs. Daddy, go up and check on her!”
Lucian’s gaze turned dark as he noticed their reddened eyes. He then calmly glanced in the direction of Roxanne’s room before entering the living room.
Archie, Benny, and Estella quickly followed behind him. “Two bad women came looking for Mommy just now!” Benny could not help but complain.
Hearing how grumpy they sounded, Lucian responded with a deep voice, “I know. That’s why I rushed over.” At the end of the sentence, Lucian squatted and stared into their eyes. “Can you tell me what those women said to your Mommy?”
Benny’s eyes flickered. Roxanne never let the children get involved in her matters with Lucian. However, Aubree and Frieda had gone overboard this time.
Clenching his fists, Benny mulled it over shortly and decided to tell Lucian everything.
Before Benny could open her mouth, Archie had already piped up, “They said Mommy’s a homewrecker who ruined your engagement. They forced her to stay away from you and Essie. They even tried to hit Essie. When Mommy stopped them, they hit her.”
With just a few sentences, Archie recounted everything clearly and coherently.
Surprisingly, he missed out on one part of the story, such as the part where Aubree and Frieda failed to hit Roxanne. Instead, Roxanne was the one who gave them a terrible beating.
Lucian’s expression instantly darkened. Aubree Pearson! How dare you attack someone I care about? “Mr. Farwell, is Mommy really a homewrecker?” Benny gazed at Lucian with eyes filled with tears.
The child’s innocent question only made Lucian feel more horrible. The word “homewrecker” was a cruel term. However, Lucian was the reason behind Aubree’s guts to call Roxanne that.
Realizing that, Lucian felt a suffocating pain in his heart, followed by an overwhelming guilt. When there was no answer from Lucian after some time, Benny started to panic. “Mommy’s not a homewrecker!”
Lucian snapped back to reality and patted his head with a heavy feeling. “How could your mommy be a homewrecker? She’s-”
Lucian stopped talking and said no more. Surprisingly, the children did not press on. The answer about Roxanne not being a homewrecker was enough to make them. relieved.
Lucian got up from among them, informing, “I’m going upstairs to have a look. Stay here and wait for me, okay?” The children nodded fervently and watched Lucian head upstairs.
When he reached Roxanne’s room door, he knocked on it, but there was no response inside. “Roxanne, it’s me. Open up. I want to talk to you.”
It was Lucian’s first time calling out her name so gently when she was conscious. Roxanne, who heard his tone from the room, felt as if her heart were crumbling.
“I’m sorry. I heard about what happened from the children. Aubree and Frieda came looking for you and even caused you a lot of trouble. It’s my fault for not protecting you and the children well.”
His voice was full of remorse.
Clenching her fists, Roxanne suppressed her wavering heart and walked to the door. “Go home. I’m really tired today. I want to get some rest,” she replied while trying hard to hide her crying voice.
He breathed, “Open the door, please. I just want to talk to you. Once I’m done, I’ll leave. I promise I won’t disturb your rest.”
Roxanne wiped her tears away, but she did not know how to face him. “Just say it right there. I’m listening.” Immediately, the person outside the door fell silent.
Neither of them spoke as they stood frozen by the door. After an unknown period of time, Lucian’s voice rang out again. “I know you blame me for it. Be it six years ago or now, I was the root of the problem between us.”
Roxanne’s eyelashes quivered while she stared at the door in front of her. It was as if she could see the person standing out there.
She had a feeling what Lucian was going to say next was something she would never imagine hearing.
“Six years ago, I didn’t realize my true feelings in time, which made you leave in disappointment.” Lucian’s tone sounded grim and determined at the same time. “Now that you’ve come back to me, I won’t ever let you leave. I won’t spare anyone who hurt you. I’ll definitely give you an answer regarding Aubree’s matter.”
Thinking back to how Lucian had been treating her recently, Roxanne felt her heart waver. It was as if there was a voice in her heart telling her to trust Lucian again and to give him another chance.
If things did not work out, she could just go somewhere far away, like how she did six years ago. After all, she had already come back from the brink of death. A little pain was nothing.
Hence, she opened the door mindlessly. Lucian, who was still apologizing outside, stopped the moment the door opened. He then stared intensely at the door.
“Roxanne.” Lucian had never felt happier when he saw her come out. Roxanne should be very clear about what it means to open the door after everything I have said.
Roxanne was plagued with a myriad of feelings. She raised her eyes and glanced faintly at him. Her voice carried a hint of exhaustion, “Didn’t you say you wanted to have a talk with me? You can start now.” After her words fell, Lucian still kept silent.
Lucian stared morosely at her. A long while passed before he reached out his hands to touch her eyes. Roxanne closed her eyes instinctively, and she felt Lucian’s callused fingers brush past her eyes.
“Did you cry?” Instantly, Lucian’s joy was replaced by remorse and pity. His voice did not sound as calm as usual.
Roxanne’s eyelids trembled. Her eyes slowly opened, but she avoided his gaze uncomfortably. I’m just too tired. I thought about the past and I couldn’t help but…” Just as she said that, she was pulled into a warm embrace.
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.