The Abandoned Wife

Unveiled Identities

After a brief chat, Roxanne looked at the time and extracted the needles from Alfred's body.Even though she had tried her best to rush, school had already ended for the boys by the time she finished packing.Taking her leave quickly, Roxanne drove to pick them up.Along the way, she wondered if they would be worried since she didn't inform them that she would be late.By the time she arrived, all the students were gone, leaving behind an empty kindergarten.Upon scanning the surroundings, Roxanne saw the two boys sitting on a small bench in the field, but there was no sign of any teachers at all.As a result, she hurried up to them anxiously."Mommy!" the boys ran in her direction the instant they saw her,Hugging them, she knelt down to stroke their faces. "I'm sorry. I was busy and lost track of time."Archie gave her an understanding shake of his head. "It's all right. We're safe in the kindergarten. Plus, there's a teacher here with us. There's no need for you to be worried."Benny, too, gave a corresponding nod.Roxanne gave them a confused look. "A teacher?"Archie pointed at the corner of the field.Trailing the trajectory of his finger, Roxanne saw a teacher by the slide. With a warm smile on herface, she was kneeling on the ground while speaking to a little girl.Looking adorable in her kindergarten uniform, the girl had her hands tensely placed on her knees while sitting in an upright position. At the same time, she was staring intently in their direction.The moment she recognized the girl, Roxanne was stunned.If memory serves me right, that's clearly Lucian's daughter. Is she studying here too?Initially, Estella was just watching Archie and Benny. However, the moment she saw Roxanne, her eyes lit up.Realizing that Roxanne was looking at her, her lips curled up in delight as she attempted to greet the former.But the very next second, Roxanne looked away, causing Estella's smile to fade as she gave them a dejected stare.She obviously recognizes me but chooses to ignore me."Mommy, what's wrong? Are you tired from work?"Archie shook Roxanne's hand when he noticed her looking distracted.Regaining her senses, Roxanne replied with a grin, "Not at all."With that, Benny happily grabbed her hands and exclaimed, "In that case, let's go home!"Roxanne gave him a noncommittal nod, before leading the boys over to greet the teacher.Just before she left, her gaze subconsciously fell upon Estella again.When she saw that the three of them were about to go, Estella stood up anxiously while staring intently at them.Worried that she would fall, the teacher quickly held onto her.After a brief hesitation, Roxanne couldn't help inquiring out of concern. "Is she"Well aware of what she was about to ask, the boys answered right away, "Mommy, she's a student here too. In fact, she's in the same class as we are. Since her daddy and mommy have yet to pick her up, she was waiting together with us."Nodding in acknowledgment, Roxanne's heart melted slightly at the sight of Estella.Nevertheless, she didn't intend to stay, for it will either be Lucian or Aubree who would be picking Estella up soon, neither of whom she had any intention of seeing again.However, Estella was visibly reluctant to see her go.Not wanting to disappoint her, Roxanne stroked Estella's head with a smile. "Your parents will be here soon. As I need to go first, you must obey the teacher and wait together with her, all right?"Just as Roxanne was about to leave, Estella grabbed her sleeve tightly.Halted by Estella's reaction, Roxanne lowered her gaze and saw the former shaking her head with slightly reddened eyes.The look on Estella's face caused Roxanne to feel so heavy-hearted that she couldn't bring herself to move.When the teacher saw Estella refusing to let Roxanne leave, she sighed in resignation before approaching the latter to explain, "Estella has recently been very close to Archie and Benny. Due to her autistic character, very few students are willing to play with her. But the very first day the brothers came to class, they ended up protecting her. That's why she has grown to rely on both of them. And now, she's probably scared that they're leaving."After hearing about Estella's situation, Roxanne could feel the discomfort within her intensify.Not only is the little girl mute, but she's also autistic. No wonder the teacher let the boys wait by the side.Unfortunately, the thought of running into Lucian and Aubree caused Roxanne to feel hesitant about staying behind.Despite the teacher's coaxing, Estella refused to let Roxanne go no matter what.After a while, the teacher appealed, "Ms. Jarvis, are you rushing for time? If not, shall we chat alittle? Ever since Archie and Benny came to school, I have yet to speak to you about their progress."It was clear to Roxanne that the teacher was just getting her to wait with Estella under the pretext of discussing the boys' performance in school.At the same time, Estella, too, threw her a hopeful gaze.Faced with the look in Estella's eyes. Roxanne, who was about to decline, couldn't bring herself to say it. In the end, she swallowed her words and nodded at the teacher.In response, Estella's eyes glistened as she discreetly leaned into Roxanne while holding the latter's sleeveFrom afar, it looked as if she was leaning in Roxanne's arms.Sensing the slight movement, Roxanne didn't stop her nor show her any attention. Instead, she discussed the boys' affairs with the teacher as if she didn't realize anything."I remember that you came back from overseas together with Archie and Benny. Considering that they grew up overseas, I'm surprised at how well they speak Chanaean."Since the chat was just an excuse, the teacher talked about trivial matters, as Archie and Benny's performances in class were so impressive that there was nothing to complain about.Roxanne nodded with a smile. "That's because there were still many Chanaeans around to converse with them."Meanwhile, the boys didn't say a word and merely smiled obediently. They would simply nod at whatever their mother said.Seeing how well-behaved they were, the teacher couldn't help but gush in admiration. "Other than Chanaean and Ustranasion, they seem to be able to speak Ferropenian too, don't they?""Mmm-hmm, they probably picked it up from my colleagues overseas."Roxanne caressed the boys' hair.Impressed, the teacher exclaimed, "I must say, they are exceptionally smart to not only have mastered three languages at such a young age but also the elementary school curriculum too. Coupled with their exquisite features, you really do have exceptional children!"Roxanne beamed with pride at the praise. "You flatter us. They're just ordinary children who enjoy learning."While they were chatting, Roxanne continued to be vigilant about whether someone was coming to pick Estella up.Upon checking the time, she realized that a long while had passed.Filled with sudden concern, she asked, "By the way, when will the girl's parents arrive?"The teacher looked at her watch and answered, "Probably soon."After nodding in response, Roxanne lowered her gaze at Estella.The latter was still standing beside her while maintaining her grip on Roxanne's sleeve as if she'. was fearful of Roxanne leaving.Resigning herself to the fact that she couldn't leave, Roxanne turned to the boys. "Can you boys go to the car first and wait for me there?"Nodding obediently, both of them walked to the kindergarten's entrance.Once she saw them get into the car, Roxanne recovered her gaze.It was prudent to keep the boys out of the way since she couldn't avoid meeting those two.At the kindergarten entrance, Archie and Benny got into the car one after another before lookingout the window."Why do you think Mommy asked us to come out here?" Benny wondered while holding his chin.Archie put their schoolbags away before joining his brother at the window. "Because Daddy is about to arrive."For some strange reason, Mommy doesn't want us to meet Daddy. However, she isn't aware that we have discovered Daddy's true identity and even know what he looks like.As the boys continued to stare outside, a Rolls-Royce dramatically pulled up by the street.A towering man in a long-sleeved shirt and pants alighted from it.Ever since the car appeared, Benny monitored it closely. When the man came out of the car, he locked his gaze on the man and gave Archie a nudge. "Archie, look. Can that be Daddy?"After turning his head to glance at the man, Archie nodded with conviction.Without a doubt, that's the man I saw on the internet!Upon receiving Archie's confirmation, Benny couldn't help but praise aloud, "Daddy looks a lot more dashing in real life compared to the picture."Just as he spoke, Archie shot him a glare."Didn't I tell you that you're not allowed to like him?"With a sullen expression, Archie glared at the man outside as if he was their mortal enemy.This is the man who abandoned Mommy and us!After being admonished by his brother, Benny zipped his mouth sheepishly.