The Abandoned Wife

Unexpected Connections

Lucian scoffed internally at the thought of how she had escaped his previous antics. "What do you want?" he asked in the same frigid tone the woman used.Roxanne glanced at the little girl beside her. What's with that tone? I would've hung up right away if it weren't for the child!"Essie came looking for me first thing in the morning. Come and get her if you're free. Or you can tell me your address, and I'll take her there."Upon hearing that, Lucian furrowed his brows slightly. "Give me your address.""32, Durwest Garden."The man hung up right after that.Roxanne breathed an internal sigh of relief as she watched her screen turn black. She turned toward the little girl standing beside her, saying, "Your daddy's coming over to pick you up. Be a good girl and go home with him, okay?"Estella nodded but secretly began pondering over her next move.She had finally gotten the chance to be with this pretty lady and didn't want to have to leave so soon.But Daddy's on his way here. What should I do to be able to stayUnfortunately, Archie saw through her intentions immediately and crossed his arms. "Your daddy hates my mommy, so he's definitely not going to let you stay. I suggest you give up on the idea."Estella's gaze darkened as she heard that.It's true. Daddy doesn't like her. He even argues with her in front of me.But I like Ms. Jarvis!The girl had left home early this morning just to see Roxanne.She didn't know why, but she just liked this woman so much.The two hadn't spent much time together, but Estella adored Roxanne so much more compared to Catalina, her everyday caretaker.That's right! The child's eyes lit up again.She had brought gifts for Roxanne and the two boys when she left home this morning.Remembering that, she swiftly jumped off the couch and rummaged through her little backpack. Then, she took out a tiny yet exquisite crystal ball and held it in front of Roxanne with two hands.The woman stared at her in puzzlement.Estella took another step forward while continuing to hold the gift, her eyes full of anticipation.Roxanne slowly took the crystal ball from her. "Is this... for me?"Estella nodded and wrote in her notebook: For you. I like you!Roxanne couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, Essie. I like you a lot too," she responded, caressing the girl's head.Archie and Benny hadn't expected the little girl to bring gifts, and they, too, jumped off the couch. "You gave Mommy a gift? What about us? Do we get any too?"Estella nodded with a smile and dug around in her backpack again. Soon, she took out two racecar figurines and trotted over to the boys.Archie's and Benny's eyes twinkled instantly.They had always enjoyed playing with these since they were young, and Roxanne would often buy such toys for them.In fact, they had had their eyes on these two particular car models for a while now, but they hadn't come up with a good reason to ask their mother to buy them. These figurines were also a little expensive.And yet, Estella had bought them.The boys could easily confirm that these figurines were genuine.Given how well-raised the boys were, they shook their heads despite liking the toys, knowing how expensive these things were. "We can't accept these. They're too expensive."Estella tilted her head in confusion before placing the toys next to them and scribbling on her notebook again: For you. Thank. Help.Benny peered at her writing in bewilderment.She can't write a complete sentence. What is she trying to say?Archie was initially perplexed as well, but realization quickly dawned on him. "Are you trying to say you're thanking us for our help that day?"Nodding fervently, Estella put the book down and held the car figurines in front of them once more.Roxanne thought back to what her sons' kindergarten teacher had told her about Archie and Benny having protected Estella.I remember the teacher mentioning it. What on earth could've happened between mere children, though?But judging from Essie's behavior, whatever Archie and Benny did for her seems like a really big deal to her."What happened that day?" Roxanne couldn't help but ask."Essie got hurt after another student pushed her," explained Archie. "Benny and I got that student to apologize to Essie, and then we took Essie to the school nurse."Roxanne nodded in enlightenment."Can we accept these gifts, Mommy?" Archie felt sorry to see the little girl continue to hold the toys in her hand.Roxanne chuckled. "Okay. Give her something of yours in return."The boys finally took the toy cars from Estella, not forgetting to express their gratitude. "Thanks, Essie! Wait for us here, okay? We'll get you some gifts too!"Then, they scurried upstairs and began searching their room for something they could give the little girl in return.Now, only Roxanne and Estella remained inside the living room.Seeing how obedient the girl looked. Roxanne couldn't resist showing her concern. "Does your hand still hurt?"Upon hearing that, Estella walked toward Roxanne and raised her hand, showing the injury she had received that day.There was a visible bruise on the girl's pale-colored hand, and that tugged at Roxanne's heartstrings.The woman felt relieved only after examining the bruise closely and making sure there were no internal injuries. "Did you use any ointment?'Estella stilled for a few seconds. Then, she shook her head innocently after seeing how worried Roxanne looked.That made Roxanne's heart ache even more.There's no way Lucian would've missed such an obvious bruise, but he didn't give her any ointment?Then, the woman thought of how Estella would run away from home every now and then.Lucian, you're a terrible excuse for a father!Not aware that she had inadvertently made her father look bad, Estella stared at the woman before her eagerly.If I told her I haven't used any ointment, would she help me?Noticing the child's gaze, Roxanne returned to her senses and ran her fingers over the bruise. "Wait for me here. I'll be back with a medical kit," she cooed.Estella nodded excitedly, her eyes sparkling.Roxanne's heart melted at the sight, and she got up to retrieve a medical kit before carefully treating the girl's bruise.The woman was a doctor, after all, so she would naturally be more careful and gentler."Does it hurt?" she asked, rubbing some ointment on the girl while glancing at her in concern.Shaking her head, Estella gazed down at her hand, observing how Roxanne tended to her.Ms. Jarvis' hands are so pretty too.And she's so much gentler than Daddy. I don't feel any pain at all.I like her even more now!