The Abandoned Wife

The Unspoken Truth

Benny turned to the other boy in a daze, but he immediately came to a realization upon meeting the latter's warning glance.Right! We can't show this guy how much we like Essie!Remembering that, Benny hastily shut his mouth, using only his eyes to express his discontent.Lucian took notice of everything the boys had just done.Still, he didn't know what they were thinking. Assuming he had frightened them, he fell silent for a moment before softening his expression.They might be another guy's kids, but they're still young. Lucian knew he shouldn't take his annoyance out on the children."In any case, the fact that Essie showed up at your door early in the morning must've caused you some trouble. Thank you for playing with her," he tried his best to state calmly.The boys nodded icily in response.Then, the living room fell into silence."Where's your mommy?" Lucian asked in frustration a while later, rubbing his temples.Despite having a daughter, he wasn't particularly good at interacting with children.The boys instantly grew wary at the mention of their mother."Why are you asking about her?" Archie demanded, glaring at the man like a puppy that could strike anytime.He didn't have much strength, but he was still adamant about putting on a vicious front:Noticing the boys' hostility and caution, Lucian felt curious and amused at the same time but paid no attention to it. "Well, you all watched over Essie twice now, so it's only natural that I give your mother a word of thanks."Archie sighed internally as he heard that, but his expression remained tense. "There's no need for that. My mommy's in the middle of a phone call. She doesn't need your thanks anyway."Then, he dragged Benny back to the carpet and turned to Estella. "Your daddy's here now, so you should go with him. My mommy will be leaving for work soon. She won't have time to keep you company anymore."Estella, who was initially still jubilant from how the boys backed her up, slowly returned to her senses after hearing that. Although she didn't want to leave, she eventually nodded upon learning that Roxanne had to work.Archie remained on high alert ever since Lucian mentioned their mother. I don't want him to see Mommy.Seeing the girl agree to go home, he quickly gave Benny a tug before kneeling down to keep all their Lego bricks.Lucian said nothing more, merely watching the three put the toys away.But the more he gazed at them, the weirder it felt.They're all around the same height.Come to think of it, they're also classmates in kindergarten.That means they're about the same age too.But taking the timeline into consideration, even if that woman were to birth these twins right after having Essie and getting divorced, the boys shouldn't look too similar to Essie in age.Could it be... that it's because they're boys, so they grow faster?But she also put them in the same grade as Essie. Was that a coincidence too?A wave of doubt swept through Lucian.Unable to come up with an answer, he shifted his gaze from the three children and observed his surroundings nonchalantly.This was a rented building, but Roxanne had evidently taken the effort to decorate the place.Then, a neat and cozy setting entered Lucian's line of sight. As he looked closer, he noticed that there were many areas adorned with photographs.With his focus now on the picture frames, the man walked over and glanced at them carefully.After a while, he frowned slightly.Every picture contained only Roxanne and the two boys.Despite the three of them smiling warmly, Lucian felt something was amiss.There's no sign of the boys' father in any of these pictures.Or was he the one who took all these pictures?But that can't be. How could he not be in a single photo?Just as Lucian fell into thought, a flurry of rapid footsteps came from the stairs.That jolted the man back to reality, and he put the picture frame down before walking back to the carpet.A panic-stricken Roxanne quickly made her way down the stairs, her expression nothing but frantic.Roxanne had wanted to call the research institute just to mention that she would be heading there a little later today.Yet, the one who answered the phone was Colby, who proceeded to consult her on a project they were rushing the past two days. He had sought her help on some group data before she could even say anythingAs Roxanne delved into a long discussion with him, she eventually lost track of time.The woman only remembered to end the call after hearing Lucian's voice coming from downstairs.That was when she quickly drew a conclusion, hung up, and hurried down the stairs.She had nearly forgotten that Lucian was showing up soon and that her two sons were still keeping Estella company downstairs.If Lucian were to see her boys...She instantly grew flustered at the thought.Alas, by the time she arrived downstairs to prevent both sides from meeting each other, it was already too late.As soon as she turned at the corner of the stairs, she saw the man standing next to the carpet, and the three children were almost done keeping their toys by now.Lucian turned around coldly after seemingly having heard her come down.Roxanne's expression stiffened as their eyes met, but she squeezed her palms in an attempt to calm down before greeting the man casually, "You're here."Lucian nodded chillingly but kept his gaze on her. No one could tell what he was thinking deep down.Thinking that he had already figured out who the two boys were, Roxanne couldn't hide her guilt. "So... are you going to take Essie home now, or..."She was terrified that Lucian might want to sit down and talk after finding out the boys' origins.To her luck, the man merely thought she was hinting him to leave. "We'll be leaving now. Don't worry. I won't stay here much longer," he replied glacially.Then, he turned to look at Estella, who was still slowly keeping the Lego bricks. "Are you done packing up? It's time to go."Estella had deliberately tried to keep her movements slow since she didn't want to leave, but Archie and Benny were so quick that the area was now almost spotless.Upon hearing her father's prompting, the little girl stood up reluctantly and gazed at Roxannewith tears in her eyes.