The Abandoned Wife

The Unexpected Encounter

For some inexplicable reason, however, only their father's countenance flashed across theirminds whenever they imagined a man with their mother.How strange. We've never seen Mommy and Daddy standing side by side, but we instinctively feel that Daddy is the only one who's worthy of standing by Mommy's side. Therefore, it's best that we keep a distance from Mr. Galloway!"Thank you, Mr. Galloway, but my mommy already has a date tonight. So, it's okay," Archie declined politely.Colby looked at Roxanne in mystification.Throughout the day, he hadn't heard her mentioning about a date that night.Roxanne swept a gaze over Archie and Benny. While she couldn't fathom why they lied, she still went along with them. "I have a dinner date with my best friend tonight. I'll take a rain check."At that, Colby flashed her a warm smile. "I'm all muddled from work that I forgot to ask whether you have plans later. In that case, I'll head off first."After saying that, he bid Archie and Benny farewell before spinning on his heel and leaving.When they left the research institute, Roxanne eyed Archie and Benny questioningly with her brows slightly furrowed. "Why did you lie earlier? Do you not like Mr. Galloway?"In response, Archie and Benny shook their heads solemnly. "We were helping you turn a suitor down."Roxanne was torn between exasperation and amusement at the sight of their earnest expressions. "Regardless of the reason, you can't simply lie in the future."The two boys nodded obediently.Benny leaned close to her with a grin. "We feel that Mr. Galloway is indeed pretty good, but you can still choose for a bit, Mommy. There's no need to rush. Archie and I aren't in a hurry to have a daddy anyway."Roxanne inexorably burst into giggles. "Choose? Do you think it's the same as choosing groceries at the supermarket?"Roxanne wasn't familiar with the restaurants nearby, so she asked Madilyn to recommend her a place and brought Archie and Benny there directly.As they were eating, she received a text from Jonathan that read: Is treatment needed tonight, Dr. Jarvis?Only then did Roxanne remember that she didn't explain the treatment process to him. She replied: Old Mr. Queen is still a little weak, so treatment can't be conducted so frequently. He has already undergone treatment twice consecutively. Let him rest for a day. I'll come over tomorrow. Sorry, I forgot to tell you about it.In no time, Jonathan texted back: Okay. I'll be waiting for you anytime.When Archie and Benny noticed that their mother was texting during dinner, they asked curiously, "Is something the matter, Mommy?"Smiling, Roxanne took some food for them both. "No, the patient the other day was asking me if I'm going over."Upon hearing that, the two boys nodded sensibly. "You've worked hard, so eat more, Mommy."Roxanne's heart melted at the sight of their attentiveness.Dinner was a delightful affair.After they finished eating, Roxanne brought Archie and Benny to the counter to settle the bill.No sooner had she reached the counter than she spotted two people heading toward them.Holding each other's arms intimately, Aubree and Frieda walked into the restaurant while chatting and laughing.Unbidden, Roxanne slowed her pace and scanned her surroundings, wishing to head into the crowd to avoid them both as they had always been hostile toward her.Aubree had a long-standing grudge against her. In fact, the woman had even joined forces with all the medicinal herb suppliers in Horington to boycott her research institute.Frieda, on the other hand, merely looked down upon her medical skills and mocked her time and again.Judging from the look of things, they clearly had a close relationship.Roxanne had no doubt that Frieda would team up with Aubree to revile her.In normal circumstances, she might have ignored their presence and walk right past them.But with Archie and Benny tagging along right then, she didn't want to have a row with them in front of her sons.Just when she was about to take a detour with Archie and Benny, Frieda's mocking voice sounded from afar."Hey, what a coincidence, Dr. Jarvis! Are you also here for dinner?"Roxanne's brows creased slightly, but she planned to ignore her.Alas, the two boys thought that she didn't hear it and tugged on her sleeve. "Someone is calling you, Mommy.Left with no other choice, Roxanne could only halt in her tracks. She turned around and met Frieda's gaze calmly. "Indeed, it's very much a coincidence. But I've already finished eating, so I'll leave you both to it. Please excuse me."After saying that, she proceeded to lead Archie and Benny past them to pay the bill.Frowning, Aubree asked Frieda, "You two are acquainted?"In response, Frieda nodded. Sweeping a gaze over the trio who had almost reached them, she declared in a disdainful voice, "Don't say that. I'm too lowly to be acquainted with Dr. Jarvis when her medical skills are so superb. So many people are helpless in the face of my grandfather's illness, but she only jabbed a few needles into him before he regained consciousness. My brother now holds her in high regard, so much so that her status is far higher than mine."As soon as Aubree heard that, her expression changed imperceptibly. "What did you just say? Why did you all hire her to treat Old Mr. Queen?""We didn't do so. She was the one who came knocking on our door. As for the reason, I reckon she took an interest in my family's medicinal herbs. After all, my brother signed a contract with her the instant my grandfather regained consciousness," Frieda sneered.When she finished saying that, she shot a hateful glare at Roxanne. "She doesn't even know her place. My brother merely mentioned it in passing, and she agreed right away. The contract is now signed, so she'll be dead if anything happens to my grandfather!"When Aubree heard Frieda's answer, a mixture of emotions brewed in her eyes.Having been turned down by Lucian previously and suddenly learning that Roxanne had returned to the country, she didn't dare wait anymore. In the past few days, she had been doing everything possible to have an identity linking her to the man.Early that morning, she had purposely asked Elias and Sonya to persuade Lucian. She had thought he would listen to his parents and change his mind, yet again she had hit a brick wall and even had to put up with Estella for the entire day.With the couple there, she didn't dare throw a tantrum either.