The Abandoned Wife

Feeding Bonds and Unspoken Tensions

Estella hesitated momentarily before nodding gently.Seeing her admitting to it, Lucian frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"Estella shuddered and inched closer to Roxanne, feeling frightened.Roxanne cast Lucian another displeased glance when she saw Estella's reaction.The kid's injured. How could he still speak to her in such a tone?"Does it hurt a lot?" Retracting her gaze, Roxanne held Estella's hand and massaged it gently.Estella pursed her lips and nodded."You'll be fine. I'll help you to apply medicine. It won't hurt in a while." Roxanne gently released Estella's hand and instructed her boys, "Keep her company. I'll get the medical kit."The boys nodded immediately and started taking turns telling Estella some interesting things..Soon. Roxanne returned with the medical kit, and she carefully applied some medicinal creamonto Estella's hand.Estella was well-behaved throughout the entire process. When it hurt, she would only shrink away a little and would quickly place her hand back.It made Roxanne's heart melt incredibly.After applying the medicine to Estella's hand, Roxanne immediately occupied the seat beside her.Archie gave up his seat obediently and carried his plate to sit beside Lucian."Is it okay if I feed you?" Roxanne asked Estella for her permission.Naturally, Estella would not reject it. She nodded with a look of anticipation.Roxanne picked up Estella's plate with a smile and started feeding her.With Roxanne feeding her, Estella's appetite improved tremendously. She fixed her eyes on Roxanne, opening her mouth to eat anything she fed.Roxanne's smile grew wider when she saw how well-behaved Estella was while eating.Lucian watched their interaction from the opposite end.Every time Estella's lips were stained, Roxanne would help her wipe them right away. Even her feeding speed was just right.Estella's eyes crinkled as she ate.For a moment, a mix of emotions flashed through Lucian's eyes.Meanwhile, Archie and Benny had been watching everything in silence. They merely thought that Estella looked cute when she ate instead of feeling jealous of her.When they looked away from her, they glanced at Lucian at the same time.The next second, they exchanged suspicious glances with each other.If we're not mistaken, Daddy has been staring at Mommy. Besides, there doesn't seem to be any hate in his gaze. Instead, it looks a little... affectionate.Archie frowned and put down his fork. He picked up the ladle by the side and served Lucian some food while looking at him innocently. "Mr. Farwell, why aren't you eating? Do eat more!"Hearing that, Lucian snapped back to his senses and thanked Archie subconsciously, "Thanks.As soon as he said that and saw the vegetable on his plate, his gaze darkened.Coincidentally, the vegetable Archie chose was celery.Lucian looked up and scanned the dishes on the table to find the plate of celery placed quite far from Archie's reach. It looked as if the latter had served him celery on purpose.When Archie finished his words, he buried his head in his plate and eyed Lucian from the corner of his eye.He remembered that celery was the vegetable Lucian hated the most the last time he and Benny looked into his background.I don't know why he abandoned Mommy in the past and was looking at her with such a gaze just now. But since he abandoned Mommy, he must be punished. This bit of celery is nothing.Lucian picked up his fork, looking meaningfully at the boy who served him the vegetable.Sensing his gaze, Archie lifted his head and met Lucian's gaze fearlessly.Lucian raised his brow. For some reason, he sensed that Archie was challenging him.However, Lucian could not figure out what was the reason for the challenge. Thus, he did not think much about it.,"Do you dislike celery, Mr. Farwell?" Archie looked at Lucian innocently. His words seemed to be urging the latter.Lucian smiled and replied, "No."With that, he put the celery into his mouth impassively.From a certain angle, Archie could not see the look of disgust that flashed through Lucian's eyes as he swallowed the celery.Roxanne watched the man put the celery into his mouth. It was too late when he turned away; she saw the look of disgust in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt as if she had returned to the days six years ago."You can put it aside if you don't want to eat it." Roxanne retracted her gaze and lowered her eyes to conceal her emotions.The man's calm voice rang out. "I didn't say I'm not eating it."A mix of emotions swirled within Roxanne, and she kept silent.Benny's eves brightened. Emboldened by Lucian's acceptance of Archie's gesture, he tentatively attempted the same.Taking the plunge, he placed a roast potato on the man's plate and stared at him expectantly.The boy's thoughtful gesture stunned Lucian, as he thought the former would complicate things for him. He offered a grateful smile upon regaining his composure. "Thank you. Have some more potatoes yourself."As he spoke, Lucian reciprocated the gesture.Having remembered the vegetables the boy mentioned not liking earlier, he deliberately avoided those.Benny's eyes widened in surprise. "Thank you, Mr. Farwell! I will!"Daddy gave me food!Meanwhile, Archie pouted in disdain as he observed their interaction.Benny is such an idiot. He can't even see such an obvious ploy of Daddy currying his favor! I won't be that easily fooled!The rest of dinner passed with that strange atmosphere hanging over them. Roxanne got up to clear the table when they finished.Lucian silently helped her put the silverware back in the kitchen drawer out of politeness. Upon completing that task, he stood around hesitantly, as he was unsure what to do next.Though it stood to reason that he should return with Estella, he thought it would seem inappropriate to just leave after putting Roxanne through the trouble of hosting dinner."I can manage on my own," Roxanne asserted when she noticed his discomfort. "Could you keep an eye on the children?"Lucian nodded and headed to the living room.