The Abandoned Wife

Fractured Fragments and Unspoken Tensions

Estella was working with the boys on the final stages of a Lego project they had been working on together.Having already assembled a section, the children were struggling with the height of where it was supposed to be attached. Roxanne was usually close by to lend a hand after the preliminary assembly was completed on the ground.As she was busy with the dishes at that moment, the children stood around, figuring out how to circumvent that obstacle.After a glance around, Archie decided to bring a chair from the dining table."Here, let me." Taking pity on the children, Lucian softened his expression to the best of his ability and offered Archie a hand.Archie hesitated for several seconds before handing the assembled part in his hands to the man. Following Archie's instructions, Lucian took it and snapped it in place."Thank you," Archie said gruffly.Lucian nodded noncommittally. With one hand in his pocket, he mostly watched the three children amuse themselves with the toy bricks and occasionally lent a hand with the assembly.In the kitchen, Roxanne was distracted. Instead of the chore at hand, her attention was stubbornly fixed on the group in her living room. She was beginning to regret allowing Lucian to stay after dinner.Archie and Benny had already revealed too much when they confronted Lucian the last time, so Roxanne felt deeply uneasy about them being alone together.The way they got along, especially, bothered her a lot.She was even more afraid that the boys would say something they were not supposed to.If Lucian finds out that the boys are his...Roxanne felt a panic rising in her chest at that very thought.She could not guarantee that Lucian would not take them away from her.Given her current status, it would be easy for him to rob her of her sons.She could not imagine how she would feel then. It was hard enough to conceive of a future without the two boys.Roxanne began to feel truly frightened.The bowl slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground before she could react. The crisp sound of shattering glass shook her out of her reverie.Startled, the four in the living room looked toward the kitchen as one.The three children exchanged glances before putting the Lego pieces down in an unspoken agreement and running into the kitchen."What happened, Mommy?" Archie and Benny asked in concern.Their voices roused Roxanne out of her trance. She felt even more uneasy at the sight of her sons before her. Barely able to suppress her fears, she shook her head and mustered a smile. "It's nothing," she said. "The bowl must have slipped out of my hand. Don't come in. There are broken pieces everywhere."With that, she squatted down as if nothing had happened to pick up the pieces, still distracted as she did so.Lucian's eyes darkened from behind the three children as he studied the woman on her knees.I could be imagining it, but this woman does seem to have a lot on her mind.Roxanne lowered her head. The man's intense gaze upon her disconcerted her further.In a momentary lapse of vigilance, her fingers closed around a particularly sharp corner of a shard.A tingling pain erupting from her fingertips snapped her back to her senses, and she gave an involuntary gasp of pain."Mommy!""Ms. Jarvis!"The children cried out anxiously as blood dripped from Roxanne's finger.Archie and Benny were about to dash into the kitchen when a tall figure suddenly stopped in front of them.A moment later, they watched Lucian squat beside their mother to hold her wrist in his large hand with a cold expression on his face.Archie and Benny froze in their tracks."What were you thinking?" he asked with irritation.Roxanne stared blankly at the vast hand on hers. She was at a loss for words.Lucian wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her to her feet in an instant.Roxanne was already standing by the sink when she regained her senses.Looking ill-tempered, Lucian turned on the faucet and dragged her wrist under the stream of water."Wait outside," Lucian ordered, turning his attention to the three children by the door. "Do not come in."Though the children were worried about Roxanne, they nodded when they saw that she was in good hands.Upon being satisfied that the wound on the woman's hand was clean enough, Lucian took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around her injured finger to stem the bleeding"Thank you." By that point, Roxanne had regained sufficient control of her faculties. She tried to jerk her hand out of his while avoiding his gaze. "I can finish up on my own."The man frowned and tightened his grip.Roxanne felt annoyed at his refusal to let go.He has a child with another woman. Essie is watching us right now.Distinctly aware of Estella's eyes on them, Roxanne tried her best to distance herself from Lucian.He has no cause to care for me to this extent. He only has hatred toward me, anyway.Grimacing at the reminder, Roxanne gazed at him with plain refusal for his help.Lucian pretended not to have noticed her resistance. "I'm going to dress your wound," he announced solemnly.Without another word, he led her out by her hand.Roxanne gritted her teeth in consternation. "Please don't trouble yourself. It's late enough as it is; you should take Essie home. I can manage on my own."Lucian froze in his tracks at her words.Roxanne noticed a vague dissatisfaction emanating out of him that disappeared without a trace by the next second."How will you dress your wound when your right hand is the injured one?" Lucian suppressed his annoyance and dragged her out without paying her protests any heed.The three children followed them eagerly.Roxanne did not struggle anymore under their concerned gazes. Instead, she resigned herself to her fate.This man is too domineering.When they arrived in the living room, Roxanne was forced to sit on the couch.The children flocked around her as they stared with concern at her finger wrapped in a handkerchief while Lucian rummaged unsuccessfully through the living room to locate the medical kit.In the end, Archie was the one to jump off the couch to produce the medical kit from the TV cabinet.Lucian patted the boy's head in gratitude and stood next to Roxanne with the kit now in his hand.The children hurriedly stepped aside.Lucian sat down beside Roxanne. Though his face did not betray a hint of his thoughts and his presence caused a perceptible shudder in her, his movements seemed gentler than usual.Roxanne watched him work for several seconds before being compelled to look away. She willed herself to keep her gaze on the floor.Looking any longer would create unnecessary misunderstandings. The man obviously hates me. Why is he so caring all of a sudden?After having iodine applied to her cut, Lucian produced another Band-Aid and wrapped it around her wound.