Leaving The Country After Divorce novel (Roxanne and Lucian) novel Chapter 209

Chapter 209 “Are you in a bad mood, Mommy?” Archie and Benny looked at her with concern.Roxanne was taken aback. She thought she had hidden her emotions well in front of her kids, but they saw right through her ruse.“Why did you ask?” she asked nonchalantly, glancing at them in the rearview mirror.Archie‘s face creased in bewilderment. “You ignored Essie just now. Did Mr. Farwell annoy you?” The slightly unsettled feeling gnawed at the pit of her stomach at the mention of Lucian.She must have been really close with him during that period of time for Archie to have misunderstoodBenny added, “Essie almost cried.”Roxanne drew her brows together in a frown, and her heart wrenched as she could only imagine Estella‘s pitiable face without seeing it for herself.She wished she could apologize to Estella.Aubree‘s words further solidified her inclination to cut all ties with Lucian.She didn‘t want to interfere with the kids‘ friendship, but she really wanted to limit her contact with Lucian.Roxanne stole a casual peek at them and said, “Come out earlier after your classes end. I‘ll be busy for the time being, so Ms. Lane will pick you up.”Archie and Benny didn‘t get the desired answer and exchanged puzzled glances before nodding obediently.The doorbell rang shortly after Roxanne led them inside the house. She froze before turning to answer the door.Madilyn stood on the other side with a pinched expression. She opened her mouth, but she noticed Archie and Benny inside, and the words caught in her throat.“What is it?” Roxanne turned sideways to let her pass.Madilyn sucked in a deep breath, holding on to her temper by the thinnest of threads. “I‘ll tell you in a bit.” Roxanne didn‘t press her for answers and invited her to stay for dinner.Madilyn only began her rant when Archie and Benny had gone upstairs after dinner. “I saw the news yesterday. What was Lucian trying to do?”Roxanne was caught off guard by the question and didn‘t know how to respond.“He shouldn‘t have looked for you after deciding to marry Aubree!” Madilyn slapped her hand against the table. “I thought he had turned over a new leaf when he sought you out. I never expected to see the news.”Madilyn had always known about Lucian and Aubree‘s betrothal, and she didn‘t mind when it was publicized the last time.Roxanne and she lived next to each other, and she noticed that Lucian had been visiting Roxanne more frequently. She tried to find an excuse for him the last time when he and Aubree‘s betrothal was made public, thinking that he didn‘t mean it.But yesterday‘s news had angered her greatly.If Lucian wanted to treat Aubree well, why would he look for Roxanne then? He‘s such a scumbag. Bitterness ate Roxanne‘s already troubled heart. “He was set to marry Aubree from the get–go. Don‘t overthink things.”Madilyn stared at her best friend in shock. The person who should be the most affected by the news is her, yet here I am, making her feel worse with my tirade. She leashed her irritation and shot out of her seat, grabbing Roxanne‘s arm. “Come on, we‘re going out for drinks and won‘t be back until we‘re both drunk as a skunk. Forget all about those low–life men!”