The Abandoned Wife (Lucian) novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57
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.