Chapter 248: Leaving the Country After Divorce

Two days after returning from Bellridge, Roxanne resumed her work at the research institute. She'd asked Colby to handle everything during her absence, leaving him exhausted.

That evening, after finishing work, Roxanne and Colby walked out together. He teased, "Dr. Jarvis, no thank you for covering for me while you were away?" Roxanne chuckled.

"Of course. Let's have dinner, since we're both free." Colby, who had frequently asked her out before, understood she only saw him as a colleague and hadn't pushed it. This time, he knew her invitation was a thank you.

"All right. I'll accept your offer," he agreed.

They both retrieved their cars. Roxanne texted Lysa to pick up Archie and Benny, then drove ahead of Colby. Unsure where to eat, she chose the restaurant she’d visited with Larry. After parking, she and Colby entered. Without a reservation, they waited before ordering.

While waiting, Colby made small talk. "I heard you rejected Mr. Lynch's offer to be his student at the medical conference."

She smiled. "Professor Lambert is enough for me. Besides, our research approaches differ."

As they chatted about the conference, Roxanne's phone vibrated. It was a message from the parents' group chat Pippa had added her to when Archie and Benny started school. The usually quiet group was abuzz.

A message from Pippa announced a school tree-planting activity—an overnight trip. Parents were invited to contact her with questions. Subsequent messages mostly inquired about the venue, time, and what to bring; Pippa answered them all. The trip was the following weekend, with accommodation provided by the kindergarten. Each child required a parent's accompaniment; only daily necessities and a change of clothes were needed.

Roxanne thought about Estella. Lucian or Aubree would likely accompany her. Roxanne wanted to avoid them both, but participation would mean an inevitable encounter. Knowing the other parents were wealthy, and some might have attended Alfred's birthday party, she worried about gossip if she interacted with Aubree and Lucian. A headache began to form.

Colby, having asked about the conference to no avail, noticed her staring dazedly at her phone.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Regaining her composure, she replied, "It's nothing. Just a kindergarten activity," forcing a smile. Seeing she didn't want to elaborate, he dropped the subject.

Note: The spurious text "Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ꜰindηovel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality" has been removed as it's irrelevant and likely spam. Also, minor inconsistencies in capitalization and phrasing have been corrected for consistency and readability.