Chapter 1040: Almost Crying

Not long after, Archie and Benny slowly descended the stairs, deliberately changing into their long-sleeved pajamas to conceal their injured arms from Roxanne.

Roxanne awaited them at the dining table. As they approached, she sensed something was amiss. She stared at Benny, frowned, and asked, "Benny, what happened to your hand?" The scrape on his palm was quite noticeable.

Benny stiffened at his mother's question. He followed her gaze to the scrape and looked to Archie for help. Archie knitted his brows, surmising Benny's injury stemmed from the older children's earlier actions, though he hadn't anticipated the scrape would be so conspicuous.

Roxanne quickly sensed her sons were hiding something. "Ms. Lane told me you were asleep all day. Did you boys sneak out?" she asked, knowing her sons better than anyone. She couldn't think of another explanation for their apparent all-day slumber.

Lysa stared in shock. "No way! Why didn't I realize they snuck out?" Preoccupied with chores on the first floor, she would have noticed if they'd left the mansion.

Archie and Benny hung their heads in guilt, remaining silent. Roxanne knew she was right.

"Come here," she said, her expression darkening as she gestured toward them.

They exchanged a look but obediently approached. Roxanne rolled up their sleeves, revealing scratches far more severe than Benny's palm scrape. She was incredulous they'd kept their injuries secret. Looking at their scrapes and apologetic faces, her eyes welled up.

"What happened to you boys? Why are you so badly injured?" she asked, rolling up their pants to check for further injuries. She found lighter scrapes on their legs.

Archie, wanting to spare his mother worry, said, "We accidentally fell." Benny nodded.

Roxanne's expression shifted slightly. "Where did you fall?"

After a long pause, they admitted guiltily, "We... we were climbing the wall at Essie's place, and we accidentally fell."

As Roxanne treated their wounds, she paused. "I'm a doctor, and I know very well how you could not have gotten these injuries from a simple fall."

Archie and Benny exchanged a guilty glance as Roxanne swiftly exposed their lie. They dared not reveal the older children's near-assault; they'd already angered her by sneaking out to see Estella. Revealing more would only increase her worry.

Roxanne frowned. "Do you think I won't worry about you just because you refuse to tell me the truth?" She had always protected them from even minor injuries, yet they'd suffered these severe ones without her knowledge.

Archie and Benny looked up, noticing Roxanne's eyes were terrifyingly red, as if she were on the verge of tears.