Upon hearing his suggestion, Roxanne was apprehensive. She wanted to avoid Lucian, but admitted it was the best solution. A few seconds later, she nodded. "Thanks," she said. Lucian nodded in return.
After asking Archie and Benny to move, she got up from her bed. Before she could stand steady, her head spun. She staggered, pressing her hand to the bed for support.
"Let me help you," Lysa said, immediately approaching and offering her arm.
Roxanne's vision blurred for a few seconds. When it cleared, she nodded weakly. The three children also rose and walked beside her.
Roxanne was so frail she had to lean on Lysa, who also struggled to support her. Noticing this, the children offered to help, but before they could reach her, Lucian stepped in front of them.
He frowned. "Let me," he said to Lysa. "You take care of the kids."
Before Roxanne could react, Lucian lifted her into his arms. Dazed and experiencing brain fog, she struggled, but to no avail. He clearly controlled the situation.
Roxanne stopped struggling. Frowning, she protested, "Put me down. I can walk."
He ignored her. Turning to Lysa, he said, "Please prepare something for the children. They haven't eaten. Put them to bed early if we're late." Lysa agreed.
The children, however, were unhappy with this arrangement. They followed the adults to the car and attempted to climb into the passenger seats.
After securing Roxanne in the car, Lucian removed the children. Archie, Benny, and Estella sulked, watching her from outside.
"She'll be worried if you follow," Lucian explained patiently. "It's better for her recovery if you stay home, eat dinner, and go to bed early."
The children looked doubtful. Roxanne offered a weak smile. "Yes," she said. "Sleep early, and don't wait for us."
They nodded. Lucian got in the car, sat beside Roxanne, and closed the door, shielding the children from view. He instructed the driver to hurry to the hospital.
After they left, the children reluctantly returned to the mansion with Lysa. Roxanne watched them in the rearview mirror, relieved to see them go.
The car's warmth made her drowsy, but remembering the man beside her, she fought to stay awake. Despite digging her nails into her palms to combat her fever, she eventually fell into a deep sleep.
"How do you feel?" Lucian asked, concerned, as they were stuck in traffic. Receiving no reply, he saw she was asleep. Overwhelmed with emotion, he told the driver, "Drive slower."
He soon felt her head rest on his shoulder. Turning, he gazed at her sleeping face, a subtle gentleness in his eyes.
The passage has been significantly improved by:
- Correcting sentence fragments and run-on sentences.
- Improving word choice and flow.
- Removing the unnecessary and irrelevant final sentence.
- Removing the advertisement.
- Using more concise phrasing.
- Correcting punctuation.
The revised passage reads more smoothly and naturally.