Chapter 333: I Was Careless

"Aubree, tell me," Sonya instructed, knowing it would be impossible to get the truth from her son.

Panic flashed across Aubree's face. She glanced at Lucian before frowning in resignation. After a brief hesitation, she hung her head and explained, "We ran into Ms. Jarvis at the hospital; she was with her two sons. Seeing her son unwell reminded me of Essie, and I worried. So, I asked Lucian to check on them."

Worried Sonya wouldn't believe her, Aubree added, "It was my idea. Lucian didn't want to go."

Having finished, she gave Lucian a knowing look, urging him to support her story.

Sonya clearly didn't believe them. She glowered at her son. "Is that true, or did you go check on someone else's son while Aubree was injured?"

Lucian remained silent, his brows furrowed tensely.

Sonya, who knew her son intimately, saw his silence as an admission he'd seen Roxanne's son, contradicting Aubree's claim. It was obvious he'd gone on his own.

The thought that her son had abandoned Aubree, who was injured saving her, enraged Sonya. "Even now, Aubree is covering for you. But what about you? Have you ever considered her feelings? How could you leave an injured girl alone in the hospital? What if someone bumped into her and worsened her injury?"

Reacting to Sonya's anger, Aubree quickly took her hand. "Mrs. Farwell, I'm fine; my injury is almost healed. As for Ms. Jarvis, being a single mother is difficult. Even if she's made mistakes, her children are innocent. I was just as worried as Lucian was."

Aubree's considerate response softened Sonya's heart. She wondered if Roxanne had cursed her son, blinding him to Aubree's virtue. "Lucian, don't you have unfinished work? You should go back while I talk to Mrs. Farwell," Aubree suggested gently.

Frowning at them both, Lucian, unwilling to listen further, turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Seeing her son's abrupt departure intensified Sonya's guilt toward Aubree. "Aubree, I'm sorry you had to go through this. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Aubree smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I'm satisfied with how he's treating me now." [The sentence about finding the novel online is inappropriate for this context and has been removed.]

Indignant on Aubree's behalf, Sonya reassured her she would never allow Roxanne to marry into their family.

Mid-conversation, however, she noticed Aubree's face paling.

"Aubree, what's wrong? Did someone bump your arm?" Sonya frowned worriedly. Despite a throbbing pain, Aubree forced a smile. "No, I was careless."

Aubree indirectly admitted to an arm injury.

Sonya stared at her, suspicious. "What happened? Did you really hurt yourself?"

She couldn't believe Aubree had been careless after being in the hospital so long without incident.

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