Chapter 950: Sadness

Archie, too, grew nervous at his brother's cry. If Mommy discovered they'd known about their father for so long and kept it from her, would she be upset?

Roxanne hadn't considered this possibility. Though she'd been contemplating revealing their family history to her children moments before, hearing Benny's voice brought her back to the present. She wasn't ready. With a self-reproachful pinch, she calmly looked at Lucian. "You can give me Benny. He must be frightened."

She moved closer, handing Estella to Lucian. "Estella must miss her father, too." Lucian's brow furrowed; she seemed unusually agitated. He didn't dwell on it, however, as he passed Benny to her. Estella, sensing her removal from Roxanne's embrace, murmured in dissatisfaction. Benny, too, frowned at leaving Lucian's arms. Roxanne glanced at Lucian's chest, where Benny had been clinging moments before, noting a clear crease where his fingers had gripped the fabric. "Sorry," she began, subconsciously apologizing for Benny's actions on his behalf. "Benny was—"

Lucian interrupted. "Why are you two alright?" he asked, particularly addressing Archie. "You ate and drank the same things. Why are Estella and Benny in such pain, but Archie seems fine?"

Roxanne was taken aback by the abrupt shift in topic. Archie, ever the quick-witted child, piped up in his adorable voice, "Benny and Essie finished all the water in their cups! I only drank a sip!"

Lucian was puzzled, unaware of the water Archie mentioned.

Roxanne quickly explained, "The water was prepared earlier, and they all drank it at lunch. There was no problem then. However, they suddenly developed stomachaches after drinking it again this afternoon."

Remorse flooded Roxanne. "It's my fault," she admitted. "Archie told me the water tasted strange, but I didn't think much of it." If only she'd been more careful and checked their cups, Benny and Estella wouldn't be suffering. Lucian's gaze darkened as he looked at Estella.

In the moonlight, her face was pale, her lips devoid of color, clearly in considerable distress. Had anyone else caused this, he would have been furious. Instead, he merely frowned at Roxanne, then comforted her in his deep voice, "It's not your fault. As you said, they all drank it at lunch, and it was fine then."

The focus should be on what happened afterward. Archie chimed in, "Mommy, don't blame yourself, or Benny and Essie will be sadder when they find out."

Roxanne was touched, her guilt lessening at their comforting words. Finally, the medicine was ready. Roxanne carefully placed Benny beside her and poured the medicine into cups for Estella and Benny.