Archie and Benny looked at where their mother was staring and instantly noticed the blood-stained shell. “Mommy, you’re hurt!”
Realizing that she had worried her children, Roxanne forced a smile. “It’s all right. Help me up,” she tried to comfort them. However, both Archie and Benny promptly declined, “You’re hurt. How are you going to stand up?”
The twins did not know what to do. In the midst of their anxiousness, Lucian was the first person that popped into their minds.
Archie lightly tugged at his brother and whispered next to his ear, “I’m going to find Daddy. Take care of Mommy.”
Benny nodded.
“Mommy, I’m going to get someone to help us!” Archie said to Roxanne before running away without looking back.
Roxanne worriedly tried to stop the young boy from leaving, but the latter did not even turn back as he walked away. “Don’t worry, Mommy. Archie won’t get lost. We’re very smart,” Benny comforted her.
Since Archie had already run too far off, Roxanne could only calm down and direct Benny on how to do some simple disinfection. On the other hand, Lucian was staring in the direction of where Roxanne and the boys had left. An uncomfortable feeling rose in his heart.
Suddenly, Estella tugged at his shirt and exclaimed, “It’s Archie!”
She pointed toward the crowd as she spoke. Lucian looked in the direction of her finger and noticed Archie running toward the hotel.
Seeing that, Lucian’s gaze darkened. He picked Estella up with one hand and strode over to the young boy. “Why are you alone? Where are Benny and your mother?”
Archie skidded to a stop, panting. He grabbed onto Lucian’s clothes and started explaining in a tense voice, “Mommy… Mommy’s hurt! Hurry up and come with me, Mr. Farwell!”
Hearing Archie’s words, Lucian’s face instantly darkened. “Where is she? Take us there!” Archie instantly ran toward the beach. With Estella in his arms, Lucian followed in long strides behind the boy.
Roxanne was still worried about Archie, who had run off alone. After a while, she gently said to Benny, “Help me up, Benny. Let’s go look for Archie.”
However, the latter shook his head without hesitation. “You’re hurt, Mommy. You can’t move. Archie will bring someone over soon.”
Roxanne’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at Benny’s reaction. “I’m worried for Archie. Although I know that both of you are more than capable to take care of yourselves, I’ll still be worried,” she patiently tried to convince him.
Listening to his mother’s words, Benny seemed to hesitate. He did not want Roxanne’s injury to worsen, but he also did not want her to worry for them.
Just as Benny was contemplating listening to his mother and helping her up, Archie’s voice could be heard from afar..
“Mommy! Mommy! I’ve brought someone!” he shouted as he breathed heavily. Roxanne immediately heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Archie.
Thank goodness he did not get lost, and he actually brought someone over to help.
“I’m sorry for bothering you. My kids are worried because I’ve been lightly injured,” Roxanne quickly apologized politely even though she could not clearly see who had arrived.
The words had barely left her mouth when she heard Estella’s voice. “Ms. Jarvis…” She sounded as though she was on the verge of crying.
Roxanne was instantly stunned as a ridiculous thought flashed across her mind.
But the very next second, Estella’s tiny figure appeared within her line of vision.
Roxanne subconsciously looked behind Estella. Under the moonlight, all she could see was Lucian’s tall figure walking over in big strides.
Her words got caught in her throat as she stared at the man walking over. She did not know how to react at that moment. Her previous attempts on avoiding Lucian must have been noticed by him as well.
However, in just a sudden turn of events, she found herself relying on him once again. Mixed feelings rose within her heart.
Both Archie and Estella quickly ran over to her. Estella looked at Roxanne with worry evident in her eyes. Her gaze then landed on Roxanne’s foot. “Ms. Jarvis, is your leg hurt?” she asked in a soft voice.
As she spoke, Estella crouched down and carefully touched the skin surrounding the wound. When she looked back at Roxanne, Estella’s eyes had reddened, and there were tears welling up in them.
Roxanne rushed to comfort the young girl, “I’m fine. I stepped on a shell and it cut my skin. I’ll just have to bandage the wound, and it will heal quickly in just two days. Don’t be afraid, Essie.”
Estella bit her lip while her face was filled with worry. She looked up at her father and said, “Daddy, Ms. Jarvis’ foot…”
Lucian had already walked over to them and had noticed the wound on Roxanne’s leg. He remained quiet all the while.
It was until Estella called out to him that he stopped staring at Roxanne’s injured foot. He looked over at the woman, who was still sitting on the sand. Roxanne, too, subconsciously looked at the man next to her.
As their eyes met, Roxanne blinked and quickly averted her eyes. Instead, she smiled nonchalantly and said, “The wound isn’t too deep. I’m sorry for troubling you. The kids were too anxious and went to look for you. I’m actually all right on my own.”
As she spoke, she turned to look at the twins next to her. “Archie, Benny, help me up,” she said in a slightly serious tone.
Both Archie and Benny already noticed that their mother was trying to avoid Lucian, but they were more worried that her injury might get worse.
Upon hearing Roxanne’s instructions, they looked at each other hesitantly. Even after a short pause, the boys remained standing still.
The atmosphere turned awkward. Noticing that her children weren’t making a move, Roxanne fell into a dilemma. She thought that Lucian had already returned to the hotel with Estella.
Therefore, even though Archie ran off to find help, Roxanne had assumed that he would bring a stranger back. She did not expect for him to drag Lucian back here.
Roxanne was trying to act tough in front of them, but Archie and Benny weren’t allowing her to do that. In the end, they did not make a move to help her at all.
No one made a move for a while. Roxanne gritted her teeth and placed a hand on the ground in order to push herself up. Lucian seemed to have noticed what she was about to do for a look of displeasure flashed across his eyes.
Roxanne’s movements froze. In the next moment, Lucian made a move. Under Roxanne’s gaze, he walked over to her and bent over to take hold of her ankle.
She instinctively tried to avoid his touch, but she was too slow. Lucian had seized hold of her ankle and raised it up. Feeling his fingers brush across her wound, Roxanne reflexively tried to pull her leg back, and Lucian also let go of her ankle at the same time.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Lucian stood back up and walked over to her side. He seemed to have noticed something for his brows furrowed. In a fluid motion, he took off his coat.
Roxanne frowned at the sight. “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Farwell, but I’m not cold.”
However, Lucian ignored her protests and sternly placed his coat over her shoulders. “You’re hurt, Ms. Jarvis. The children are already so worried, and if you catch a cold, Essie might start crying again.”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne’s lips quivered, but she could not say anything to turn him down. Lucian suddenly moved to shorten the distance between them.
Roxanne could clearly feel his large hand pressing onto her waist. He then swiftly carried her up. She instinctively grabbed onto Lucian’s shirt in order to balance herself.
“I can walk just fine. You just need to support me,” Roxanne said adamantly after recovering from her initial shock. Then, she struggled to get down.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.