Estella remained in Roxanne’s arms for a while. When she was finally awake, she pulled herself from Roxanne’s embrace and looked up. Estella frowned when she noticed that Roxanne looked pale. “Ms. Jarvis, are you
okay? You don’t look so good.” Roxanne touched her face surprisedly. wondering what the girl spotted.
As she had not looked at herself in the mirror since she woke up, she had no idea how bad she looked at that moment.
Ah, I drank a lot yesterday, and I even slept late. There’s no way I look refreshed after so little sleep.
Before Roxanne could reply, the girl wrinkled her nose and sniffed the air. “Why do I smell alcohol?”
Roxanne smiled at her. “I went down to have some wine yesterday because I couldn’t sleep. That’s probably why I look tired. I’m actually having a slight headache too.”
Upon hearing this, Estella reached out and touched her forehead carefully. The smile on Roxanne’s face grew wider when she saw how much the child cared for her.
After some time, Estella slowly retracted her hand and glanced at the water and medication on the nightstand. Although she had no idea what those were for, she passed them to Roxanne nonetheless.
An inexplicable feeling rose in Roxanne’s heart when she saw that glass of water. It reminded her of what she had said to Lucian the night before.
Seeing that Roxanne did not take the water from her, Estella held it out closer to her. But the woman pushed it away because she did not feel like having it.
Her rejection confused the girl, who then tilted her head.
“It’s cold. I’d like some warm water. Besides, I don’t need that medication anymore,” Roxanne said, forcing a smile.
Since Roxanne had said so, Estella simply nodded quietly and put the pills back. Then she grabbed the glass carefully and got off the bed to get some warm water for Roxanne.
When she returned, Roxanne took the glass from her, had two sips, and then brought the girl to wash up in the bathroom.
By the time they came out, Archie and Benny were already waiting for them in the room.
“Mommy, did you drink yesterday?” the boys asked. They smelled alcohol the moment they entered the room, and the pills on the nightstand confirmed their thought.
Roxanne nodded. There was no point trying to hide it from the boys. “I couldn’t sleep because of the bed, so I went down to have some wine.”
The boys exchanged doubtful glances upon hearing her answer.
She’s never had trouble sleeping despite the amount of traveling she does. She slept very well even after we returned to the country. It’s true that we live in the city, but it’s not like we’ve never been to the countryside before. There’s no way she can’t sleep because of a change in the environment.
Archie and Benny took Roxanne’s reply with a pinch of salt because there were better explanations for her insomnia..
Benny pursed his lips and walked over.
“Mommy, are you still frightened because I went missing yesterday?”
Roxanne was surprised. The truth was, she never expected the boy to be that sensitive to her emotions.
“I promise I’ll always stay by your side, Mommy. I won’t do anything to worry you again.” he continued, looking her in the eyes.
The children knew how difficult it was for Roxanne to take care of them by herself since they grew up without a father figure, so they had always tried their best not to burden her.
They thought that even without a father, the three of them could live happily without Roxanne ever worrying about them, yet they were proven wrong after what had happened the previous day.
Despite Benny’s effort to return to her, he still gave her a scare in the end.
