The Hatcher family went bankrupt. Stephen was suspected of smuggling and murdering. Later, the investigation found that he was involved in child abuse and nearly killed his child.
He was punished for multiple crimes and would never be released in his lifetime.
After his imprisonment, Debbie chose to divorce him. She didn't bother to take care of Stephen's parents, nor did she choose to have Lilly's custody.
Lilly's injuries were too severe, and she was only discharged from the hospital two months later. By then, the instigator of everything, Debbie, had already married another wealthy man.
Debbie was still the perfect woman in others' eyes. To the outsiders, being a stepmother like her was a hard job. Her stepchild pushed her down the stairs, and she suffered a miscarriage as a result. Besides, she almost died from heavy bleeding during the operation.
Therefore, her choice to divorce was understandable, as she hadn't given birth to any children for the Hatcher family. According to rumors, Stephen also mistreated her. She only met her new husband through Stephen, as Stephen clung to desperate measures before his arrest by giving his wife to the wealthy man.
Lilly made no comment on this. I wonder why these rumors kept reaching me.
I think I got it. The reason why Debbie framed her for causing the miscarriage struck her.
At that time, her stepmother was six months pregnant. Normally, miscarriage was avoidable.
If she chose to abort the baby herself, people would accuse her of being vain as she aborted the baby after her husband went bankrupt, although her baby was already six months old.
No matter her reasons, it would harm her reputation. The only way was to shift the blame onto Lilly and play the victim.
After all, she had suffered enough being a stepmother. Other than that, her malicious child pushed her off the stairs. In the end, her husband gave her to another wealthy man to save himself.
Lilly had a feeling that marrying the wealthy man was Debbie's plan all along.
Anyway, Debbie had now escaped the Hatcher family and lived her best life again. In contrast, Lilly's grandparents had driven her out of the house.
"You can't rely on us. We two are already having a hard time! You're just an extra mouth to feed!"
Lilly became an orphan.
She had nowhere to go. The authorities had seized her house, even though that place only brought up bad memories.
The police planned to send her to the children's home. Meanwhile, she sat on the chair, staring at her toes quietly.
"Captain MacNeil!" someone called out when the tall man who liked to wear black arrived.
Lilly looked up immediately.
The man crouched down in front of her and caressed her head with a sad smile. "Listen to me, Lilly. I'm bringing you to meet an old lady. You'll meet new friends of your age there. I promise I'll visit you often."
She pursed her lips and said nothing.
He offered her a lot of comforting words. At last, he packed a few of her belongings, held her hand, and sent her to the car.
Finally reaching her limits, Lilly burst into tears before she got into the car.
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