Chapter 8 Unworthy To Be Lilly's Mother

Lilly surveyed the garden and called out, "Polly!" A loud squawk echoed through the air, followed by the colorful parrot emerging from the woods. However, after circling Lilly once, it quickly retreated back into the trees. "Polly is scared of you, Uncle Gilbert," the little girl whispered, motioning for Gilbert to remain silent. Her large, watery eyes and endearing actions made her look adorable. He glanced at the garden and suggested, "Lilly, why don't I send someone to catch Polly so we can bring it home?" She frowned and shook her head. "No." Worried that the parrot might be listening, she checked her surroundings and added, "We can't catch Polly because it will be scared. It's a good bird." Although Lilly's reasoning amused Gilbert, he nodded and agreed to her plan. "Don't move, Uncle Gilbert," the little girl tapped his shoulder and instructed. She then walked into the garden and called for Polly once more. "A Dumb Dumb! A Dumb! Dumb!" Polly sat on the tree branch and chirped. Lilly scolded, "Uncle Gilbert isn't a Dumb Dumb, Polly." "A Bad Dog! A Bad Dog!" Polly chirped again. "Uncle Gilbert isn't a Bad Dog," the little girl explained. Gilbert was speechless at the absurd conversation. Despite Lilly's reassurance, Polly refused to leave the tree branch. Lilly found herself venturing deeper into the garden. Suddenly, she heard a sound. When she turned to investigate, she noticed a pair of familiar eyes staring back at her. Just as Lilly was about to flee, Debbie grabbed her arm and said, "You're finally here, Lilly." The woman covered Lilly's mouth to stifle her cries. "Aren't you happy to see me, Lilly?" Debbie was unaware that Gilbert was in the garden. She pinched the little girl's face and said menacingly, "I don't like your attitude, Lilly. I'm still your mother, you know?" The little girl struggled to break free from Debbie's grasp. Debbie thought to herself, since when has the little brat become so strong? "You killed my baby, Lilly. Why are you treating me like this when I'm still willing to care for you?" Debbie hissed. She looked different from when she used to hit Lilly in the past. Seeing Lilly shake her head anxiously, Debbie continued, "You said you didn't push me. But why would I fall if it weren't for your sudden appearance? You should take responsibility for my baby's death. I'm in a miserable state. If your uncles ask about the incident, you need to say that you pushed me down the stairs. Do you understand?" Debbie tried to coax the little girl, thinking it would be easy to force her to comply. However, Lilly bit her lip and remained silent. She refused to admit to a mistake she didn't commit. Debbie scowled, thinking, Lilly is testing my patience. She's such a useless brat who refuses to listen. This is so frustrating! She threatened, "You're a disobedient child, Lilly. If you continue to act so stubbornly, I'll hit you." There was no footage of the incident, and no one witnessed what caused me to fall. The Crawfords will undoubtedly believe Lilly's story. I can't let her ruin my reputation; I'm still planning to seduce my idol. Debbie once read a news article about a teacher who abused a student and threatened to use binoculars to spy on him. The student was terrified, thinking the teacher could hear everything he said. Because of this, the teacher was able to keep the parents in the dark. Intrigued by the idea, she cautioned, "I'm warning you, Lilly. It doesn't matter if your uncles promise to protect you. I'll use my magic powers to find out where you are." Lilly bit her hand hard, much to Debbie's astonishment. She let out a yell before immediately slapping the girl. Just as her palm landed on Lilly's face, the red string around her wrist glowed. When Debbie saw the little girl's hand approaching, she sneered inwardly, her limbs are so short and weak. Does she think she can hurt me? Suddenly, Debbie found herself launched into the marsh before she realized it. Gilbert had arrived and picked up Lilly right away. The latter looked at her palm and then at Gilbert, wondering who was to blame for Debbie's terrible predicament. Gilbert asked himself the same question, as he didn't feel like he had kicked hard enough to knock Debbie to the ground. He wondered if his eyes had deceived him. "How dare you hit Lilly," Gilbert snarled. He fixed his gaze on Debbie as he carried Lilly and approached. The woman panicked, unaware that Gilbert was present. She waved her hand and said meekly, "This must be a misunderstanding, Mr. Gilbert. Why would I hit Lilly? I'm her mother too…" Gilbert's expression hardened as he yelled, "You're not worthy to be Lilly's mother!" He covered Lilly's ears and held her against his chest so she wouldn't witness what happened next. "Mr. Gilbert, please…" Debbie begged, staring in dread at the approaching man. "Ahh!" she cried out in pain when Gilbert pinned her face down on the ground with his shoe. The rough edges tore at her skin and cut into her flesh. "Bad Dog! Bad Dog!" "Dumb Dumb!" Even though Debbie was on the verge of tears, Gilbert showed no signs of going easy on her. "Mr. Gilbert, please let me go! Please, I beg of you! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She sobbed, terrified that the man's sheer strength would crush her skull. Deciding it was inappropriate to use violence in front of a child, Gilbert chose to release Debbie. However, he couldn't help but give her a final kick, resulting in a broken nose. "Get lost!" he ordered. Debbie covered her injured face with her hands and ran to her room without saying a word. Silent tears streamed down her face as she tried to remove the shards of glass, her frustration mounting. She stared at herself in the mirror, examining her broken nose and bloodied face. How could Gilbert bear to hit a woman! And with such brutality! I thought I could scare Lilly into lying for me. I never expected things to turn out this way. Not only did I fail to get that bastard to take the blame, but I was also badly beaten up by Gilbert. When she gently touched her nose, she experienced excruciating pain. "Oh no! My face! My face!" She had always taken pride in her flawless complexion. However, now she would be left disfigured as the cuts would undoubtedly result in permanent scars. In a fit of despair, Debbie let out a scream and forcefully threw the mirror onto the floor. She simply couldn't come to terms with the fact that her once beautiful face was now ruined.