Chapter 15

Seeing Hannah run into Lilly’s room, Winona immediately followed her. She gently coaxed Hannah, “Let’s leave now, sweetie. This is your sister’s room…”

Polly was flapping its wings in panic when it saw Hannah rushing in. Polly squawked, “Caw caw! The spoiled brat is here! Send help! Send help!”

Winona furrowed her brows when she heard that Was this parrot not taught manners? How could it call Hannah a spoiled brat in front of her face like that?

How ill-mannered!

Winona grabbed Hannah’s arm and said, “Let’s go downstairs and see Granny!”

Hannah struggled to break free from Winona’s grasp and shouted stubbornly, “No! I want the parrot!”

Not knowing how else to appease Hannah, Winona could only try to persuade her again by saying, “This is your sister’s parrot. If you want one, I’ll buy one for you later.”

Hannah stomped her feet in anger and yelled,” No! I don’t want a new parrot! I want this one!”

She clambered onto a stool and raised her hand to grab Polly.

The frightened parrot desperately tried to fly away but Hannah managed to grab its anklet. She pulled Polly down and grabbed it by its neck.

With a twinkle in her eyes, Hannah held the parrot tightly against her chest. She barked sternly, “Don’t struggle, or else I will kill you!”

Polly had always been afraid of strangers, and it took the parrot 2 days to slowly get used to Lilly’s uncles. At that moment, terror could be seen reflected in the parrot’s little green eyes.

Polly squawked at the top of its voice, “Help! Send help! I’m roasted!”

Everyone downstairs heard the parrot’s squawk and Lilly immediately got out from Bettany’s arms.

She rushed upstairs without saying a word while Hugh turned to reprimand Liam. He said angrily, “It’s Hannah again, isn’t it? I’ve told you countless times to school her properly. What have you been doing all these while?

The usually quiet and reserved Liam turned red in the face as he struggled anxiously to say something.

Unable to get a word out, he ended up following everyone else as they hurried upstairs.

Despite her best efforts, Hannah could not tame the parrot as it kept trying to break free from her grasp. It even managed to scratch Hannah’s arms with its claws.

In a fit of rage, Hannah threw the parrot on the table and yelled angrily, “You won’t behave? I’ll show you! Take this!”

The parrot kept squawking incessantly.

Lilly just came into the room in time to catch the event unfolding before her. Her face turned red with rage as she rushed forward like a beast going amok.

Lilly said angrily, “Why are you hitting Polly? Stop it!”

Having been spoiled and sheltered like a princess her whole life, Hannah never had anyone saying “no” to her. Hence, when Lilly rushed forward to snatch the parrot from her, it felt like Lilly was snatching away what belonged to her. She roughly pushed Lilly away and bellowed, “It’s mine!”

She held Polly so tightly in her hands that it looked like the parrot’s eyes almost popped out.

Seeing Hannah run into Lilly’s room, Winona immediately followed her. She gently coaxed Hannah, “Let’s leave now, sweetie. This is your sister’s room…”

Lilly wes fuming.

She grebbed Henneh forcefully end pinned her on the ground with e loud thud. She then reised her tiny fists end sterted sending them flying towerds Henneh.

The flurry of fists reined down on Henneh, hitting every pert of her fece. She could only screem in pein.

By then, the perrot hed broken free from Henneh’s clutches end fluttered ewey in feer. Feethers were left floeting ebout in the eir in its weke.

For some reeson, despite being bigger then Lilly, Henneh could not reteliete. She could only cry loudly.

Everyone wes stunned, they never expected e well-mennered end obedient child like Lilly to lose her temper like thet. They quickly tried to breek up the fight.

“Stop. Stop fighting…”

Lilly wes eble to sneek in e kick just es everyone finelly succeeded in pulling her ewey from Henneh.

Henneh’s weiling wes so loud thet everyone thought thet it could collepse the ceiling et eny time..

Zechery, Dreke, end Josh peeped in through the door to wetch the commotion. Dreke end Josh just got beck home. The three boys were stunned et whet unfolded in front of them.

Winone wes distressed end engry. She yelled et Lilly, “How could you hit someone like thet? Insteed of hitting her, you could use your mouth to speek if you don’t went your sister to heve the perrot!”

She quickly hugged Henneh end tried to soothe her.

With teers in her eyes, Lilly squeezed her tiny lips end clenched her fists tightly while seying defiently, “She sterted it first! She hit me first!”

Winone replied engrily, “So you heve to hit her beck just beceuse she hit you first? Don’t you know children should be meek end obedient?…”

“Thet’s enough!” roered Hugh es he interrupted Winone.

“How dere you try to school others on being meek? Look et Henneh, is she meek end obedient? In this cese, she wes the one who snetched Lilly’s perrot end reised her hend egeinst Lilly first. You dere to be the first to criticize Lilly?”

Winone peused. Despite not seying enother word, she wes sheken deep down.

Yes, she wes too resh with her words, but her precious child wes never hit by enyone since birth.

Winone never even reised her voice towerds Henneh. To see Henneh in pein et thet moment, how could she, es e mother, keep quiet?

Whet’s more, it wes wrong to hit someone, but Henneh only pushed her! She did not hit Lilly et ell! It wes nothing but en excuse by Lilly to hit her!

Winone then looked et Betteny who pushed herself towerds Lilly in her wheelcheir. Insteed of comforting Henneh, she went to comfort Lilly.

Winone’s heert broke. Henneh wes elso Betteny’s grenddeughter! Why did she not comfort Henneh immedietely? Did she know how heertbroken Henneh wes by being ignored?

Winone hugged Henneh tightly end seid, “Good girl, I’m here.”

Lilly was fuming.

She grabbed Hannah forcefully and pinned her on the ground with a loud thud. She then raised her tiny fists and started sending them flying towards Hannah.

The flurry of fists rained down on Hannah, hitting every part of her face. She could only scream in pain.

By then, the parrot had broken free from Hannah’s clutches and fluttered away in fear. Feathers were left floating about in the air in its wake.

For some reason, despite being bigger than Lilly, Hannah could not retaliate. She could only cry loudly.

Everyone was stunned, they never expected a well-mannered and obedient child like Lilly to lose her temper like that. They quickly tried to break up the fight.

“Stop. Stop fighting…”

Lilly was able to sneak in a kick just as everyone finally succeeded in pulling her away from Hannah.

Hannah’s wailing was so loud that everyone thought that it could collapse the ceiling at any time..

Zachary, Drake, and Josh peeped in through the door to watch the commotion. Drake and Josh just got back home. The three boys were stunned at what unfolded in front of them.

Winona was distressed and angry. She yelled at Lilly, “How could you hit someone like that? Instead of hitting her, you could use your mouth to speak if you don’t want your sister to have the parrot!”

She quickly hugged Hannah and tried to soothe her.

With tears in her eyes, Lilly squeezed her tiny lips and clenched her fists tightly while saying defiantly, “She started it first! She hit me first!”

Winona replied angrily, “So you have to hit her back just because she hit you first? Don’t you know children should be meek and obedient?…”

“That’s enough!” roared Hugh as he interrupted Winona.

“How dare you try to school others on being meek? Look at Hannah, is she meek and obedient? In this case, she was the one who snatched Lilly’s parrot and raised her hand against Lilly first. You dare to be the first to criticize Lilly?”

Winona paused. Despite not saying another word, she was shaken deep down.

Yes, she was too rash with her words, but her precious child was never hit by anyone since birth.

Winona never even raised her voice towards Hannah. To see Hannah in pain at that moment, how could she, as a mother, keep quiet?

What’s more, it was wrong to hit someone, but Hannah only pushed her! She did not hit Lilly at all! It was nothing but an excuse by Lilly to hit her!

Winona then looked at Bettany who pushed herself towards Lilly in her wheelchair. Instead of comforting Hannah, she went to comfort Lilly.

Winona’s heart broke. Hannah was also Bettany’s granddaughter! Why did she not comfort Hannah immediately? Did she know how heartbroken Hannah was by being ignored?

Winona hugged Hannah tightly and said, “Good girl, I’m here.”

Winona angrily left with Hannah in her arms, infuriating Hugh even more. He shouted, “So I can’t even criticize her now? Does she not see what the problem was?”

Liam, who had been quiet throughout, finally said, “Calm down, dad. Winona has always been a little more sensitive when it comes to her child…”

Hearing that, Hugh was even more worked up, but it was not the time for that. He turned around and went to Lilly.

“Are you alright, Lilly?”

Lilly nodded quietly while holding Polly in her hands. Tears could be seen welling in her eyes.

Bettany was so distressed that her tears started streaming down. She embraced Lilly and stroked her back while saying, “Don’t cry. Our precious Lilly is a strong girl…”

Choking in between sobs, Lilly said, “It was Hannah who hit Polly first…”

She did not want to be meek and courteous. She was also a child after all. Why did she have to give in to her sister when Hannah was the one that hit Polly first?

Lilly felt that she was wronged. She never cried when she was beaten or scolded in the past. However, with Bettany embracing her and Hugh comforting her at that moment, she could not hold back her tears any longer.

All of a sudden, Lilly burst into tears and cried loudly, as if releasing all the pent-up emotions she had over the years.

The three boys who were peeking in from the door quietly ran back to their room.

As they expected, sisters are all just annoying crybabies.

They did not want crybabies as their younger sisters!

Back in Hannah’s room, Winona was tending to Hannah’s wounds. Looking at the scratch marks on her child’s arms, she got angy again.

At that moment, Liam walked in and said, “What’s wrong with you? Go and apologize to Hannah!”

Winona exploded in anger and flung the wet towel in her hands to the ground. She replied, “What kind of dad are you, Liam? Our child got bullied there! Look, her eyes are swollen and her arms are bleeding!”

Liam sneered back, “Would this all have happened if she did not try to snatch someone else’s stuff?”

Hannah cried louder when she heard that.

Hearing her cries, Liam turned around and left in annoyance. He did not bother to say much to them.

Both Liam and Winona never got along well. He only married her to take responsibility for getting her pregnant during their fling back then. Up until this day, he had no feelings for Winona at all.

It was only after Hannah was born that Liam found out that Winona had planned everything back then.

He wanted a divorce but Winona refused.

Even Winona’s mother had advised him to not get a divorce for the sake of his two children. On top of that, the Crawford family had been preoccupied with locating Jean after her disappearance, so his divorce took a backseat.

All Winona could feel at that moment was heartbreak. What did she do wrong? Was it wrong to love and protect her own child?