Chapter 142
Penny had always wanted to get rid of Pattie. With her tight budget, an extra mouth to feed was just an added burden that sat uncomfortably with her. She wasnât some kind of saint, just an average woman.
When she gave birth to her son, she tried to have Leo return Pattie to the orphanage, but they wouldnât take her back. It was part of the deal when they adopted her
Penny and Leo were Pattieâs guardians, so Pattie wasnât an orphan and couldnât just be dumped. That would be abandonment. Penny attempted several times to lose Pattie in crowded train stations, but Leo always found her.
Penny was pissed. With so many child traffickers out there every year, why wouldnât anyone snatch Pattie away?
Herman shot Penny a stern look, then gently asked Pattie, âWould you like to come home with me?â
Pattie said nothing, her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Penny She didnât understand why her mom didnât love her.
Penny glared at Pattie angrily, muttering, âUngrateful brat! Go with this man and never come back!â
Pattie shivered in fear, her tear-filled eyes quickly avoiding Penny and hiding in Hermanâs arms.
Just then, Pennyâs son started crying Penny ignored Pattie, sarcastically telling Herman, Take this little miss away, pronto! You do-gooders love to meddle! You better take care of her, and not just talk the talk If you actually do it, school fees and all, Iâll be damned impressedâ
In Pennyâs eyes, those who took care of other peopleâs kids were idiots. Back when she couldnât get pregnant, she wouldnât have adopted a girl to drag her down if it wasnât for the fortune teller saying she had to adopt first to have her own child.
Penny stormed off to tend to her son, not giving a damn about Pattie
Herman was shocked at the sight of such a cold-blooded woman, Holding Pattie, he said, âLetâs go home.â
Herman didnât know if heâd stick his nose in if it was another child, but seeing Pattie in front of him, he just couldnât ignore her.
Back at home, he wiped Pattieâs tears and checked her injuries. The marks clearly came from a beating, some areas were swelling up. Herman frowned, fetched a first aid kit, and tended to Pattieâs wounds.
She was a tough little girl. Even though disinfecting her wounds hurt, Pattie bit back the pain and didnât cry out.
Seeing Pattieâs resilience made Herman even more upset. Just as he finished tending to her wounds, Anastasia came home. Seeing Pattie still there, she asked Herman, âDidnât you say you were taking Pattie back?â
As Herman grabbed some fruit from the kitchen for Pattie, he replied, âPattie was beaten again, so I brought her back.â
Hearing that, Anastasia dropped her bag in alarm, checked Pattieâs injuries, and turned to Herman, Did Penny do this?â
This was outrageous, downright child abuse. How could anyone treat a little girl like that?
âYes.â Herman sat down on the sofa. âAnastasia, what if we let Pattie stay with us for a few days?*
âSure.â Anastasia hugged Pattie. 7 hope Pattie can stay here from now on.â
Anastasia was a kind-hearted person. She wouldnât think much of it if she didnât know about Pattieâs situation. But knowing that Penny abused Pattie and the community couldnât do anything, she felt sorry for the girl and wanted to help
Herman nodded âItâs late, Anastasia. You take Pattie to bed.â
Kids should sleep early for their growth. But since Pattie was a girl, it might not have been appropriate for Herman to tuck her in.