Chapter 241

“The police sirens were deafening that night, wailing outside the building and tearing at my nerves,” Abigail said, her voice eerily calm. “I told them I couldn’t drive, but Gabriel pulled out my driver’s license. I’d gotten it when I was sixteen.”

“There was no way I could deny it. Then there was the dash cam footage showing me hitting someone. I didn’t know what to say. That’s when I understood they’d prepared everything to force me to take the blame.”

The room fell silent except for the sound of breathing.

It was Warren’s first time hearing her tell the story herself. She spoke as if describing someone else’s life, but he knew better. She had to be dead inside to sound this detached. He yanked at his tie in frustration.

Nolan’s face had turned dark as he listened. He turned to the officer beside him, his eyes as cold as ice. “Did you get all that?”

“Yes,” the officer replied, clearly sympathetic to Abigail.

A reporter had asked her why she hadn’t filed a second appeal. They couldn’t truly understand what she’d gone through back then. Just hearing about it made everyone in the room angry.

“Take them all away!” Nolan barked. Before leaving, he turned to Abigail. “We’ll see what we can do about Daniella too.”

“Thank you,” Abigail said, genuinely grateful.

As Bianca was being led away, she cried out, “I’m sorry, Abby. I know it’s too late and nothing can undo the hurt you suffered. But this time I really mean it. I really know I was wrong.”

Abigail didn’t respond. She acted as if she hadn’t heard a word.

Her silence told Bianca everything she needed to know.

After leaving the hospital, Abigail got into Warren’s car. She was about to discuss work when he suddenly said, “Back then, you weren’t actually alone.”

Abigail turned to look at him. “What do you mean?”

Warren struggled to find the words and changed the subject instead, “You were only eighteen then. It must have been incredibly painful.”

“More or less,” Abigail said quietly. “All my begging and struggling became so pathetic the moment they showed the evidence. I thought about all the times I’d tried to get close to them, all the ways I’d tried to please them.”

“That’s when I realized I was the only one who ever wanted to be part of the family. They never wanted me back in the Gibson family at all.”

She let out a deep sigh. “That’s when I finally understood what the people I cared about were really like.”

Her heart had died then, so she’d given up fighting, given up trying to explain herself. She never imagined the family she’d longed for would personally send her to prison.

Warren, who was usually all smiles, had tears in his eyes. “Abby, from now on you have us. If you want to know what I meant, you should ask Seb.”

“Can’t you tell me? I want my friends to be honest with me,” Abigail said calmly.

Warren knew he shouldn’t say more, but maybe knowing the truth about that time would help her feel better.

“The day you were sentenced was when Seb’s separation anxiety came back. You might not have known him, but he’d been watching over you all along. Before you returned to the Gibson family, wasn’t there someone who kept sponsoring you?” Warren said gently.

Abigail froze. The orphanage had limited resources. When children reached a certain age, they had to leave. If anyone was willing to adopt them, they’d be sent away immediately.

Many families had wanted to adopt Abigail. Not only was she beautiful, but her intelligence was far above average.

Beth had screened numerous families for her and finally chose the one with the best conditions.

The family lived in Chesterwick and was very wealthy. They had a son who was only three years older than Abigail, and the parents were well-known philanthropists in Chesterwick. It would have been a good life for her there.

In the end, Beth worried that Abigail might struggle if she went to another family. She decided to keep her instead.

Even though Beth was willing to pay for Abigail’s expenses herself, that family continued to send financial support every year after learning about Beth’s decision and Abigail’s wishes. The support only stopped when Abigail went to live with the Gibson family.

“So he was the one who sponsored me all those years?” Abigail asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

“Yes,” Warren said. “He had just lost his mother back then. When Mr. Cox discovered he had developed severe separation anxiety, they considered adopting a sister to keep him company.

“But when you didn’t want to go, he didn’t push it. He’d seen your photo beforehand and really liked you.”

Complex emotions swirled in Abigail’s eyes. So it was him all along.

The person who had paid for her middle school education was only three years older than her.

“I didn’t go to his family. I must have disappointed him,” she murmured softly.