“The Vampire Diaries” season 7 has so far been heartbreaking and exciting for beloved characters in Mystic Falls. With the midseason finale, “The Vampire Diaries” showrunners are revealing interesting tidbits about the season such as their decision to kill off Lily Salvatore and why the reason behind the the Steroline couple’s split.

Many fans were shocked when Lily, played by Annie Wersching, died in episode 8 of “The Vampire Diaries” season 7. Executive Producer Caroline Dries told TVLine that they originally thought to kill her off in episode 9, however, they eventually decided against it.

Dries explained, “She was just trying to get both families together, and the culmination of that was when Julian made her choose. She finally realized her selfishness destroyed a lot of people by trying to have everything. We originally had her dying in this next episode, but I was just like, ‘No. This story has to end here.’ Even though we love Annie [Wersching], it had to happen.”

Lily’s sons Stefan and Damon, played by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder respectively, also handled her death differently. Over time, Wesley’s character Stefan was able to establish a better relationship with Lily, as compared to Somerhalder’s Damon who had a hard time forgiving their mother up until her death. However, Dries shared that Damon will soon realise that coping with Lily’s death won’t be easy.

When TVLine asked how Lily’s death will affect Damon, Dries responded that even though he tried to brush away initial misgivings and a feeling of resentment on how he “basically [spit] on [Lily’s] grave,” Damon will find that “it’s not going away.” She added, ‘He needs to go through something big in order to come to that emotional catharsis.”

“The Vampire Diaries” showrunner Julie Plec also mentioned in a previous Entertainment Weekly interview that Damon’s decision not to forgive Lily will come back to haunt Somerhalder’s character. “Though Stefan was able to come to terms with his mom before she died, Damon basically spit in her face,” she stated. “This choice to not absolve his mother of her past sins will definitely come back to bite Damon in the a--.”

Meanwhile, some fans were sad to see that the relationship between Wesley’s character Stefan and Caroline, played by Candice King, encountered a lot of challenges in season 7 of “The Vampire Diaries.” However, things won’t be working out for the Steroline couple and the two characters will eventually break-up. This was already hinted in flash forward scenes shown in previous season 7 episodes.

Dries told TVLine that viewers has yet to see the Steroline couple’s relationship unravel in previous season 7 episodes. “The Vampire Diaries” showrunner explained that they still “have a lot more story to tell” about the two characters. She also revealed that the babies won’t be the main reason why the couple will split up. “The babies aren’t what ultimately break them up,” she stated. “It will be a confluence of many little things that lead to their demise.

Episode 9 of “The Vampire Diaries” airs in Australia on Friday, Dec. 11 on Fox 8. Episode 10 will air in the US scon Jan. 29.

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