Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Nathan was trembling with rage, his chest heaving with every breath.

Adah's heart ached as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Clutching her chest, she sobbed, "Claire, it's not like that. Your father and I brought you into this world out of love. Truly, you must believe us."

Claire almost laughed out loud at her words, and in fact, she did chuckle.

But there was no warmth in her smile-only scorn and a deep sense of sorrow.

Love her?

She stood right in front of them, her head wrapped in bandages—a detail that even May had noticed. Yet, her own flesh and blood seemed oblivious.

Not a word of concern, only accusations.

Claire's eyes turned red with anger.

Pointing to her forehead, her voice rose to a sharp pitch. "I've been here for ten minutes, haven't I? In those ten minutes, has anyone bothered to ask about the injury on my forehead?"

"Do you truly not see it, or are you just pretending not to? Or maybe you see it but simply don't care."

"Mrs. Linwood, you've made me feel utterly worthless, and yet you claim to love me. Do you even realize how absurd that sounds?"noveldrama

Her voice reverberated through the room, each word a dagger aimed at everyone present.

"You say you love me, but where is that love?" Finally, Claire's tears broke free, cascading down her cheeks, her body trembling with the force of her emotions.

Adah's sobs halted abruptly.

Prompted by Claire's words, she noticed the wound on Claire's forehead and the bloodstains on her clothing for the first time.

Adah's heart broke, and she wanted to embrace Claire, but the coldness and defiance in Claire's eyes held her back.

"Claire, what happened to your head?"

Vanessa gasped, "Oh my God, you're hurt!"

Ethan's eyes flickered with concern, but it was fleeting, replaced quickly by a disdainful sneer.

He let out a mocking laugh, the sound piercing the air. "No wonder you've been so sarcastic since you walked in. You wanted to play the victim to get our attention."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze full of contempt. "Claire, drop the act. It's just irritating."

Adah's eyes filled with suspicion and a hint of disappointment. She frowned slightly, "Claire, is that true? How could you use an injury to scare us?"

Nathan snorted, "Old habits die hard, don't they?"

Claire never imagined this would be their response.

She froze, as if doused with ice-cold water, her heart sinking into a pit of despair.

She had thought her family, no matter how distant, wouldn't ignore her pain. Yet reality had struck her hard.

Not only did they ignore her, but they also accused her of faking her injury for sympathy.

At that moment, Claire felt utterly exhausted.

She no longer wished to argue with them.

It was pointless.

"Think what you want." Claire straightened her back, determined not to let the tears fall. She refused to show any weakness in front of them.

She hurried towards the storeroom.

"Stop right there!" Ethan shouted, jumping to his feet, his face still clouded with disdain and anger.

Claire halted and turned to face him, her gaze icy.

Ethan's heart skipped a beat under her stare, his mind going blank, forgetting entirely what he was about to say next.