Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 3

She knew there was no escaping her fate now.

Vincent had once been the person she trusted and relied on the most, but now he was the one she loathed and wanted to avoid more than anyone else.-

Faced with the choice of confronting Vincent or leaving with Ethan, she opted for the latter. At least Ethan had always been upfront about his dislike for her.

From the very first day she entered the Linwood family, Ethan had made it clear, "Even if we share the same bloodline, to me, Vanessa is my only sister. You'd better behave yourself. If I catch you mistreating Vanessa, I won't let it slide."

With Ethan, there was no false hope, and therefore, no excessive disappointment. The psychological wounds inflicted in his presence were minimal compared to those left by someone she once held dear.

The prison taught her a valuable lesson.

When you're powerless and alone, the only way to survive is by minimizing harm however you can.

So, when her cellmates mocked her, forcing her to choose between a disfigured face and a slap, she chose the slap. When faced with the choice between a beating and humiliation, she chose the latter. Between drinking toilet water and barking like a dog, she opted for the latter.

had fought back fiercely at first, but the more she resisted, the worse the beatings became. For the sake of her life, she swallowed her pride and

thrown into a den of ruthless criminals, she managed to scrape by with her knack for avoiding

made her way to Ethan's

The oversized T-shirt barely touched Vincent's fingertips, feeling as empty as if

in mid-air, and in that moment, the world around him seemed to come to a standstill, leaving only the cold, hollow sensation at his

eyes flickered with pain and loneliness, his heart constricted by an invisible force, each beat accompanied

a time, her gaze would follow him everywhere, filled with trust and

supporting each other through thick and thin. Whenever he called out to Claire, she would

changed. She treated him like he didn't exist, not

but he found his throat constricted, unable to utter

cushion, and a row of adorable strawberry bears lined the dashboard.

of privilege and care,

happiness seemed to mock Claire, reminding her that she was

face it all with indifference, but seeing it with her own eyes still