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.

but the more she resisted, the worse the beatings became. For the sake of her life, she swallowed her

she managed to scrape by with her knack

made her way

past Vincent, her expression remained neutral, not even sparing him a glance. The oversized T-shirt barely touched Vincent's fingertips, feeling as empty as if it were

that moment, the world around him seemed

with pain and loneliness, his heart constricted by an invisible force, each

would follow him

the orphanage, supporting each other through thick and thin. Whenever he

now, times had changed. She treated him like he didn't exist, not even

to speak, but he found his throat constricted,

the back seat of the car, her eyes taking in the traces of another woman's presence. The passenger seat was adorned with a fluffy pink cushion, and a row of adorable strawberry bears lined the dashboard. The woman in the rearview mirror was more mature and alluring than the last time Claire had seen

radiant smile revealed a life of privilege and care, like a cherished daughter of a

Claire, reminding her that she

it all with indifference, but seeing it with her own eyes still made her heart ache at the