Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 4

As Ethan's words hung in the air, a heavy silence filled the car. He glanced at Claire in the rearview mirror, his frustration evident.

"Claire, I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?"-

Finally, Claire turned to face him, her voice steady as she spoke the longest sentence she'd uttered since her release.

"According to the National Prison Act, Article 48, inmates are entitled to meet with family or guardians during their incarceration."

"Inmates typically get a visit once a month, each lasting from half an hour to an hour."

"I served five years, a total of sixty months. I was supposed to see my family sixty times. Yet, not once did I get a visit."

"If your parents missed me so much, why didn't they visit? Were they so busy they couldn't spare even half an hour each month?"

Her voice was calm, but every word pierced through Ethan's fabricated story like a sharp blade.

guilt. The anger he had been

the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles whitening with the

were too much trouble. Mom and Dad thought it was best for you to stay there and learn to mend your ways. They were

her own good,

fall for

energy to care anymore. She turned her gaze out the window, not wanting to look

pulled into the Linwood family

shopping

inside. He stopped abruptly, as if remembering Claire, and turned back with an awkward smile still lingering on his

into something appropriate for the party,"

five long years, this house still felt alien to Claire. It had never felt like home, lacking even the smallest hint of warmth. The orphanage, in contrast, had been more

others. Sunlight would flood the space each morning, creating a cozy atmosphere. She loved the sun-drenched scent of her blanket, a rare

her home, she realized it wasn't the sunlit warmth she longed for,

door to

was small, windowless, and crowded with boxes. The only