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.

eyes betrayed a mix of panic and guilt. The anger he had been ready to unleash was caught in his throat, unable

Ethan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles whitening with

Mom and Dad thought it was best for you to stay

her own good,

taking the fall for

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

car pulled into the Linwood family estate's

grabbing a shopping bag from

as if remembering Claire, and turned back with an awkward

something appropriate for the party," he instructed, before disappearing

It had never felt like home, lacking

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

what should have been her home, she realized it wasn't the sunlit warmth she longed for, but the damp, stale smell

the door to her

was small, windowless, and crowded with boxes. The only furniture was a folding