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.

of panic and guilt. The anger he had been

on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles whitening with

Mom and Dad thought it was best for you to stay there and learn to

own good,

of her best interest" meant taking the fall for Vanessa, enduring

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

car pulled into

shopping

abruptly, as if remembering Claire, and

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

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

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

door

windowless, and crowded with boxes. The only furniture was a folding cot and an old