Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 24

"Ethan, if you're having stomach pains, you should call a doctor, not me."

Ethan felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. All his hopes seemed laughably naive in the face of her calm indifference.

The pain overwhelmed him, and he dropped to his knees, clutching the railing with white-knuckled desperation, his eyes fixed on Claire through the bars.

Claire simply turned away, showing no intention of helping.

Her coldness ignited Nathan's fury. He shouted at her retreating figure, "Claire, get back here and fetch your brother's medication immediately!"

Adah, tears streaming down her face, pleaded, "Claire, you always took care of him when he had stomach issues. How can you just stand by and do nothing? We're family, how did it come to this?"

Even Vanessa joined in, her voice filled with righteous indignation, "Sister, I know you hold resentment from your five years in prison, but you can't gamble with Ethan's life. You know better than anyone which medicine helps him the most!"

paused in her tracks

you did notice my efforts all along. You just didn't care. Since that's the case, I'll

affection towards me, and now, I've nothing

Nathan, Adah, and

tearful eyes fixed on Claire. "Claire, it's not like that. You're the daughter I carried for nine months with all my heart. How could

up so rebellious and spiteful, always targeting Vanessa, we'd never have brought you back. You wouldn't

quieted as she tugged at Nathan's sleeve. "Don't

snort, Nathan shot Claire a fierce

if my sister resents me. I did take the place of a Linwood daughter and received love that should have been

makes her happy, I'm willing to

leave. Just don't upset our parents again, and please, don't