Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 32

"Enough!" Nathan shouted, his entire body trembling with rage. He abruptly stood up from his seat and stormed over to Claire, delivering a stinging slap across her face without a second thought.

The sound of the slap echoed in the room, and Claire was knocked onto the dining table. Her plate crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

Her face swelled almost instantly, her lip split, and blood trickled down, staining the pristine white tablecloth with sharp contrast.

Already struggling with hearing loss in her right ear, the impact left her momentarily deaf, her mind buzzing as if a swarm of bees had taken up residence.

Did it hurt?

To Claire, the pain was familiar. After all, she'd grown accustomed to it during her time in prison.

But familiarity didn't equate to forgiveness.

intervene. Ethan furrowed his brow, a flicker of something complex passing through his eyes before they hardened once more. Vanessa's glee was thinly veiled, her schadenfreude barely concealed. Years of suppressed

flipped the

food, and cutlery clattered to the ground, creating a mess of epic

and Adah stumbled back in shock, while Vanessa let out a shrill scream. "Claire, have

her voice raw

down her face, mingling with the blood at the corner of her mouth

to reach out to Claire, only to be pushed away forcefully. "Claire, calm down. We are family. Can't we discuss

child, how dare you act out like this? Look at yourself; you're an embarrassment to

from behind Nathan, whispered, "Sister, please don't do this. It's

only saw their mouths moving, their expressions a

a trapped animal, desperately roaring, but

her vision blurring, the world spinning

upright, her legs gave way and she