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.

her head with icy determination, Claire gazed at Nathan, whose face was contorted with anger, devoid of any fatherly affection. Adah looked on with a pained expression but made no move to 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 grievances erupted like

flipped the dining table with

and cutlery clattered to the ground, creating

back in shock, while Vanessa let out a shrill scream. "Claire, have you

me this way?" Claire screamed, her voice raw with emotion. "What did I ever

at the corner of her mouth as they rolled

attempting to reach out to Claire, only to be pushed away forcefully. "Claire, calm down. We are family. Can't we discuss things without resorting

"You ungrateful child, how dare you

whispered, "Sister, please don't do this. It's all my fault,

mouths moving, their expressions

desperately roaring, but couldn't even hear

towards the door, her vision blurring,

of strength to stay upright, her legs gave way