Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 52

Nathan was shaking with rage at Claire's words, his face turning from a steely gray to a deep, livid red.

"Shut up!" he bellowed.

"Did I hit a nerve, Mr. Linwood?" Claire shot back. "Five years ago, Vanessa pushed Irene down the stairs and framed me for it. Now, she's staged her own fall just to blame me again. You know how malicious she is, yet you still accuse me. You're not blind; you're just choosing to look the other way."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm really your daughter or your enemy. You'd betray your own blood for an adopted child."

"Unless Vanessa is your child with some mistress? Is that why she means so much to you?"

Nathan flared up as if a hidden secret had been exposed, his anger boiling over.

"You ungrateful girl! If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'm not your father."

In his fury, Nathan unbuckled his belt, raising it high before bringing it down on Claire with a forceful swing.

vivid welt on Claire's arm. The pain was sharp, like a knife slicing

pained grunt as her body instinctively curled up, trying

unrestrained force, each lash landing

eyes flickering with a mix of

fell on Vanessa's pitiful figure in her arms, the fleeting empathy was crushed by cold

with worry, pleaded, "Sir, please stop! Miss Claire is already injured. If you

moment, Nathan was like a wild beast, his strikes not only unrelenting

belt whipped through the air with a

skin, new wounds layering over old

of color, her body trembling uncontrollably from the pain, struggling to evade, but her broken leg made

back, but against Nathan's towering male strength, she was utterly

the agony, Claire finally succumbed, tears of helplessness spilling down

May's eyes

believe Claire had pushed Vanessa. It was Vanessa, with

her teeth, throwing caution aside as she rushed forward, using her own body to shield