Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 273

Inside the holding cell, the dim yellow light filtered through the iron bars, casting broken shadows across the floor. The air was thick with a stifling sense of gloom and oppression.

Jarrod and Karin sat side by side outside the cell, separated from Brian by those cold, unforgiving metal bars—a barrier that felt as impassable as a chasm, keeping them apart from their son.

Brian was a shadow of the man they remembered. His hair was a tangled mess, stubble covered his gaunt face, and he'd lost so much weight his clothes seemed to hang off him. Dark shadows ringed his hollow eyes, which stared blankly ahead, stripped of their old fire and confidence. There was nothing left of the proud, charismatic young man he'd once been-just emptiness, numbness, and a heartbreaking sense of defeat that clung to him.

Neither Jarrod nor Karin had ever seen Brian so broken.

He had always been their pride and joy. From boyhood, Brian had been strikingly handsome, effortlessly charming, and carried himself with a refined confidence that made him stand out wherever he went the golden son of the Cole family.

But now, seeing him like this, so beaten down and lost, Jarrod and Karin felt their hearts twist with pain.

Karin's eyes brimmed with tears, her voice thick with emotion. "Brian, how are they treating you in here?"

Jarrod tried to keep his own grief in check. "Don't worry, son. Your mother and I- we'll get you out of here soon."

But while his parents were overcome with concern and longing, Brian's mind was a mess of anxiety and guilt. He kept his head lowered, eyes darting away from theirs, terrified they would bring up Irene.

of course, that was

few words of comfort, the conversation shifted. Karin's tone grew urgent, tinged with fear. "Brian, honey, tell me did Irene

He felt his breath

he stammered, the lie

can't keep things from us. We just came

pale, panic flashing across

keep hiding it, but he still couldn't bring himself to confess.

his voice stern. "Brian, did

first instinct

couldn't bring himself to believe Vanessa was guilty. Otherwise, why would he have kept blocking Claire from seeking the truth, or sent Irene overseas, desperate to cover everything

Watching Brian's evasive eyes and anxious

mother and I will find out the truth as soon as we visit the hospital. How long do

said nothing, locked in

in a coma, Vanessa would face prison. And Brian-he'd never be able to look Claire in the

after she served five years in prison for something she didn't do, even after all she'd endured, he couldn't stop caring for her couldn't stop wanting to bring her