Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 282

She scrubbed furiously at the tears streaming down her face and pushed herself to her feet, wanting to help the Coles.

But the moment she stood, a searing pain ripped through her chest. Her vision blurred, the room spun, and before she could steady herself, her knees buckled and she collapsed toward the floor.

"Claire !"

Aberdeen, Grace, and May cried out in alarm.

The three elderly women, already trembling with rage and red-eyed after hearing Irene's account, rushed forward to catch her. But Sean reached her first, gathering Claire's limp body into his arms.

She looked up at him, but her vision was so clouded with tears, the harder she tried to focus, the more her tears fell.

Even her voice sounded foreign and hoarse as she choked out, "Mr. Foster..."

"I'm here," he replied, steady and close.

"My heart... it hurts so much."

words-but each one landed like a hammer blow

had

into the hospital. Not when Jeffry uncovered all those painful secrets. Never before had she confessed, with such agony,

her tears, meeting her eyes with unwavering seriousness. "Don't be afraid. Whatever you want to do, I'll stand by you-no

he meant, and the dam broke again; new

she didn't want to suppress her

flung her arms around his waist, burying her face in the warmth and safety of his chest, whispering over and over, "Thank you. Thank

how she would have gone on. Maybe, before the truth ever came to light,

the living

up in her grief; tears welled in their eyes and quietly slipped down

Karin were overwhelmed by a storm of emotions. Their daughter had suffered in Claire's stead-had ended up in a coma because of it. By all rights, they should have hated Claire. They'd already tried to take their revenge. But looking at her now, so broken and vulnerable, they

a long time before Claire's sobs finally

sounded from

father. I've come to compensate you for your

was now paralyzed from the waist down and

money in his hand had come from selling off the last of