Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 295

The very first thing she did upon waking was look for Claire.

Her gaze darted desperately around the room, and the moment she spotted Claire sitting quietly on the sofa, she forgot all about her own weakness and disheveled state. Nothing else mattered.

Propping herself up with trembling hands, her legs barely supporting her, she half- crawled, half-stumbled toward Claire, inching forward with sheer determination.

Tears streamed down her face, unchecked and uncontrollable.

"Claire, I was wrong. I swear I'll never take Vanessa's side again. Please, please forgive me. Your brother-your brother's in prison because of Nathan, that monster. Claire, you're all I have left."

Adah's voice cracked with sobs, hoarse and filled with despair. As a mother, she collapsed at Claire's feet, weeping bitterly, pouring out her regret. She looked utterly broken, as wretched as a person could possibly be.

But Claire remained as she had been before-expressionless, unmoved, cold as stone.

She only glanced at Adah briefly, her eyes indifferent, before turning away.

That coldness, that utter lack of feeling, drove a knife straight into Adah's heart.

understood what it meant to be truly devastated-to lose

with her. There would

heart, leaving her gasping with

really going to be this heartless? Are you going to abandon your mother

never even lingered on her. She didn't hear, or didn't

this silence, this complete indifference, that hurt Adah even more than

with righteous fury. "Mrs. Linwood, you have no right to call Miss Claire heartless. In the three

to her family, you ignored her. Every month you sent a fortune to Vanessa, but

year round. You saw it and looked the other way. For three

threw a birthday party for Vanessa alone.

the table

her eyes full of contempt. "She was in high school, still growing, buried in homework—so hungry she was pale and thin, her hair brittle and lifeless. And you could

hit her like Nathan, or lied about her like Vanessa, but your cold indifference, your utter neglect those wounds cut

cruel thing you did, Mrs. Linwood. How dare you accuse Claire of being heartless? How dare you blame her for turning her back on you? Ask

kept these words bottled up

a crime she didn't commit, May had more than