Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 387

Mandy nodded desperately, tears streaming down her face in an endless torrent.

"Alright, I promise you-anything you want, as long as you stay alive, I'll do it. I swear."

She clutched Claire's hand tightly, her voice hoarse and pleading, teetering on the edge of despair. "Claire, please, hold on. The doctors will help you. They'll fix this. You just have to hang in there."

Every breath Claire took was agony, as if shards of glass scraped her lungs. Each inhale felt like a new, unbearable torment.

A bitter, metallic taste rose in her throat. She forced herself to swallow it down, determined not to let anyone worry more than they already did.

"Mandy, don't cry..."

But Mandy's vision was blurred by tears. She could barely make out Claire's face through the haze. She wiped at her eyes in a frantic attempt to clear them, desperate to remember Claire's features, but the more she wiped, the more the tears flowed, unstoppable and wild.

With what little strength she had left, Claire lifted her trembling hand, thin as a skeleton, and gently brushed away Mandy's tears. "Don't be sad."

The more Claire tried to comfort them, the more everyone in the room felt their hearts shatter.

violently, and her breathing grew ragged and shallow, as if the weight of

back their

to make any of them

poison would bring everything to

it because she knew there was hardly any chance of surviving that

she'd downed the entire bottle, convinced that this would be the end. But fate had other plans; somehow, she'd been

heartbreak of those around her-a sight that filled her

wanted to say something, to ease their agony. But as soon as she opened

lips and nose, staining the crisp white sheets with deep, shocking red. Blood began to seep from her eyes and ears as

features twisted in pain, looking for all the world like a tormented soul clawing its way out

her voice raw,

Overwhelmed by grief, terror, and despair, her body gave out her vision went dark, and

froze at the sight, his whole body trembling.

sorrow, saw Sean's ashen face twisted with despair, saw the others standing there, terrified and helpless...

in the hospital

at the sound of frantic shouts, wheeling Claire away to the