Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 399

The Foster Family

The sewing room was shrouded in gloom, heavy curtains shutting out every ray of sunlight. The air inside was thick with a suffocating silence, as if the room itself had given up breathing.

Sean slumped in a chair by the window, his figure gaunt and drawn. His pajamas -once crisp and elegant, always a mark of his refined taste-now hung limply from his thin frame, wrinkled and unkempt.

His eyes were hollow, staring at nothing, as if his soul had quietly slipped away, leaving only an empty shell in its place.

In his hands he clutched a piece of embroidery, *Radiant Beauty*. His long fingers traced the delicate threads again and again, moving with a gentle, absentminded tenderness. It was as if he was searching for a lingering trace of Claire's warmth in the fabric, desperate to hold on to what was lost.

The door creaked softly open. Grace stood on the threshold.

The moment she saw Sean-so pale, so haggard her eyes filled with tears.

Her voice trembled with worry and affection as she called quietly, "Master Sean, please come downstairs for some dinner."

But Sean didn't even seem to hear her. He gave no sign that her words had registered.

her throat felt blocked.

head, she turned away, her footsteps heavy with

as she stepped into the hallway, she nearly

dignified, now moved with a slight stoop. Her eyes were ringed with exhaustion, and it seemed as if she had aged ten years in a

over a month now. If he's not drinking, he's sitting here, just staring at Claire's embroidery all day long. I'm worried his body won't

the mention of Claire, Grace couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They spilled over, her

such a good girl-how could she be

God is so unfair.

filled with

as if someone had ripped her heart in two. She'd fainted more than once. For over a month now, she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. Every quiet night brought back memories of Claire's sweet smile, her gentle, thoughtful

just begun

the dead could not return. The

stepped to the doorway of the sewing room, peering inside with

silence inside was absolute.

her, too? But she's gone, Sean. She wouldn't want to see you like this. You

no answer. No matter what she said, Sean remained motionless, lost in his own