Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 414

The family I had longed for never once longed for me.

June 21, 2007. Monday. Drizzling.

Today, I got punished again.

The injustice and helplessness weighed so heavily on me, I started to wonder if this house had ever truly been my home.

Before I left for school this morning, I scribbled a note and left it on the kitchen table: If you don't want me here, maybe I should just go back to the orphanage.

If there's no love left, there's no point in torturing each other like this.

After all, I've gotten used to being alone. Loneliness is a lot easier to bear than the feeling of being looked down on every day.

With these tangled thoughts, I trudged to school, dragging my feet. All day, I couldn't focus-memories of everything that had happened at home kept looping in my mind.

So, when classes ended that evening, I biked straight back to the orphanage.

sharp, soaking through my clothes as I rode. But when the familiar gates of

even had a chance to get off my bike, I saw the Linwood family's

out. He took one look at me, drenched and shivering, and without a word of concern, slapped me hard across

crack of his hand echoed through the drizzle, stinging my

rising with fury: "Ungrateful brat! We've been searching for you all these years. We finally bring you home, and the first thing you do is cause trouble?

wild with anger, as

I'm not trying to threaten you, I

I could finish, my mother cut

crying, her voice shaking as she accused me, “You come back this late-where have you been? Are you running around with the wrong crowd?

were full of disappointment and anger, her

ever embarrass the Linwood family, I'll break

their eyes, I was nothing but a criminal. Any

dragged me back to the Linwood house by

inside, my brother turned to me

going

change my life. How