Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 421

Ethan struggled to rise, but his efforts were useless; it was as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.

He stared in despair at Claire's photograph on the headstone. The gentle eyes and soft smile that once brought him comfort now felt like a blade, sharp and merciless, cutting straight into his heart.

The pain was overwhelming.

Blood welled up in his mouth again and splattered across Claire's headstone.

Sean's expression tightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face.

Amara, without a shred of sympathy, shoved the suffering Ethan aside. "Get away. You're making a mess of my mother's grave."

She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the blood from the marble, her small hands careful and reverent.

Though Amara was just a child, the look in her eyes as she gazed at the headstone was full of devotion and aching tenderness, as if she were tending to the most precious thing in the world-something sacred, untouchable.

Ethan lifted his head, anguish twisting his features. His eyes were bloodshot, as if tears could no longer contain all the pain inside him.

He glared at Sean, gritting his teeth. "Did you tell her everything about Claire?" Sean looked down at him, making no attempt to deny it. "I did."

Rage flared in Ethan's eyes. "Sean, why would you tell a child things like that? She's just a kid-how could she possibly handle it?"

curled into a cold half-smile. "How I raise my daughter is

will never be naïve. We give her all the love we have, but she's not

that's why people like you took advantage of her. But my

finished cleaning the headstone and finally

her features sent a chill down his spine. She looked so much

grateful for my father's way of raising me. I can be

that words so

whole body trembled uncontrollably. "Amara, I know

an adult's

a child's face. "You realized

too

tan uncle like you."

for what you did to her, then

like a thunderclap, leaving him hollow and

desperate to touch the cold stone, but Amara slapped his hand away without

"Don't touch my mother."

was barely

"Is there any

make it right? Even if it means