Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

The scene unfolding before Claire was painfully familiar—almost a mirror image of that moment in her past life, when she'd been framed and had no way to defend herself. Once again, Vanessa pinned the blame on her, as if she were born to bear the brunt of other people's crimes.

But this time, there was one crucial difference. Instead of Nathan standing at Vanessa's side, it was Ethan.

Claire's heart clenched as she balled her fists, forcing herself to meet Ethan's gaze.

Last time, Ethan hadn't known the truth. He'd only heard Vanessa's version of events and, without hesitation, had taken the stand to give false testimony against Claire. His words had sent her straight to prison.

But this time, he'd seen it all with his own eyes-Vanessa pushing Cordelia down the stairs. Claire wondered what he would say now, confronted by the truth.

Ethan stood frozen, shock written all over his face.

In his mind, Vanessa had always been the sweet, lovable little sister-a girl who could do no wrong. He would never have imagined she'd push someone down the stairs, and then try to frame someone else for it.

Meeting Claire's cold, searching eyes, Ethan felt a wave of guilt he couldn't quite explain. It was as if he'd wronged her deeply before, even though they'd only met twice in their lives.

As Ethan struggled to find his footing, Vanessa suddenly grabbed his arm, panic etched across her face. "Ethan, please help me. I'm scared. I didn't mean to do it."

"Help you? How am I supposed to help you?" Ethan stammered.

Vanessa's grip tightened. "It's just the three of us here. If you say it was her who pushed Cordelia, everyone will believe you."

Ethan's body stiffened, certain he must have misheard. He stared at Vanessa, searching for a trace of the sister he thought he knew. When had she become this person?

A prickling irritation crept up inside him, but after all, she was the Linwood family's darling—the golden child he'd watched grow up. Was he really going to destroy her for the sake of an outsider?

Resolving himself, Ethan's eyes turned steely as he looked at Claire. He raised a finger and pointed at her. "I can testify. It was you who pushed her down the stairs."

The silence that followed was absolute-so thick it felt suffocating.

As the words left his mouth, Ethan seemed to shrink, all strength draining out of him. He dropped his gaze, unable to look at Claire again. He was terrified of meeting her eyes, of seeing the hatred he was sure was there.

But for once, Claire wasn't angry. She wasn't even surprised.

She'd learned a long time ago that Ethan would always take Vanessa's side, and that in the eyes of the Linwoods, she hardly counted for anything. How could she be

vermet

disappointed when she'd already let go of any hope?

A mocking smile tugged at her lips.

The same scene, the same accusation-but her heart was no longer the same.

Last time, she'd fought with everything she had, shaking her head, sobbing, screaming that it wasn't her-that Vanessa was the real culprit. No one had believed her.

But this time, there was no point in struggling or arguing. She knew one thing for certain: the Tempest family would believe her.

She was no longer the helpless, unwanted Claire who'd been bullied and left to fend for herself.

She was Claire Tempest now. And she wouldn't be anyone's scapegoat.

Claire stared unflinchingly at Ethan and Vanessa, then suddenly let out a laugh-

a sharp, derisive sound that echoed through the stairwell.

"You two really are a piece of work. Not only are you cruel, but you're spectacularly stupid." She pointed upward. "See that? The security camera caught everything. And you still thought you could frame me?"

Both Ethan and Vanessa looked up in unison, faces draining of color as they spotted the camera.noveldrama

Claire smirked.

In her last life

she'd ended up in

prison largely because Adah had

deleted the security footage, leaving her with no way to prove her innocence. The Linwoods had

thrown her to the wolves, and she'd had no choice but to accept her fate.

Not this time.