Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 87

Ethan couldn't help but raise his voice when he saw Claire's indifference. "Claire!"

But Claire acted as if she hadn't heard him. She walked straight to the dining table, picked up a fork, and began eating on her own.

Her blatant disregard for Nathan's condition left both Adah and Ethan feeling cold-hearted and disillusioned.

Tears streaming down her face, Adah implored, "Claire, have you no heart? Your father is in such a state, and you can still think about food?"

Claire picked up a piece of roast beef and chewed it slowly.

Delicious!

It was almost laughable. At twenty-three, it was the first time she had tasted such succulent roast beef.

Back at the orphanage, there was never roast beef to be had.

After returning to the Linwood family, meals consisted of leftovers and cold dishes.

The irony was that it wasn't until she was in prison that she tasted hot, freshly cooked meals. If it weren't for Brian's special arrangements for her in prison, she would have believed the life there was far better than at the orphanage or with the Linwoods.

Once she'd swallowed her mouthful, she spoke slowly, "Haven't you already shattered my heart with your heartlessness? Why is it that when I treat you the way you treated me, you can't stand it?"

She recalled the Chinese New Year during her senior year of high school. She had a high fever for three days and nights, bedridden in the storage room, but no one from the Linwood family so much as glanced her way. No one brought her water or food, leaving her to fend for herself.

It was only when May returned from her holiday that she found Claire barely clinging to life. Had May come back a day later, Claire might have died in that storage room.

If she had died, the Linwood family probably wouldn't have even noticed.

May, feeling sorry for her, mentioned it to Nathan and Adah. And what did Nathan say?

"She's tough; there's no way she'd die from a fever. She's just pretending to be sick for sympathy. I know her better than you do, May. If you're so free, why don't you go shovel the snow off the driveway?"

Adah sighed, "Oh, Claire, even if you're upset with us, you shouldn't hide in your room for three days without eating or drinking. What if you hurt yourself?"

So, Adah had known all along that she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for three days, yet she didn't care.