Crimson Petals, Shattered Glass

Previously

…The shattered glass of her past was sharp, and Elias was a formidable force. But for the first time in a long time, Sarah felt a flicker of hope, a tiny flame that, nourished by the garden’s magic, had the potential to grow into a roaring fire. She looked at the petal in her hand, its vibrant crimson a promise. She was not just a wilting flower. She was a bloom, waiting for her season. And her season, she suspected, was about to begin. The thought, once terrifying, now felt like a whispered invitation to a life she had long forgotten was possible. A life where her own petals could finally unfurl, bold and beautiful, in the warm sunlight of her own making.