Clark Family Manor...
Inside the Guest Room...
Tony’s servant Maria silently left after placing the tea.
Tony and Lily were alone in that guest room.
Only two cups of tea rested upon the wooden table between them, neither touched since Tony entered the room.
Lily Frost stood before the window with her back facing him, silently watching the moonlight pouring into the courtyard.
Her shoulders remained perfectly still, yet Tony could clearly feel the storm hidden beneath that calm exterior.
He slowly took his seat without saying anything. There was no need to hurry. He knew Lily well enough to understand that if she had travelled alone to the Clark Family Manor in the middle of the night, then she hadn’t come merely to quarrel.
She wanted answers. Whether she accepted those answers was another matter entirely.
Finally Lily broke the silence without turning around. "Tony Clark..." she said quietly, "...tell me honestly. Am I really so insignificant in your eyes?"
Tony frowned slightly. "Where did that come from? Didn’t I mention it clearly in my letter?"
Lily slowly turned around, her beautiful face carrying neither tears nor anger, only disappointment.
"The entire martial world is laughing at me today. Everywhere I go, people whisper that Tony Clark publicly acknowledged another woman as his wife. Some pity me. Some mock me. Others say I should be grateful that you withdrew from the engagement before I was forced to reject you. Tell me..." She looked directly into his eyes. "...did you ever think about what those words would do to me?"
Tony calmly picked up the teacup before answering. "I did. I will do the same thing if needed. You told me that if I kept concubines or private relationships after marriage, you wouldn’t interfere."
"Exactly!" Lily immediately replied. "We belong to great martial families. I know how this world works. Powerful men often have political marriages, concubines, and women they care about. I accepted that long ago. I even told you myself that I wouldn’t stop you."
Her voice suddenly became much colder.
"But I never said you could stand before the entire continent and call another woman your wife. Those two words..." She clenched both fists. "...carry a completely different meaning."
"You’re right." Tony quietly placed the teacup back onto the table before speaking calmly.
"Then why?" she demanded immediately. "Why Emma?"
"Because she is my wife." Tony replied bluntly.
Lily stared blankly at him, convinced she had misheard. "What... Did you just say?"
"Emma Rock is my first wife."
Silence instantly filled the room. Even the candle flame seemed to stop dancing.
Lily’s lips parted slightly, yet no words came out. She simply stood there staring at Tony as though looking at a complete stranger. Nearly half a minute passed before she finally managed to speak.
"Stop joking."
Tony calmly shook his head. "I’m not... It really happened in the past."
"There is one truth that almost nobody knows," he said quietly. "The marriage between Emma and me was never born out of love. It was arranged by my family from the very beginning. Back then, the Clark Family discovered that Emma possessed the rare Yin Flower, something capable of helping me in my martial path.
They used every possible method to bring her into the family and forced that marriage upon her. On the wedding night, I absorbed the Yin Flower from her body. To everyone else, the marriage had already served its purpose.
Once the Yin Flower was gone, Emma lost her value in their eyes. The very next day, she was thrown out of the Clark Family like a piece of unwanted garbage. No explanation. No dignity. No justice. She walked away carrying nothing except humiliation and hatred."
Tony slowly lowered his gaze before continuing in a heavy voice.
"Can you really blame her for wanting revenge? If someone used you as a tool, took away the most precious thing you possessed, and discarded you the very next morning, would you simply smile and forgive them? Emma’s hatred wasn’t created overnight. It was nurtured by years of humiliation. That’s why she returned stronger. What I did was just to repay for what the Clark Family did to her... and because I was the one standing at the center of that tragedy."
"Why... Why didn’t you tell me?" Lily asked in shock.
Tony smiled helplessly.
Lily opened her mouth but couldn’t answer. Tony continued calmly, "Even I wasn’t sure whether the marriage carried any meaning. I thought everything would simply disappear once time passes." He looked toward the window before continuing. "But the moment Emma’s life was threatened before everyone..." He slowly exhaled. "...I couldn’t pretend nothing had happened."
Lily remained completely silent. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Suddenly she raised her head again.
"So... when you called Emma your wife..."
"I wasn’t lying."
Lily bit her lips tightly. "And the apology letter?" Tony answered just as calmly. "That was also genuine." Lily frowned deeply.
Tony continued, "Your family demanded an apology, compensation, greater bridal gifts, and absolute loyalty. They weren’t wrong to ask for those things. But after revealing Emma publicly, I no longer believed I had the right to continue asking you to marry me."
He looked directly into Lily’s eyes. "You deserved to know the truth before making any decision."
Lily remained motionless.
"I didn’t cancel the engagement because I disliked you." He smiled faintly. "I cancelled it because I believed you deserved the freedom to choose after knowing everything."
Lily lowered her head. Neither of them spoke for a long time. Finally she quietly asked, "If I had known from the beginning... would anything have changed?"
Tony honestly shook his head. "I don’t know." He smiled bitterly. "I’m not wise enough to answer that."
Another long silence filled the guest hall. Lily slowly stood up before walking toward the exit. Just as she reached the doorway, she suddenly stopped without looking back.
"Tony..." she called softly. "You really are an idiot."
Tony chuckled. "Many people have told me that."
Lily remained silent for another few seconds before speaking one final sentence. "You should have trusted me with the truth much earlier."
Without waiting for his reply, she quietly walked out of the guest hall.
Tony simply watched her departing figure until it completely disappeared into the moonlit courtyard. He did not try to stop her. He knew this was no longer a matter that could be resolved with a few clever words.
The decision now belonged entirely to Lily Frost.
-
Another day... Another dollar...