Chapter Four

If the previous revenge was about cutting off wealth, then that night, they touched my soul.

In the dead of night, like a ghost sneaking into forbidden territory, I scaled the wall I had once reinforced to protect her . I simply wanted to retrieve those few little clothes that belonged to Lily, which had been left deep in the closet.

The manor under the night sky was blindingly luxurious, every corner revealing the tireless efforts I had made for the Victoria family.

I evaded all the infrared scanners and silently climbed to the second floor. The curtains were not drawn, and the light from the study shone on Leon's repulsive face, while also illuminating Victoria's still aloof profile.

“That brat’s grave?” Leon scoffed, tossing his lighter high into the air. “That plot of land is on the back hill of the family estate; it’s unlucky to look at it every time I pass by. Arthur stole the ashes, didn’t he? Fine, now all that’s left in the grave are a few tattered clothes. Tomorrow I’ll take some men to fill it up. Once the bulldozers are over, there won’t be any trace left, and it’ll also lessen the bad luck on your grave.”

My heart felt like it had been struck hard with a blunt instrument. I had sat by that grave countless times until dawn; it was my only sanctuary on the edge of madness.

Victoria’s hand traced lightly on the rim of her wine glass. She was silent for a moment, her brow not even furrowing, as if discussing how to dispose of an out-of-season old dress: “…Don’t make too much of a fuss. I don’t want this to be brought up by the media or criticized by those old-fashioned relatives.”

“Don’t worry , darling, I’ve already arranged everything. I guarantee no one will know.” Leon had already dialed the phone . “ Let’s get started now, quickly. ”

I rushed to the cemetery like a madman.

But it was too late.

The bulldozer rolled over the lawn, and the tombstone where Lily lay in eternal slumber shattered in an instant.

Their movements were so practiced, like clearing away a pile of garbage. Lily's coffin—the wooden box I had personally chosen, covered in delicate lace—was roughly lifted horizontally by the excavator's shovel and slammed heavily against the rocks. The crisp sound of the planks breaking felt like a direct explosion into my heart.

I hid behind the shade of an oak tree, my eyes bloodshot. I couldn't go out; I couldn't die now. Although my reason was almost torn apart by rage at this moment, I knew that if I rushed over, I would be riddled with bullets by these twelve armed bodyguards. No one would be able to collect Lily's body, and no one would be able to avenge her.

I could only cower in the darkness, my nails digging into the bark, blood dripping from my palms. I stared intently at them, each ferocious expression, each step on the coffin, branded onto my retina like a brand.

One of the thugs pulled Lily's little pink floral dress from the coffin; it was the dress I had personally put on her on her third birthday. He impatiently tossed it into the mud, chuckling to his companion, "Look at the material of this rag, it's actually quite soft, perfect for applying machine oil."

At that moment, I felt something inside me die completely. Arthur, who had once endured any humiliation from Victoria for a single word, sank into the mud along with that dress.

I watched them pour in cement, watched the land that once bloomed with wildflowers turn into a desolate, pale wasteland. I wasn't just watching Lily's cenotaph being destroyed; I was witnessing my remaining life being buried alive.

After they left, I stumbled into the mud pit like a walking corpse. The cold cement hadn't fully hardened, and a chill seeped into my fingertips. I frantically dug with my hands, but only touched broken wood and mud.

I found the floral dress; it was torn in one corner and covered in machine oil. I knelt in the mud, clutching the tattered fabric, a dying cry escaping my throat, but no tears fell—for my tears had dried the day Lily left. I pressed the muddy clump against my chest; in this desolate cemetery, I dared not even breathe loudly, as if the slightest movement would cause the last trace of "softness" in Lily's being to vanish.

Back at the hotel, I was soaked to the bone, like a prisoner crawled back from hell.

I scrubbed the stains on the dress repeatedly with the basin of cold water, changing the water again and again until it was no longer murky, even washing away the traces of blood. The fabric was badly worn, but it was clean. I sat there, guarding it, in the corner, for the entire night.

The next morning, the sun rose as usual, and the outside world was bright and beautiful.

I finally understand how ridiculous the fragile family I used to try so hard to protect was.

I thought she was just annoyed with me, so I tolerated her affair with Leon. But I never expected that she didn't even care about Lily.

Victoria... she doesn't deserve to be Lily's mother at all.

I looked at the divorce agreement the lawyer had once sent me, listing the divorce settlement Victoria had generously given me.

I didn't tear it up. I simply took a red pen and, on that map, drew a deep red circle around the location of every core member of the Victoria family.

Lily was gone. From that moment on, there was no one in this world I needed to love, nothing I needed to protect.

Victoria, since you so desperately want to erase all traces of Lily, then I will turn your entire life in this world into ruins. This isn't revenge; this is reckoning.

I will make you lose everything.