Chapter 4Reborn from the Ruins of Marriage

With my luggage, I left the Thorne estate and found a cheap inn to stay in.

The next morning, someone pounded fiercely on my inn room door, waking me.

After checking in yesterday, I had only given my address to my closest friend, Lady Eleanor.

Opening the door, she stood there, her face anxious, holding up her mobile device for me to see.

News of Jack’s infidelity and my forced departure had exploded across the entire network.

#LordThorneSeeksThrillsWithParamourAsLadyOfTheManorSuffers

#LadyThorneHumiliated,FleesInTheNight

Lady Seraphina, a minor socialite with some online notoriety, instantly became a public enemy, savagely attacked by keyboard warriors.

Oh, this trick again. He’s deliberately orchestrating this, isn't he?

And boosting his own visibility at the same time, I suppose.

After all, infamy is still fame.

But Jack, lost in his own schemes, saw me and, without a word, slapped me.

"Clara, you venomous viper with a heart of vipers! No wonder you pretended not to care last night! You knew the scribes would be snapping pictures! You want to ruin Seraphina!"

"You've driven her to the brink of exile from society, and she still says she doesn't blame you! How can you be so ruthless!"

"Come with me to Seraphina's press conference right now! Apologize to her publicly and tell everyone she's innocent!"

Innocent?

I touched my stinging cheek, a laugh bubbling up.

"Whether she is innocent or not, isn't that for you to decide, not me?"

Jack refused to listen to a single word. He seized my collar and dragged me towards the press conference.

Seraphina’s face was unadorned, her eyes swollen and red like walnuts. She bowed at a ninety-degree angle, offering an apology.

Seeing my appearance, reporters immediately swarmed around.

"Lady Thorne, did you orchestrate those intimate images?"

"Lady Thorne, did Lady Seraphina truly interfere in your marriage with Lord Jack?"

Jack, standing beside me, glared at me with eyes as cold as ice.

I offered a faint smile, stepped forward, and helped Seraphina to her feet.

"Lady Seraphina, you have suffered undue distress. It is all my fault."

Then I lowered my head and bowed.

"Lady Seraphina is innocent; she is not a mistress. I am the hateful one, who deliberately forged images and fabricated false news to gain favor."

With that, I slapped myself across the face.

"Lady Seraphina and my husband are simply business associates. It was my strong jealousy that led me to frame her. I am a despicable wretch."

Then I slapped myself on the other cheek.

Seraphina trembled, watching me in terror.

"Such a terrifying woman! She appears to apologize, but in reality, she's constantly mocking and threatening!"

Someone in the audience shouted loudly, speaking up for Seraphina.

She conveniently buckled at the knees, collapsing onto the ground, looking as if she were about to faint.

Jack lunged forward, sweeping her into his arms, then glared at me.

"Clara, kneel! Apologize properly!"

Seraphina, still clutched in his arms, distinctly flashed a look of triumph at me.

I suddenly recalled that desperate kneeling in the torrential rain half a month ago, which not only caused my premature labor but also made me the laughingstock of the entire city.

Now, under hundreds of lenses, if I were to kneel before Seraphina, I would completely lose all dignity.

Jack’s lips curved into a cold sneer. He had someone bring Lady Eleanor’s employee badge from Thorne Holdings and threw it at my feet.

The meaning was clear.

Obey and kneel, or save my friend’s livelihood. A choice between the two.

I raised my head, refusing to let tears fall.

My knees slowly descended to the ground. The crowd erupted in murmurs.

I spoke, my voice hoarse.

"I, Clara Miller, was a student from the impoverished Northern Peaks, aided by the Thorne Charitable Bursary. Years ago, I saved Dowager Countess Thorne's life."

"It was I who wished to rise above my station, leveraging that debt of gratitude to force Jack Thorne to break off his true affection with Lady Seraphina and take me as his wife."

Jack stared at me in disbelief, as if he hadn't imagined I would so thoroughly sacrifice my own reputation to validate their connection.

And then, the tears I had desperately held back finally streamed down my cheeks.

All debts to the Thorne family, cancelled.

After the press conference, Jack didn’t see me.

Throughout the night, his heart pounded erratically, and his eye twitched incessantly.

All he saw before him was my face as I knelt in the pouring rain, and as I knelt before Seraphina at the press conference.

A face that had moved from despair to a haunting tranquility.

Just as he could no longer bear it and was about to rush out to find me, his secretary burst in.

"Lord Jack, something terrible has happened! Lady Clara… she has fallen from the cliffs!"