Despite her fear, Betty didn’t retreat.She rushed toward Diana. She stuck out her chest, and said, “Don’t bully my mommy!”“Me? Bully her?” Cecilia laughed out loud at the sight of the little girl.Just last night, they were sharing a meal on the same table. Betty even shared her doll with Cecilia. It was pink, with a bow in its hair.The bow was coming loose, and didn’t look the way it should. Cecilia even retrieved a sewing kit to fix the bow on the doll. Betty had hugged her and thanked her sweetly.But now, everything had changed the moment Diana was involved.Betty glared angrily at Cecilia, as if she was the most evil and wicked person in the world.“This vixen was the one who bullied me first!” Cecilia yelled. She wanted to declare her frustrations to everyone, and announced, “Last time, I should’ve dragged her by her hair to the toilet and pressed her head down in the water!“I should never have spared her!“So that she could come and seduce my man!”Her symptoms w
Was her darling Betty…Was she ill again?Betty finally looked up. She stretched her pudgy hands to caress Diana’s cheek. “Mommy,” she said, “Don’t be sad. I know that Cecilia is sick. But…”Hearing Betty form complete sentences and express herself clearly, Diana was relieved.She looked back and forth between her adorable daughter and son. She started kissing their cheeks many times.Ever since she had children, just looking their puffy cheeks always gave her the urge to kiss them without stopping. Once was never enough.But Betty clearly had something to say, so Diana had to hold back and encourage her to go on. “But what?”Betty’s fists clenched tight.“But…” She looked down uneasily. When she looked up once more, her eyes were red. “Mommy…”“Yes?”“What is…a bitch?”A young child like Betty didn’t know if that was a good word or not, but she wanted to know what it meant since it was what Cecilia used to describe her mommy.“And vixen...a vixen is a vixen. Why was it u
It was so comforting.Sean never thought of giving up on her. Despite Diana’s imperfections, he still loved her so much.“Mommy, why are you crying?” Betty asked. She didn’t understand what they were talking about or why her mommy was crying one second and laughing the next. She was never as intelligent as Sean.Nonetheless, she was still a heart-warming little darling.Diana looked at her two well-behaved darlings, and wiped her tears away. Smiling, she said, “Nothing.”She wondered what good she had done in her life to deserve these two amazing children.She looked at Betty’s chubby face. It seemed just yesterday that Diana was holding little Betty in her arms right after birth, face all red and wrinkly.“Thank you.”Giving birth to her twins and raising them wasn’t tough at all. Conversely, they had brought her so many beautiful life experiences.They let her know what it felt like to be needed so much, and to be chosen so decisively every time.They loved her.Just a
It was as if she was going to disappear from his side at any moment—just like before.“Don’t look at me like I’m a stranger. I was looking everywhere for you because I have good news…”“Today!” Diana said, cutting him off. Her voice was so wispy, it didn’t sound like she was talking about something that made her heart so heavy. Instead, it sounded like a casual conversation.Yet, the resolve in her voice was clear.She interrupted his eager babbling. The thought of what happened earlier made her feel disgusted with herself. “Betty asked me what a vixen and a bitch is,” she continued. Recalling the innocent look Betty gave her just now, Diana felt terrible.However, she pushed her feelings to the depths of her heart, and went on, “I couldn’t answer her.”She didn’t know how to explain such words to her children. She didn’t even want her children hearing these words in the first place.“Sean could also tell that there were problems between us.”Sean simply chose not to talk a
Julian had been lying to himself and to everyone else.Over the past three years, he had been trying hard to make himself forget about the pain from his sickness—his wild yearning for her even as he fought for his own life, how he had been humbled enough to pray that if the heavens allowed him to leave, he could see her just one more time.Now, everything he had been trying to forget resurfaced once again, triggered by Diana wanting to give everything up once again.He was a man, that was true.Even so, he could feel indignant too!Ever since he reunited with her, he had neglected these feelings.His only desire was to be with her again. Everything else was a non-issue.But since Simon’s accident, Diana resisted finding her memories back.Julian gradually gave up forcing her to regain her memories. He even felt that perhaps the truth behind her departure three years ago wasn’t that important anymore.As long as she was willing to stay by his side, he was willing to accept anyt
Diana, with her brute strength and wild ideas, was calm right now.Suddenly, everything became quiet.She leaned against Julian's chest, feeling safe.She didn't want to do anything, and she didn't even want to think about doing anything. She just wanted to be by his side and entrust everything to him.Wasn't that enough show of trust in him?And yet, he turned this trust into accusations against her; saying she didn't question Simon more, saying that she appeared too calm. Her eyes turned cold at his words. "Are you going to say the same thing as Cecilia? That I'm worthless? That I threw myself at Simon?"Why did she miss him so much, if that was the case?"Yes!" Julian snarled.Diana's thoughts shocked him, shattering all his expectations. In a heated exchange of words, they argued to the point of no return. "That's exactly what I think!" he said. Smack!Diana slapped him right on the face."It's no wonder that when you first came in, you wanted to kiss me in front
As soon as Diana returned to her room, Layla came looking for her. Layla told her that Simon was leaving, and had asked her to relay the message that he couldn't face Diana anymore after what he had done."Would you like to go see him off?" Layla asked."No." Diana shook her head. "Parting ways like this is fine."Diana didn't know what to say to Simon if she saw him again."Please convey a message for me. I hope he can live a good life."Simon heard this, and disappointment flickered in his eyes. He had thought she would come to see him off when he left, but..."She really won't come to see me off?" he asked Layla."No, she won't," Layla replied. "Please have a good rest once you return home. Ms. Winnington said she hopes you can have a good life."Even in this situation, she still wished him well.Simon couldn't help the mocking smile that curled on his lips, and looked down at his disabled legs."Please thank her for me, for not getting the police to pursue me further."
"I got angry, so I moved out."But Julian also worried that Cecilia might cause her trouble again, so he brought Noel with him. As soon as Noel followed him, Cecilia insisted on not staying in the villa.Thinking of this, Julian placed his grandmother's portrait back in its original position. Then, he pushed the door open and called Cecilia. "Where's Noel?""He's in the kitchen." When Noel was mentioned, Cecilia's face turned slightly red. She had already confessed to Julian that, compared to him, she actually preferred spending time with Noel. She could do without Julian's care, but she couldn't stand not being able to see Noel."Oh," he elongated the word, giving it a meaningful tone. "You won't be upset if you don't see him for a while?""No." Cecilia smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm quite clear-headed now."After being treated by Shiloh, her condition had its ups and downs. Most of the time, she was just like an average person. However, whenever she saw Diana, th
“Life is all about reconciliation.” Decades passed in the blink of an eye. Diana’s children had all grown up.Kate and Isaac had both passed away. Even Diana’s old friends, Fanny and Oliver, had left the world too.Fanny was never able to get pregnant again after that rainy night. She had gradually let go of her desire to get pregnant under Oliver’s persuasion.They stayed relentlessly by each other’s side, albeit childless. Over the years, having experienced all that life had to offer and being each other’s best friend, Oliver died on a peaceful night, never awaking again.Fanny held his hand while sending him off, and closed her eyes forever as well.Diana had seen too many people off in her lifetime.She had grown old herself, too. She could see her life slowly ebbing away.“Julian, I’m so happy to have lived my life with you.” She had transformed from a disgraced young woman to Mrs. Fulcher, respected by all in Richburgh. Julian even took care of her in person when she
He blurted those words instinctively.He had been waiting so long for a pair of daughters, yet when the doctor came over, he saw a pair of sons instead.Diana thought the hospital must have made a mistake and kicked up a fuss, insisting that she had a pair of daughters. She insisted for them to check the footage from the surveillance camera to see if there was a mix-up. The culprit, Julian, could only stand guiltily at a corner and mumble, “Actually…sons are fine too.”As long as it was their children, it didn’t matter whether they were girls or boys. Either way, Diana was the only woman he loved his entire life. Even his love for his only daughter Betty didn’t match up to that.After witnessing Diana giving birth, Julian’s love for Diana went up a notch, to the point of paranoia.For the rest of their lives, he made sure to never let her worry or touch cold water.He took great care of her.Kate finally appeared two years after Diana gave birth.When the mother and daughter
Nina mentioned the Jenningses. “The Jennings family is gone overnight, just like that.”Diana wasn’t shocked.She guessed that Julian had wanted to do that for a while. Not just for her and to seek justice for the Lemmington family, but also for Simon.Although Julian never allowed Simon to call him his brother, he had wanted to annihilate everything that was involved with the Hughes family since Simon’s death.Him making his move on the Jenningses indicated that the time had come.“Congratulations,” Diana said to Nina. “Has Vans come back to you?”“No,” Nina said with a shake of her head. “Lina Jennings isn’t the only thing standing in between us. We have problems of our own to overcome.”Diana sighed. “I think Marcus is pretty good.”She felt relaxed and comfortable around him.Even if Vans came round and worked with Julian to bring down the Jenningses, and had no feelings whatsoever for Lina, Diana wasn’t exactly eager to be with him.As if they had telepathy with each oth
“He doesn’t need to be jailed,” Fanny said, confused. “One word from him, and his lawyers will be able to exonerate him. I just don’t understand why he’d rather go to jail.”“He wants to pay for his father’s sins,” Diana said with a sigh.Fanny didn’t know what to think of that. Was Oliver innocent, or not? He even went to such great lengths to stop her.Yet, the moment she declared that she would never compromise and would rather be under the protection of Diana than to be involved with Oliver, he clearly looked like he was in a daze.Diana noticed that Fanny hardly smiled over the past few days, and rubbed her hand comfortingly. “He just wants a clean start with you.”Fanny’s heart shook. She couldn’t sleep the entire night.The next morning, she told Diana, “Today’s the day of his trial and sentencing. I want to see him.”Diana asked Julian to send a few bodyguards with Fanny on her trip there.When she returned, she looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoul
Fanny bet that he wouldn’t dare.That was equivalent to eliminating all chances he stood with Diana.Julian witnessed the scene unfolding before him. Instead of getting frustrated, he stood quietly there, ready to protect Diana, as he watched Fanny and Oliver fight it out with each other.Oliver was confused. “Why not?”He glanced at Diana, and went on, “I did like Diana in the past, but I have since given up on those feelings for her. Fanny Smith, is your heart made of stone? Can’t you tell who the woman I like is after all this time?”Fanny was stunned, feeling suffocated as if something was stuck in her throat. “Don’t tell me it’s me.”Oliver was dumbfounded. Who else could he be talking about? The stars in the sky?Fanny felt indignant under his glare. “If you like me, why did you say that I’m just a child-bearing tool for you?”“If I didn’t say that, would I be able to keep you confined in the villa? Would I be able to dash all your hopes and make you feel hopeless?”
Oliver would never let her go. “Fanny Smith, don’t even think about leaving me in this life!”That was when Diana and Julian hurriedly made their way.Sean located Oliver very accurately. Diana saw the scene unfolding before her, and couldn’t help but recall everything that happened in Jacroaof. She hurriedly told Noel to take Sean outside and wait. She couldn’t afford to gamble on Sean’s safety. She didn’t want Sean exposed to any form of danger right under her nose.Her actions made Oliver tense. “Diana, do you think I’ve gone mad?” He grabbed Fanny’s hand, as if he was holding onto the most precious treasure in the world.Diana didn’t answer him, but she threw her bag that Julian was helping her carry toward Fanny.She was exerting so much force for a pregnant lady, looking as if she wanted to fight with Fanny.Even Julian didn’t know what Diana was trying to do, not to mention Fanny herself.By the time he snapped back to attention and wanted to stop Diana from doing s
However, Fanny must let go of her hatred and past grudges first.The mention of children made Fanny waver. The hatred in her eyes grew even more intense. “Oliver Channing! The cheek of you to mention children!” What gave him the right to say that?!“We agreed,” Oliver said. He didn’t find anything wrong with that. “Fanny, if you want to leave that villa and be free once more, you must give birth to a child of ours.”“What about the child I lost just a few days ago?” Fanny demanded. She found him unreasonable. “Over the past few days, have you ever thought of him, or felt like you let him down? We haven’t even resolved the issues between us, and you want me to get pregnant again. Are you really ready to be a father?!”“I want you to get pregnant again?” Oliver said as he drew closer to her. His eyes were dark, looking as if he wanted to crush Fanny and put her in his pocket. “Weren’t you the one who tried to seduce me by wearing a revealing dress in my house? Fanny Smith, do
Julian stopped talking to the butler, but he was already making plans in his heart.He returned to the study, and told Diana, “Fanny and Oliver have been fighting for a long time, and it might be over something that might potentially destroy their relationship.”In fact… “Fanny might no longer love Oliver right now.”However, the fact that Oliver faked her death and confined her was enough to show that he still cared for her.If he realized that Fanny no longer loved him, he might do something even crazier.“Let’s hurry up and save her, then!” Diana said.“Wait,” Julian said calmly, “I’m not done with my prediction.”“What?”“Oliver really doesn’t like you now.” Julian’s mood lifted as he arrived at his final conclusion. “We can step in to help Fanny.”Diana was dumbfounded.She had thought that Julian went to such great lengths to analyze the situation for the sake of saving another. To think that his possessiveness took over, and he prioritized figuring out Oliver’s feeli
The three of them entered the study.None of them expected to see a portrait of Diana right in the middle of the study.The portrait was most likely drawn by copying a photo. In the portrait, Diana was eating something with a smile. It looked like the day when Diana encountered a pervert on the train and Oliver stepped in to help her and treated her to a meal.Did she smile so tenderly at him at that time?“You couldn’t have smiled so happily at that time when we were fighting over Kayla.”It was a portrait, not a photo. It was likely that the owner of this portrait added his own interpretation and features when he commissioned this portrait.“He still has feelings for you,” Julian said coldly.He no longer wanted to interfere with the affairs of the Channings.However, Diana disagreed. “If he really had feelings for me, he wouldn’t hang my portrait up so boldly right here.”The fact that Oliver could display the portrait for all to see proved that his feelings for Diana were