Julian yelled at the top of his voice a few more times. “Where are you right now? Oliver, can you hear me?”Oliver heard Julian calling his name. “I’m with the crew. It’s raining very heavily today.”With that, a buzzing sound came through once more. Julian waited patiently for the buzzing sound to disappear, before mentioning Sean to Oliver.To his surprise, the call got cut off and Oliver’s end went silent.“Where in the world is he at for filming?” Julian said with furrowed brows. He turned to look at Diana, and told her about the call just now. “How could he not even have a signal? Is he with Fanny? Isn’t Fanny pregnant?”Diana was unable to answer all of Julian’s queries. But now, she no longer needed to worry about bothering Fanny. She took over, and gave Fanny a call. While waiting for her call to be answered, Diana explained to Julian, “I remember Oliver and Fanny use phones of different brands. Maybe Fanny’s phone gets a better signal. I’ll try and see if I can call
On that rainy night, the roads were practically empty.Rain fell like shards of glass illuminated by the streetlights, making one feel light-headed.Oliver stepped all the way on the accelerator.Fanny was slumped across the back seat, grasping her stomach in pain as she groaned in disbelief. “Oliver…”No matter how many times she called out to him, he continued driving like a lunatic.He refused to look back at her.Fanny curled herself up into a ball as the pain became increasingly intense. She felt as if her body was all drained of blood and her breath was taken away. Her body trembled with excruciating pain.“Oliver…” she cried, tears streaming down her face.Oliver continued looking straight ahead as if he heard nothing, accelerating like a madman.Yet, it hurt so much. “Our baby…”The baby was gone.The baby was gone!She could sense life slowly ebbing away from inside her.As Fanny sobbed in pain, Oliver finally responded.He turned his face around.Gold-rimmed
Fury burned in Fanny’s heart.“Exactly what I wanted?” Fanny sobbed as she bore with the overwhelming pain spreading from her womb. She crawled up from the backseat, and grabbed Oliver from behind. “Exactly what I wanted?! Oliver Channing!”She was consumed with anger.Her arms were like bands of steel as she wrapped them around his back, as if trying to break his shoulders. “Our baby is gone! The baby is gone! How dare you say that it’s exactly what I want?!”She felt like dying!Her heart and body were both in agonizing pain. Even her arms that were wrapped around Oliver hurt!Tears, along with the rain falling down the windows, blurred her vision.The smell of blood filled his nose, and choked him. That was…The child that he and Fanny were losing.Oliver’s body stiffened.Pain.He felt pain all over his body.He felt pain in his heart, too!The pain he felt wasn’t less than that of Fanny.He was even entertaining the thought of dying with her!That way, they wouldn
Oliver wanted to see her bleed herself dry! Boom! Thunder struck even harder on this rainy night.There was no one on the roads. The heavy rain blanketed the entire place, making it difficult to see a distance away.Oliver didn’t know how long he stood in the rain.The only thing he knew was that blood kept flowing from Fanny, combining with the rainwater and flowing from the backseat to his feet, staining the ground a dark red.The smell of blood was becoming increasingly intense.It resembled the fishy taste of a fish he hated eating when he was young. The memory almost made him gag.Oliver shuddered, as if electricity shook through his body.Raindrops trickled from strands of his hair. He finally bent over to look at Fanny, slumped across the backseat.She looked as pale as a porcelain doll. Her skin looked so fair and transparent, so fragile, as if it would break with a light touch.Oliver’s heart was breaking.He just didn’t understand.He didn’t understand why his
She saw the man she loved since she was young look at her with coldness she couldn’t even imagine possible.It was a chill that pierced straight to the bones.The kind of chill that came from being flung into the deep end of the ocean, and almost drowning in it.“Why do you find it disgusting?” Fanny demanded. Since she lost her baby, Oliver didn’t offer a single word of comfort, not to mention show any concern for her body.She already felt so insignificant and lowly. She felt miserable to no end, and pain filled her heart too. She looked at him, and asked again, “Why do you find it disgusting?”Fanny clenched her fists, curling her body up into a ball as she stood in a stance clear opposing Oliver.Her expression was broken, telling of her sorrow and confusion.And…Hatred that billowed like waves inside her.She was in such great pain, yet he didn’t show any concern for her. She even had to ask him why he said it was disgusting.Why did he find her calling him brother
Diana had said that she felt so much pain during childbirth, she had wanted to jump down the building with the baby in her womb.At that time, Fanny only asked if it really was that painful.But now, Fanny was feeling that pain herself despite not actually giving birth. She was experiencing agony such that she wished she were dead—she wanted to jump off a building!“Your father…” she choked.And yet, she felt like crying would make her too lowly. She couldn’t cry. Even if she wanted to die with her baby right now, she couldn’t cry!“How did he kill my parents? Why…did he take me in? Because of guilt? To make himself feel better?” she asked. That was utterly cruel to her!Calling her enemy her father for over twenty years!Even if she died right now, Fanny wouldn’t dare to face her parents in hell. The thought of her parents, whom she had never met but instead died in Oliver’s father’s hand, suddenly gave Fanny a surge of energy.She couldn’t die!She couldn’t die, no matte
She spat at him. “Oliver Channing, that dedicated look on your face… It disgusts me!”No one could hold himself back and pretend that nothing happened after knowing something like this!And yet, Oliver treated her like a fool!Fanny was mad with rage.She was furious that everything had been in vain.Furious, that she had been so badly treated!Furious that she knew nothing over the years!Furious with Oliver Channing!He had completely disregarded her family, and attempted to use marriage to make up for his father’s mistakes!Even for this pregnancy, he had associated the loss of her baby with this.“Should I not take revenge?” She glared at him and said, “Oliver Channing, your family fooled me and tricked me like this! Should I not take revenge?!”Oliver grew angrier at Fanny’s words.“So you’re admitting it? Admitting that you killed your baby for the sake of revenge? That’s why you deliberately fell and caused the miscarriage!” He gripped her shoulders, and bit out,
Oliver didn't believe it.Whatever Fanny said must be a lie!His birthday was still a whole month away.If she wanted to tell him then, her pregnant belly would have become unmistakably noticeable and impossible to hide.Clearly, she wanted to get rid of the child during this time!Why would she wait until his birthday to inform him? That wasn't what she intended at all!A surprise?Hah!There would never be any surprises between him and Fanny now. If anything, it would be a shock.The rain drenched her clothes, and it gradually became colder.Oliver reached from the car. He grabbed Fanny, trying to pull her towards the side of the road.His fingertips were still so warm. When they landed on her skin, it felt like they left a scalding imprint, almost turning her skin red.For a moment, Fanny felt sad and wanted to cry again.However, the tears never fell.She thought of her parents that Oliver's father had killed.They...Must have been suffering for over twenty years
“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