Of course not.It had only been a rhetorical question.But seeing Julian's excitement, Diana couldn't help but respond obediently, "Yes. It was a test to see if you would do it."Julian chuckled and didn't reply further. He would show her his sincerity through his actions once they returned home.-In the hospital after Kayla's tantrum, not only was the attending doctor changed, even the nurse who previously attended to her was switched out.The new nurse was a greenhorn with little experience under her belt. When she came to Kayla's room, she avoided looking at Kayla after seeing the latter’s horrendously disfigured face. She didn't even dare meet Kayla's eyes when she first disinfected the wound.This annoyed Kayla, who exploded in rage and lashed out on the spot. She only stopped when the nurse's face was red and swollen.Since then, even the most basic task of changing the bandage was taken over by the hospital's dean.Kayla enjoyed her status where no one dared to critici
After all Diana had done to Kayla, what right did the former have to live in such a carefree manner?Kayla couldn’t accept this outcome!She was seething with rage; despite all her rage, she didn't dare call Julian. After all, she had already used such a desperate plan to feign suffering during their encounter at the hotel in the past. Even then, her actions hadn't moved him the slightest!What else could she do in the coming days to make Julian marry her, especially when she was cursed with this disfigured face?Kayla sat amidst the mess of her ward, looking at the shards of mirror in her hand as she sank deep into her thoughts.After a long while, an idea came to her, and she looked up.Since the conventional path wasn't working, why not explore the crooked path once more?-Back at Julian’s villa, Diana felt like it had been a long time since she had returned, even though she had stayed here just yesterday."I've already paid the rent for Nina's place," Julian said, notici
If Diana wanted to make Julian happy, she shouldn't push her limits with him when it came to Kayla."I don't mind it anymore."It was obvious Diana was lying, and Julian could sense her displeasure. He quickly said, "You don't have to choose. Just throw everything away."With that, he started moving; throwing everything into a large cardboard box and then straight into the trash downstairs.Diana found this scene somewhat amusing. Had Kayla done the same with Diana's things when she first moved in? No mercy, swift, and decisive actions.And now, Julian was doing the same to Kayla's things.How did he manage to navigate between her and Kayla like this? Didn't he get tired of it?With these thoughts in mind, she couldn't help the words that escaped her mouth in a whisper, "Is it because...you don't love Kayla that much?"Julian paused.What did she mean by that?He didn't even have any feelings of love toward Kayla at all!He only had a sense of obligation toward Kayla, as
"What do you mean by that?" Julian asked, displeased with her answer. "You shouldn't be careless when it comes to your health!"With that said, he instructed the kitchen to brew some nutritious soup for her and said, "Go upstairs and rest for a while. I'll come sit with you in a bit."Diana didn't refuse.When she made her way upstairs, her silhouette looked particularly fragile, as though all the hardships weighed heavily on her slender shoulders, shaking her life and making her existence even more fragile than ever.And a part of this had been caused by Julian.Julian deeply regretted the stupid things he had done in the past. A tinge of heartache flickered in his eyes, but in the end, he looked away and sat alone in the dining room with a dejected sigh.Bringing Diana back to the villa was only the first step in his plan. According to his and Noel's plan, the next step was to make her accustomed to having him by her side again.And then, it would lead to their remarriage.He
Ms. Winnington.Was he thinking about Diana or Kayla, who was disfigured?Seeing Diana in a daze, Julian couldn't help but punish her for her lack of focus. His voice grew deeper as he said, "Look at me."It was hard not to blush with such a handsome man staring at her. His arms stretched out slowly and encircled her before finally landing on her shoulder.Diana's face flushed instantly.It seemed like...She had misunderstood again.It was no wonder Julian had laughed and called her anxious.Clearly, he was just giving her a regular massage!Diana had misunderstood again.She felt so embarrassed that she wanted to die, and she wished she could dig a hole in the room and bury herself in it.With Julian's playful gaze on her, Diana simply closed her eyes and pretended she was dead.However, the feeling of his hands on her as he massaged her was impossible to ignore, and she couldn't maintain her indifferent expression."I misunderstood," Diana said, taking the initiative
The hospital dean feared that Kayla would hurt herself with the broken glass, so he had the staff remove all the mirrors from the room and leave it completely clean.Julian noticed this change as soon as he entered the room. His steps hesitated slightly at that, but after some thought, he still approached Kayla.She appeared to be asleep.The scar on her cheek resembled a centipede, giving her a somewhat pitiful appearance.After about half an hour, she gradually woke up. When she opened her eyes, she blinked a few more times, thinking she was seeing things.She rubbed her eyes and confirmed that the man before her was real, and she called out tentatively, "Julian?"Her tone was filled with shock and surprise.Julian didn't want her to misunderstand anything. His face was icy, and he went straight to the point. "Kayla, have you been spreading rumors in the hospital recently?"Rumors?Kayla's heart skipped a beat, feeling somewhat at a loss for a moment.She didn't dare look u
"If you didn't love me, you shouldn't have given me the illusion that you couldn't live without me all these years!" Kayla yelled, clenching her fist as she mustered the courage to glare at the noble man before her, expressing her deepest dissatisfaction.Julian seemed to have been waiting for those words. He remained calm, not a trace of guilt on his face. Instead, a sense of composure that hadn't been there when he first entered the hospital room surrounded him.A foreboding sensation suddenly crept up on Kayla. True enough, when Julian opened his mouth to speak, his words were as cutting and as sharp as a blade; his deep eyes looked down at Kayla with a sense of superiority."Were you really wholeheartedly in love with me for all these years? Have you truly loved me for all this time, and no other?"The more he spoke, the more absurd it sounded.Kayla looked at him in sheer disbelief."How could you say that?"Julian raised an eyebrow, completely unperturbed. There was not a
Yet, Julian hadn't done that.In fact, he shoved the truth down deep in his heart and pretended not to know anything about it.The reason was simple; he didn't care one whit about it.Kayla seemed to realize this, and she could feel a thousand knives driven through her heart; the agony was such that she trembled in pain.She was wrong.She had been completely wrong!She should never have gone abroad!She shouldn't have succumbed to such temptation!And she absolutely shouldn't have lied to him about her illness!She should’ve known long ago that he wasn't an ordinary man...She should’ve known that the more lies she told, the more likely she would be exposed one day."So you're saying that the only reason I have the right to talk to you now was because I saved you," Kala whispered."Yes," Julian replied without hesitation. "If it were anyone else, you wouldn't be able to repay the atrocities you've committed even if you had ten lives."Kayla's heart beat wildly in her ches
“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