Cecilia took a deep breath, and recalled the firm rejection Julian threw her way before grabbing Diana and leaving the studio.Pain shot through her chest.However, she took care to be polite, and stopped herself from yelling at Diana. “I’ll be going home with my family. Goodbye.”Before Diana had a chance to say anything, Cecilia left the studio in the company of her family members. She looked just like a princess, doted on and surrounded by her loving subjects.Diana could tell that Cecilia’s family had many questions for her, as they kept rambling on about something to her. Cecilia didn’t look at all frustrated, and kept smiling sweetly as she responded to each one of them. She must’ve received lots of love from them.Diana couldn’t help but think about her Betty. If Betty received such love, could she grow up into a loving and happy adult?Diana watched on as Cecilia walked away and eventually drove off. Only then did she snap back to reality.She had never felt the love of
When Julian called Vans to make an appointment for the check-up, he told the latter everything that had happened. He was filled with disgust. Eventually, his tone softened as he said, “I hope Ms. Jarvis will give up on me.”A man like him, who could splash paint on a woman, wasn’t worthy of her.Vans understood that Julian did so to dash all of Cecilia’s hopes. She was the only woman out of all the socialites in Richburgh whom Julian found pleasant, and was willing to try having a relationship with.Vans found it rather strange. “Didn’t you just say a few days ago that you’d pursue her? Why did you suddenly become so heartless?”Julian remained silent.It had something to do with Aster and Star’s death anniversary.But another reason…Was personal.He looked up at Diana’s lonely figure outside the window, and his eyes turned dark. Even his voice turned low when he spoke. It was laced with fatigue and helplessness. “Vans, I still love her.”He realized that fact when he got f
“Noel Carter!” Julian yelled. “Throw this lying woman into the car!”He vowed that he would personally drive her out of Richburgh. He wouldn’t delay it for a moment longer!From now on and for the rest of his life, he didn’t want to have anything to do with this fake woman! Diana had no capacity to care about the check-up results as she grabbed the hem of Julian’s shirt tightly. “What about Sean? What about Betty? What about the twins?!”She couldn’t leave!But what about her children? She couldn’t be apart from them!“I’m their father, and I won’t mistreat them.” Julian looked down, and stared at her hands that were grabbing his shirt. “Filthy,” he spat out.He had a terrifying aura about him. Suddenly, Diana couldn’t feel an ounce of warmth from him.Yet…Just two days ago, they were sharing a bed.In the blink of an eye, he was treating her like his worst enemy. It was right of her to suppress her feelings for him.She took a deep breath and heaved out all the indign
“Diana Winnington!” he bit out harshly. He glared menacingly at her, almost pulling his hand back. “Don’t do something so degrading and make me despise you even more!”She ignored him. She gripped his arm with all her might, and continued forcing his hand downward.Julian’s ears were turning red. Diana and him hadn’t been like this for too long.Diana saw the subtle change in him, and sneered.“Why are you blushing?” she mocked. “I’m not that shameless as to do that with you in the car.”She was mocking him for letting his imagination run wild, and for being shameless.Julian’s face turned even redder. “You!”Curse words were at the tip of his tongue. As his hands moved downward, he was eventually silenced when he felt a long, protruding mark stretching across her lower abdomen, hardened over the years.“This…this is…”“The mark left behind by a Cesarean section.”When women gave birth naturally, their cervix had to be dilated by the width of 10 fingers. When women gave birth
Of course they wouldn’t.Julian sneered, “That’s none of your business. I’ll find them a new mommy as soon as possible.”Sean was about to start kindergarten. Betty’s condition was trickier to handle, but Julian would take care of her personally. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.He said it so casually, as if he was talking about what he would eat today.The notion was simply laughable. Diana retorted, “Do you really think anyone can be their mommy? You’ve already offended Cecilia. She was at my studio, and…”“Shut up!” He pulled Diana hard out of the car, refusing to give her any more chances to speak. His vice-like grip left a red mark on her arm. Pain shot up her arm to her heart, like many tiny, piercing needles.Plonk!Down she knelt before him.“It’s not that the twins can’t do without me,” she cried loudly, “it’s that I can’t do without them! Julian, I’ll die if I have to leave them!”Julian didn’t even look at her, his voice ice-cold and laced with menacing an
Julian took Diana back to Collina Villa.The family doctor came at his call. He was upstairs, treating Diana. She suffered mainly superficial wounds. However, the minor fracture she got from the previous car accident and her new injuries worsened her condition.The doctor updated Julian about her condition as he walked downstairs. “She needs lots of rest and recuperation.”Julian nodded, and asked a servant to send the doctor off. He turned and went back upstairs.Diana had fallen asleep. Now that Julian had brought her back, she knew she wouldn’t be driven away. As she was sure about that, she could fall asleep quickly.What’s more…Her body was covered with injuries.Clinging tightly to a moving car and fighting with her life exhausted her.Julian didn’t wake her up. Instead, he sat by the bedside and looked at the wounds on her body for a long time.He sat until his legs went numb. By then, he still couldn’t figure out why Diana always ended up hurt each time she met him.
If... If Noel had driven a little faster... If Diana had been ruthlessly thrown off... If she hadn't held on with all her strength, and ended up partially paralyzed... The consequences were just too terrifying. Diana shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. She slowly leaned against the wall as she stepped out of the door. Julian had already taken precautions beforehand, worried that the twins might see her in this state. He told them that she suffered a minor accident, and just needed some rest to get better. When she appeared in front of the two children, they seemed somewhat accepting of the situation. However, the concern was still there. "Mommy, I have a new ambition," Sean said. Diana looked at him, surprised. "What is it, dear?" Despite being just a little over two years old, Sean already had many ambitions—like wanting to be a sweet potato master, something seemingly unrelated, or a light bulb changer, or a scientist making significant contributions t
She looked very likable.However, Albert knew that Julian hadn't called him over to reminisce about old times.Albert hadn't forgotten the things he had done. If it weren't for the many years he had worked for the Fulcher family as well as Noel's unwavering loyalty to Julian, Julian wouldn't have allowed him to live so comfortably. He would’ve sent Albert to prison, just like what he did to Kayla."Go back." Julian's investigation into Diana was complete. He had no intention of conversing with Albert anymore. Seeing Julian's unusually serious expression, Albert became even more worried. He didn't mind that Julian hadn't answered his question. Since the incident, his role had been crystal clear to him—he was just a servant. He mustn't entertain thoughts of being part of the family anymore.Whatever the master commanded, he had to obey. Just like his son.However, Albert still had something he wanted to say. He knew he had to. "Sir, this old servant will never forget your
“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