If Diana took the pill, everything would be doomed.She had no idea the consequences that would arise.“Mmmh!” She shook her head profusely. She refused to let even an ounce of that pill into her mouth.It was too late.Soon, footsteps sounded from outside the door.Simon didn’t lie to Matt. Julian’s men really were here! In fact, Julian himself was arriving at the café.He wasn’t that stupid, after all.Though he allowed Matt to take Diana away, he was convinced he could rescue her unharmed. He was probably standing outside the door with his men right now.The footsteps grew louder. Matt looked regretfully at Diana. “I’m sorry.”With that, he smashed the cup. He grabbed a shard and held it against Diana’s neck. His sophisticated persona disappeared, and he yelled aggressively, “Open your mouth and take it, or I’ll kill you!” His face was a complex mix of emotions. He looked as if he treated Diana as someone very important—like a treasured art piece. At the same time, he was
The door and windows of the private room were flung open. Before long, the smell of the incense faded away.Diana gradually recovered her voice. It was soft, but Julian could hear her clearly.“A pill?” He noticed that something was wrong with Diana. “What pill did he take? And what’s wrong with your voice?”If she spoke so softly because she was recovering from shock, there shouldn’t be any reason for her to still be afraid. He had already taken her out of the room.He was worried she might be traumatized from seeing Matt bleeding from his nose and mouth after dying. His concerned expression helped Diana’s strength return. She felt warm on the inside.“I didn’t tell you this earlier,” she said weakly. “After I followed Matt into the private room, he lit an incense. It made me weak, and I lost my voice.”By the time Julian and his men kicked the door down, the air in the private room began circulating properly. There were many people around as well. Thus, the incense’s effects we
There must be another reason.Diana tried to recall what had happened. “He kept looking at the time before he died. He even took a call and started becoming more anxious after the call ended. Tell the police about what I told you, and see if it helps their investigation of Matt and the reason for his death.”Julian nodded. “I got it. Have some rest.”He had everything under control. He would do all he could to get to the bottom of this. He would even find out what Matt liked to eat in his childhood!“But your memories…”“It’s alright.” Diana mustered a tiny smile to comfort Julian, so he wouldn’t worry. Still, the thought of Matt on the brink of death made her uncomfortable. “I’ll take a nap.”She would find her memories back slowly.If she really couldn’t…She looked up at Julian, who was crouched before her. His eyes were filled with worry. She told him what was on her mind. “If I can’t find my memories, then…”Julian understood. “You could be in danger any moment.”
The last person who made her eat this pill was dead.What’s more, he died after eating this very pill.Diana’s eyes gradually turned cold.Still, she accepted the pill. She looked at Simon and asked, “What kind of pill is this?”“It’s good for your health,” Simon said without hesitation. “I went to great lengths for it.”“Thank you.” Diana put the pill in her mouth. Then, she said, “It’s a blessing, especially since I haven’t been resting well after that car accident. Thank you so much for this.”Seeing that Diana still trusted him like always, Simon sighed in relief. “You don’t need to be so polite with me.”With that, he urged her, “Drink some water before swallowing it. Don’t choke.”“I won’t. You’re still as thoughtful as always,” Diana said. She lifted her cup to her lips, and tipped the water down her throat. “What exactly does this pill do? It tastes so strange.”She looked straight into Simon’s eyes. “It’s definitely not good for my health.”Simon was shocked. “Since
"Thank you," Diana said calmly, "for telling me the true reason behind my amnesia."Simon had only learned about it recently. It was something Matt told him before passing away. Matt had emphasized the importance of getting Diana to take this pill, so that his dreams would come true.His dreams, coming true...Wasn't that just making Diana lose her memories again, so it would be convenient for them to leave the capital together?Simon carefully put away the pill that had arrived through delivery. After that, he sought out Diana.It wasn't until now that Simon finally realized, belatedly, what had been set in motion.Diana's amnesia wasn’t due to hypnosis—it was because of this pill.What was Matt's goal in all of this?Diana didn't know.Simon didn't know, either. He didn't even care if the pill would have any side effects. As long as Diana could lose her memories again, it was enough for him. Thinking about this, a chill ran through Diana's body. Her blood turned cold."Ac
Diana shouldn't have doubted Julian's words. Because of Simon, they argued a lot. Slapping Simon's face left a slight tingling sensation on her fingertips.Diana clenched her fists, gazing at Simon. He still looked quite unwilling. "You keep professing your love for me, but is it really me that you love? Are you truly in love with me? You love yourself. You love the version of yourself that’s always inferior to Julian!" she yelled.Taking a deep breath, she continued, "There are so many unclear aspects about what happened three years ago. Even so, your desire to take me away from him is all about making him suffer! You want to make him despair to bridge this gap!""It's not like that!" Simon shook his head frantically, vehemently opposing her. "It's not what you think, Diana! I haven't deceived you. I really do love you!"From the moment he first saw her, he fell in love.He loved her eyes.He loved hearing her say he was a good person.He even loved the indifferent glint in
The person Simon loved wasn't Diana. It definitely wasn't the twins, either. The only person he loved was himself—the one abandoned by his biological parents, left with the Channing family since he was very young. Still, none of that was Julian's fault. In fact, Julian was a victim too. However, Simon refused to accept this reality. In his mind, he was the only one who had been hurt.Diana wouldn't feel sorry for him anymore. If she continued to believe his words, she didn't know when he might end up harming her. Despite that, it was true he had shown her kindness over the years.Julian disagreed with her perspective. "What kindness? Accompanying you in Stirling City while you gave birth to the children, helping you take care of them, watching over them—is that what you consider kindness?"That was true."If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have had to go through all of that!" Julian snarled. Although he often claimed to dislike Simon and had a lot of biased opinions abo
Julian handed the pill to Noel, instructing him to take it to the police station for further analysis. He then sat down for a meal with Diana and the twins. Being together as a family was heartwarming. After the meal, Julian couldn't help but smile."I've already had Layla gather your and Sean's belongings," Julian told Diana after ensuring the two children had eaten. "If Sean’s still upset with me, please put in a good word for me."Diana nodded. "I will."Sean had become more and more withdrawn lately. Diana wasn't sure what influenced this behavior. She explained the truth behind Julian's forced apology at the kindergarten many times; while Sean understood it, his closeness with Julian had waned. She was concerned. On the other hand, Betty grew fonder of Julian as her health improved. Even when Diana was present, she seemed to rely on Julian more."Sean’s been spending more time alone in his room lately," Diana said. "I'm not sure what he's up to."Since starting kinder
“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