Chapter 1

“Congratulations, you’re pregnant,” the doctor said. Diana Winnington raised her head in surprise. Her face flushed red in no time. She was actually pregnant?! After three years of marriage, she was finally expecting her and Julian Fulcher’s child. Elated, Diana couldn’t wait to share the good news with him. However, there was no answer when she called. After she asked her driver, she found out that Julian had gone back to the Fulcher Manor on the outskirts of the city to hold a banquet today. Banquets held at the Fulcher Manor were usually private, so Diana presumed that the guests invited were their common friends. Julian usually pampered her, so Diana thought nothing of it and grabbed her coat before she headed to the Fulcher Manor without hesitation. Diana stroked her lower abdomen as she couldn’t help smiling along the way. She got out of the car immediately as soon as she arrived at the Fulcher Manor but was stopped by Albert outside the door. Albert was an old butler who had been working for Julian for many years. His attitude toward Diana was a little contemptuous at this moment, and he did not seem to have any respect for her anymore. His tone was cold as he said, “Madam, you can’t enter.” Diana stared at him blankly, suddenly feeling uneasy. She often received much of such contempt and ridicule when she first married Julian. Everyone thought she was a poor girl who managed to climb up the social ladder, but no one expected her to be the respectable daughter of the prominent Winnington family from Richburgh. She became a complete outsider to her family since she got lost at the age of three. No one would pay attention to her, even after she went through all the hardship of traveling from a small town in the countryside to a big city like Richburgh to look for her family! On the contrary, everyone accused Diana, the biological daughter of the Winnington family, of scheming when she finally reunited with her parents. They called her a culprit responsible for destroying the Winnington family’s happy life! But was it so wrong for her to simply want to see her parents? She received the answer when her mother slapped her across the face. She also took the Winnington family’s contemptuous and taunting gazes to heart. The look in their eyes was exactly the same as the current look in Albert’s eyes… She didn’t want to care about the Winnington family anymore, but Albert… She could not wrap her head around why he was looking at her like this when he was someone working so closely with Julian. Diana closed her eyes, and Julian’s handsome and defined face appeared in her mind. She was brought out of her cold and indifferent home after Julian appeared at Winnington Mansion to propose to her three years ago, when she was at the lowest and most helpless point in her life. Since then, he became her salvation. Every time she felt slightly uneasy, she would be able to gain great strength at the thought of him. He was her silver lining. Diana took a deep breath and gathered herself when she opened her eyes again. She was no longer the daughter of the Winnington family that everyone could bully, but Julian’s wife. She was his most beloved woman. She had enough confidence to face all the contempt. She straightened up and said in neither a humble nor overbearing manner. “Albert, I’m here for Julian.” She meant for him to go and let Julian know that she wanted to see him. However, Albert sneered mockingly, saying, “Today’s guest is very important, and I can’t talk to him right now.” Albert’s firm attitude made Diana’s heart sink. She couldn’t help but bit her lower lip; she was acutely aware that this banquet was not that simple. Albert’s forceful refusal could only be at Julian’s behest. Diana looked at the Fulcher Manor in front of her which she had entered countless times in the past. Now, she was completely blocked from getting in, and the panic reappeared in her eyes. She suddenly didn’t dare to go in anymore. Diana’s marriage to Julian had started hastily, and they only met for the first time on the day he went to Winnington Mansion to propose to her. Nonetheless, Julian had never said anything harsh to her during those three years. There was no exaggeration that if Diana said that she wanted the stars in the sky, Julian would find a way to pick them for her. Thus, Diana couldn’t figure out why she was not allowed to attend a relatively private banquet. She glanced at Albert tentatively, but was still firmly rejected by him. She didn’t hesitate any further and suppressed the uneasiness in her heart as she turned around and asked the driver to drive back to Collina Villa where she lived alone with Julian. It was the same if she waited at home for him to come back… Fortunately, Julian also returned before long. Diana was a little surprised that the banquet ended so early, but she still hurried forward and took over his coat from him. After that, she asked as if unintentionally, “Who did you invite to the banquet today? Why did even Albert have to entertain the guest too?” Julian’s eyes immediately turned icy. It was a look Diana had never seen before. As if a glacier had suddenly separated the two of them, making her freeze in place. “Julian, what’s wrong?” Diana was a little frightened, but she didn’t back down in the slightest. She was still confused who the invited guest was for today. Even Albert had gone over. Diana didn’t know anything about the banquet at all and wasn’t even qualified to enter the mansion. Besides, she felt that Albert was there specially stopping her from entering. It was as if anyone could enter except her. Julian looked at her stubborn eyes and sighed softly. He had always known that Diana was a very tough person, even if she appeared extremely gentle. Suddenly, he smiled with a touch of softness in his eyes and replied, “It’s nothing, just an old friend.” An old friend? Was that all? Diana clenched her fists so tightly that her palms turned blue. Perhaps because Julian had never lied to her like this before, Diana felt increasingly uneasy. In the end, the joy of pregnancy overwhelmed all her doubts. They were having a baby, so was there anything else that couldn’t be slowly resolved? The most important thing right now was to tell him the good news: he was going to be a father soon! Diana collected herself, took out the pregnancy test report, hid it behind her, and looked at Julian nervously as she said, “Julian, I want to tell you something!” She staggered and almost slipped when she came out of the bedroom as she was too excited. “Slow down.” Julian quickly stepped forward to break her fall. He brushed her hair behind her ears. He had defined facial features and looked stern, but tenderness could be seen in his eyes. In the end, the deep and complex emotions in his eyes turned to calmness, leaving only a hint of determination in them. “Take a seat. I have something to tell you, too.” The light from the crystal chandelier cast on his face, outlining his smooth jawline and his high nose bridge, revealing his elegance and nobility. He seemed to be radiating with light, making it impossible for Diana to look away. Yet, such a man had always been gentle toward her. Diana couldn’t help wrapping her arms around his neck at the thought of how nice he had been to her in the past. She said affectionately, “You can go first.” There was undisguised admiration in her clear and bright eyes, and her movements caused Julian’s body to stiffen. He lowered her arms calmly and widened the distance between them, as if they were not close to each other. Diana felt even more uneasy, and her lips almost turned white as she bit them so hard. She clenched her fists tightly, looked at Julian nervously, and asked, “Julian… What exactly do you want to tell me?” Julian looked up at her calmly, but what he saw was actually someone else. Kayla Winnington. She was Diana’s younger sister whom Diana had never met; that woman had a close resemblance to Diana. In fact, the one who Julian truly loved was Kayla. Now, Kayla was back.