Chapter 1040

As soon as Diana returned to her room, Layla came looking for her.

Layla told her that Simon was leaving, and had asked her to relay the message that he couldn’t face Diana anymore after what he had done.

“Would you like to go see him off?” Layla asked.

“No.” Diana shook her head. “Parting ways like this is fine.”

Diana didn’t know what to say to Simon if she saw him again.

“Please convey a message for me. I hope he can live a good life.”

Simon heard this, and disappointment flickered in his eyes. He had thought she would come to see him off when he left, but…

“She really won’t come to see me off?” he asked Layla.

“No, she won’t,” Layla replied. “Please have a good rest once you return home. Ms. Winnington said she hopes you can have a good life.”

Even in this situation, she still wished him well.

Simon couldn’t help the mocking smile that curled on his lips, and looked down at his disabled legs.

“Please thank her for me, for not getting the police to pursue me further.”

Meanwhile, Julian took Noel and Cecilia back to the Fulcher Manor.

It had been a while since they had come here. When they entered, they strangely felt that the manor had weathered many storms and looked much older than before.

Noel couldn’t help but say, “When Madam Fulcher was here … The manor used to be so lively.”

Thinking of his grandmother, Julian couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

“I’ll go to Grandma’s room for a while,” he said.

Noel didn’t stop him. “Alright, sir. I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare dinner.”

It had been a long time since they had been here. The small kitchen might not have had time to prepare the food promptly. Dinner tonight wouldn’t be served early.

The old manor had aged considerably, but his grandmother’s room remained unchanged. Julian had requested the servants not to disturb anything when they cleaned the room.

Everything was exactly the same as it had been before his grandmother passed away. Even the lipstick she had used was left uncapped.

As she grew older, she was often forgetful. When his grandmother was alive, Julian would often scold her, saying, “If you keep being so absent-minded to the point you forget to put the cap back on your lipstick, you might end up losing yourself one day.”

Later on, it wasn’t that his grandmother lost herself.

She had simply closed her eyes and entered a peaceful rest…forever.

“When I first found out about Simon’s identity, I blamed you,” Julian said as he touched her portrait. He sat on a chair and looked at her, as if the older woman had never left.

It was as if the two of them were engaged in a gentle conversation, like old times.

“But now, after learning about Simon’s character, I believe it was good that you didn’t let me know.”

Madam Fulcher hadn’t stopped loving Julian, and she didn’t stop loving him because of Simon.

She only wanted to protect Julian.

Yes, Julian had become powerful and was a formidable figure in the capital. But in her eyes, he was still a little boy who needed protection.

She had initially wanted to take Simon’s secret to the grave, so that Julian would never know about his parents’ broken relationship. It was the only beautiful dream she could give him about their family.

Yet, that dream had been shattered.

As a result, he lacked confidence even in his feelings for Diana.

“That girl hasn’t come to see you in a long time,” Julian said. “Are you angry with her?”

As he spoke, he got up again. “You must be angry. You were so good to her, but she was so ungrateful.

She even dared to curse me, saying the most unpleasant things about me…”