SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE

CHAPTER 75

She unwrapped the blanket from her daughter’s body and carefully put the baby into the hot water. She had already checked the temperature of the water, and it was not hot at all. On such a cold rainy night like this, having a hot bath like this would feel like heaven.

Her baby loved it. Even though her eyes were still shut tightly, her soft lips seemed to rise into a slight smile. The steam from the water made the baby’s face pinker and softer, and it made Julianna’s eyes hazy as well.

Drip. A drop of water landed in the basin, sending waves of ripples out like rainwater splashing on small puddles of water.

After washing the baby’s small body, she wrapped the baby again. She was really a good kid, and Julianna had never heard her wail before. Perhaps she knew that her mother was tired and wanted her to rest.

Julianna placed the baby on the bed again, and she sobered up herself. Even though the process could be described with pain and suffering—as long as her daughter was alright, all the pain she suffered was worth it.

It was only when she placed everything in order that she returned to the small bed and carried her daughter carefully in her arms. Every look at her daughter caused her eyes to glimmer with tears. Such was life. It was such a magical thing, that the baby she had for nine months was now here, a small little human. She was really small and pretty.

Her fingers softly pinched the little one’s extremely soft fingers, which were practically exclaiming the miracle of life.

She kissed the baby’s soft cheeks again. She closed her eyes, really going to sleep this time. Her face finally had a hint of a smile. She had an angel. She had a little baby.

The night turned cold, and a woman and her new-born baby finally fell asleep.

The warehouse was still old and rundown, but with two people inside, there was extra indescribable warmth now.

However, it still looked humble and pitiful compared to this one luxurious private villa. At that moment, the woman on the bed had already slept from her tiredness; and the man hugged the woman’s shoulders, a cigarette stuck between his fingers. Under the shimmering lights, the man’s expression was lost.

It was only when the woman coughed that he reacted. He put the cigarette out with his fingertips, but he let go of the woman in his arms, too.

The man sat up on the bed. He was tired, but he was starting to feel more awake. The woman slept with a sweet expression, but his face—however—held conflict he could not put into words.

He lifted his head. The wedding picture hanging in the room had already changed. It was no longer Diana... but her.

He had definitely given her all that he could.

He walked to the window and opened one quietly. The smell of smoke slowly vanished, leaving only a room of fresh air.

He closed the window again, but he grabbed his lighter and half a pack of cigarettes from the drawer and walked out. He closed the door softly and walked out to the balcony alone.

It was ironic, really. He did not sleep on his first wedding night because of hate, but on the second one, there was no hate involved. However, he did not feel like sleeping, and his heart was more frustrated than it was by then.

He walked to the balcony. The rain at that moment seemed to have lightened, and the air held a faint earthy musk which he did not like very much.

He leaned against the wall and smoked stick after stick of cigarettes, and he was certain that if he continued to smoke, he would get tobacco poisoning.

“Julianna, tell me, are you dead yet?”

He laughed suddenly. Once again, the name made his heart ache.

He thought he had long forgotten her, but he realized that he was wrong. He didn’t forget. He never did. He could clearly remember her face, her undying love, and her defeated heart.

His lips curled into a sneer, and he flung away the cigarette butt in his hand. “Julianna, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m married again. I even made her wedding night a million—no, a billion—times better than yours. Are you jealous? Are you crying?”

However, not a single person knew where she was and what she was doing now.

“Julianna, tell me. Why did you leave for so long? Why can’t I forget you? Why?”

A million whys, but no one was there to answer them. He lit up another cigarette and took a heavy breath and then exhaled.

He didn’t know that—not far from him, Ruby’s hand was covering her lips tightly. Her tears flowed continuously as she listened to her newly-wed husband call out someone else’s name. That someone else was his ex-wife.

She was not willing to resign herself to that. She was jealous, but there was nothing she could do. She curled up her body and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. That woman must already be dead, and so the final winner was still her. She would be the only one to receive his love.

She walked back to her room quietly. Her wedding night started with a passionate fire, but it ended with her lonely sigh. Diego never returned, and she pretended that she didn’t know anything. She was a clever woman, and so she would never interrogate her husband. Only women who could stay by his side would be happy.

She believed that one day, she would be the only one in his heart. No one would be able to separate them, be it Diana or Julianna.

For the first time, both of their hearts were headed in different directions. Even though their statuses are closer now, they have grown further apart.

Something was changing slowly, but neither knew.

Maybe this change will take a few years. Maybe it would take their whole lives.

After several days of rain, the weather finally cleared up. It wasn’t very hot, but it wasn’t that cold either. The weather after the rain was particularly fresh, especially in the morning. A deep breath would really make a person feel refreshed.

“Didn’t you guys notice something weird?” Someone asked.

“Hmm, what? What’s weird?”

The person thought for a while and asked unsurely, “Julianna hasn’t come out to do laundry for about a few days now. Could something have happened?”

The others all looked at one another at the same time and then dashed in the direction of the small warehouse. She should be giving birth soon. Might it be that at night, there wasn’t anyone to care for her; and they both didn’t make it? No, that would be too pitiful.