SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE

CHAPTER 2

“Mom—” Julianna called out softly.

“Do not call me ‘mom’ . I don’t have a vicious daughter like you,” spoke Evelyn, interrupting Julianna before she could speak further. How could she even have the guts to still call her mother? Evelyn regretted having conceived a daughter like her. If she had only known, she would have strangled her to death when she was still a baby.

Julianna wanted to explain. But no matter how many times she does, no one believes her. Still, she continued to plead, “Mom, it’s not what you think. I am not the cause of Diana’s death. I really didn’t—”

A palm landed on Julianna ’s cheek with a resounding smack.

And though she knew it would leave a red mark, it was the least of her worries.

“You dare say you didn’t mean it? That you are not in love with Diego? That you are not jealous of Diana even in the slightest bit? That you don’t want to marry him?”

Julianna remained silent.

Yes, she had loved Diego for fifteen years. Was that wrong?

Evelyn shot her a deadly glare as if she was the enemy. She placed her hand back on her side, while Julianna simply covered her swollen cheek with her hand. Streams of tears streaked down her cheeks again.

This was her mother. The one who gave birth to her—her biological mother.

“Mom...” Julianna called again.

“Enough! I am not your mother. I only had one daughter, and she died because of you.”

Evelyn finished talking and took her expensive purse when she walked out. She could never forgive her daughter.

But before she could exit the door, she heard Julianna say in anguish and heartbreak, “Mom, you never even treated me like I was your daughter. You only ever had your eyes on Diana.”

Evelyn stopped dead in her tracks. It suddenly hit her with an unforeseen sense of utter disgrace. She seemed to have truly forgotten that Julianna was her biological daughter, the one that she had carried to term in her own stomach. The one she was related to by blood.

She opened the door in embarrassment and staggered out.

Abigail went inside the room again. She rested her hand on Julianna ’s shoulder. “Julianna , a—are you alright?”

Julianna picked up the powder puff and started patting her face. Her makeup had worn off... again. But no matter how much powder she applied, she could not hide the fact that she wasn’t beautiful. She was the ugly duckling of the family.

“Julianna , you don’t have to go through with the wedding, okay?” Abigail pulled at Julianna ’s hand. “Julianna , it’s not too late to turn back now. You can leave him and go far away. There will be no Hanson family, no Roberto family, and no Diego. Without this wretched love restricting your life, you could be yourself.”

Julianna only shook her head. “I can’t...” She looked at her hand. Her ring finger was bare, but soon there would be a ring occupying that empty space.

“Abigail, you know what?” she lifted her head and looked at her best friend in the eye. She lifted the ends of her lips into a foolish smile. “I want to gamble with everything I have. Just this one time. If I leave now, I won’t ever get to have a second chance. Even if that chance was never meant to be mine. Nevertheless, I still want to take it.”

“Even if it meant destroying yourself and losing everything you have?” Abigail’s voice rang chills in the air. She could not understand why a foolish woman such as her best friend would exist on earth—one that would knowingly choose to face a future of pain and suffering? She was better off dead!

How could she be so foolish to venture ahead knowing what was coming?

____

“Yes.” Julianna placed a hand over her chest, and physically there was nothing. But deep inside her chest, a piece of memory was embedded; no one else knew about it. No one.

Abigail reached out her hand and picked up the makeup kit. She tenderly powdered Julianna ’s face, which made the girl smile. However, there was a look of absent-mindedness in her eyes.

If only the amulet was still there at that point of time, would things turn out better? Would that change her life?

If only. There were just too many ifs and buts.

She closed her eyes and went back to the time when she had her 5th birthday.

She was five that year and Dian was four.

“Sister, what’s that on your neck? May I have it?” Diana lifted her head in a princess-like manner. She looked at the item hanging around Julianna ’s neck. She had never seen anything like it. It looked nice.

“Sister, can I exchange my doll with you for that?” She pointed at the doll in Julianna ’s arms which Julianna actually also owned.

Julianna shook her head and put the doll down. By instinct, her hand moved up to wrap the amulet in her palm. She could live without the doll even if she received a beating from her mother for it—even after her four-year-old sister made her a scapegoat.

“Sister, give it to me.” Diana has always been a tyrant. She stood up and sprang towards Julianna . The only thing Julianna could do was to repeatedly retreat.

“Diana .” Evelyn hastily walked over and hugged Diana’s small frame.

Diana started bawling as soon as she saw Evelyn . “Mom, I want the thing hanging around my sister’s neck. But she refused to give it to me...”

“Juju , give that to Diana . It is her birthday today.” Evelyn glared at Julianna . She thought, ” How could she be so thoughtless? She should have given that to her younger sister! ”

Julianna ’s grip on her amulet tightened. Her lips were pressed into a thin line in silent protest.

“Julianna , give it to me.” Evelyn stretched her hand out. Diana bawled even more in her arms. She was beating Evelyn as she cried, “Mummy, I want you. I want...”

“Give it to me.” Evelyn stretched her hand even more. “Give it to me.”

Julianna took another step back. She shook her head. “Mummy, this is the only thing I have. P—please... don’t take it away. Please?”

“Enough!” Evelyn stood up in a hurry. She reached out and gripped Julianna with one hand, and with the other yanked the amulet from the girl’s neck.

“Mummy...” Julianna watched Evelyn carry Diana . She then walked away — just like that. Diana was now holding her amulet.

“Mummy...” She was so sad that she pouted her lips. She picked up the worn out doll from the floor. “Mummy... Juju feels sad...”

But no one was there to answer her.

“Juju . Julianna , what is wrong with you?”

Julianna slowly fluttered her eyes open when she heard Abigail’s voice ringing in her ears.

“Sorry, Abigail. I just remembered something from the past.” She apologetically smiled, though her eyes brimmed with tears.

“What do you remember?” Abigail changed and turned to a new powder puff. Julianna was crying again, and there was no way to wipe the tears away— they kept coming. This girl could really cry.

“Nothing. Just some things from when I was young.” She brushed off her friend’s question lightly. She then turned to look at herself in the mirror. She might just be the ugliest bride ever.

The wedding would begin very soon.

The wedding between her and Diego. She managed to smile while picturing it in her mind. Her smile was stunning and precious, yet it lacked the beauty of a blooming Begonia flower and seemed to have lost many of its colors before it could even fully bloom.