SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE

CHAPTER 103

At the sound of footsteps, Raya’s head turned back sharply. She struggled in the nurse’s arms and jumped down. She recognized that sound. It was her mother.

The sound of her mother’s footsteps...

It was the sound of her mother’s footsteps.

“Mommy.”

Her small feet raced forward with one hand tightly around her doll.

Julianna walked over quickly. She was back late, and she didn’t know if Raya was asleep. It had been a long time since she saw Raya. She was anxious, and she was walking so fast that she was almost running.

“Mommy...” A soft voice called out. Julianna started running. It was Raya, her daughter.

An adult and a small child approached each other...

Until the small frame hugged Julianna’s thighs and Raya rubbed her face against them.

“Mommy, carry.” She reached out with her small hands, and there was an obvious grievance in her eyes. She was afraid that Julianna would leave, and no one would want her. A small child like her did not have much confidence in her in the first place.

Julianna bent down and scooped her daughter up. Then she turned around and smiled apologetically at the nurse. “I’m sorry to have caused you trouble. My child is timid.” From the looks of it, Raya had caused them to worry.

“Oh, it’s fine. Raya had been obedient, and all of us like her.” The nurse gave her a friendly smile and reached out to touch Raya’s soft hair gently. This child was so mature, and that made everyone fall in love with her. With her extraordinary good looks, a mouth as sweet as honey, and good manners, they had made her a superstar in the hospital in a short span of just a few days.

“I like Auntie, too. She will bring me yummy snacks.” A bashful look appeared in the child’s face, her well-mannered voice as sweet as marshmallows. She nestled herself in her mother’s arms and looked satisfied at rubbing her face against her mother’s shoulder. Her mother was the best. She was a superhero who could do anything.

Julianna hugged her daughter closely while the nurse had obviously been thoroughly bribed by the little one. Look, she had learned to give compliments to others.

The adult was clearly flattered.

Julianna patted her daughter’s shoulder gently, but she saw her daughter rubbing her eyes constantly. Poor child. She was sleepy.

She held her daughter tight and walked in. Then, she laid her on the hospital bed carefully, but her little hand was still holding onto her clothes tightly.

Julianna’s heart ached. She was worried she would leave her again.

“Raya, don’t be afraid. Mommy will be here tomorrow to keep you company. I won’t leave you again.” She kissed her daughter’s slightly cold cheek and rested her hand on her face to warm her up. In that way, she wouldn’t feel so cold.

She covered her daughter with a blanket and tucked her tiny hands inside. As she looked at her daughter sleeping peacefully, she felt contented.

“Raya, don’t worry. Mommy will definitely save you. Even if I have to use everything I have. Even if I have to exchange it with my life. Mommy will never let you leave.”

She put her hand against her face and felt the moisture on her fingertips. “Raya, your mother is not a strong mother. Do you know that? Actually, you are so much braver than your mother. That’s why you must hang in there and not leave Mommy. You are the only one I have.”

She patted her daughter’s back gently as her dazed eyes revealed a sense of loss. She did not know what her future held for her, only that she needed to save her daughter—even if it was only a ray of hope.

The hospital became silent as the night grew darker. One by one, the lights outside were extinguished; and finally, one remained.

Julianna covered her daughter’s whole body with a blanket. She closed her eyes and listened to her daughter’s shallow breathing. She felt alive.

For the longest time, they had lived like this—dependent on each other day after day, month after month, and year after year. There was no one else except the two of them. They could not live without each other.

...

Countless stars glowed in the night sky. How many million years would it take for different stars to appear in the same sky?

At the other end of the globe, a man stood before a window. The faint glow from the stars fell on him—dressed in loosely fitted pajamas. A stick of cigarette burnt at the end of his fingertips. His sleepiness had faded while a young woman lay in the huge bed.

She opened her eyes vaguely and reached out instinctively beside her.

“Diego...” a hoarse voice called out, but the man did not hear it. He was deep in his thoughts with his eyes lost in the horizon.

The woman sat up, dressed in sexy white silk pajamas. Her full bosom rose and fell, which was highly seductive. The man by the window still had no idea that she had awoken. Such neglect. No matter how many times she tried, she could not find a way into his heart. Her pink lips pursed as a look of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Why must he always give her this vibe that he was close yet so far? Whenever she thought he was near her, he had seemed so far away.

Then again, she realized she could actually hold his hand.

She got off the bed and walked closer to the man until she was standing directly behind him. Then, her hands went around the man’s waist. “Diego, what is on your mind? Was it the company? I’m sorry. It is all my fault to have put you in a tight spot.” There was remorse in her voice as though she was choking in between sobs. Her generosity only made the man’s heart ache and he liked her more.

Diego suddenly felt a burn in his fingertips, and he immediately snuffed out the cigarette.

“It’s nothing.” He let Ruby hug his waist, but in his face, he hid every emotion.

“Diego, will you tell me what you are thinking? Why are you still up so late?” Ruby plastered her face against Diego’s back. He smelled of shower gel; very clean. She had been smelling the scent for four years. Without it, she would not be able to sleep.

Perhaps with a change of environment, that was how things were. Diego made light of everything. They might have been husband and wife... and loving. However, he had never allowed Ruby to be anywhere near his heart. He had not noticed it whether it was intentional or otherwise.

Ruby’s hands moved to the belt on his robe and proceeded to untie it. “I can help you, Diego. If you are willing.” She boldly opened the robe and moved her fingers down.

Things between them were always plain, including their wedding night. Maybe this was his regret.

It wasn’t fierce, passionate, or dense. Only plain and normal.