In Love With The Wrong Man

Having been ignored the first time she called out to her mother, Lucia turned to face her with tears in her eyes. Yet, She didn't spare a glance at her own biological daughter.

She called out to her again "Mom."

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

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

A palm landed on her cheek with a resounding smack.

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

“How dare say you didn’t mean it? Can you swear that you have nothing to do with Daniel? That you were not jealous of Sophia one bit? That you don’t want to marry him?”

Lucia remained silent.

Yes, she had loved Daniel for a long time now, was that wrong?

Stella shot her a deadly glare as if she was the enemy. She placed her hand back to her side, while Lucia 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…” She called again.

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

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

As she was about to leave the room, she heard Lucia say in tears, “Mom, you never treated me like I was your daughter. Sophia was the one you treated more like your biological daughter.”

The elderly woman stopped at that . She suddenly came to the realization that what Lucia has said was true. She seemed to have truly forgotten that Lucia 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.

 Betty, Lucia's best friend came and knocked on the door. She entered and met Lucia inside the room. She rested her hand on her shoulder. “Lucia, are you alright?”

Lucia 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 but she had a body that men would die for. Big firm breasts and a huge backside. No man can resist her shape and curves!

“Lucia, you don’t have to go through with the wedding, okay?” Betty pulled at her hand. “Lucia, it’s not too late to turn back now. You can leave him and go far away. Without this wretched love restricting your life, you can be yourself.”

Lucia 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.

“Betty, 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?” Betty’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.” Lucia 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.

Betty reached out her hand and picked up the makeup kit. She tenderly powdered Lucia’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 in time, would things turn out better? Would that change her life?