~Juilana~
...
Two days had passed since Juliana's encounter with the stranger at the hotel. She had been meaning to visit her mother, Stella, who was still recovering from her illness. When she thought about it she felt happy and was relieved to see her mother was getting better.
But Juliana's joy was short-lived. A few days later, she received a devastating phone call from Doctor Maria while she was asleep in the middle of the night.
"Juliana, I'm so sorry," Doctor Maria said, her voice shaking. "Your mother... she didn't make it."
Juliana was in shock. She had never felt such a deep sense of loss before.
"Wh-what happened?" Juliana stuttered, trying to process the news.
Doctor Maria's voice was barely above a whisper. "She had a relapse. The cancer spread, and... I'm so sorry, Juliana."
Juliana rushed to the hospital, where she found her mother's lifeless body. She wept, calling out to her mother.
"Mom... why aren't you answering me? You can't leave me, mom. I need you."
Doctor Maria knelt beside her, tears streaming down her face.
"Juliana, I'm so sorry. I know this is hard for you, but I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" Juliana asked, her voice shaking.
Doctor Maria took a deep breath. "Your mother... she knew she was dying. She knew the cancer was spreading, and she didn't have much time left she wasn't getting better but decided to stop her medication and not go through with the surgery because the medication were making her sleepy and the medicine weren't doing much and they started to make her memories fuzzy and the cancer had already spread to her brain which made her memories start to detoriate she didn't want to forget you and who she was so she lied about."
"Why didn't she tell me at all I could have understood?" Juliana asked, feeling a wave of grief wash over her.
Doctor Maria's voice was barely above a whisper. "She didn't want you to feel guilty about dropping out of school to take care of her she knew you didn't want to tell her but she knew about it but decided not to say anything and give you time. She wanted you to have some good memories of her, not just of her being sick she wanted to be remembered as lively and full of life and breath."
Juliana felt a wave of emotions wash over her. She had been so focused on taking care of her mother that she hadn't realized how much her mother had been sacrificing for her and how much thought her mother has placed on her emotions.
"What happened?" Juliana asked, still trying to process the news.
"She had a relapse," Doctor Maria explained. "The cancer spread to her brain, and a blood vessel burst and it caused a blood clot in her lungs... she couldn't breathe. We placed her in oxygen, but it was too late I told her we have to call you but she said no... she smiled as she left."
Juliana nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"Thank you for telling me," she said, her voice shaking.
The days that followed were a blur of grief and sadness. Juliana's friends, colleagues, and people who worked at the hospital came to pay their respects at the funeral.
As Juliana stood by her mother's grave, holding a purple lavender flower, she felt a sense of regret wash over her.
"Mom, I'm so sorry," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I wish I could have done more for you."
Margaret, her friend and former colleague from the hotel, put a comforting arm around her shoulders.
"Juliana, your mother would be proud of the strong woman you are and what you will become," Margaret said. "You did everything you could to take care of her, and that's all anyone could ask for."
Juliana smiled weakly, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Margaret.
After the funeral, Juliana decided to make a real effort to pursue her dreams, just as her mother had always wanted her to.
As the days turned into weeks, Juliana began to feel a sense of purpose and direction. She was determined to make her mother proud and create a better life for herself.
One night, as Juliana was about to eat some chicken soup, her doorbell rang. She opened the door to find a man in his mid-40s, dressed in a black shirt and jeans, holding a black bag.
"Can I help you?" Juliana asked, feeling a sense of unease.
"Are you Miss Juliana Knight?" the man asked.
Juliana nodded, her heart racing.
"Yes, I am."
The man smiled sympathetically.
"I am here on behalf of Miss Stella Knight. I heard she had passed away recently."
Juliana folded her arms, feeling a sense of wariness.
"How do you know my mother?" she asked.
The man smiled again.
"It's better if we go inside," he said.
Juliana hesitated for a moment before stepping aside to let the man in.
As they sat down in the living room, the man introduced himself.
"My name is Andrew, and I am your mother's attorney," he said.
Juliana looked shocked.
"We have nothing to give that requires an attorney," she said.
Andrew smiled.
"Actually, there is," he said, handing her an envelope containing some documents.
Juliana readHere is the revised continuation:
Juliana read through the documents, her eyes widening in shock.
"What is this?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Andrew smiled.
"Your mother left you a family heirloom necklace that belonged to her mother, and a significant amount of money to fund your education," he explained.
Juliana felt tears streaming down her face as she read through the documents.
"Why didn't she tell me?" she asked, feeling a wave of grief wash over her.
Andrew's expression was sympathetic.
"Your mother wanted to make sure you had a secure future, and she didn't want you to worry about the financial burden of her illness," he said.
Juliana nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards her mother.
"Thank you for telling me," she said, her voice shaking.
Andrew handed her a handkerchief, and Juliana took it, wiping away her tears.
"There's also a video message from your mother," Andrew said, handing her a small DVD.
Juliana's eyes widened in surprise.
"What is it?" she asked.
Andrew smiled.
"Your mother wanted to leave you a message, but she wanted you to watch it when you're 23 and have made something of yourself I was told to hold on to it," he explained.
Juliana nodded, feeling a sense of anticipation.
"I'll watch it when I become what she knew I could be," she said.
Andrew nodded and stood up.
"I'll leave you now," he said. "The transfer of the money and the necklace will be finalized next week and the necessary documents will be sent over if need be."
Juliana nodded and walked him to the door.
"Thank you for coming," she said.
Andrew smiled and nodded.
"You're welcome," he said. "Take care of yourself."
Juliana closed the door and leaned against it, feeling a sense of overwhelm wash over her. She looked around the room, trying to process everything that had happened.
She walked over to the couch and sat down, holding the the documents. She felt a sense of sadness wash over her she felt like there was much she didn't know about her mother's world but she brushed it aside and thought of all the steps she needed to make to create something for herself.
She was going to make her mother proud, and she was going to create a better life for herself.
Juliana took a deep breath and stood up, feeling a sense of purpose and direction. She was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead, and she was ready to make her mother's memory proud.