"Betrayal is the only truth that sticks."

-Arthur Miller-

***

“What in the world is this!?” Nothing could have prepared Julia for the sight in front of her. On the hotel’s bedroom was her fiancee, Tom and best friend, Emily. They were naked and was seen making out with each other just a few seconds ago until she burst the door open and saw everything. The exposed duo stopped in their place and Tom frantically stood up to approach Julia, who had started crying her eyes out and shaking her head in disapproval.

“Baby, I can explain.” Tom reached out his hand to touch her but Julia quickly snapped it away. She was hurt so bad she did not even want to hear anything he said.

“No, stop. I don’t care anymore. From now on, we are done!” She removed the ring from her hand in front of him.

“And this ring, I’m going to sell it and keep the money to myself!” She screamed in his face before running back to her own room. It was only a few weeks away before their wedding day. She had planned everything and was so excited to finally marry him.

Yet it all shattered in an instant because her fiancee had decided to cheat on her with her best friend.

She thought it must be a bad dream, but even after she pinched her arm, she still didn’t wake up.

While sobbing, she packed all of her belongings and got ready to return back to Phoenix that very night. They still had two days left before they were supposed to be home, but she couldn’t even stand one more night with him.

As she was gathering her belongings, her mind wandered back to their first meeting together. Julia met Tom in university. She took International relation major while he was studying law.

She was one of those shy, quiet but friendly woman in college that never really thought much about dating before. It was until she met him. In the beginning, he looked like a prince charming, a very sweet and kind person who was quite attentive and caring toward her. Just like most women, she fell for his personality and the fact that he became a lawyer made him even more attractive to her.

After dating for around two years, he finally proposed to her. Obviously, she said yes and their relationship had been smooth sailing from then on. That was why she never suspected he would be cheating on her. Worse, with her best friend since high school, Emily Stone.

As she finished packing, the door was opened using the spare key and Tom entered the room, fully clothed. She felt so disgusted by him that she felt like escaping at the moment.

“Julie, I can explain everything to you.” He tried to persuade her into staying but Julianne wasn’t stupid. She was quiet, polite and preferred to avoid conflict, but definitely not stupid.

“I don’t need your explanation. I am leaving tonight.” She grabbed her suitcase and left the hotel room, booking a taxi and headed straight to the airport. The entire ride, she was crying her heart out. The taxi driver kept on offering her tissues along the way because her tears wouldn’t stop. He didn’t want to ask her what was wrong since it might offend her even more. It was only fifteen minutes ride to the airport but for some reason it felt like forever.

Once she was there, she booked a flight back to Phoenix and waited another hour before she finally got to the plane and stayed for five hours before it finally landed home.

“Finally, I’m back.” She went to the apartment she shared with Tom and instead of resting. She went straight to pack more of her stuff. Julie knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep that night and she needed to keep her mind busy with something.

Tom would be back in two days and she wanted to be gone by then.

It took her hours to pack the boxes and called delivery to help her move. She did not have any plan since the breakup was so sudden. The only escape route she could think of was heading back to her parents’ home for the time being until she could find a new place to stay.

Julia picked up her phone and dialed her parents’ home number. Soon enough, her mother picked it up and upon hearing her voice, she felt like crying again, but she had to hold herself back for the time being.

“Mom, I think I will have to move in with you guys again, at least for a few weeks or months until I can get my own place.” She stated. Her mother on the other side was silent for a few seconds and asked her a question.

“What’s wrong, sweetie? Did something happen between you and Tom?” She asked.

“Please, I will tell you everything later but can I move in with you first? I’ve packed all my belongings and they just need an address to ship to.” She continued.

“Of course, Julianne. You are always welcome here. Come home when you are ready, okay? We will be waiting for you.” She felt a little relieved because at least they would have a place to stay in for the time being.

“Okay, mom. I should be there in two days. I love you.” She heard her mother replying with a brief ‘I love you too’ before the call ended. She turned around to see the mess around her and took a deep breath.

“It’s okay, Julie. You’ll be fine. You can get through this.” When the sun finally rose, she grabbed her car’s key and started driving back to her parents’ house which was actually only two hours drive from her apartment.

Once she was back home, she knocked on the door and her mother, Linda, opened the door for her. When Julia saw her mother again after months of not meeting her in person, she quickly hugged her and the older woman hugged her back.

“Ow, my poor sweetheart. Come inside, you can tell me everything.” The two of them headed inside and Julia could not contain her tears anymore. She started bursting out in tears as she told her everything that happened between her and Tom. Linda was shocked because the entire time, she always thought Tom was a good, loyal and faithful gentleman. He was always more on the charismatic side so it wasn’t that difficult for him to get her parents fooled by his demeanor.

After crying her heart out, Julie decided she had had enough of crying and headed straight to her old bedroom, which surprisingly was still kept intact by her parents. She was an only child too, so no one else was using her room. As she stepped in, the memories of her childhood returned to her. She had not been there in nearly two years and had forgotten a few things until she saw them again.

Her room was painted in a soft pastel pink color and had mostly white interior. She had always preferred a more feminine style and was quite sentimental as a child, so she still kept her toy, a soft fluffy teddy bear and a few pictures of her travel adventures in the past hanging on the wall. On her vanity table, she had a picture of her and her parents, who she loved very much.

She smiled as she recalled all the happy memories she experienced. Suddenly, losing Tom didn’t feel as hurt anymore just by returning there.

After she unpacked, there was a knock on the door. It was her mother who called her out for lunch. She walked to the dining room and saw her favorite meal on the table.

“Thanks mom, where’s dad by the way?” She asked.

“He’s still at work, you know managing a construction company is never an easy task. He should be home before dinner.” She replied back.

“Now, let’s eat.” Julia took her first bite after a long time and it tasted just like how she remembered it. A small smile escaped her lips. While one part of her life was torn apart, another part returned to her. She thought it would be the beginning to her healing journey. Julia didn’t know that the next day, another surprise would be waiting for her.