Her husband forced her to a:bo rt the baby so he could be free with his lover. But she chose to leave everything, flee to Cebu, and in secret gave birth to twin girls. Seven years later, she returned with her daughters to make her ex-husband feel punishment in every step.

“I want you to a/bo:r t the baby. It’s nothing but an obstacle to my true happiness. You understand, right?”

Those words from Adrian, the man Marites had been with for five years, were like lightning that cut the last thread of trust. She and the baby in her womb were treated as nothing more than obstacles.

It was a rainy night in Tagaytay. Marites was sitting on the cold floor, clutching her belly that had already begun to round. In the living room was Adrian, speaking in a low voice with a woman whose identity needed no guessing. She no longer had the strength to ask questions—everything was clear.

She had given him everything: she left her job, helped Adrian build a restaurant in Tagaytay, humbled herself. But when he succeeded, the first words she heard were: “I don’t love you anymore.”

At first, she thought of en:du//ri !ng it—for the baby. But when Adrian threw the ultrasound aside and, with chilling coldness, said: “Get rid of it, I’ll pay for everything,” she knew there was nothing left to go back to.

In silence, she packed some clothes and the money she had saved into a backpack. Before leaving, she looked at the wedding photo on the wall and whispered: “I won’t cry again.”

She boarded a bus bound for Cebu: a city big enough to hide in, far enough so they would never cross paths again, and calm enough to start anew.

When she arrived, she was already five months pregnant. No house, no family, no job… only a fierce determination to survive for her child.

She found work as a waitress in a carinderia near the pier. The owner, Doña Pilar, felt compassion for her and gave her lodging in a small room behind the kitchen. “That’s a woman’s life—sometimes you have to be braver than you ever imagined,” she often told her.

In October, she gave birth to twin girls in a district hospital. She named them Amihan and Liway, hoping their lives would be as serene and strong as their names.
Seven years passed. Now Marites owned a small flower shop on Colon Street, enough to support the three of them. The twins were smart: Amihan, cheerful; Liway, serious… but both adored their mother.

One Christmas, while watching the news, Marites saw Adrian on television: now a successful businessman in Tagaytay, owner of a chain of restaurants, married to Catriona, his former lover. Hand in hand, they smiled at the camera like a perfect family.

But her blood no longer boiled. The rage had vanished; only disappointment and a bitter laugh remained.

She looked at her daughters, now beautiful and full of life. Children their father once wanted aborted, but who had become her greatest strength.
That night, she logged into her Facebook account, silent for seven years

That night, she logged into her Facebook account, silent for seven years. Her fingers trembled as she typed a short post:

“Some people throw away blessings without knowing what they are losing. Seven years ago, I was told to erase my children for someone else’s happiness. Today, those children are my everything.”

She attached a picture of Amihan and Liway—dressed in matching red Christmas dresses, their eyes bright with joy.

Within hours, the post spread among her old friends in Tagaytay. Some sent private messages of shock and support. Others whispered the story until it reached Adrian’s circle.

Three days later, her inbox lit up with a message she never expected:

Adrian: “Marites… are those… mine?”

Her lips curved into a cold smile. She didn’t reply.

Instead, she packed a suitcase. It was time to go home—not to beg, not to reconcile, but to face the man who once tried to erase her daughters.

When she stepped off the bus in Tagaytay, the December air was sharp and cold. Amihan and Liway clutched her hands tightly, their eyes wide with curiosity.

“Is this where Mama used to live?” Amihan asked.

“Yes,” Marites whispered. “And it’s where Mama will finally close an old wound.”

The next morning, Adrian’s world shattered.

It began when he walked into his flagship restaurant, and every employee fell silent. On the front page of the local newspaper was a photo—Marites and the twins, standing in front of her flower shop, the headline bold:

“Wife Abandoned Years Ago Returns with Twins: The Untold Story of Adrian Villareal.”

Adrian froze. His face drained of color as Catriona snatched the paper from his hands.

The empire he had built, the family image he had polished—all began to crack. Every step he took in town, whispers followed. Every smile now hid a question: “Are those girls really his?”

And when he finally saw Marites—standing proud with Amihan and Liway by her side—Adrian felt punishment in every step. Not because she shouted. Not because she demanded. But because her silence, and the sight of the daughters he once wanted gone, was louder than any vengeance.