40 years old, still single, my mother forced me to marry a single woman with 2 children, but on the wedding night, I was shocked to see the scar on her hand.

My name is Ramon, I am 40 years old this year. At an age when my peers have children in college, even carrying grandchildren, I am still single. Partly because I am absorbed in work, partly because I have never felt a strong enough emotion to introduce anyone to my mother.

My mother – a woman from Bulacan, strict and living in the old way – often scolded:

“Do you intend to let me die without grandchildren to hold?”

One day, my mother said she had arranged a match for a “gentle, obedient” woman, but a single mother with two children. Before I could react, she had already set up a meeting date.

The first time I met her – her name is Maribel – I was immediately impressed. She wasn’t too beautiful, but her face had something familiar, strangely peaceful. Maribel was 33 years old, experienced, spoke slowly, her eyes seemed to contain a lot of sadness when talking about the past.

I don’t understand why I agreed to marry her so quickly. Maybe it was because my mother forced me, but maybe it was because her calmness made me feel close.

The fateful wedding night

On the wedding night, everything was strange from the beginning. Maribel was trembling, her hands tightly holding the thin fabric. I gently held her hand, intending to comfort her, when suddenly the night light shone on a long scar running along her left wrist.

I was stunned.
That scar… I could never forget.

When I was little, I had an older sister named Luz, 5 years older than me. She had an accident at the age of 10 – falling into a barbed wire fence while hiding from her mother – leaving that exact scar.

But Luz went missing at the age of 15, while going to the market in Quezon City. After that, there was no news. My whole family was almost broken. My father fell ill and died early, my mother was so heartbroken that she cut off contact with her relatives.

I let go of Maribel’s hand, my voice trembling:
– This scar… why did you have it?

She was stunned, then turned away, tears welling up in her eyes.

– What’s your name?

– Ramon… Ramon Santos.

She burst into tears, sobbing:
– Oh my god… are you Ramon? I… I’m Luz, your sister…

The truth revealed

I stepped back, my heart pounding….
Maribel – that is, Luz – told me everything: after being kidnapped at the market, she was taken across the border, wandered for many years, then escaped in a helpless state. When I returned, my family had moved away, with no one to rely on.

She took on a new name – Maribel – to start over. After a failed marriage, she gave birth to two children. When she was introduced to the man, she only knew that the man was named Ramon, 40 years old, with a widowed mother – she did not expect that he was her biological brother after nearly 25 years of separation.

We were both stunned on our wedding night. No one said another word.

A heartbreaking ending

The next morning, when my mother heard us tell her story, she was so shocked that she fainted.

A few days later, we went to the barangay office together to cancel the engagement. I apologized to her, choking up as I called her “Ate” (sister) again after all these years.

Now, I am still single, but I no longer feel lonely. I have found the sister that the whole family thought was lost.

And I silently thanked that fateful night – the night that seemed to start a wrong marriage, but brought the truth to light.

✨ There are tragedies that seem to only be seen in movies. But when you fall into them yourself, you will know how ironic fate can be.

Part 2 – Light after Years of Wandering
A Heartbreaking Reunion

After the day of the wedding cancellation, I – Ramon – held my sister, Luz (new name Maribel), and took her to visit my mother. My mother – Aling Teresa – sat silently in the old house in Bulacan, her hair white from years of suffering.

When she saw her sister enter, my mother was momentarily stunned. Her old eyes trembled, and the hand holding the cane fell to the ground.

“Luz… is that you? My daughter… are you still alive?”

My sister burst into tears, kneeling down and hugging my mother tightly:
“I’m sorry, Mom… I’ve been gone for so many years, I thought I would never be able to call you ‘mama’ again.”

Neighbors came, all choked up when they learned the truth. The whole family cried like rain on that day of reunion.

Rebuilding from the wounds

In the following months, Luz and her two children – Isabella and Marco – moved in with their mother and younger brother. At first, life was not easy. The two children were unfamiliar and reserved with their new family. But their grandparents and Uncle Ramon loved them wholeheartedly.

Isabella, the older girl, often woke up in the middle of the night, afraid that her mother would disappear again. Each time, Grandma Teresa would hold her in her arms and comfort her:

“Walang mangyayari sa mama mo. Ngayon, lahat we are here.”

(Nothing has happened to you and your mother. Now, we are here together.)

Marco was quiet, but gradually became attached to Uncle Ramon. The two of them often tended the garden together, repaired motorbikes, and did small jobs.

Trust was restored

Luz did not want to live in the past. She found a job at a garment factory in Quezon City, working during the day and returning to her mother and two children in the evening.

She decided to use her real name, Luz Santos, on her papers. “It was time for me to be my true self,” she said.

With hard work and determination, Luz gradually stabilized her life. She saved up for Isabella to go to a good high school, and Marco was able to take a community art class because of his talent for drawing.

A family healed

The first year after reuniting, the whole family celebrated their father’s death anniversary together. For the first time in nearly 25 years, all the living were present at the altar. Teresa looked up at her husband’s portrait, her voice trembling:

“Dad, we finally found our son.”

The atmosphere in the small house that day was both sad and warm.

The future opens

As time passed, Luz grew up more than ever. She understood that the wounds of the past would never disappear, but they taught her to appreciate the present.

Isabella dreamed of becoming a teacher. Marco wanted to become an artist. Both were wholeheartedly supported by their families.

Every night, when the whole family gathered around the dinner table, laughter filled the void of the past. Luz often looked at her children and said:
“I used to think my life was full of darkness. But it turns out, even in the darkness, you can still find your way back, as long as you don’t give up hope.”

Conclusion

Now, Luz is no longer a single woman tormented by the past. She is a child who has returned, a resilient mother raising her children, and is proof that:

✨ No matter how far fate leads us astray, as long as our hearts still yearn to return, there will always be a home, a family, and a love waiting.