My father left all his assets to my stepmother and her stepchildren, I knelt down and cried when I read the will…
I used to think I was lucky. As the only daughter in a well-off family in Quezon City, I grew up in the love of my parents. My mother was a gentle, kind and delicate teacher. My father worked in a government agency, strict but warm. My childhood passed peacefully, filled with laughter – a childhood that I am always proud of.

However, the first incident happened when I was in high school. My mother had brain cancer. After a long surgery at the Philippine General Hospital, she almost lost her eyesight and the doctor warned that the disease was very likely to relapse. Less than a year later, my mother passed away. The great loss left me disoriented, my studies declined, I failed the university entrance exam, and had to repeat a year to get into my dream school.

When I received my university acceptance letter, my father took me to meet a woman named Marites and told me that he wanted to remarry. I silently accepted.

I thought, as long as my father was happy, I was about to leave home so it didn’t matter. So, Mrs. Marites brought her stepdaughter – Angela, 3 years younger than me – to live in the house that used to be my mother and my own home.

Since I entered university at the University of the Philippines Diliman, I rarely went home. The relationship with my stepmother was only minimally polite. I was old enough to not need her to take care of me, and she didn’t interfere in my life. What bothered me most was the special attention my father gave Angela. He often took us out, shopping – things that used to be reserved for me and my mother.

I used to be jealous, I used to feel sorry for myself, but I still consoled myself that I was still my biological child, he was just fulfilling his responsibility. I believed that, until the day my father suddenly passed away from a serious illness without any warning.

The will shock

After the funeral at Quiapo Church, my stepmother gave me a will. In it, it was stated that my father left all his assets – the house in Quezon City, savings book and investment shares – to Angela, her stepdaughter. I had no part.

I was stunned, then angry, shouting that she was lying, wanting to take over the family fortune. At that time, she gave me a file with a DNA test and a handwritten letter – the words my father left behind.

In the letter, he wrote that I was adopted. Many years ago, my mother could not have children, so my parents adopted me from an orphanage in Manila, treating me as their own flesh and blood. Later, my father had an affair with Mrs. Marites and gave birth to Angela. Because of his love for my mother, he did not divorce. Only after my mother died did he return to his ex.

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. You’re not blood related, but you’re always my most beloved child. You’re strong and independent, I believe you can live well without relying on material things. As for the property, I want to make up for Angela – the child who has lacked my love for too long.”

I read each line and then knelt down on the ground, sobbing. The whole world seemed to have abandoned me.

A sudden ray of light

A few days later, my stepmother called me over and handed me a stack of papers. She had redone the division, dividing the property equally between the two sisters. I was surprised. She just smiled gently:

– “I know your father has his reasons, but I can’t let you suffer like that. Even though I didn’t give birth to you, I still consider you my daughter. From the day I entered this house, I felt responsible for you.”

Angela – the younger sister I used to be wary of – also came to hug me:
– “Ate, you are my older sister. I never thought of you as an outsider. If you had nothing, I would not be able to live peacefully in that house.”

My tears fell again, but this time not because of sadness, but because of warmth.

Now, I have a stable job in Makati. I still visit home on weekends, cook with my stepmother, and walk around Luneta Park with Angela. We have become a real family, without any barriers.

I used to think I was abandoned, but it turns out that love does not need to be related by blood – just by the same heart. I did not have a perfect beginning, but I have an ending warm enough to forgive everything.

In this life, if we are open-minded enough, any loss can become the beginning of happiness.