Rafael – a gentle, scholarly young man, first time in love, also bravely brought his girlfriend home to meet his family. That girl’s name was Andrea, gentle, mature, and had a small child. For Rafael, the past was not important, as long as the two of them truly loved each other in the present.

On the appointment day, Rafael nervously brought Andrea to his family home in Quezon City, Metro Manila. The whole family gathered in the living room (sala), Rafael’s stepfather – Mang Rogelio – sat pensively in the main chair. He was usually quiet, but today he also wanted to meet his stepson’s girlfriend. Next to him was Rafael’s stepmother – Aling Teresa – who always kept the house in order.

As soon as the door opened, Andrea smiled politely and bowed. The atmosphere suddenly froze. Aling Teresa was stunned, and Mang Rogelio turned pale, his eyes wide open as if he had seen a ghost. The woman in front of him was none other than his ex-wife.

In a moment of silence, everyone’s heart was pounding, Rafael was naive and didn’t understand what was going on, only seeing the whole family’s expressions change. The man who had been calm for so many years, now trembled, his lips moved, and finally only uttered three words, hoarsely:

“Is it… you?”

The room was filled with a suffocating heaviness.

Rafael was still bewildered, not yet understanding the meaning of those three words, when Andrea – the single mother – suddenly turned pale. Her hands trembled, almost dropping the gift bag in her hands.

– “We… didn’t expect to meet again here…” – her voice choked, her eyes not daring to look straight at the man sitting there.

Aling Teresa was stunned, her two hands clasped together, her eyes looking at her husband then turned to look at Rafael. In a flash, she realized the cruel truth: her step-son’s new girlfriend was the woman who had destroyed her husband’s first marriage.

The atmosphere was so tense that it could be cut with a knife. Rafael quickly spoke up:

– “What’s wrong? You two… know each other?”

Mang Rogelio took a deep breath, his eyes filled with pain, anger, and disbelief. He stood up abruptly, his voice dropping:

– “This… is my ex-wife.”

That thunderclap struck Rafael. He took a step back, not believing his ears. His lover – the person he once thought would build a home with him – turned out to be in his stepfather’s dark past.

Andrea’s tears welled up, and she quickly grabbed Rafael’s hand:

– “I… I’m sorry… I didn’t know… your stepfather was him…”

But at this moment, Rafael’s eyes were filled with confusion and dismay. The wall of trust that had just been built in love was shattered in an instant. Three words still echoed in his head: “Is it… you?”

The atmosphere in the sala was thick and heavy, as if there was no oxygen left.

Mang Rogelio’s face turned red, his hands trembling as he slammed them down on the table:

– “No! This can’t happen! She… doesn’t deserve to enter this house a second time!”

Rafael was shocked, his voice faltering:

– “Why can’t it happen? What does everyone’s past… have to do with me? I love her, and I love her child too. I accept everything!”

Andrea burst into tears, slumped down on the chair, her face covered in tears. She trembled and said:

– “He doesn’t know anything… please don’t blame him. The fault… is all mine.”

At this point, Aling Teresa – who had been silent until now – also spoke up, her voice cold:

– “Do you still have the face to return to this house? You left your husband, left your child, and ran after another man. This family has already been broken once because of you, and now you want to destroy it again?”

Rafael was stunned. He looked at his stepfather, then at his lover. It was all like a nightmare. He had never known that cruel past.

Mang Rogelio smiled faintly, a bitter smile:

– “Do you know why you and I divorced? Because you betrayed me right in this house! You left behind a small child and disappeared. It took me years to recover. And now… you appear as… my son’s girlfriend?”

The room fell silent. All eyes were on Rafael – the only one facing the cruel choice: love or family

— The Scar No One Sees
That night, the rain poured down on EDSA, the sound of car horns mixed with the thunder as if angry, replacing what no one said. Rafael left the sala in the stunned eyes of everyone. Andrea stood there, her arms holding the gift bag, her body shaking as if she had just passed a fever. Mang Rogelio turned his back, lit a cigarette on the porch, and Aling Teresa pulled the curtain, covering her face that was gradually becoming cold.

Rafael walked on, through the alley where the tricycles were parked, then stopped in front of a sari-sari store with its door half closed. He sat down on the wet steps, running his hands through his wet hair. In his mind, there were only three haunting words: “Is it… you?”

The phone vibrated. A text message from Andrea: “I’m sorry. I’m not hiding anymore. If you want to hear it, 9am tomorrow, Quiapo Church.”
Rafael typed and deleted, deleted and typed. Finally, he just replied: “I’ll be there.”

The next morning, the sky was surprisingly clear. In front of Quiapo Gate, people were jostling to buy rosaries, candles, and bandages to make private prayers. Andrea stood on the steps, wearing a simple white blouse, her face pale but her eyes less panicked.

“I know you don’t believe me,” she began, her voice hoarse from the sleepless night, “but please let me finish. I won’t run away anymore.”

Rafael nodded silently.

Andrea recounted. At nineteen, she followed Mang Rogelio to live in Caloocan. At first, he was gentle. Until the business went wrong, debts piled up, the drunken nights and arguments were countless. Andrea gave birth to a baby boy, Santino. After giving birth, she fell into depression, crying more from fear than from pain.

– “That night… Santino had a high fever. I carried the baby to the barangay health station. But when I got back, the door was locked. I called, but no one answered. I heard the woman in my house.” – Andrea looked down at the steps – “Aling Teresa. Back then, she was his ‘relative’ who helped him with the books. She said I was rude, said I was a bad mother, and threatened to sue. I panicked. The next morning, when I went back, the neighbors told Mang Rogelio to take the baby away, saying I… abandoned the baby to run away with someone else.”

She smiled softly, a smile like a tear.

– “I searched. I went to Batangas, then back to Quezon City, but every time I asked, they said they had moved. I wrote letters, but no response. Years later, I dared to start my life again, working in an office building in Ortigas. I fell in love again, had a daughter, Lia… then that man left. I became a single mother. I swore I would never talk about the past. But fate smiled faintly.”

Rafael looked at Andrea for a long time:

– “What about… betrayal?”

– “I don’t justify what I didn’t do.” – Andrea raised her head – “If you want the truth, don’t ask me. Ask them. I agree to a DNA test if necessary, agree to a confrontation at the barangay hall. I only ask one thing: to let me see Santino… even if just once.”

The wind blew through the yard, the prayer ribbons fluttered. Rafael closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his gaze was different: less innocent, more determined.

– “Okay. Tonight, barangay hall. Everyone is here.”

Late in the afternoon, the Barangay Captain – everyone affectionately calls him Kap – sits in the middle, with tanods on either side. On the table, a pitcher of water and a few old files.

Aling Teresa arrives first, her dress neat, her lips red as if declaring victory. Mang Rogelio arrives later, his face as heavy as a storm cloud. Andrea arrives last, bows, and sits in a corner. Rafael stands next to Kap, like a landmark separating the two banks.

– “We are here to hear the truth.” – Kap says slowly – “Waláng sigaw, waláng bastos. (No shouting, no disrespect.) Who speaks first?”

– “Me.” – Aling Teresa stretches – “She left her husband and children. The divorce papers are ready. What else do you want?”

Andrea does not argue. She opened the plastic cover and took out a blurred photo: Santino at the baptism (bautismo), Andrea holding the baby, and Rogelio standing behind, his hand resting loosely on her shoulder. In the corner of the photo was a handwritten note: “Santino – Santo Niño de Tondo”.

Rafael placed another kraft envelope on the table:

– “I dug it out of the junk box in the warehouse. It was at the bottom. My uncle told me to burn it a long time ago. I kept it.”

In the envelope was a copy of Santino’s birth certificate. “Mother”: Andrea Dela Cruz. “Father”: blank.

The atmosphere was tense. Mang Rogelio slammed his hand on the table:

– “Fake paper! She was…!”

– “You can leave the name out because… you have doubts.” – Kap interrupted – “But the court will still recognize her as the legal mother if there are documents and witnesses. Here is the bautismo photo, with the date. Do you have evidence to refute it?”

Rogelio hesitated. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if touching a thorn in his memory. Finally, he looked at Andrea, his voice lowered:

– “If you didn’t betray me… why did you leave? Why did you leave me?”

Andrea clenched her hands:

– “Because I was beaten. Because I was called dirty in front of the crib. Because that night, Teresa threw her baby clothes on the ground and told me I wasn’t worthy of being a mother. I went back to take my child to the doctor, but the door was locked, and I was threatened to be taken to the police station for ‘kidnapping’. I was weak. I was scared. I chose to live, so that one day I could come back stronger.”

A red line ran across Teresa’s neck. She smiled faintly:

– “What pitiful stories. If you were a good mother, why didn’t you come for more than ten years?”

– “I did. But she changed houses. And the letters… probably never came. Don’t worry.” – Andrea looked straight at her – “I didn’t come to rob anything. I came to ask for a chance to see my child.”

Rafael turned to his stepfather:

“I want to know where Santino is.”

Rogelio took a slow breath. He said in a low voice:

“In Laguna, with my sister. He’s… a good boy, a good student. He thinks his mother is dead.”

Andrea covered her face. Her sobs were so stifled that they bled.

“Tomorrow,” Kap said, his voice firm, “we’re going to Laguna. Before we go, I advise everyone to sign a barangay agreement: respect, non-violence, and the child’s best interests.”

Rafael signed first. Andrea signed, her hand shaking. Rogelio signed last, the pen cutting deep like a knife.

Teresa was left. She stood still, then suddenly sneered:

“Okay. Go. But you should tell ‘everyone’ the truth, Rogelio.” She turned to her husband, each word falling coldly. “Santino is not your biological son.”

The conference room was silent. A tanod dropped the pen and rattled.

Rogelio paled:

– “What did you say?”

– “I don’t like to repeat myself, but if she wants to open a cafe in the past, I’ll add some sugar to sweeten it.” – Teresa looked at Andrea – “Do you remember Dr. Alfredo? He used to come to the house during the last months of pregnancy. Who took you to the doctor, who paid? Do you think I don’t know anything? If Santino is his… then it’s best not to bring him back to face the press or the neighbors. Rumors run faster here than jeepneys at rush hour.”

– “Enough!” Rafael growled – “Don’t smear him.”

Kap raised his hand, reassuring him:

– “Everything will be clear when the DNA test is done. The Barangay can issue a referral to do it peacefully. No one can insult anyone.”

Andrea looked up, her eyes strangely dry:

– “I accept. DNA will answer all accusations.”

Rogelio looked at the bautismo photo for a long time. His trembling hand touched the child’s face – a misty spot like dew at the corner of her eyes.

– “Tomorrow.” – he said softly – “I want to hear the truth… even if it’s a cruel truth.”

Late at night, Rafael took Andrea home. Makati lit up the tall buildings, the light falling on the sidewalk like tired yellow streaks. In front of the apartment building, he stopped:

– “Whatever ADN says… I still want to hear your heart. Don’t go alone tomorrow.”

Andrea moved her lips:

– “Thank you.”

She had just turned to leave when the phone rang. An unknown number. She picked it up, her heart pounding.

– “Hello…”

A man’s voice cracked, hoarse from holding back:

– “Are you… Andrea?”

– “Who is it?”

– “I… I’m Santino. I found this number… in an old envelope at Tita’s house. If… if you’re my mother… then… mom… will you come tomorrow?”

The phone fell into Andrea’s palm with a clatter. Rafael was startled and quickly caught it.

Andrea choked, only able to say two words:

– “It’s me.”

On the other end, a sigh like a rain that had just ended.

– “Meet me tomorrow… in Los Baños, under the Sampaloc tree next to the small church. I… I’m waiting.”

The call ended. Andrea stood still for a long time, then turned to Rafael. Her tears flowed, but this time, clear and relieved.

– “You heard me. My child… is waiting.”

Rafael took her hand, squeezed it gently:

– “Then tomorrow, we go. For the truth. For Santino. And for you.

Over Manila, a star falls slowly like a promise. But below ground, where secrets are already being named, things are just beginning to unravel. Because in Laguna, it’s not just Santino who’s waiting… but also an old file, a nosy neighbor, and another photo that Teresa hasn’t destroyed yet.