Discovering that her husband’s entire family hid the fact that he was raising a pregnant mistress, the wife waited for the death anniversary to do something and then took the child away

Marites had been married to Ramon for 6 years and had a 4-year-old son. For her, family was everything, so Marites was always patient and took care of the housework. But recently, she realized that Ramon often came home late, had a password on his phone, and his entire family in Quezon City always tried to avoid her every time she asked.

One time, by chance, passing by her mother-in-law’s room, Marites clearly heard her voice on the phone:
“That girl is pregnant, Ramon has to make arrangements, otherwise she can’t let her go unpunished.”

Marites was stunned. Not only did Ramon betray her, but his whole family also knew and covered up.

In the following days, Marites secretly followed. As expected, Ramon was raising a young girl in a boarding house in Caloocan, and her belly was already bulging. What was more painful was that her husband’s parents often came by, brought things, and lied that they were going to “visit relatives in Cavite.”

Marites’s plan

Marites did not cry, nor did she make a fuss. She waited for the right moment.

On the anniversary of her father-in-law’s death at their home in Bulacan, all the relatives, neighbors, and neighbors gathered. Marites prepared a thoughtful feast, received guests warmly, and everyone praised her. While everyone was gathered, Marites calmly placed a photo album on the table: Ramon taking his mistress to a pregnancy check-up, his mother-in-law standing next to him smiling.

The atmosphere was as quiet as a sheet of paper.

Marites smiled bitterly:
“I apologize for disturbing the meal. But I don’t want to hide it anymore. This is the truth that my husband’s family has worked together to hide from me. If you have chosen that girl as your daughter-in-law, then I will let you have your way. From today, my son and I will move out of this house, without any more worries.”

No one could say a word. Ramon’s face turned pale, his mother-in-law sat down, relatives whispered. Marites took her son and left, leaving behind a stunned family.

Marites’s new path

That day, Marites took her child and left home, her heart aching but relieved. She rented a small apartment in Makati, went to work and took care of her child herself. Friends and colleagues sympathized with her and helped her a lot. Thanks to that, she gradually stabilized and became stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, her husband’s family began a series of days of “paying the price”….
Ramon hastily married his mistress when she was pregnant. But when the child was born, the cost of raising the child piled up, Ramon was shocked: his mistress was a spendthrift and refused to work. They argued constantly. A few months later, Ramon was unemployed, money was running out, and the family was in turmoil.

The husband’s parents had hoped for “apo lalaki” (first grandchild), but unexpectedly the child born was a girl. The mistress did not know how to behave, spoke rudely, and was not well-liked by the relatives. During the death anniversaries, relatives gossiped and criticized Ramon’s parents for covering up for the third person, losing a gentle daughter-in-law like Marites. The whole family was disgraced throughout the barangay, unable to hold their heads up high.

The price of betrayal

Meanwhile, Marites grew up. She learned a second job, raising her child and developing herself at the same time. Her son was obedient and well-taken care of by his mother. Looking at his smile, Marites knew she had made the right choice: it was better to live without a cheating husband than to let him grow up in a family full of lies.

When Ramon came to Marites to ask her to come back, hoping to “start over,” she coldly replied:

“The day I asked for the truth, you and your family turned your back on me. Now it’s too late.”

Ramon was stunned. He realized that the price of betrayal was not only losing his wife, but also losing his home, his respect, and his own future.

Starting from scratch

After leaving her husband’s home in Quezon City, Marites and her young son moved to a modest apartment in Makati. In the early days, she worked as an office secretary during the day and took on online data entry jobs at night to earn enough money to pay rent and her son’s tuition.

Every night, her son slept soundly in her mother’s arms, while Marites quietly took online courses on business management and beauty care – a passion she had put aside for her husband’s family.

Friends took pity on her and lent her some money. Marites boldly opened a small nail salon in the barangay. The shop only had three chairs and a few bottles of cheap nail polish, but with her dedication and gentle attitude, customers began to flock to her more and more.

From nail salon to famous spa

In just two years, Marites expanded the shop into a beauty spa for office ladies in Makati. She trained more staff – mostly single mothers like herself, in need of steady work.

The slogan Marites hung on the door was:

“A place where women heal and rise again.”

Marites’s name gradually spread. Local newspapers wrote about her as “the woman who was betrayed but rose to success.” Television channels invited her to share her story on their women’s shows.

A Voice of Resilience

Not only did Marites stop at business, she also founded a women’s support group in Manila, providing free legal advice to abused or betrayed wives, and organizing free vocational classes in nail, massage, and skin care.

She said at a seminar at the University of the Philippines:

“We can lose a man, but never lose ourselves. Our children’s future depends on how strong we are today.”

Hundreds of students and young mothers applauded. Marites became a living inspiration for many women across the country.

The New Woman

When her son entered first grade, Marites already had a chain of three spas in Makati, Quezon City and Cebu. She was not only a successful businesswoman but also a model mother, raising her children in an environment full of love and honesty.

Meanwhile, her ex-husband Ramon was still struggling. His family was in turmoil, his career was going nowhere. Whenever people heard Marites’ name, they no longer remembered a “betrayed wife”, but called her “inspirasyon ng kababaihan” – the inspiration of Filipino women.

Marites stood on the rooftop of the newly opened spa in Cebu, looking out at the vast blue sea. Her son ran to hug her waist. She smiled, tears glistening in the afternoon sun:

“My child, I thought I had lost everything. But it turned out that when I stood up strong, I had the whole sky.