HOW A TEXT FROM A PREGNANT WIFE GAVE UP TO A MAN WHO WAS RELAXING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MARKET…
That day, the sky in Quezon City was overcast. Misty, cold, and seemed to reflect the sadness in the chest of Elena, a pregnant woman in her eighth month of pregnancy.

Wearing an old bucket hat, she quietly left the house, carrying an eco bag to buy baby supplies. Her husband Marco left early, saying he had an emergency meeting at the office. Elena, as usual, had no complaints. But in her heart, she felt that at this time, she should not be alone. She should not be hanging on to a jeep, crowding around the market while carrying a baby in her womb.

In the middle of the crowded market in Kamuning, while choosing baby mittens and diapers, she heard a voice.

She felt cold. Familiar. Too much.

Turning around, she was stunned.

Marco, her husband—was there.

Holding the hand of a woman in a mini skirt, heels, and a crystalline laugh.

She heard:

“What do you want to eat? I’ll buy it all.”

“Don’t eat too much, I might gain weight!”

“Even if you gain weight, I still love you.”

In the middle of the crowded market, Elena’s knees buckled. Not because of the weight of her stomach, but because of the weight of the truth. The man she married—the father of the one she was carrying—was in front of her, putting others first, while she was left to shoulder the entire family burden alone.

She didn’t come closer. She didn’t make a fuss.

She only did one thing:

She opened her cellphone, and sent a message:

“I saw you at the market. I’m tired, I’m going home alone. You’re the only one who can continue the scene.”

And she turned off the phone. There was no waiting. No follow-up.

THE COLORLESS FACE
While Marco and the woman were laughing, his cellphone vibrated. When he saw the sender, his entire face seemed to turn pale.

“Elena…” he whispered, almost inaudibly.

He dropped the plastic bag he was holding. He looked around, panicking.

“Where is Elena?!”

“What’s wrong?” the woman asked.

He didn’t answer. He ran out of the market, as if looking for something missing.

But Elena—had been gone for a long time. With every step she took home, her heart seemed to erase the memories of their wedding. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t angry either. But her insides were empty—a blank wound that hurt even without blood.

ARRIVAL AT HOME
She didn’t go straight to the bedroom. She walked through the kitchen, laying out the purchases:

A light blue baby cap

Vicks baby rub

Diapers

Feeding bottle

A little milk

She wiped them one by one, but each movement seemed to tear at her heart. She remembered the nights she spent alone, while Marco was always “on overtime”. She remembered the check-ups when she was the only one, even though she was afraid of the hospital. She remembered how Marco’s hugs, his gaze, and his kisses gradually cooled.

Turns out he wasn’t paranoid.

The hunch of a mother fighting for her child was right.

MARCO’S CONFESSION
An hour later, Marco returned. Sweaty, scared, barely able to look up.

When he entered, he saw Elena in the kitchen—her back turned, sitting.

“Elena… I’m sorry…”

Silent.

“I thought you had a meeting?” Elena replied, coldly.

“I was wrong. I didn’t think about how you would feel. I didn’t mean to—”

“If you didn’t mean to—”

“If you didn’t mean to—how long do you plan to hide it?”

Marco couldn’t answer. Until Elena stepped forward—not crying, not angry, but her emotions were like marble.

“I don’t need you to choose me. I’ve already chosen for the both of us.”

She pulled an envelope from her bag.

An annulment paper.

“Your signature is all that’s missing.” Elena whispered. “I won’t take anything. I just want my child. And peace.”

Marco knelt on the sofa, holding his hair, covering his face.

“You weren’t like this before…”

“You used to be, yes. But when I saw you holding hands with someone else—my love stopped.”

No shouting. No fighting.

A silent decision, but stronger than any slap.

A FEW MONTHS LATER
Elena gave birth in a private hospital in Pasig. A boy—healthy, brave, and with a smile of new hope.

During the months of waking up at dawn, with milk being mixed, with the lamp being changed—she had expected no help from Marco.

But every day, a man would pass by the house, holding a toy, milk, or sometimes, flowers.

Marco.

He no longer opened the door for her.

Elena was busy setting up a small online baby shop, called “E & Me” – Elena and her baby.

She was smiling now. Not the smile of a woman forgiving, but of a woman who had learned to free herself

ON THAT OCCASION — YOU HAVE TO FACE THE MAN WHO RUINED YOUR WHOLE WORLD

Five years have passed.
Elena, now 34, has her own online business that is now known throughout Quezon City — E & Me Baby Essentials. With the help of social media, the brand became known to single moms, because its slogan is:

“For mothers who don’t have to rely on anyone, but on themselves.”

Her son Lucas — 5 years old, smart, sweet, and always has questions.

“Mom, where is Papa?”

“He’s far away, son. But you, never far from Mama’s heart.”

Marco is not in their lives.

Not because Elena stopped him.

But because he doesn’t have the courage to face the son who is the result of betrayal.

Until one rainy afternoon, in front of Lucas’ preparatory school… an event that will change everything.

WHAT WAS AVOIDED, IN THE END CANNOT BE AVOIDED
While waiting outside the school, a van crossed the road, fast, ignoring the pedestrian lane. Lucas, letting go of the nanny’s hand, ran towards his Mama.

Elena screamed:

“Lucas!!!”

But a man suddenly rushed in, hugged Lucas, pushed him away…

And he was the one hit by the side of the car.

Screams. Ambulance. Blood.

Elena’s body trembled as she hugged Lucas. When she faced the bloody man, she was stunned.

Marco.

HOSPITAL, AFTER EVERYTHING
In the emergency room of St. Luke’s Hospital, while the wound on Marco’s arm was being stitched, Elena was quiet in a corner. She carried Lucas, crying, shaking with fear.

“Mom… the man… do you know him?”

Elena took a deep breath. She no longer lied.

“He’s your father.”

AFTER A SILENT FIVE YEARS
Marco woke up from anesthesia. The first question:

“Lucas? Where is Lucas?”

Elena stood up.

“He’s outside. He’s safe. Because of you.”

Marco was silent. The once brave man, now tears were streaming down his cheeks.

“Thank you for the chance to save him… at least once in my life.”

Elena just stared. There was no anger in her eyes. But there was a voice of reason:

“You don’t need to be saved to make up. What you need is the courage to face your shortcomings.”

“I want to see him… at least once. Not as a hero. But as someone who was once a coward.”

Elena nodded.

THE MEETING OF FATHER AND SON
In the hospital garden, while the rain was pouring, Elena had an umbrella, Lucas was next to her, wearing a raincoat, holding a toy car.

Marco sat on the bench, his arm bandaged.

“Lucas,” Elena whispered. “It’s Papa.”

Silence. The boy looked at Marco.

“You saved me?”

Marco was shocked, unable to speak.

“Mom said, I’m your father. But you haven’t been here for a long time. I’m not mad at you. But I want to know… why?”

Marco’s answer was tearful. No explanation was enough. But he spoke the truth:

“Because I’m a coward, son. I’m afraid to face those I’ve hurt. But now… I’m ready to make amends. If you let me.”

Lucas was silent. He just nodded.

And for the first time, the boy hugged his father—a hug of understanding, not acceptance; the hug of a boy who is ready to listen, but not just forgive.

EPILOGUE: ELENA, LUCAS AND PEACE
Marco never returned to their lives completely. But he visits every Sunday, sometimes with a balloon, sometimes with a story, sometimes simply by sitting next to her.

Elena, despite everything, did not erase Marco as a father, but she also did not give him the right to return as a husband.

Now, whenever someone tries to ask:

“Why didn’t you get back together?”

Elena just smiles, saying:

“Sometimes, coming back is enough to apologize. But not every sorry needs to be met with a ‘yes’. Sometimes, forgiveness… and distance are enough.”