In 2015, Terminal 1 of NAIA witnessed what seemed to be an ordinary story of departure—signaling the beginning of a new destiny in a foreign land. A man with a backpack, holding a ticket and passport, carried with him a promise of a better future. His name was Joel Canlas, 29 years old, an electrician from Bulacan.

In a matter of months, Joel completed all the necessary training, medical exams, and pre-departure seminars. He endured everything for the future he dreamed of sharing with his longtime girlfriend, Carol Regalado.

Joel came from a humble family in Bulacan—raised among carpenters, masons, and tricycle drivers. But he dreamed of more: to build a decent home, start a family, and break free from poverty.

He met Carol during college—they were classmates in one of their subjects. They grew close until they eventually became a couple. After graduation, Joel worked as a technician in Bulacan while Carol became an agent at a small company in the same province. Two years passed and Joel decided to go abroad. He received a job offer in the UAE as an electrical technician. It was a tough decision, but he saw it as the only way to secure a better life for himself and for the future he wanted to build with Carol.

In his first year abroad, Joel and Carol would call each other almost every day. Joel made time for her even late at night just to see and hear her before she went to sleep. They often talked about the house they would build together. Joel promised that by the end of his contract, he would have saved enough to fulfill that dream.

🎵 However, while Joel’s world kept spinning in the desert—working and saving money—Carol began to slowly drift away from the promise of waiting. On lonely nights in her room, she was tempted to join text group chats and social media forums. At first, it was just for conversation. Later, it became entertainment, then a habit, until it turned into a tool for breaking her promises to Joel.

One day, she met up with one of the men from the group chat. Fueled by desire and recklessness, she gave in to temptation. After that night, she came home overwhelmed with guilt. She told herself it was a one-time mistake, but she was wrong. That night was only the beginning of more meetings—sometimes with the same man, sometimes with new people she met online. All of it was risky and impulsive.

Carol slowly became addicted to what she thought was happiness. She forgot the value of her promise to Joel. The calls became less frequent, but she always had an excuse—poor internet, a drained phone battery, or work-related tasks. Joel, too focused on saving money, never suspected anything and continued to trust Carol.

This lifestyle became normal for Carol. The years passed unnoticed. Joel had saved enough. He bought a small lot in San Miguel, Bulacan, and planned a surprise vacation to the Philippines to start building their house. In 2020, Joel decided to come home—without telling Carol.

When he arrived in Bulacan, Carol was stunned. She hadn’t expected Joel’s return. She wasn’t prepared. But Joel wasn’t the only one in for a surprise—an explosive revelation was waiting, one that would shatter Joel’s world.

Carol welcomed Joel warmly, acting like everything was normal. Joel, happy to finally be with the woman he loved, immediately started the construction of their house on the lot he had purchased. Carol supported the project. Everything was going well until one unusual day arrived.

Carol began to feel strange—nauseous in the mornings and sensitive to smells. One day in February 2020, she took a pregnancy test. Two red lines appeared. Carol was devastated—she knew Joel wasn’t the father.

She didn’t know how to deal with this discovery. She decided to keep it a secret. By March 2020, Joel was supposed to return to the Middle East for a new contract. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his plans were canceled, and he had to stay in the Philippines.

Carol used this as an opportunity to tell Joel she was pregnant. Joel couldn’t believe that from the few times they were intimate, they were already having a baby. He wasn’t angry. Instead, he believed it was a blessing in disguise that he didn’t return to Dubai. Now, he could be there to support Carol and their child.

Overjoyed, he promised Carol that he would marry her as soon as the lockdown was over. They returned to Bulacan and moved into the partially built house. Even though it wasn’t finished due to delays, Joel remained determined. He became a delivery rider to support their needs during the pandemic.

While Joel was busy working, Carol was trapped in the home she had built on lies. But there was no turning back. She kept the lie going, pretending everything would be fine, while Joel unknowingly raised a child that wasn’t his.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Eventually, Carol gave birth to a baby boy, whom they named Giro. Joel joyfully embraced the child and poured all his love into him.

In 2021, Joel and Carol were married in an intimate civil wedding. Despite many COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony pushed through. To others, their life seemed perfect. But beneath the surface was a lie waiting to explode.

As months passed, Joel noticed that Giro’s appearance was starting to look less and less like his. At first, he ignored it. Many babies, after all, don’t resemble their parents at birth. But as Giro grew, Joel’s doubts deepened.

Joel had dark hair. Carol had a sharp nose. But Giro’s features were increasingly different. One night, while putting Giro to sleep, Joel stared at the boy for a long time, searching for something he couldn’t explain.

He tried discussing his doubts with Carol, but she responded with hostility. Her defensive words only deepened Joel’s suspicion and created distance between them. Tension filled the once-peaceful house.

Joel started spending more time outside, looking for space to think. He told no one—not even his sister Ala, who once visited and remarked how different the baby looked. Instead of confronting anyone, Joel decided to search for the truth on his own.

 One night, while Carol was asleep, he quietly took a hair sample from Giro’s comb…

He brought it to a private DNA clinic. Quietly, he requested a paternity test to ease his troubling suspicions. Three weeks passed before the results arrived. Nervously, he opened the envelope bearing the clinic’s seal. Despite everything, Joel still hoped that his doubts were wrong.

He had grown deeply fond of the child, and he had no other plan in life but to guide and support him as he grew. But after reading the document’s contents, everything suddenly lost direction. Probability of paternity: 0.00%. The child he thought was his own flesh and blood turned out not to be his.

And the woman he had married—the one he had promised a good life to—turned out to be someone he never truly knew. Joel didn’t know what to do. Despite his anger, he chose to confront Carol with restraint. He asked her again if she had been with anyone else, and whether he was really Giro’s father. Unaware of the DNA result, Carol continued to stand by her lie.

Instead of coming clean, she even accused Joel of cheating and looking for a reason to stir up a fight. While Joel was calmly asking questions, Carol responded with shouting and blame. But all of that ended when Joel showed her the document he was holding. At that moment, Carol went completely silent.

She had no explanation—she knew there was no way out now. Joel didn’t hurt her, but the anger in his eyes revealed the depth of his pain over her betrayal. Joel temporarily left their home, taking time to think about his next steps. As a man, he couldn’t accept how he had been deceived by the woman he married, and how she had made him take responsibility for a child born of her unfaithfulness.

With the help of the DNA result, Joel sought legal advice from a lawyer about the possible actions he could take. Based on the lawyer’s guidance, Joel filed charges for simulation of birth under Article 347 of the Revised Penal Code—for Carol making him believe he was the biological father of Giro.

He was also advised to seek damages for the emotional and moral suffering caused by Carol’s deliberate deception. In addition, Joel filed for annulment under Article 45 of the Family Code on the grounds of fraud or deceit in entering the marriage—since Carol had hidden the truth that he was not the father of her child and manipulated him into marrying her under false pretenses.

When Carol received a copy of the charges filed by Joel, she was devastated. She tried to speak with Joel’s family, but they refused to listen. For them, what they had discovered was more than enough. The betrayal of trust wasn’t just about the child—it was about five years of Joel enduring a life filled with lies he never even knew he was living.

The legal process was complex. Joel and Carol’s court battle dragged on for nearly three years. Carol tried to argue that Joel had known he wasn’t Giro’s father before the marriage, but she failed to present solid evidence. As a result, the court sided with Joel.

Finally, in 2024, the court ruled to nullify their marriage. Carol did not receive any share of the properties Joel had acquired—no division of assets, no alimony. For the case of simulation of birth, Carol was sentenced to no less than six years in prison.

She was also ordered to pay damages totaling ₱500,000 for the emotional and moral harm she had caused Joel. After the court’s decision, Joel slowly began to feel the weight in his heart ease. But letting go completely wasn’t as fast as signing papers.

He started preparing documents to sell the house. A real estate broker helped him, and within months, they found a buyer. Joel decided to sell the house, which had become a symbol of sacrifices wasted. Giro was left in the custody of his grandmother, while Carol served her sentence behind bars. Joel chose to walk away for good.

Carrying what remained of his savings, he moved to La Union, far from the noise of the city and the painful memories of his past. In a small town called Bacnotan, he set up a modest store selling electrical supplies and offering repair services. Every day, he would wake up early to face his new life. In that place, no one knew his past.

The heavy burden he had carried for so long was slowly replaced by peace. A few months passed, and Joel met a woman who made his heart beat again. Her name was Grace Abbasolo, a 30-year-old woman from the province. At first, Joel was hesitant, afraid of being deceived and hurt again.

But his view changed as he got to know her better. Once again, Joel tried to open his heart. At present, although they are not yet married, they are happy together. Grace knows Joel’s past and promised never to break his heart.

None of this was easy. But in Grace’s eyes, Joel saw a new hope—and this time, he is determined to make sure that the mistakes of his past will never be repeated again.