The drunken son-in-law smashed the altar of his mother-in-law on the anniversary of her death and shouted out a terrible secret, the whole family was shocked when they learned the truth about the long-hidden relationship…
The Aling Teresa family is a large angkan in the suburbs of Malolos, Bulacan – rich, prestigious, famous throughout the region for its discipline and filial piety. Every March 15 – the anniversary of the death of Aling Teresa, the kind and virtuous mother – the whole family gathers, with all the children, grandchildren, and in-laws.

This year is no exception.

The feast is high and full. The relatives fill the whole yard, bahay na bato. Mang Arturo – Aling Teresa’s husband – with white hair and beard, hands trembling, lit candles and incense on the family altar to commemorate his ex-wife.

From afar, Hector – the eldest son-in-law, husband of the eldest daughter named Mae – walked in, his face sullen. Everyone thought the couple had a small argument.

But just as he reached the middle of the courtyard, Hector let out a roar and rushed straight into the altar!

BOOM!

Everyone was stunned. Hector threw the offering tray, knocked over the incense burner, and swept Aling Teresa’s portrait to the ground. The frame shattered. Incense ashes scattered all over the tiled floor.

Everyone screamed and rushed to stop him, but Hector turned around, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse:

– “Why are you still burning incense for her? An incestuous mother! A dirty woman!”

The air was dead silent.

Mae fell to her knees, trembling:
– “You… don’t… don’t say anymore…”

But Hector seemed to have gone crazy. He pulled out a crumpled stack of photocopies from his pocket…
– “This is the birth certificate extract (PSA). This is the DNA test result. This is the DSWD adoption file. I have been investigating for a whole year. Aling Teresa is not Mae’s mother. She is my BIOLOGICAL MOTHER.”

The whole family was packed but at that moment, there was dead silence.

The hidden truth:
Thirty years ago, when she was young, Aling Teresa became pregnant with a married man. That child – Hector – was given away to someone else to save the family’s reputation. None of the family knew about it, except Mang Arturo.

But the tragedy did not stop there.

When Hector was 25, he met Mae – the “official” daughter of Mang Arturo and Aling Teresa – and they fell in love. Aling Teresa knew Hector was her biological son, but for fame, for pride, and for fear of her daughter’s pain, she ignored the real documents, secretly letting the incestuous marriage take place.

11 years.

For eleven years, Hector lived with his wife, without knowing that… she was his half-sister.

It was not until Aling Teresa passed away that, while cleaning, Hector found her unsent handwritten letter – confessing all her sins, that she “could not live with that shame forever”.

Climax and controversy:
The whole family was stunned, some were angry because they were deceived, some were moved to tears because they felt sorry for Hector and Mae.

One of them, Tiya, trembled and said:
– “No matter what… she raised Mae, and she was her mother for the rest of her life…”

Hector turned around:
– “Being a mother? A mother who watches her son marry her daughter without saying a word, and then the two of them live together for more than 10 years – is that ‘being a mother’?!”

Mae could only cover her face and sob. A cousin punched the pillar:
– “This house… is truly cursed with honor…”

After the incident, Hector left home, and Mae quietly filed for divorce. Aling Teresa’s altar was taken down, and the house was locked.

People in the barangay rumored that after that day, the whole family no longer held a memorial service for Aling Teresa. Whenever someone mentioned her name, there were only sighs and evasive looks.

— Empty altar and unburned letter

Malolos, Bulacan — three months later.

The bahay na bato was closed during the rainy season, the wind blowing through the porch made the old incense dust fly like mist. Mae unlocked it, stepped inside, and stared blankly at the wall where the altar had been. The pale rectangular wood stain was still there, like a cold shadow.

Carrying Arturo behind her, he wheezed:
– Let me clean it. My hands are still shaking.

Mae shook her head, pulled out a dry towel:
– Let me… At least this place has to be clean.

They didn’t talk about Hector. From that day on, he disappeared from the barangay. Some said he went to Manila, others said he followed a friend to Batangas to work as a day laborer at the fishing port. Mae tried not to listen. Every night, when she closed her eyes, the words “You are my half-brother” pounded on her temples like a hammer.

Under an unfamiliar tin roof

Tondo, Manila. A cheap pub near the railroad tracks. Hector leaned back, a bottle of gin bilog in front of him. A group of dock workers laughed loudly at the table next to him. On the TV on the wall, an announcer read the news of a councilman’s death, a small state funeral.

“Ramon de Vera is gone,” a man clicked his tongue. “A lifetime of power.”

Hector looked up. The name slashed through his memory like a knife: the family man his mother had written about in a letter. No last name, just a scrawled “R.”

He smiled faintly, drained his drink. The alcohol couldn’t burn away his fear. He was afraid to go back, afraid to see the empty altar, afraid of Mae’s eyes – the eyes that were both his ex-wife and his sister.

Outside, the rain poured down. An elderly woman huddled against the porch, her arms wrapped around a plastic bag covering a stack of wet tissues. She stared at Hector, then hesitated:

“You… must be Hector?”

“Tita knows me?”

“This is Aling Minda.” Once upon a time… the midwife in Malolos. (She lowered her voice.) I was the one who carried your mother’s baby.

The cold rose from her heels to her neck. Hector stood up, his chair creaking:

– What did you say?

– Come inside. I have a small baul (wooden box). It’s something Aling Teresa left for you.

The unburned letter

In the cramped room, Aling Minda placed a worn baul on the table. Inside was a yellowed copy of the PSA, a photo of her as a newborn wrapped in a blue blanket, and a letter folded in four, on darkened tissue paper.

“Minda, if one day I no longer have time to speak, please give these to my son – the son I could not raise as a legitimate mother. I have chosen to remain silent all my life to cover up my own mistakes. If you read this letter, everything will be broken. Please forgive me – not forgive me, but forgive the cowardice of a woman who let her two children stand in the wrong place…”

Hector was stunned by the two words “two children”.

“Two… means Mae also…?” His voice was hoarse and urgent. “No, I know. But… what else?”

Aling Minda shook her head:
“Teresa said, Mang Arturo knew about you – but did not know that Hector and Mae had met in real life. When she heard that you two loved each other, Teresa was about to say something, then fainted in the shrine room. When she woke up, she only asked me to keep this baul – “wait for the right time.” Waiting forever… she left first.

Hector folded the letter. In his head, the RUMBLE of the altar falling that day echoed again. He saw his own hands knocking down the picture of his mother – the mother who was both blameworthy and pitiful. He wanted to scream, but his throat was as hard as wood.

“Tita… who else knows?”

“Someone will come looking for you,” Aling Minda said softly. “Because R. in the letter…” (She looked straight at Hector.) They say Ramon de Vera has just died. And his lawyer is looking for the “unrecognized son” to complete his will.

Hector laughed, a soundless laugh:
“Pamana (inheritance pamana)? Our family honor is ruined. What use is gold and silver?

“Not for you,” Aling Minda pursed her lips. “For Mae. So that she can rise from the ashes of her honor. Bring back the truth, but not hatred.”

The makeshift altar

Malolos, Sunday night. Mae sat in front of the blank wall. She took a white cloth, placed a candle, a vase of sampaguita, the remaining photo of her mother in the album – the wedding photo, her mother smiling gently, her hand lightly touching Mang Arturo’s shoulder.

The door opened. Hector stood there – wet with rain, his eyes sunken. Mae jumped up, took a step back, then stopped. The name shot up in her throat: “You…” but she swallowed it.

– Hector.

Mang Arturo came out of the room. He squinted, his hand tightening on the handle of his cane.

– You’re back.

No one mentioned the broken altar. No one mentioned the gossip of relatives. The three of them stood still, listening only to the sound of rain falling on the porch.

Hector put the baul on the table:

– There’s something… Mom sent.

Mae looked at the baul, her eyes darkening.

– I don’t want to read anymore. I’m afraid every word in it is a kick.

– Not for me alone, – Hector said slowly. – For Dad too. And… a lawyer will come. Regarding… Mr. Ramon de Vera.

The name made the whole room sink. Bring Arturo to sit down, his hands shaking. He had lived a life of keeping houses and secrets, and he had not expected to have to listen to secrets knocking on the door in his old age.

“Okay,” he said wearily. “Tomorrow, to church. Before we see the lawyer, let’s go to confession. We have made a mistake – the mistake of silence.”

At the parish church

Parish of the Immaculate Conception. The wind from the square carried the smell of rain and burning candles. Father Domingo looked at the three people in front of him, his eyes gentle but serious:

– No one “absolves” you of your past. The truth does not redeem if it is only for revenge. Let the truth heal. Legally, Hector and Mae’s marriage is invalid – but the wound is visible. You need time. And one thing first: put the altar back – not to forget, but to know how to pray in the right place.

Mae burst into tears:

– I’m afraid… people will say I’m disrespectful if I put your picture back.

– The dead don’t need fame, – the priest replied. – The living need courage.

The next afternoon, Atty. Reyes appeared with a sealed letter. He bowed:

– I represent the Estate of Ramon de Vera. There is a clause in the will regarding… his illegitimate child. (He paused, looking at Hector.) We don’t force anyone to accept. But to complete the procedure, a DNA test is needed against the sample kept when he was treated two years ago. If it matches, a portion of the pamana – not much, but an acknowledgement – will be transferred to that child.

Hector clenched his fists:

– I don’t need money. I need an apology from the person who made my mother live in fear.

– He’s dead, – the lawyer said softly. – This will is a late apology. There’s one more thing: if you don’t accept it, the legal family of the councilor will explain to the public that there was no illegitimate child. Then everything will be covered with dust. I’m determined.

Mae looked at Hector. In her eyes, for the first time in months, there was no resentment. Only tiredness and love.

– Dear, – she said, – apologizing is no longer possible for the dead. But the truth is, we can speak. Accept it – not for the money, but for my mother. So that his mother’s name would not be erased from his story.

Mang Arturo looked up, his eyes red:
– Father… didn’t have the courage to speak for decades. Now, let us speak. Father only asks one thing: don’t turn it into a war. Let justice do its part, forgiveness do our part.

Hector sighed, nodded.

– Okay. I’ll accept the test. But I’ll ask one thing: a private announcement, no press. And… a scholarship grant in Aling Teresa’s name at the barangay elementary school. If it’s an apology, it has to feed something.

The lawyer looked at him for a long time, then smiled sadly:
– I’ll present it to the family council. Maybe… that’s the best way.

That night, Mae cleaned the walls. Hector put up a new wooden shelf. Her mother’s picture was placed in the middle, flanked by white candles, a bottle of sampaguita, and a rosary. No fuss, no relatives. Just the three of them.

Mae lit the candles. The firelight trembled slightly. She whispered:
– Mom, I put you back. Not to forget your sins, but to remind myself: people can make mistakes – and can also learn to be right.

Hector stood behind her, placing his hands on the empty altar baul:
– I don’t ask you to forgive me right away. I just ask you to stay still, so we can get through this storm.

Mai Arturo made the sign of the cross, his lips moving. He imagined Teresa sitting in her old place, the shawl draped over her shoulders, her eyes wet and gentle. He had loved her all his life, even in her mistakes. He knew that love, in the end, was putting the one you love back in their rightful place.

A week later, Hector received a call from Atty. Reyes: DNA results confirmed the blood relationship. The will appendix approved the Aling Teresa scholarship fund for poor children in the barangay.

That night, Hector sat on the porch, the rain falling like silk. Mae brought out two cups of hot salabat, put them down, not looking at him.

– Tomorrow… I’ll go to the court to file a petition to declare the marriage null and void. (She swallowed hard.) Legally… we were never husband and wife.

Hector nodded:

– Yes.

– But… in terms of memories, we were once a family. I will keep your last name in the old photos – not to remember the pain, but to remember that I lived a decent life in the things I didn’t know.

Hector turned away, his eyes stinging:

– Thank you.

– Thank you, brother. – Mae smiled slightly, saying the two words completely for the first time. – Kuya, remember to come with me tomorrow. The courthouse is crowded, I’m afraid of getting lost.

The two of them sat still, listening to the frogs croaking in the fields, the sound of rainwater trickling through the gutters. Inside the house, the altar glowed with a small yellow streak.

Somewhere, the rumor that “that family no longer holds memorial services” was still flying. But in this bahay na bato, a new ritual had begun: every evening a candle was lit, a short prayer was recited, and each other was taught proper silence.

The Aling Teresa Scholarship Fund had just been announced, and Ramon de Vera’s legal family suddenly sent a letter of protest, demanding that the fund’s name be revoked because it “tarnished their honor.” A reporter sniffed out the story, and the press came to the house gate. Arturo had a seizure and had to be hospitalized. In the chaos, a strange woman came to Mae and said just one sentence:

– Not just Hector. Teresa has another child.