Not only did Ramon cheat, he also openly brought his mistress home and demanded to live together. Maria could only cover her face and sob, luckily her mother-in-law helped her resolve the matter.

A seemingly perfect marriage and the incident that happened

Maria and Ramon had only been in love for 6 months when they got married, but their marriage was quite peaceful. Fortunately, Maria got along well with her mother-in-law – Dolores – so living together as a family for three generations in a house in Quezon City never had any conflicts.

Maria often bragged to her friends at work:
“Kung mabait lang ang mga biyenan ninyo, mas okay na tumira na rin. Tipid na, may kasama pa.”

She was also not heartless. Whenever she bought something for herself, Maria bought more for her parents-in-law. Clothes, shoes, supplements – she did not regret anything.

6 years passed, with both boys and girls, Maria’s life was quite fulfilling. But just when she thought she was happiest, tragedy struck: Ramon was having an affair.

It all started when the 5-year-old daughter was playing with her father’s phone and accidentally answered a call. From the other end of the line, a woman’s voice came through the speaker:

“Bakit hindi ka tumatawag buong araw? Hindi mo ba ako mahal? Ni pera, wala ka ring pinadala.”

Maria snatched the phone, her heart aching. Checking her messages, she saw that her husband and the other woman were texting affectionately every night. She questioned him, but Ramon just calmly said:
“Wala ‘yan, fling lang.”

One night, he even brazenly declared:
“Ayoko na sa’yo. Kung hindi mo matatanggap na may ibang babae ako, pumirma ka na lang sa annulment…
Husband brings mistress home and the ending

Maria was heartbroken, wrote a divorce petition but before Ramon could sign it, he suddenly brought his mistress home. Her parents-in-law were stunned, and Maria could only cover her face and cry.

The other woman – named Clarissa – brazenly showed off that she was 15 weeks pregnant, advising Maria to let go soon:
“Wala na, ate. Hindi ka na mahal ni Ramon. Kung hindi ako, iba rin naman ang babae niya.”

Mrs. Dolores – Maria’s mother-in-law – angrily threw a glass of water straight into her face, then coldly said:
“Ang bahay na ito, para lang sa anak ko, manugang ko at mga apo ko. Kung gusto n’yong magsama, lumayas kayo!”

Clarissa was kicked out, Ramon couldn’t convince his mother either. Maria wanted to move out, but Dolores held her back:

“Anak, bigyan mo ako ng tatlong araw. Ako ang bahala.”

The mother-in-law’s clever move

It turned out that Dolores had secretly investigated, then spread the news to Clarissa’s group of friends that Ramon was in debt, and the house was not in his name. When Clarissa heard that, she immediately panicked, went to Ramon and bluntly asked to break up.

“Sabihin ko na lang sa iyo, hindi rin ako sigurado kung anak mo ang dinadala ko. Ayoko ng pahirap, ipapaputok ko na lang.”

Ramon was stunned, realizing that he had been Clarissa’s tool for money all along. He collapsed and turned back to beg Maria for forgiveness.

Mrs. Dolores scolded her son harshly, then gently advised Maria:

“Alam kong nasaktan ka, pero anak, hindi mo kasalanan. Ang mali, nasa Ramon at sa babae ‘yon. Pero kung may puwang pa sa puso mo, give him a chance.”

After the storm

A year had passed. Although the old wound still made Maria’s heart ache sometimes, thinking of the effort her mother-in-law had put in to save the family, she decided to stay.

Maria understood that marriage was not just a matter of two people, but sometimes it was the love and cleverness of her mother-in-law that could keep the family from falling apart.

And since that incident, the feelings between Maria and Mrs. Dolores grew deeper