The bright three-story townhouse of Mr. Ramon Santos and Mrs. Liza in New Manila, Quezon City was once an ideal model in the eyes of the neighbors. Everyone admired the gentle, hard-working woman—Mrs. Liza pushed a kakanin cart in the market, saved every penny for her husband’s education, and then pooled together capital when he started his business. Thanks to her hard work, Mr. Ramon was able to build the impressive foundation he has today.

But the more successful Mr. Ramon became, the more distant he became from his wife. The frequent business trips between Makati and Ortigas, the midnight calls, the shirts that smelled of strange perfume… All of this was like knives cutting into Mrs. Liza’s heart. She knew that he had a mistress—a young employee named Bianca Cruz.

For ten years, Mrs. Liza endured silently. It wasn’t that she lacked the courage to leave, but because she loved her two children. She feared that the broken home would rob them of their peaceful childhood. She buried her humiliation, praying day and night for her husband to come to his senses.

But that hope never came true.

Meals gradually disappeared without Mr. Ramon. The large house was only filled with the sound of a ticking clock. The accumulated depression, combined with her congenital heart disease, caused her health to decline.

One night at the end of the rainy season, she was admitted to the emergency room at Quezon City General Hospital. Holding her son’s hand, she choked up:

“I’m sorry… I can’t be with you any longer. Love each other… and don’t betray the person who sacrificed for you.”

Then she closed her eyes and passed away, carrying with her a sky full of resentment.

Before the incense had even burned out, Bianca had brazenly moved into the house. The woman who had been hiding behind Mr. Ramon now boldly replaced Mrs. Liza. Neighbors shook their heads in sorrow; the two children angrily left to live with their Aunt in Pasig, not wanting to share a house with their treacherous father.

Mr. Ramon, blinded by infatuation, considered Bianca his “new wife”. He thought that after so many years of hiding, he would finally live with “true love”. But life was not that simple.

Only five months later, the dark spots began to appear….
Bianca was not the type of person who knew how to share like Mrs. Liza. She was used to enjoying herself, spending lavishly: from luxury cars, branded goods, to long trips. She even urged Mr. Ramon to sell some of his shares in the material distribution company in Ortigas to have money to “invest”. Many long-term partners gradually broke up, because Bianca interfered deeply, spoke rudely, and embarrassed the entire negotiation table.

The climax: one morning, the bank sent an urgent notice. Many personal and corporate accounts were emptied through “international money transfer” transactions. Mr. Ramon was shocked to review. The chain of payment orders—transfer orders from corporate accounts to “intermediary” wallets—was pointing to one person: Bianca.

He rushed home to New Manila. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Bianca’s cold voice on the phone:

“Do you think I really love him? I just need the money. He’s old, and he’s broke, so why keep him?”

Mr. Ramon was stunned, as if his breath had been sucked out. So many years of betrayal, so many illusions, finally a painful slap from reality. He rushed in. But Bianca did not regret it. She picked up her bag, put on sunglasses, threw a contemptuous look, and left.

Thinking she would escape, Bianca booked a flight through NAIA Terminal 3. But right at the exit gate, she was detained by the NBI Anti-Fraud in coordination with PNP-AVSEGROUP under a Hold Departure Order. The money withdrawn from the company’s general fund had been flagged as suspicious transactions by AMLC, with clear evidence of wire transfers. From a “substitute wife”, Bianca became a defendant facing the law.

As for Mr. Ramon—he lost both love and money, his honor was ruined. His partner turned his back, his children did not say a word. Every night, he sat before the small altar with the statue of the Virgin Mary, lit a candle and cried:
— “Liza, I was wrong… If I had the chance, I would never let you suffer.”

But it was too late. His good wife was gone forever, leaving behind two orphaned children with a mother and a heartbreaking lesson:

Adultery never brings happiness. Betrayal may give a few sweet moments, but the price to pay is a lifetime of bitterness—especially when the traitor exchanges a warm home for an illusion, and when he wakes up, the house is cold, the person is dead.