Sean's POV last part
"You don't understand!" Mom said weakly, but she wasn't looking at me or my sister anymore.
"What is there not to understand, Mom? That you're once again controlling my brother's life? Just like you did to me before? You made me believe a lie just so I would leave Ram! And like a fool, I believed you, so I followed you here to Manila! But what happened? You deceived me! You even told Ram things he didn't deserve to hear! Enough, Mom!" my sister shouted.
I still couldn't move. It felt like there was a huge lump in my throat. My legs felt weak. I wished everything I was hearing wasn't true.
"No! That's not possible!" In my mind, I was confused by what I heard. No matter how much I tried to push the thoughts away, they kept carving themselves into my mind—what if my sister was telling the truth? What if she really had something to do with it? But why? Why would she do that to me—to me and Lui? My mind struggled, and my heart even more, to accept the possibility of what I had just heard and learned.
"I only did that because I'm your mother, and I knew he wasn't right for you!"
"And who are you to decide that? Are you God?"
"You're crossing the line! You're really disrespectful!"
"Yes! I am disrespectful in your eyes because I'm not like Chinky, who just follows everything you say! I'm 'maldita' because I know how to fight for myself! And now, I'm not just fighting for myself—I'm fighting for Sean, too! Because, Mom, what you're doing is wrong! You have no right to meddle in our lives just because we're your children! You don't know anything about us because you haven't been a real mother to us for a long time! The only thing that matters to you is your business and your reputation!"
They were both screaming at each other, but I couldn't fully process everything. I was confused. "Why did Lui and I have to go through all of this?"
I was startled when Mom suddenly raised her hand to slap my sister, but my sister caught her wrist mid-air. She roughly let go of Mom's hand, then turned to me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out of the house.
I felt like a little child following my sister's hurried steps, not even knowing where she was taking me. She wordlessly put me in the car, then rushed to the driver's side. The moment she started the engine, she sped off.
I could hear her crying while driving, cursing under her breath, whispering words I couldn't understand.
So many thoughts filled my head, but I didn't know how to voice them out. My chest felt heavy, like it was being crushed, but I couldn't find the words to tell my sister. I could hear her sobbing, but I couldn't even reach out to comfort her.
I didn't even realize where we were until I felt her tap my shoulder, telling me to get out of the car. I followed, still dazed. I barely noticed anything as we walked, and neither of us spoke.
I only realized we were at a hotel when my sister approached the reception desk and spoke to the staff. I didn't go near—I just sat on the sofa, resting my elbows on my knees, holding my head in my hands. My mind struggled to process everything I had heard. It was like a math problem I couldn't solve because I didn't know the formula. My brain felt blank. Everything that happened felt incredibly overwhelming.
We stayed there for the night.
The next day, I decided to return to Cebu because I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything in my current state. My mind was a mess. I needed time to think clearly—that's what I told my sister when we talked, and she finally told me everything she had gone through in the past. She assured me that she would continue helping me find Lui. She agreed to let me return to Cebu because she understood how I felt—I couldn't bear to see or talk to our mother after everything I had just learned.
Months passed, yet we still had no clue about Lui's whereabouts.
I hadn't contacted my parents since I left Manila. It was difficult, but I followed my sister's advice—I needed to focus on my company because she said Lui wouldn't be happy if she knew I was neglecting the dream I had worked so hard for.
My sister and I never gave up. We never lost hope that one day, we would find her.
A year later.
"Excuse me, sir. A package was delivered addressed to you, but there's no return address," I heard my secretary say while I was reading an email.
"Just leave it there. I'll check it later. Thank you, Debie," I replied, my focus still on my email.
I heard the door open and close, a sign that my secretary had left. I ignored the envelope she had placed on my desk for now because I needed to respond to emails from clients.
It was around six in the evening when I finally finished my work. I was alone in the office since my secretary had already left. After closing my laptop, I noticed the brown envelope Debie had left earlier that afternoon. I checked it—it was indeed addressed to me, just as she had said, but there was no return address.
I took my Swiss knife from the drawer to open the envelope because I got curious. It was thick and had something hard inside. To feed my curiosity, I carefully unsealed the envelope, making sure not to damage whatever was inside.
The envelope contained a white paper, some CDs, and another small white envelope that seemed to be filled with something thick. For some reason, seeing the contents made me incredibly anxious. I didn't immediately unfold the letter—it was as if I was scared to find out what was written inside.
I closed my eyes, trying to figure out why I suddenly felt so cold and nervous. The things in front of me had an unusual effect on me. I wanted to read the letter, check the CDs, and open the smaller envelope—but at the same time, I was terrified.
After about five minutes of contemplating, I finally decided to read the letter.
From the very first lines, I couldn't stop myself from crying. I had to pause several times because I was struggling to breathe. It was difficult to finish reading the entire letter. And even after I was done, I had no idea how to stop myself from crying. I clutched the paper tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.
That was when my office door opened.
"Sean?"
I looked up and saw Ainee walk in, but I couldn't bring myself to respond.
"What happened" she asked, but I only cried harder. I shook my head, unable to speak.
She rushed toward me, and we embraced each other. Even though she had no idea why I was crying, I could hear her sniffling as she hugged me.
I had no idea how long we stayed like that. Thankfully, she wasn't with Glen, or I would have felt embarrassed for hugging her fiancé.
Once I had calmed down, I told Ainee why I had broken down like that. What I didn't know was that the letter and CDs were related to why she had rushed to my office.
When she started telling me her story, I couldn't stop myself from crying again. She kept apologizing for not telling me that she had gone to Manila for a few days to visit Lui and my child. She even showed me pictures from my son's birthday.
We talked until late at night, both of us with swollen eyes from crying. We even laughed when we noticed people staring at us in the restaurant where we had dinner before I dropped her off at Glen's condo.
I didn't feel any anger toward anyone because I understood why everything happened the way it did.
But I felt immense regret—regret that I wasn't able to be with my family.
I never got to see Lui carrying our child in her womb. I wasn't there when she struggled with her pregnancy. I didn't accompany her to her monthly check-ups. I wasn't by her side when she was in pain during labor. I wasn't even there to witness the birth of Leandro Phillip.
I felt ashamed and guilty because I knew I was partly responsible for why she had to go through everything alone. I blamed myself because I was one of the reasons she suffered.
I didn't know how to face them.
"Would I only make things harder for them if I showed up? Would they leave again because of me?"
I had no idea what to do.
But despite everything, I was beyond happy to finally know the truth.
I missed them so much.
I wanted to see them.
I wanted to be with them.
But how?
Just thinking about what my mother had done filled me with fear—what if something happened to Lui and our child because of her?
Another wave of tears came when I watched the video after getting home.
He really is my son.
She was right—he took after me.
Looking at my son's face, I saw my own features, just like in my baby pictures.
As I kept watching, I asked myself: "Do I even deserve to be called 'Daddy'?"
I never got to hold him.
I never got to take care of him.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for Lui—taking care of our baby, especially at night, enduring sleepless nights all on her own.
Then I laughed when I realized something—"Phillip." His second name.
She named him after me.
"Wait for me and Mommy, baby, okay? Be good, so Mommy won't have a hard time. I love you both so much. I'll see you soon, baby Leandro Phillip. I'll see you soon, my palangga."