I send my mother 1.5 million pesos monthly for my postpartum wife. Coming home early, I found my wife eating spoiled rice with fish heads. Furious, I confronted my mom, who sneered, “She doesn’t deserve better.” Then, I checked the family safe and found…

And in her trembling hands, she held a thick, white envelope.

Chapter 6: The Terms of Surrender

I stared through the glass for a long, agonizing minute. The rain was beginning to fall heavier, plastering her graying hair to her forehead. She made no move to ring the bell again. She just stood there, staring at the brass numbers on the door, radiating continue reading …