Miggy's POV
I had no idea how long I'd been staring at the ceiling when the door creaked open and Meynard's voice called out, "Bro, your Uncle Rick just arrived."
I sat up instantly. No glance in the mirror, no hesitation—I walked straight out of my room. I was even ahead of Meynard when I stepped into the living room and saw them sitting with Willie.
"Miggy, son!" Uncle Rick stood and gave me a firm hug.
"Sorry for the short notice, uncle. Thank you for coming," I said, taking a seat beside him on the L-shaped sofa. Willie sat across from us on the single chair, while Meynard took the spot on our right.
"What's going on, son? Is something wrong?" uncle asked, brows furrowing in concern.
Instead of answering directly, I asked, "Uncle, if you saw Teresa again… would you still recognize her?"
He blinked, startled. "What do you mean? Wasn't Teresa the one who died in an accident two years ago?" he asked Willie, clearly confused. But before Willie could say anything, I spoke up again.
"Uncle, someone introduced me to the real Teresa yesterday… and her daughter—she's Daddy's real child," I said quietly. "She also told me how they met."
"What?" Uncle's voice rose in shock. "How is that even possible?"
"That's why I called you, Meynard," I said, glancing at him. "I need your help identifying the real Teresa."
"Wait," Uncle said, shaking his head. "Who introduced you to her? Where did you meet?"
I drew a deep breath and began telling them everything. All three sat quietly, listening intently. No one interrupted, not even when the details became heavy.
I told them about Gabie—how she was introduced to me during a campaign. I explained how I missed her first project's contract signing because I couldn't attend, and how I was in Bulacan during her second one for Gabriella's graduation. That's why I assumed her full name was just a coincidence.
I shared how I had started courting her, how she finally accepted me, and the night she introduced me to her mom—who turned out to be Teresa. I told them what Teresa revealed, and how Gabie ended up hospitalized.
When I finished, Uncle Rick ran a hand over his face and muttered, "Sancti Dios…" under his breath. He leaned back, stunned. Meynard sat frozen, and Willie was hunched over, face buried in his hands.
After a few moments of silence, uncle finally said, "We need to go to the hospital. I want to see Teresa with my own eyes."
I nodded. "Uncle, how is Gabriella?"
"Where is she now?" he asked.
"She's in her unit. I left her earlier… I wasn't ready to tell her everything yet. I didn't know how. But I know this will hurt her—this will turn her life upside down."
Uncle looked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "She's already part of this story, Miggy. But she has the right to know. We all do. And if she's willing, we'll need her to take a DNA test to clear up everything. Not because we doubt her—but because we need the truth, and the real Teresa should agree to it too. I believe Gabriella will understand."
Meynard stood up and took out his phone. "I'll call her now and ask her to come up."
When Gabriella arrived, uncle explained everything gently. Even with his calm demeanor, Gabriella's face twisted with disbelief as tears streamed down her cheeks. Still, just like uncle said, she listened. She didn't argue. And eventually, she agreed to the DNA test.
We ate lunch together in silence before heading to the hospital. Meynard excused himself to pick something up from the office and promised to follow later.
When we arrived, Teresa was sitting alone outside the ICU. Uncle introduced himself, and to our relief, she agreed to talk.
We led her to a nearby café—quiet, with only a few customers. It was the kind of place where emotions didn't have to be masked. Uncle acted as our spokesperson—calm, diplomatic, and respected by everyone in the room. When he asked Teresa questions, she answered respectfully, and when he asked if she knew him, she immediately recognized him. That was confirmation enough for uncle that she was, indeed, the Teresa he knew.
Still, the question of the DNA test remained. Everyone agreed it was the fairest way forward.
"I still don't understand," Teresa said slowly, glancing at Gabriella beside me, who was quietly sobbing. "How did Gabriella Therese… and I… become two different people?"
"Hija, please don't be offended," uncle said gently. "Can I ask you something?"
Gabriella wiped her eyes and nodded. "Y-Yes uncle…"
"Since you were a child, have you always used your name… and your mother's name… officially?"
"Yes uncle," she answered softly.
"Would you happen to have a picture of your mother? One we could, see?"
Gabie nodded again and pulled something from her sling bag. She opened her wallet, slid out a picture tucked behind her graduation photo, and placed it carefully on the table.
We all learned in.
Teresa's eyes widened. She froze. Her gaze locked onto the photo, and her brows furrowed as if trying to comprehend what she was seeing. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over as she finally broke into sobs.
We all looked at one another, unsure what had just happened.
Then we looked again at the picture.
There was no mistaking it: the woman in the photo looked exactly like Teresa. Same nose, same cheekbones, same lips. Except for one thing—a small mole on the top of her nose, which the woman in front of us didn't have.
Even Gabriella stared, confused, her mouth slightly parted. It was like she was seeing her mother for the first time all over again.
"W-Who are you?" Gabie asked, voice trembling. "D-Do you know my mom?"
Teresa didn't respond immediately. Instead, she covered her face with her hands and cried harder.
Finally, she spoke. "She was my twin. We hadn't spoken in years. We had a fight… after I left Gabie's father. She wanted me to stay and fight for my daughter's rights, but I couldn't. I didn't want to be the reason a family broke apart. She was angry with me for walking away."
Her voice cracked, but she continued.
"Since then, we never reconciled. She only came to me once after that—when she was already pregnant. She said her boyfriend had abandoned her. After that, she disappeared. I never heard from her again."
We were all quiet, trying to digest her words.
"I didn't know where she lived—I just knew we were both pregnant at the same time."
As she finished, her sobs turned to silent weeping. Gabie was frozen beside me, staring at the table with vacant eyes.
And I—and the family secret unraveling right in front of us—I realized no one came out of this unscathed.
Gabriella was crying beside me, her body shaking with sobs. I gently rubbed her back to comfort her, even as my own thoughts raced. She was clearly overwhelmed by everything she had just learned.
"D-Do you know who my father is?" Gabriella finally asked Teresa between sobs.
She nodded slowly. "Yes… but he has a family of his own now. I'm not sure where they are."
Then Teresa turned to Gab, frowning. "Wait—where is Marites?"
"Who?" Gab blinked.
"Your mom," she clarified. "Isn't Marites your mother's real name?"
Gab furrowed her eyebrows, as if trying to digest something, her voice trembling. "Y-Yeah. But… Mama passed away two years ago. Bus accident."
Teresa gasped, visibly shaken. Tears welled up in her eyes. "She—she's gone?"
She nodded again.
Something flickered in Teresa's expression—grief, disbelief, guilt. But Willie cut in before she could respond.
"Wait a minute," he said, brows furrowed. "I'm confused. You're saying you're Teresa. But the woman Gabriella grew up with was also Teresa? And she introduced herself that way?"
"That's what I'm saying," Teresa replied. "I don't understand it either. I only found out all of this today."
Gab wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "That's the only name I've known her by. Even in school, everyone knew her as Mama Teresa."
"I'm not lying," Teresa said firmly. Then she turned to Uncle Rick. "And I remember you. You were in the neighborhood where I stayed when I was pregnant with Gabie. I also saw you at the bar in Quezon City—the night I met Gabriel. You were there, weren't you?"
Uncle Rick nodded slowly. "Yeah. I remember seeing you. Though I'm not sure if I saw your twin that night."
"She was there too," Teresa said. "But she didn't join us—she was with her boyfriend then."
A silence fell over the group.
"To clear all this up," Uncle Rick finally said, "there's only one way to know the truth: a DNA test. That's the only way we can settle this."
Teresa nodded. "I agree. We need to end this confusion. Honestly… I'm tired. All I want now is to watch over my daughter. She's still in the ICU."
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and read the message from Meynard:
From Kulit:
Brother, I got a call from the police about what happened yesterday. The Chief wants to talk to you. I'll head over once I wrap things up here.
I didn't reply. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and kept listening.
Part of me was still trying to process everything. Was it possible… that Gabriella, not Gabie, was my real sibling?
But I couldn't bring myself to ask. Not yet. We needed answers first. Legal, undeniable proof.
Of all of us, I remained the quietest. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't wrap my head around any of this.
Teresa excused herself to answer a phone call. Gabriella kept crying softly beside me. Uncle Rick waved over a waiter and handed Gab a bottle of water.
"Gab," uncle said gently, "don't blame yourself for any of this. None of this is your fault. You were just caught in the middle of a long-hidden mess. But whatever happens, we're here for you. Always."
I placed a hand on Gab's shoulder. "You're still my sister. That won't change, no matter what the DNA test says."
She didn't answer. She just cried harder.
"I know you're hurting," I continued. "We all are. None of us saw this coming."
I pulled her into a hug, and she leaned into me, burying her face in my shoulder.
Moments later, Teresa returned. "Sorry—Jhay called. Some police officers are at the hospital asking for me. They want to talk."
"We'll come with you," uncle said.
As we made our way back toward the hospital, Willie pulled me aside to say goodbye. He couldn't stay any longer.
Teresa and Gab went ahead inside. After a few quiet minutes, uncle and I followed, both of us anxious to hear any updates on Gabie.
Fortunately, despite everything, I'm not alone. No matter how hard this gets, I have Meynard, who's always there to support me, and even Uncle Rick has stood by me since we began uncovering the truth. Because of them, no matter how overwhelmed I felt, I never gave up. Their understanding and support kept me going through this battle.
We later learned that Teresa and the police were still discussing Gabie's case—who shot her and the events around it. There had been a buy-bust operation near where Gabie was hit. The suspects were exchanging fire with the police; some were caught, especially those wounded by gunshots. The one who actually shot Gabie was the most dangerous, making it hard to apprehend him. But he was finally caught after being shot in the leg and is now recovering in a public hospital.
Suddenly, we saw doctors and nurses rushing toward the ICU where Gabie was. We hurried after them but weren't allowed inside. I heard Jhay and Teresa crying loudly, and fear overwhelmed me—we all knew it was because of Gabie.
"I hope nothing bad happens to Gabie. Please don't take her from us. I promise, no matter what, I'll accept if she's no longer my life partner. I'll accept her as my sister, as long as you keep her safe," I prayed silently, my head bowed and eyes closed.
"Dad, please help me pray for Gabie to pull through. Don't let her leave Teresa first. I promise I won't hold back from accepting whatever happens. Just please save her from death," I whispered in my mind. I've always talked to Dad like this since he passed—like he's still here listening.
After a long wait, the doctors and nurses finally came out of the ICU. Teresa spoke to one of the doctors. Uncle knew the doctor, so they talked for a while. Jhay listened closely as the doctor explained Gabie's condition to Teresa. Meanwhile, Gab and I sat quietly on the side.
I could tell Gab was still confused—probably struggling to accept everything that had happened. In the short time I've known her, this was the quietest I'd ever seen her. It was different from when we first met—back then, she was shy but hopeful. Now, her silence felt heavy, weighed down by pain and shock. I didn't know how to comfort her. We were all hurting and struggling to make sense of it.
I hoped that after this storm, the sun would shine brighter in our lives—that peace and healing were ahead.
Gabie's condition had complications, so the doctors said they would continue to monitor her closely. Earlier, her heart had stopped, but thanks to the quick action of the nurse on duty, they were able to restore her heartbeat. By God's mercy, her pulse returned to normal, but she still needed careful observation to prevent any further crisis.