“I HEARD MY AUNT SAYING SHE DIDN’T WANT TO BE WITH ME ANYMORE — THAT’S WHEN I UNDERSTOOD HOW PAINFUL IT IS TO LIVE WITH RELATIVES.”
I’m Elaine , sixteen years old.
My parents died when I was eleven.
I didn’t have any siblings, so my aunt Marissa took me to their house in Laguna.
At first, I thought I would find a new family there.
But I was wrong.
THE BEGINNING OF “HELP”
When I first arrived at their house, Auntie was happy.
“Don’t worry, Elaine. Stay here while you study. We’ll take care of you.”
I was in tears.
I thought I was safe.
In the first few months, his smile was genuine — he gave me a room, made me sit at the table, and called me “son.”
But as the year went by, I gradually felt a change.
I was no longer a “child.”
I was just a guest who had been waiting for a long time.
“Elaine, wash the dishes.”
“Elaine, wash your cousins’ uniforms.”
“Elaine, don’t use the electric fan, you’re strong with electricity.”
And every time we eat, I’m always the last one.
Sometimes, there’s nothing left.
Auntie will say,
“I’m sorry, son. I didn’t realize.”
But from his voice, I knew it wasn’t an accident.
THE NIGHT OF TRUTH
One night, it was ten o’clock.
I was still awake because my cousins Abby and Renz were washing clothes.
The surroundings were quiet, but I heard voices from the kitchen.
Aunt Marissa and her older sister, Aunt Lorna .
“Sister, I’m so tired of Elaine.
It’s like she doesn’t contribute anything to the house. It’s a waste of what I’ve fed her.”
“Why don’t you just send him home?”
“Where will he go? He doesn’t have any parents. But sometimes I think, it would be easier if he wasn’t here.”
I stopped.
It felt like my heart had stopped beating too.
I didn’t know whether to cry or just be silent.
So I slowly climbed up, holding back my sobs.
Inside the room, I stared at the ceiling, crying silently.
“That’s right… even if you’re related, you might feel like you’re too much.”
THE DAYS OF PRIDE
From then on, everything changed.
I couldn’t smile at Tita anymore.
Every time we ate, I would turn away.
Every time she spoke, I would just say yes.
I hid all my pain — because I knew that even if I told her, no one would listen.
Until one day, as I was entering school, Teacher Mila , my adviser, approached me.
“Elaine, you seem to be in trouble. Are you okay?”
I forced a smile.
“It’s okay, Ma’am.”
But when he said,
“Son, I know you’re fine — but sometimes, it’s not bad to admit you’re tired,”
I cried.
I told him everything.
All the pain, all the nights of silence.
And after all the tears, he just hugged me.
“Elaine, there is a scholarship program at the school for students like you.
If you want, I will help you apply. You can move into the dorm.”
THE RELEASE OF THE WRATHLESS
When I got home, I looked at Auntie who was busy in the kitchen.
“Auntie,” I said calmly,
“thank you very much for all your help.
But… I want to try to stand up for myself.”
He looked up, surprised.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“I have a scholarship.
The dorm is in Manila. Everything is free.”
He was silent for a moment, then smiled coldly.
“That’s good. So that at least we can feel better here.”
It hurts to hear, but I just smile.
“Thank you, Aunt.
I hope you are well too.”
THE NEW BEGINNING
Two years have passed.
I have earned a scholarship to college.
I now have my own room, food, and peace.
Sometimes, I still think of Tita — not to be angry, but to thank her.
Because if it weren’t for him,
I wouldn’t know how important people are who know how to love without asking for anything.
One day, he called me.
“Elaine… I’m sorry for what I said before.”
I smiled.
“It’s okay, Auntie. I haven’t forgotten you.
But now, I know how to value myself.”
He was quiet on the other line.
And from the tone of his voice, I knew he probably just now understood what it felt like to leave a child who had learned to stand up on his own.
News
At a backyard barbecue, my nephew was served a thick, perfectly cooked T-bone steak—while my son got nothing but a charred strip of fat. My mother laughed, “That’s more than enough for a kid like him.” My sister smirked and added, “Honestly, even a dog eats better than that.” My son stared down at his plate and quietly said, “Mom… I’m okay with this.” An hour later, when I finally understood what he meant, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
My name is Lauren Mitchell, and the most terrifying thing my son has ever said to me didn’t sound scary at…
The billionaire’s son was suffering in pain every night until the nanny removed something mysterious from his head…
In the stark, concrete mansion perched above the cliffs of Monterra, the early morning silence shattered with a scream that…
“Mom… I don’t want to take a bath anymore.” My daughter started saying that every night after I remarried. At first, it sounded small. Ordinary. The kind of resistance every parent hears a hundred times. But it wasn’t.
“Mom… I don’t want to take a bath.” The first time Lily said it, her voice was so quiet I…
When a Nurse Placed a Healthy Baby Beside Her Fading Twin… What Happened Next Brought Everyone to Their Knees
The moment the nurse looked back at the incubator, she dropped to her knees in tears. No one in that…
She Buried Her Mom with a Phone So They Could ‘Stay Connected’… But When It Rang the Next Day, What She Heard From the Coffin Left Everyone Frozen in Terror
When the call came, Abby’s blood ran cold. The screen showed one name she never expected to see again: Mom….
Three days after giving birth to twins, my husband walked into my hospital room—with his mistress—and placed divorce papers on the tray beside me. “Take three million dollars and sign,” he said coldly. “I only want the children.” I signed… and vanished that very night. By morning, he realized something had gone terribly wrong.
Exactly seventy-two hours after a surgeon cut me open to bring my daughters into the world, my husband, Ethan Cole, strolled…
End of content
No more pages to load
