PART 2

Regina stood frozen.

The document trembled in Mama’s hands.

“What is this?” Mama asked. “Why is there a loan application using Isabel’s name?”

The entire family looked at me.

Three weeks before the reunion, Paolo and I had received a phone call from the bank.

Someone had attempted to secure a loan worth ₱8.6 million using me as the guarantor.

The collateral was Regina’s house.

The same house I had been paying for over the past several years.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

Regina had forged my signature.

And it wasn’t the first time.

“I wasn’t going to finish the application,” she said quickly. “I was only asking questions.”

“You forged Isabel’s signature,” Paolo replied firmly. “That’s not asking questions.”

“I had no choice!” Regina shouted.

Mika flinched.

For the first time all day, Regina looked genuinely afraid.

“Tell everyone why you needed ₱8.6 million,” I said.

She lowered her eyes.

Finally, she spoke.

“I invested in an online beauty business.”

Nobody moved.

“It turned out to be a scam.”

“How much did you lose?” Papa asked.

Regina hesitated.

“Almost four million.”

Gasps echoed around the table.

Paolo pulled out more documents.

“There’s more,” he said.

“Personal loans. Credit card debt. Collection notices.”

He laid the papers out one after another.

“The total debt exceeds seven million pesos.”

Aunt Tess covered her mouth.

Papa shook his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Mika sat quietly crying.

“Why didn’t you ask for help?” Mama asked.

Regina laughed bitterly.

“I’ve spent my entire life asking for help.”

Then she looked directly at me.

“Do you know how hard it is being your sister?”

I blinked.

“Everything works out for you,” she continued. “You have a successful career. A wonderful husband. Good children. Everyone admires you.”

“I never held that over you.”

“You didn’t have to,” she replied. “I saw it every day.”

Her words hurt.

Not because they were true.

But because I had spent years trying to protect her.

When her marriage collapsed, I helped her buy a house.

When she needed temporary assistance, I agreed to cover her mortgage.

Six months became two years.

Two years became five.

I never complained.

Yet while I protected her dignity, she turned me into the villain.

“Why did you tell Mika I didn’t care about this family. I asked.

Regina looked away.

Before she could answer, Mika spoke.

“You did say that, Mom.”

The table went silent again.

“You said Aunt Isabel only helps when she gets something back.”

Regina closed her eyes.

“You also told me you were the one helping her,” Mika continued through tears.

That was the moment everything broke.

Not because she accepted my help.

But because she had rewritten the truth completely.

“Why?” I asked quietly.

My voice cracked.

“Why teach your own child to hate me?”

Regina burst into tears.

“Because I was ashamed!” she cried.

“I was ashamed that I couldn’t give him what you gave your children. Ashamed that our house, our car, and even his tutoring came from you.”

Mika stood up.

“But lying was worse, Mom.”

Everyone froze.

“I humiliated Aunt Isabel because I believed you.”

Then he walked toward me.

“Auntie,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

I squeezed his hand.

“You don’t have to carry the mistakes of adults.”

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