“If you’re all done speaking… then allow me to say one thing.”
The living room fell silent the moment I spoke. Six sets of eyes—some guilty, some arrogant, some indifferent—turned to me. I could hear my own heartbeat, but my voice remained steady.
“Since you all came here to decide my future,” I said softly, “I think it’s only fair that I clarify a few things.”
Adrian shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Lilibeth crossed her arms, already irritated. The mistress—Arriane—pressed a hand to her belly as if that alone granted her power.
I continued.
“First,” I said, “this house—where you’re all seated so comfortably—belongs to me. My mother bought it, and she placed it under my name. Not Adrian’s. Not yours. Mine.”
Lilibeth scoffed. “Maria, we know that. But we’re family. No need to act like a stranger.”
“Yes,” I replied calmly, “but apparently, you all forgot that I am your family too.”
Silence.
Adrian opened his mouth, but I raised my hand.
“Second,” I said, “since you want me to ‘step aside peacefully,’ you must also accept the legal consequences of your actions.”
“What consequences?” my father-in-law, Ernesto, snapped. “Don’t say you’re going to make a big issue out of this.”
“A big issue?” I laughed gently. “Adrian committed adultery. Arriane knowingly got involved with a married man. Under Philippine law, both are criminal offenses.”
Arriane’s face paled.
Adrian sat up straight. “Maria, wait—let’s not drag this into court. We can settle this privately.”
“Settle?” I raised an eyebrow. “You invited me to my own home to tell me to walk out and give her my place as wife. And now you want to settle?”
My sister-in-law, Janelle, cut in. “You’re overreacting! People make mistakes. He’s going to be a father. Be mature about it.”
“Oh, trust me,” I said, “I’m being more mature than any of you.”
The room tensed.
“Third,” I continued, “before you all ‘kindly’ pushed me to leave this marriage… you should have checked your facts.”
Adrian frowned. “What facts?”
I looked straight into his eyes.
“I went to the hospital yesterday,” I said. “For a routine checkup.”
I paused, letting the moment sink in.
“And I found out that I, too… am pregnant.”
The room exploded.
“What?!”
“You’re lying!”
“No, that can’t be—!”
“WHY didn’t you say anything earlier?!”
Arriane’s face drained of color, her lips trembling. “No… no, he said you two weren’t… you two weren’t trying anymore…”