“…Do you know how expensive my shoes are?!”
Suddenly, Tanya shoved Doña Corazon’s hand away from the table. The old woman groaned in pain. Her whole body trembled, like a child being harshly scolded.
“You’re so dramatic!” Tanya snapped. “If only I could, I’d just leave you here all alone!”
Inside the closet, Rafael’s eyes were already soaked with tears. His jaw trembled. Every shout from Tanya felt like a knife stabbing straight into his chest.
But he chose to stay.
He chose to see the whole truth.
THE CRUELER FACE
Tanya grabbed her bag and sprayed on some perfume.
“I’m going out for a while. I have a lunch date,” she said coldly.
She glanced at the bed. “Don’t you move, okay? If something happens to you, that’s your problem.”
She closed the door.
Silence.
Time seemed to stop.
Only the faint groans and labored breathing of Doña Corazon could be heard.
Rafael came out of the closet.
It felt as if his world had collapsed.
He walked to the bed, knelt down, and held his mother’s hand.
“Ma… I’m sorry,” he whispered through tears. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know it was like this…”
He stroked his mother’s hair. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something but could no longer form the words.
THE PERSON HE NEVER EXPECTED
Suddenly, there was a knock.
Knock. Knock.
Rafael stood up in alarm. He quickly wiped his tears and hid back in the closet—only partially this time, so he could see who it was.
The door slowly opened.
A woman in a cleaning uniform entered, carrying a bucket, a rag, and a small lunch box.
It was Lina—the house janitress.
“Doña Cora?” she called softly. “It’s me, Lina… just a moment, okay?”
She approached the bed like a daughter approaching her mother.
She didn’t show disgust.
She didn’t complain.
She immediately wiped the floor, carefully cleaning up the broken glass with a towel so the old woman wouldn’t get hurt.
“Oh my, your feet are cold,” she said, reaching for a blanket.
“Here we go… like this…”
She wiped Doña Corazon’s arm.
When she saw the bruises, she gasped.
“Who did this to you…?” she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.
The old woman couldn’t answer—only groans.
Lina took out her lunch box.
She opened it.
Rice porridge. Still warm.
“It’s not fancy,” she said as she cooled the spoon,
“but I added a bit of ginger. It’s good for you.”
Gently, she fed Doña Corazon.
“Open your mouth… there… slowly now.”
Inside the closet, Rafael broke down.
He fell to his knees.
He covered his mouth so he wouldn’t sob out loud.
A janitress.
A humble cleaner.
Yet she had more heart than the woman he was about to marry.
THE DECISION
A few hours later, Doña Corazon was asleep—clean, comfortable, holding a small rosary Lina had given her.
Lina packed her things.
Before leaving, she held the old woman’s hand.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” she promised. “You’re not alone.”
When Lina stepped outside, Rafael came out.
“Miss…” he called, his voice shaking.
Lina was startled.
“S–Sir Rafael?! You’re here?!”
Rafael couldn’t speak.
He knelt down.
A CEO.
A billionaire.
Kneeling before a cleaner.
“Thank you,” his voice broke. “Thank you for taking care of my mother… in a way I failed to.”
Lina stepped back. “Sir, please—this is just my job—”
“No,” Rafael said firmly. “That wasn’t a job. That was humanity. That was heart.”
TANYA’S FINAL FALL
That evening, Tanya returned—smiling, carrying shopping bags.
But she suddenly turned pale.
She saw Rafael standing beside his mother’s bed.
“R–Rafael? I thought you were in Singapore—”
“I’m done,” he said coldly.
“What?” Tanya laughed. “What’s your problem?”
Rafael handed her his phone.
There was a video.
Everything.
The shouting.
The insults.
The abuse.
Tanya collapsed into a chair, her body going weak.
“Rafael… babe… I was just explaining—”
“Get out,” he cut her off. “Now.”
“You can’t—”
“All your credit cards are canceled. Your condo is mine. Your career? It’s over.”
Tanya fell silent.
No more tears.
No more drama.
She left—completely shattered.
EPILOGUE
A few months later…
Doña Corazon was in a private care facility—the best in the country.
Every day, someone visited her.
Not a model.
Not a socialite.
But Lina—now the head caregiver, with a nursing scholarship funded by Rafael.
One day, as Rafael sat beside his mother, she weakly held his hand.
“Thank you… my son,” Doña Corazon whispered.
Rafael smiled through his tears.
At last, he learned a lesson money could never buy:
True wealth is not the person who looks good in front of you—
but the person who is kind even when no one is watching.
THE END