I had just finished cleaning my crippled mother-in-law when my husband—Ricardo—returned from three years of work abroad.
As soon as he entered the door, he began to give out greetings.
“Mom, Dad, you are an old man. Here are some of the best supplements and supplements to help you stay healthy.”
The look of joy on my mother-in-law’s face was indescribable.
My sister-in-law, Liza, came up, grabbed the most expensive handbag, and shouted:
“The best ka talaga, Kuya!”
I was just standing on the sidelines, my apron still undone, my palms soaked with sweat.
For three years, all the work in this house—from caring for two adults to raising our child—I did it on my own.
Not a single one of them was sent to us.
When he finally looked at me, his steps suddenly stopped.
Nervous and excited, I was about to hold the best gift box on the table.
“Don’t touch it with your dirty hands, it’s for my secretary candy!”
I stunned where I stood, my arm dangling in the air. A voice called out to me:
“Eh… Where is mine?”
He seemed to be stunned for a moment, rummaged through his suitcase, and finally pulled out a tangled keychain and just threw it at me:
“This is what I have prepared for you, take care of it.”
A plastic keychain hit the back of my hand. It hurts.
Looking at the accuracy of the expensive items on the table, I looked at the back of the keychain label:
[Free gift with purchase, Made in Ch/ina.]
My mother-in-law clapped her hands and laughed: “My son is really very kind, knows how to look at gratitude!”
Liza hugged her new, limited-edition bag, at the same time:
“Your father has been trying to get you out of here, but you don’t have to worry about it. Take it!”
I looked at them, my face slowly hardening. I showed the label to Ricardo:
“Are you going to give me a keychain that is just a bag freebie after you fool me?”
Ricardo’s face darkened:
“Dianne, yes naman kung freebie lang?
You look like a lot of money, you know?”
“Your secretary, expensive perfume; Your brother is a luxury bag. Why do you think I’m just a jerk?”
“Dahil hindi mo deserve!”
“I don’t… deserve?” Suddenly, my voice rose, as if my heart was about to explode with pain. I couldn’t hold back my tears from falling to the floor.
“I’ve been a servant in this house for three years!”
“I bathe and clean your Mom every day because I’m scared she’s going to get a back injury!
I’m trying to get him some food!”
“In the morning, I’m going to take care of my son, help me with my homework, and take care of my dad.”
“Laundry, cooking, cleaning, all the care inside and out, I run everything!
“And you? You’ve been out for three years, you haven’t sent any money, not even a phone call you’ve ever been called!
Are you going to give me a freebie? Do you think I’m just trying to get you to stop?”
“Tumahimik ka!”
Ricardo shouted to cut me off, his brow furrowed and his voice full of bitterness:
“You don’t owe me anything! You are the only one in this family.
“Are you going to eat here and live in my house for free, and then you’re going to have to do something else just for the sake of it?”
“I’m going to have to go to the other side of the country to make a living, while you’re just having fun here at home, and then you’re complaining.”
“Free? Someone else?”
My whole body was shaking.
Those words were like a sharp knife that pierced my heart.
I took one step at a time, and in a fit of rage, I accidentally smashed the items off the table.
Clash!
The bottle of perfume that was supposed to be for her secretary Candy fell to the floor!
The bottle was cracked, the windows were shattered, and the whole living room immediately smelled bad.
Suddenly, Ricardo’s face flushed with anger, his eyes narrowing.
Then! Then! Then!
Three slaps. The sound of a slap echoed throughout the living room, but none of them made any attempt to stop him or defend me.
I held my cheek numb with pain and heat.
“Ricardo, did you hit me?”
“You deserve it!”
The veins came out of Ricardo’s forehead.
“I waited in line for 6 hours just to buy that perfume for Candy, it cost over 6,000 pesos!
You’re going to have to pay for it, so you’re going to pay for it to the last penny!”
“Bakit ko gagawin ‘yun!”
My wife’s face darkened.
Suddenly he turned around, grabbed an old black notebook from the secret pocket of his suitcase, and threw it on the floor in front of me.
The pages were scattered, full of letters.
He knelt down and pointed to the writings there, his gaze full of calculation and coldness:
“For three years—what you ate, what you wore, what you used, electricity, water, gas, Mom’s medicines, the child’s tuition… All of this is not a small amount.
Pay off all your debts before you ask me for a gift.”
I sat on the floor, looking at the notebook full of expense lists.
Each line lists what she calls my “expenses,” including the salon I bought for my mother-in-law,
My son’s notebook, and the market expenses for the whole family.
What he “forgot” to record was the fact that in three years, I didn’t get a single penny from him.
All of our expenses came from my own savings before we got married.
I worked day and night to serve her family, but instead of thanking her, she scolded me and charged me.
I looked at him, and I felt a terrible chill from foot to head.
I grabbed my face and slowly stood up.
I didn’t argue, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t lose.
I walked into the bedroom, opened the drawer, grabbed my ID, bank card, and a few pieces of clothing.
I quickly put it in the bag. There is no doubt.
In three years, this was the first time I hadn’t rushed to warm up, hadn’t changed my mother-in-law’s diaper, and hadn’t checked my daughter’s homework.
I walked out of the room with my bag.
Ricardo was still on the floor, carrying the notebook with him, still muttering as he calculated:
“The total amount is eighty-three thousand six hundred pesos. Pay fifty,000 first, and the rest will be yours.”
I walked past him without staring.
As I walked through the living room, I glanced at the broken perfume, the two older men who looked at me coldly, and my sister-in-law who looked triumphant.
I went to the door, grabbed my shoes, and put them on.
Ricardo finally noticed that something was strange, he suddenly stood up and grabbed my arm tightly:
“Dianne, what are you doing? Where are you going?”
I stopped, but didn’t look back. My voice was calm and emotionless:
“I have been loyal and have served this family for three years. You didn’t give a penny, you didn’t even give a dime.
Now I don’t want to.”
They were all stunned, before finally bursting into rage.
Ricardo’s nails were buried in my skin.
“Have you ever been nervous?
I married you to serve my parents and take care of my son. This is not a hotel where you can leave whenever you want.”
I looked at him coldly and shook his hand. My mother-in-law began to shout in her sharp voice:
“You want to go! Dianne, you’re such a bad daughter-in-law!
My son just arrived, but just because of a gift to read, are you going to let us go?”
He slumped on the bed and sighed.
Liza was quick to point out:
“Oh my gosh, you’re too much!
Do you know how hard it is to work abroad? You’ve been given a place to stay, and you’re going to be fine!”
My father-in-law, even though he wasn’t talking, just stood there looking at me badly.
I couldn’t control myself anymore. I nodded my head in Ricardo’s hand.
“You’ve got a scar on your face too, don’t you?”
“You fooled me with a freebie, you slapped me.
You haven’t sent me money for three years, and now you’re charging me more than 80,000 debts? “Where did your face come from?”
I turned to my mother-in-law who was acting out in bed:
“I’ve been serving you for years, I cook everything you want.
Have you heard me complain for 3 years?
“Did you say anything to defend me?”
My mother-in-law was silent, her crying suddenly stopped.
I looked straight at Ricardo, whose eyes were still squinting.
“Ricardo, let me tell you, I have finished my duty in this house in three years. I’m used to it.
From now on, whether you live or die, Dianne doesn’t care!”
When I said that, I walked out the door. I felt too light.
I pulled out my phone and made a phone call.
Mrs. Santos is a well-known kind old lady in our subdivision, and her son is one of the richest billionaires in the city (in Makati).
In the past, seeing me supporting my family on my own—taking care of my mother-in-law, doing housework, babysitting, and even working part time—she was impressed by my hard work. He asked me to be his housekeeper several times.
At the time, out of my appreciation for this family, I rejected him over and over again.
As soon as I hit the “call,” I heard Mrs. Santos’ soft voice.
“Hello, Dianne? Have you been called? Is there a problem?”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice in front of Ricardo who was watching:
“Your Excellency, you have already made an offer…” If you still need someone you can trust, I’m ready to take the job. It’s right now.”
“Are you serious, Dianne?” Oh, that’s right! My son had just returned from a business trip and we needed a partner at home. “I’m going to take you to the subway station right now.”
As soon as I hung up the phone, Richard nodded loudly. A laugh filled with ridicule.
“Housekeeper? Would you like to be a part of someone else’s life, and then be able to be who you are? Don’t expect me to chase you out the door!”
My sister-in-law Liza laughed as she looked at her nails:
“I wondered what a big time job it would be. If you’re going to clean up someone else’s, why don’t you just go ahead and clean up Mom’s? At least we are a family.”
“Family?” I looked at them with a mixture of disdain.
“In this family, I am the laundry, the cook, the nurse, and the outpatient of resentment. In this family, I don’t get paid, I don’t have any respect, and I’m even slapped. Mrs. O’Neill treated me like a maid, but she treated me like a human being. “I’m your wife, Ricardo, but you treat me worse than a dog.”
I was about to walk out when my father-in-law suddenly blocked the door. He had never spoken before, his voice low but commanding.
“Dianne, leave your bag behind. All of your belongings, including the clothes you wear, come from my son’s money. You’re not going to leave here with anything that belongs to the Sandovals.”
I faced him without fear.
“Dad, you may have forgotten. The money to buy your medicine, the electricity you enjoy now, and even the rice you will eat tonight—all of that came from my savings before I met your son. If you want a question, go ahead.”
I pulled out my bank statement on the phone.
“Ricardo, look at this. For 3 years, you have not sent any remittances. The total amount I spent for this family amounted to more than 2 million pesos including my work as a nurse for Mom. Would you like me to pay you $6,000? Let’s get rid of the two million you owe me!”
Richard was astonished. He took my phone and quickly reviewed the transactions. He turned pale.
“How… Where did you get that much money?”
“I’ve been doing online sales every morning while y’all are sleeping! I’ve been repacking my groceries while watching your Mom! While you’re having fun with your secretary abroad, I’m the one who commits suicide to work so you don’t starve!”
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and our son, Toby, came out, crying.
“Mom! Don’t leave! “Daddy, why did you hurt my mother?”
He was about to come close to me, but Ricardo grabbed the boy’s arm.
“Dianne, if you’re leaving, leave the baby alone!” You won’t get anything from me! Let’s see how brave you are without your son!”
This is where all my anger exploded. I grabbed a glass of water from the table and sprayed it straight in Ricardo’s face.
“Don’t use my son to hurt me! In 3 years, you don’t even know what grade your child is in! You didn’t know he had asthma! You don’t have the right to call this child ‘son’!”
In the midst of the screaming, a luxury black car pulled up across the street from our house. A man in a suit came down—Mr. Santos, my master’s son.
He walked into the house, keeping an eye on every step of the way.
“Dianne? Are you ready? “Your mother said you need help.”
Ricardo looked at Mr. Santos, visibly feeling the gap between their levels.
“Who are you? “What are you doing in my house?” asked Ricardo, his voice visibly trembling.
Mr. Santos looked around, at the broken perfume, at the flush on my cheeks, and at the debt notebook on the floor. He smiled bitterly.
“I’m going to be Dianne’s new boss. And from what I’ve seen, it looks like you have a lot to explain to the court about the pain and financial abuse of your spouse.”
I picked up Toby and grabbed my bag. This time, nothing could stop me.
“Harry,” I said as I walked through the door, “Don’t wait for the perfume to be paid. You’ve just got to wait for the annulment papers and the lawsuit for child support that you’ve forgotten about for three years.”
I left them all stunned in the midst of their chaos. As the car was moving, I heard my mother-in-law’s last scream from inside:
“Ricardo! Who’s going to take my diapers?! Who’s going to cook?!”
I smiled. At last, I was free.
It’s been a month since I left that hell house. My life in the mansion of the Saints was like a dream. I don’t see myself as a servant but as a trusted companion in the house. While Toby was happily playing in the vast garden, I was slowly recovering from the trauma.
One afternoon, while I was arranging flowers, I heard a loud knock and screaming outside the gate.
“Dianne! Get out of there! You can’t do this to us!”
It was Ricardo. She was joined by Liza and my mother-in-law who looked haggard and had dirty clothes. When I opened the door, I could barely recognize them. The once arrogant Ricardo looked like he hadn’t slept for a week.
“Dianne… have mercy,” Ricardo pleaded, kneeling in front of me as the security guards stood on the sidelines. “You’re back. The house has been demolished. My Mom… He had bedsores because no one was cleaning him properly. “Liz doesn’t know how to cook, we only eat burnt eggs!”
I looked at them from head to toe. “Why? Where are your “high-end” supplements and bags? Why do you look like beggars?”
Liza bowed, her “luxury bag” faded and looked fake.
“Dianne,” my mother-in-law interjected, “We don’t have any money. ‘ The items that Ricardo brought, took all of his company because it was found that he had stolen funds just to buy those gifts to brag about. “Her secretary, Candy, left her when she found out she was out of work.”
I laughed bitterly. Karma doesn’t have to be selfish; Sometimes, it’s giving back to you all the mockery you’ve given to others.
“Where’s your notebook, Richard?” he asked. “Where’s my list of debts?” Do you want me to pay for it?”
“No, Dianne… Please forgive me. I thought the money was enough to buy respect. I thought that being married was the same as being a slave. I made a mistake.”
Mr. Santos got out of his car. He came up to me and handed me an envelope.
“Dianne, this is the final decree for your annulment. And here is also a warrant for the seizure of their assets for failure to pay child support for three years.”
Ricardo’s eyes widened. “What?! And the house?”
“Yes, Richard,” I replied determinedly. “That house is named after both of us, and as you have given no support, the court has taken your share for Toby’s future. Tomorrow you will have to get out of there.”
“Where are we going?” cried Lisa, crying. “We have nowhere to stay!”
“That’s not my problem anymore,” I said, turning to them. “You used to say ‘I don’t deserve a gift.’ Now, I can tell you too—you don’t deserve a second of my time.
The guards closed the large gate, separating my past and my new beginning. I could hear them screaming and screaming outside, but it didn’t stop me.
I walked inside the mansion and hugged Toby. For the first time in years, my hands were no longer shaking. There was no longer the smell of mother-in-law’s medicine or house dirt. The only smell I could breathe was the smell of freedom and the freshly cooked dinner Toby and I shared.
Sometimes, the best gift you’ll ever receive isn’t from a foreign country or a brand to love. The best gift is the chance to choose yourself and leave those who don’t know how to appreciate your value.
