Paulo had just gotten married to Mira a week before. Their wedding in Batangas was simple, yet it was filled with laughter, tears, and sincere promises.
Mira seemed like the best daughter-in-law since she was nice, polite, always smiled, and treated everyone in the family with respect.
People in her family and neighborhood said good things about her.
I would proudly say to my friends in the market, “We are so lucky to have such a nice daughter-in-law.”
But a few days after the wedding, I saw something weird…
The Sheets’ Secret
Every morning, Mira brought the sheets and blankets outdoors to wash them and hang them up in the sun. Sometimes she would even change the bedding twice in one day.
I asked her once.
“Why do you change the sheets every day, daughter?”
She smiled at me and said, “
“Nanay, dust makes me sick.” I sleep better when everything is new.
But I still had questions. The linens were all brand new, smelled great, and were carefully chosen for the event.
And no one in our family had allergies.
I started to think that there was more to the story than what I knew.
The Find That Shocked
One morning, I pretended to be going to the market.
While Mira was in the kitchen, I quietly went into her room.
The moment I opened the door, I could smell metal really strongly.
My heart was racing.
I stepped up to the bed and slowly pulled the sheet back…
My legs were about to give up.
The white mattress was covered with bloodstains. They were dense and stacked.
That wasn’t blood from a period, though. It looked different—darker, heavier, and more scary.
In a panic, I opened the drawers.
There were rolls of bandages that were neatly folded and covered, a bottle of disinfectant, and an undershirt with blood on it.
The Truth About Mira
I went down the stairs, grabbed Mira by the wrist, and brought her back up.
“Explain this to me!” What is going on here? Why is there blood? Why are you keeping this a secret?
At first, she didn’t say anything. Her whole body was shivering, her eyes were full of tears, and her lips were shaking.
Then she collapsed into my arms and cried hard.
“Nanay… Paulo has leukemia that is very bad.”
The doctors said he would only live for a few more months.
We got married quickly because I couldn’t leave him.
I wanted to stay, no matter how short the time was.
My life fell apart.
My son, the young man I raised, cared for, and loved, had withheld this from me to protect my heart.
He chose not to say anything so I wouldn’t lose it.
A Mother’s Choice
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I laid there looking at the ceiling, thinking about how much pain Paulo must have been in and how calm Mira had been.
The next morning, I went to the store and bought new sheets. I helped Mira clean the old ones. I got up early every day to be there for her and for both of them.
And one morning, while we were changing the sheets together, I hugged her tightly.
“Thanks, Mira, for loving my son.”
For staying.
For choosing him, even though you knew you would lose him.
Three months later, in the early morning hours, Paulo died peacefully in his sleep. Until her last breath, Mira held his hand and whispered “I love you” to him.
It didn’t hurt. There was no fight. There was just peace. He had a small smile on his face.
Mira never left after that.
She didn’t go back to her parents.
She never married again.
She stayed with me and helped me operate our little food stand.
She treated me like I was her mom.
It’s been two years.
And when people ask,
“Why does Mira still want to be with you?”
I just smile and say,
“She wasn’t just my son’s wife…
She was also my daughter.
And this will always be her home.
