Two years have passed since my husband went to work; when he returned, he had a baby in his arms and a secret that would change my life forever.

Two years have passed since my husband went to work; when he returned, he had a baby in his arms and a secret that would change my life forever.

We live in a small town in Pangasinan, in the northern Philippines. Two years ago, he told me he was going to Manila to work in construction, that he would earn money to send back to me and our daughter. When he said goodbye, I believed him completely. I thought that if we endured a couple of years of hardship, our lives would be better.

During that time, his calls were short, almost cold:

—“I’m fine, don’t worry.”
—“When I have enough savings, I’ll come back.”

Meanwhile, I worked hard cultivating rice on a small plot and raising our daughter Mika, then four years old, alone. At night, when she slept, I would look out into the dark courtyard and repeat …
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