A Promise Made, A Life Deferred

Truly, a spouse will do anything for the future of their children. There is no hardship one will not endure, and no sorrow one will not bear in silence.

Joel Canlas, 29, an electrician from Bulacan, left the Philippines carrying great dreams for his future and that of his long-time fiancée, Carol Regalado.

For months, he meticulously finished training, medical exams, and pre-departure seminars. He endured every challenge for their future—a decent home, a family, and freedom from poverty.

Joel, from a simple, provincial family, met Carol in college. They became inseparable sweethearts. After graduation, Joel worked as a technician in Bulacan while Carol worked as an agent for a small company in the same province.

Two years later, Joel decided to go abroad. He received an offer in the UAE as an electrical technician. The decision was agonizing, but it was the only way he saw to build a better life for himself and the family he planned with Carol.

During his first year abroad, the couple talked almost every day. Joel made time for video calls late into the desert night, just to see and hear Carol after her workday.

They frequently discussed the house he would build. Joel promised that before his contract ended, he would have saved enough for their promised home.

The Slow Fade of Loyalty

But while Joel’s world revolved around working and strict saving in the desert, Carol slowly drifted away from her promised fidelity. During the long nights in the Philippines, alone in her room, she was tempted to join text group chats and online forums.

Initially, it was just a way to talk to other people. Later, it became a form of entertainment, then an addiction, and finally, a tool that allowed her to break her solemn promises to Joel.

She eventually met one of the men from the group chat in person. Overwhelmed by impulse and passion, she cheated on Joel. After that night, she returned home feeling heavy with guilt. She told herself it was a one-time mistake that would never be repeated.

She was terribly wrong. That single night was followed by others—sometimes with the same man, sometimes with new contacts she met online. The encounters were reckless and bold. Carol slowly succumbed to what she mistakenly perceived as happiness.

She forgot the value of her promise to Joel. The calls from Joel became less frequent, but Carol always had an excuse ready: slow internet, a drained phone battery, or urgent work matters. And Joel, focused entirely on saving money, remained trusting, harboring absolutely no suspicion toward Carol.

The Surprise That Collapsed a World

Years passed without Joel knowing the truth, and Carol seemed to settle into this deceptive life. Joel saved enough money, bought a small lot in San Miguel, Bulacan, and planned a surprise vacation to the Philippines to finally begin construction on the house he had worked so hard for.

In 2020, Joel returned home without informing his fiancée. Carol was completely surprised; she hadn’t prepared for his sudden return. But Joel was about to be surprised too, by a revelation that would shatter his entire world.

Carol initially received Joel well, acting as if she had nothing to hide. Joel was happy to be reunited with his beloved. He immediately started building their house on the purchased lot, with Carol’s outward support.

Everything seemed to be going well until an unusual day arrived. Carol felt strange—nausea every morning and increased sensitivity to certain things. One day in February 2020, Carol decided to take a pregnancy test. The kit revealed two red lines.

Carol was devastated, knowing profoundly that the child she carried was not Joel’s. She made the agonizing decision to conceal the truth.

A Deception Built on Love

In March 2020, Joel was scheduled to return to the Middle East for his new contract.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented his travel, forcing him to remain in the Philippines. Carol used this unexpected turn of events as an opportunity to tell Joel she was pregnant.

Joel was initially in disbelief that they conceived so quickly, but he wasn’t angry. Instead, he believed it was a blessing in disguise that his return to Dubai was delayed, allowing him to focus on Carol and their future child.

Overjoyed, he promised Carol he would marry her once the lockdown ended. They moved back to Bulacan and stayed in the partially finished house. Joel worked diligently, driven by the thought of providing for the family he now needed to support.

He worked as a delivery rider during the pandemic lockdown. While Joel toiled, Carol was trapped in the house, consumed by the lie she had created. But there was no turning back, no reason to retreat. Carol’s deception continued, and Joel lived under the illusion that their family would be fine, embracing a child that was not biologically his.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Carol gave birth to a baby boy they named Giro. Joel joyfully held the child and poured all his love into raising him from that day forward. In 2021, Joel and Carol finally married in an intimate civil wedding.

To outsiders, the couple’s life seemed perfect, but beneath the surface lay a devastating lie ready to explode.

The Seeds of Doubt and the Final Test

As the months passed, Joel noticed Giro’s appearance was slowly growing distant from his own. Initially, he ignored it, recalling the common saying that not all babies resemble their parents immediately.

But as Giro grew, Joel’s doubts became clearer. Joel had black hair, and Carol had a prominent nose, yet the child seemed to lack their defining features.

One night, while putting Giro to sleep, Joel stared at him for a long time. He was searching for something he couldn’t explain. He cautiously approached Carol with his feelings, but she immediately responded aggressively, accusing Joel of infidelity and fabricating reasons to fight.

Carol’s sharp words only increased the distance and dread in Joel’s heart. Tension filled their once peaceful home.

Joel began spending more time outside, looking for space to think freely. He shared his feelings with no one, not even his sister, Ala, who once visited and remarked that the child looked completely different.

Instead, he decided to find the truth without seeking permission.

One night, while Carol was asleep, he secretly took a hair sample from the child’s comb. He brought it to a private DNA clinic, quietly requesting a paternity test to ease his mind.

The 0.00% Revelation

Three weeks later, the results arrived. Nerves shaking, Joel opened the sealed envelope from the clinic. Despite everything, Joel desperately hoped his suspicions were wrong. He deeply loved the child and planned only to support his growth.

But after reading the document’s contents, his entire world lost direction. The result: Probability of paternity 0.00%. The child he believed was his own flesh and blood was not his. And the woman he married and promised a beautiful life to was a complete stranger.

Joel was paralyzed with shock and rage. He confronted Carol, maintaining his composure, and gently asked her again if she had an affair and if he was truly Giro’s father. Carol, unaware of the DNA results, stubbornly maintained her lie.

She then accused Joel of cheating and looking for an excuse to fight. But the confrontation ended abruptly when Joel revealed the document he held. Carol fell completely silent. She had no explanation, knowing she was trapped.

Joel did not physically harm her, but the look of hatred and betrayal in his eyes was devastating. He left the house temporarily to decide his next move.

As a man, he couldn’t accept how the woman he married had deceived him and forced him to assume responsibility for a child born of her infidelity.

Justice and A New Beginning

With the DNA result in hand, Joel sought legal counsel. Following his lawyer’s advice, Joel filed charges of Simulation of Birth under Article 347 of the Revised Penal Code, for Carol’s deceptive act of making him believe he was Giro’s biological father.

He also sought damages for the emotional and moral distress Carol’s calculated deception caused him. Furthermore, Joel filed for the Annulment of Marriage under Article 45 of the Family Code, arguing the marriage was based on fraud and deceit due to her concealment of the child’s true paternity.

When Carol received copies of the charges, she was devastated. She attempted to contact Joel’s family, but they refused to listen. For them, the discovered truth was enough. The break of trust was not only about the child but about the five years she spent drowning him in a lie he knew nothing about.

The legal process was arduous, lasting nearly three years. Carol attempted to argue that Joel knew he wasn’t Giro’s father before the marriage, but she failed to provide strong evidence. The court ultimately favored Joel’s side.

In 2024, the court finalized the annulment of their marriage. Carol received no part of the assets Joel had accumulated. No division of property, no alimony. For the Simulation of Birth case, Carol was sentenced to no less than six years in prison.

She was also ordered to pay PH₱500,000 in damages to Joel for the moral and emotional distress she inflicted. After the court’s decision, the emotional weight on Joel’s chest slowly began to ease.

He sold the house, the very symbol of his sacrifice that ultimately amounted to nothing. Giro was left in the custody of his maternal grandmother while Carol served her sentence. Joel chose to leave completely.

Carrying his remaining savings, he moved to La Union, far from the noise of the city and the reminders of his past. In the small town of Bacnotan, he opened a simple store for electrical supplies and repair services.

He now wakes up early every day to face his new life. In that town, no one knows his past. The heavy burden he carried has been gradually replaced by peace.

Months later, he met Grace Abbasolo, a 30-year-old local woman. Initially hesitant, fearing betrayal, he slowly opened his heart to her after getting to know her better. Grace is aware of Joel’s past and has promised never to break his heart.

They are happy together, and Joel intends to ensure that the painful mistakes of his past will not be repeated.