The room fell silent.

The barangay official shook his head:

“What they did is wrong. This isn’t a simple family matter—it’s fraud and elder abuse.”

Carlos paled. Lina burst into tears.

Then Lola María spoke her final words.

She looked at his son and said,

“Carlos, I don’t want to see you in jail. But you must understand that when you do wrong, you lose more than a house. You lose your conscience.”

She turned to Lina:

“You took care of me when I was sick—I remember that. But a single act of betrayal erases all the good you did.”

Then she stood up and continued calmly,

“I’ve donated half of the house to the Cebu senior care center. I’ve put the rest in the custody of my lawyer, so no one will touch it again.”

The couple was stunned.

From that day on, Carlos and Lina moved to Cebu and rented a small apartment in Mandaue.

They opened a small restaurant, but no matter what they cooked, customers always said,

“Why does this restaurant smell like bagoong?”

Lina cried.

“I’ve washed everything dozens of times. Why is the smell still there?”