Mel Fajardo's POV
I said goodbye to my mother before heading out to the market for work. I’ve been a vegetable vendor there for years. I never got to finish school, so this is where I ended up—but it’s honest work, and I’ve learned to accept it. We were never well-off anyway. Finishing an education was a luxury we simply couldn’t afford.
I grew up in a crowded home, with many siblings to help raise. Our father left us for another woman, abandoning my mother to carry everything on her own. They met in a bar once, fell in love too quickly, and we were the result of that fleeting romance. Back then, my mother worked as a prostitute, and life has never been easy for us since.
“I’m leaving now, Ma,” I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
“Take care, anak,” she replied gently.
She wakes
