The next morning, Kara woke up to a phone buzzing on the table.
Noel handed it to her. "It's Maricel."
Kara sat up, her heart pounding. "Hello?"
"We published the article," the journalist said. "It's everywhere. Your story, the DNA results, your photos, your name."
Kara stayed silent, swallowing hard.
"You okay?" Maricel asked.
Kara nodded slowly. "Yes. I think so."
Maricel added, "The reaction is intense. You're trending. People are asking who you are, who let this happen, why the Villanuevas lied. You're no longer invisible."
Kara set the phone down and exhaled. "It's real now."
Noel sat beside her. "They know. Everyone knows."
Kara's hands trembled. "I'm scared."
"That's normal."
"I don't want to destroy her life," Kara whispered.
Noel looked at her. "Sara?"
"She didn't choose this either."
"You didn't choose to be replaced."
"I know," Kara said. "But still..."
At the Villanueva mansion, chaos reigned.
Enrique stood in front of the massive television, watching news anchors talk about "The Stolen Heiress Scandal." Photos of Kara-her childhood, her life in the slums, her with her mother-flashed across the screen.
"DNA results confirmed-Enrique Villanueva is the biological father of the girl raised in poverty."
Victoria snatched the remote and turned the volume down. "We need a statement."
Enrique turned slowly. "What are you planning to say? That we accidentally raised the wrong child?"
"That she's lying. That it's a setup."
He narrowed his eyes. "We tested her toothbrush. You think a lab would fake that?"
Victoria paused. "Then we question the timing. Say she manipulated it."
Enrique's voice was low. "You've made this mess. Now we all drown in it."
Sara appeared at the door, face pale.
"I didn't know they tested your toothbrush," she said.
Enrique looked at her without speaking.
"Say something," she whispered.
"Are you my daughter?" he asked, evenly.
Sara felt the weight of those words crush her. "I... I thought I was."
"You're not," he said. "And you knew that before I did."
She turned to Victoria, eyes burning. "You said we'd fix it. That they'd never believe her."
Victoria snapped, "You want to live in a shack again? Go ahead. But don't forget-everything you are, everything you have, came from me."
Sara shook her head. "No. It came from a lie."
She left the room. Victoria's shoulders tensed.
Enrique looked at his wife. "Fix it? You can't even fix yourself."
At school, Sara walked through the corridors. Everyone stared. Some whispered. Others laughed.
Trisha approached, holding her phone.
"You're famous."
Sara kept walking.
"Must hurt, huh? Waking up and finding out you've been a fake this whole time."
Sara stopped. "You think I liked any of this?"
"No. But you stayed silent while she suffered. That's worse."
"I was scared."
Trisha lowered her voice. "So was she. But she still spoke up."
Sara blinked hard. "I didn't want to lose everything."
"Then maybe you should've made sure it was yours to begin with."
Sara turned and left.
Kara watched the news with Noel and Maricel in a cramped office at the local radio station.
Reporters debated: Who is the real heiress?
Talk shows exploded with public outrage.
The phrase "Stolen Heiress" was all over the headlines.
Maricel shut off the screen. "It's time to step up. Give a proper interview. On camera. Let people hear you."
Kara looked uncertain. "What if I freeze?"
"Then you tell the truth. That's enough."
Later that day, Victoria made her first public statement.
In front of reporters outside the mansion, she stood in a designer coat, her face cold and polished.
"My family is under attack by individuals with malicious intent. The test results being circulated were obtained illegally and without consent. We deny all claims that discredit my daughter Sara."
A reporter shouted, "Do you acknowledge Kara as your biological daughter?"
Victoria didn't blink. "That girl is confused. We pity her. But we will not allow her to destroy our family with lies."
Back at the youth center, Kara watched the press conference in stunned silence.
"She's calling me a liar," she said.
Noel clenched his fists. "We expected this."
"She looked so sure. Like I don't even matter."
Maricel nodded. "Then let's give her a reason to be afraid."
She picked up her phone. "TV5 wants to interview you. Prime time."
Kara hesitated.
"Are you ready?"
She looked down at her hands, then up at the screen.
"Yes."
That night, Kara sat on a small stage with a mic in her hand. The studio lights were bright, the cameras pointed straight at her.
The host smiled kindly. "Tell us, Kara. Who are you?"
Kara swallowed. "I'm Kara Dela Cruz. I was raised by a single mother, Aling Lorna, who worked every day of her life to keep me alive. I never had new clothes. Never went to fancy schools. But I had love."
The host nodded. "And now?"
"Now I know the truth. That I was born into a different life. That someone took that from me before I even had a name."
"You saw the press conference."
"Yes. I saw Mrs. Villanueva deny everything."
"What do you say to her?"
Kara looked straight at the camera.
"I don't want your money. I don't want your house. I just want my name back."
The audience clapped.
"And to Sara?" the host asked gently.
Kara paused.
"She didn't choose to lie. But she chose to stay silent."
The host leaned in. "Do you hate her?"
Kara shook her head.
"I don't hate her. I just want her to stop living my life."
The host smiled. "Thank you, Kara."
As the segment ended, social media exploded again. #JusticeForKara began trending.
And across the city, in the Villanueva mansion, Sara watched the interview in silence.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Not from shame.
But from guilt.
Because in that moment, she realized Kara hadn't come to destroy her.
She had come to reclaim herself.
Sara didn't go to school the next day.
The moment she woke up, she saw her face all over the internet-but this time not as the perfect daughter. Now, she was the girl who took someone else's life.
There were edited videos of her laughing at past school events, with cruel captions:
"Laughing while someone else cried."
"The fake Villanueva."
"Sara Villanueva, or is it Dela Cruz?"
She scrolled until she couldn't anymore. Then she put the phone down and stared at the ceiling.
A knock came at the door.
"Sara," Victoria said, not opening it. "Come down. We need to talk."
Sara sat up but didn't answer.
"I said now," Victoria snapped.
When Sara finally came down, she found Victoria pacing.
"You're not going anywhere today," she said.
"I wasn't planning to," Sara replied, dryly.
Victoria turned. "You're still a Villanueva. You act like it."
Sara stared at her. "But I'm not."
"You are, if you carry yourself like one."
Sara looked away. "I saw Kara's interview."
Victoria narrowed her eyes. "It's all for sympathy."
"She didn't ask for anything. Not money. Not attention."
"That's what makes it worse. People love a humble sob story."
Sara's voice rose. "Because it's true."
Victoria pointed at her. "You think she can just take your place?"
"She's not taking it. She's reclaiming it."
Victoria walked closer, face tightening. "If you keep acting like this, I'll remind you where you came from. Don't forget-you were in a basket when I picked you up. A nothing. A mistake."
Sara flinched.
"I gave you this life," Victoria hissed. "So don't you dare bite the hand that fed you."
Sara clenched her jaw. "Maybe you should've left me in that basket."
She walked out before Victoria could reply.
Kara and Noel sat with Aling Lorna in their small kitchen. Her hands trembled as she folded laundry.
"I saw you on TV," Lorna said. "I wanted to cry."
Kara gently touched her arm. "I told the truth. I hope you're not angry."
"No, anak. I'm proud of you. But this world..." She paused. "It's cruel to girls like us."
"We're not backing down," Noel said.
Lorna looked at him. "You're standing with her through all this?"
"I always will."
Kara smiled faintly. "Tito Noel has been with me since I was little. He never gave up."
Lorna nodded. "Then let them come. We've survived worse."
That afternoon, Kara received an envelope-hand-delivered.
Inside, there was a formal letter from a law firm representing the Villanuevas.
Cease and desist.
Defamation.
"Disruption of public image."
Kara handed it to Noel.
"They're trying to silence me."
Noel folded the paper calmly. "Let's call Atty. Madriaga."
Within the hour, they sat across from a stern woman in glasses.
"You're protected," the lawyer said. "They can't sue you for telling the truth."
"They're rich," Kara replied. "Does the truth matter?"
Madriaga smirked. "That's why we hit them first."
Victoria stared at the legal notice on her desk the next day.
A formal claim of identity. A demand for public acknowledgment.
Her assistant hovered nervously nearby. "Ma'am, this is serious. If the court orders DNA testing again-"
"They won't. I have influence."
"But if it goes public-"
"It is public!" she shouted.
The assistant flinched.
Victoria composed herself. "Leave me."
Alone, she turned to the fireplace and picked up a framed photo: Sara's 7th birthday. Enrique smiling. Her in pearls.
She turned it face-down.
Meanwhile, Enrique sat quietly in his home office.
Sara came in slowly. "Can I talk to you?"
He looked up but said nothing.
"I know I'm not your real daughter. But... I still love you."
Enrique took a deep breath. "It's not about love, Sara."
She moved closer. "Then what is it?"
"It's about trust. Identity. What I believed. What I gave my heart to."
Sara's voice cracked. "I didn't know until recently. I was scared."
"I don't hate you."
She looked at him, hopeful.
"But I don't know who you are anymore."
That shattered her more than yelling ever could.
Outside, a press team waited at the front gates. Kara, with Noel and Madriaga beside her, approached.
Reporters swarmed.
"Kara! Why are you here?"
"Are you demanding your place back?"
"Do you want the Villanuevas charged?"
Kara stepped forward. "I'm not here for revenge. I'm here to make sure this never happens again-to any child, in any hospital, in any home."
"What do you want from the Villanuevas?" someone asked.
"I want them to say it. Say I exist. Say they were wrong."
She turned to the gates.
"I'm not asking. I'm declaring."
Madriaga handed the documents to security.
Official. Public. Real.
Inside, Victoria watched from the window, her lips pressed tight.
Enrique stood behind her. "She's braver than both of us."
Victoria turned. "You're taking her side now?"
He shook his head. "I'm taking the side of truth."
She stared at him. "I never thought you'd betray me."
"You betrayed all of us the day you brought home the wrong child and never looked back."
She slapped him. It stung, but he didn't move.
"You built this life on a lie, Victoria. And now it's falling apart."
She turned away, shaking
That night, Kara returned home exhausted.
Lorna met her at the door and hugged her tightly.
"You were amazing," she whispered.
Kara cried in her arms.
Sara, alone in her room, scrolled through her phone again. A new headline appeared:
"From Poor Girl to Truth-Teller: Kara Faces the World with Courage"
She clicked on the article.
It wasn't angry. It was proud. People were rooting for Kara. Strangers she didn't even know. Famous personalities were tweeting support.
Sara stared for a long time.
Then she picked up her phone and did something she hadn't done in years.
She messaged Kara.
> "Can we talk?"
A few seconds passed.
Then three dots appeared.
Kara was typing.
≤yes.