Carlos POV
I took the child to Jenna's place—it was close to where we'd been earlier. She was surprised to see her, but when I explained that the kid needed somewhere safe to stay for the night, she let us in without hesitation.
Jenna took over right away. She bathed the child, changed her clothes, and made sure she ate. Only after that did we sit her down and talk to her—slowly, carefully.
She told us why her so-called "parents" were planning to sell her. That was when we learned the truth: the people she was living with weren't her real parents. She confessed that when she was only ten, the man she called Papa took her from a large house filled with children. According to him, he had rescued her—taken her away so she could be "free" from that place.
"What did they do to the kids in that house?" Jenna asked gently.
"They take us to parties… only rich people go there," Mina said. Then she stopped, clearly unsure if she should continue. Jenna placed a hand on her back and smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, Mina," she said.
"Then… Papa sells us to them," Mina continued.
Jenna and I exchanged looks.
"Who is this Papa?" Jenna asked. "Is he your real father?"
Mina shook her head. "We don't have parents anymore. It's just him—and Kuya Eron and Ate Elena raised us," she said.
That name hit me hard.
"Elena?" I asked without thinking. "Who… who is she?"
Mina looked at me. "She's Papa's real daughter. Her and Kuya Eron. They protect us when Papa beats us," she explained.
"That's enough for tonight," Jenna said softly. "You should sleep now." She helped Mina lie down, then turned to me a moment later.
"Hey," she said quietly. "Why do you look so affected by that name—Elena?"
"It's nothing," I replied quickly. I excused myself and told her I'd come back for the child the next day.
---
By morning, Mina had grown more comfortable with us. She answered all our questions openly, and everything she shared helped us connect the pieces of the case.
"So we were right," Luis said. "This is kidnapping and child trafficking. They take kids young, raise them, then sell them to wealthy families who can't have children."
"I'm sure this 'Papa' she keeps mentioning is the syndicate's leader. Now the connection to the Black Moon Organization finally makes sense. We have solid evidence—but it's still not enough," he added.
"We need to investigate the family she's living with now, and the people who ran that big house she mentioned," Jam said.
We brought Mina back home but kept close watch over her. Thankfully, she didn't resist helping us anymore.
For days, we reviewed everything we had—until Luis suddenly shouted—
"I found it!"
"The Madrigal Family controls the Black Moon Organization," he said. "And we're lucky—I managed to dig up some information about them." Images flashed onto the screen.
"They came from the U.S., then moved to China in 2012, where they settled and started a family. In 2015, they officially founded the Black Moon Organization. At first, it was known for helping orphans and abandoned children. Internationally, they were praised for their advocacy and heavily sponsored. But in 2018, they brought the organization to the Philippines. What most people don't know is that the children they 'help' are later sold to wealthy foreign couples who can't have kids," Luis explained.
"Dr. Evan Smith Madrigal—also known as Dr. Smith—is the organization's CEO," he continued, showing a photo of an elderly man in an expensive suit, smiling warmly. At first glance, he looked kind. Harmless. Deceptive.
"This is John Eron Madrigal, his eldest son. He manages their hotels here and abroad," Luis said.
When the next photo appeared, my heart nearly stopped.
My pulse raced as I stared at the familiar smile on the screen.
"And this is Kim Elena Madrigal—the youngest child of Dr. Smith. According to reports, she died young in an accident on her wedding day. That's all we've gathered so far, but this alone is already a huge breakthrough—"
Luis kept talking, but I couldn't hear anything anymore.
I couldn't take my eyes off Elena's photo.
I didn't even realize a tear had slipped from my left eye as I stared at her—wearing a wedding dress, smiling so gently, so beautifully.
For the first time, it felt like a needle pierced straight through my chest—sharp, deep, unbearable.
And all I could think was—
Out of everyone in the world…
out of all the faces that could have appeared on that screen…
Why did it have to be my wife?