A loud bang caught the attention of everyone inside the grand masquerade ball. All eyes turned toward the source of the noise, the music halting into silence as whispers started to rise.
"How dare you sleep with another man when you already have a husband!" roared the old man, standing furiously in front of a young woman—still in a nightgown, maskless, and trembling.
"Isn't she the lady of the house, Dela Cruz?" murmured one of the guests, leaning toward her companion.
"Look at how bitchy she looks right now," another scoffed. "No wonder she's so into the master of the house—Supremo."
Their words sliced through the air, sharp and mocking, as the woman remained on the floor, frozen in shame.
"Mother, it's not her fault!" cried another lady from the crowd.
"Monique, you don't have to cover for your sister. I now know everything," said the old man, his voice cold.
"But Father!" Monique exclaimed, eyes pleading.
"Enough is enough!" a firm voice declared. A poised, older woman descended the grand staircase, her presence commanding attention.
"Mother, believe me. I really don't know what happened to me," the accused woman—Marie—spoke, her hands trembling, her face pale with fear.
"Father, please..." she pleaded, eyes brimming with desperation.
"Marie," her father said with finality, "this is a huge disappointment—not just to the name of our family, but to everything we've built. Look at the mess you've made!" He turned and began walking away, his last words echoing behind him. "And I want you gone—tomorrow onwards."
"Mother, it wasn't really me. I swear. I don't know anything—I don't even know that man!"
"Don't disgrace this family further, Marie," her mother said, her voice sharp as glass. "I disown you from this family."
"Mother!" Marie cried out in disbelief, her voice cracking.
"Look at that wench trying to clean her hands of disgrace," one woman sneered from the side.
"Yeah, look how pitiful she is now."
"Quiet down, she might hear you," another whispered.
"So what? I'm just stating the fact. Look at her—trying to sleep with other men when she already has a husband."