The poor man needed 400,000 pesos to save his father, so he agreed to marry a 70-year-old woman. After 10 days, he discovered a terrible secret — it was too late… The small village in Batangas was bathed in a red sunset that afternoon. In a thatched house on the edge of the village, Ramon, a 27-year-old man, sat hunched over by his father’s hospital bed. The old man was coughing nonstop, gasping for breath. The doctor at the clinic said: “If we want to save him, we need to operate on him immediately. The minimum cost is 400,000 pesos.” Ramon was stunned. He mortgaged his family’s only land, went around, but no one would lend him money. Those who had helped his father before were now avoiding him. When he was at his saddest, his neighbor passed by and said softly, “There is a very rich old woman in town, seventy years old, her husband and children are dead. She is looking for a husband… just marry her, you don’t have to live together. If you agree, she will give you 400,000 pesos.” Ramon was stunned. A marriage with a woman forty years older than him – it seemed like a cruel joke of fate. But when he saw his father lying in bed, gasping for breath, he could only say through his teeth: “I agree.” Three days later, the wedding took place quietly. The groom was 27, the bride was 70. There was no music, no party, only a few neighbors as witnesses. Ramon’s father was still in the hospital. The woman was Doña Rosario – neatly curled silver hair, elegantly dressed in a dress. There was still a cold and sad look in her hazy eyes. She handed Ramon a thick bag of money and whispered, “Save your father. But remember, don’t ask me why I chose you.” Ramon bowed his head and could only say thank you. He couldn’t understand why someone like him would choose him over hundreds of others. The operation was successful. Ramon’s father was out of danger. He was so happy that he cried, thinking that the tragedy was over. But ten days later, Mrs. Rosario called him to her house in Makati. The old mansion smelled of incense and the walls were covered with old photographs. He sat by the window, holding a faded photograph. His voice is hoarse:…👇👇