In a quiet mountain village in Benguet, the Santos family was drowning in debt. Mr. Santos had borrowed heavily to expand their small farm, but a failed harvest left them with nothing but unpaid loans and the looming threat of losing their land.
Desperate and out of options, his twin daughters—Marites and Lourdes, both only twenty—became their family’s last hope.
When Rodrigo Cruz, a 52-year-old widower and the richest man in town, offered to pay off all their debts in exchange for marrying both sisters, the villagers couldn’t believe it. Some whispered in envy, others in disgust. But to the twins, it wasn’t a choice—it was survival.
Despite the shame and fear, they agreed. The wedding was grand, but their faces were pale and lifeless behind the veil. Rodrigo looked proud, yet his eyes were cold, distant—like a man who was living in another time.
A Strange Marriage
After the wedding, Rodrigo imposed a disturbing rule:
Marites and Lourdes would take turns sharing his room—three nights each week, while he slept alone on Sundays.
It felt unnatural, but they obeyed. What confused them more was that Rodrigo never touched either of them. He spent nights sitting by the window, flipping through an old photo album, whispering to himself until he fell asleep.
“What kind of man marries two women and doesn’t want either of them?” Marites wondered.
The Secret Album
One night, curiosity got the better of Lourdes. While Rodrigo was asleep, she carefully opened the photo album he guarded so closely.
Her hands trembled as she turned the first page.
Inside were photographs of two young women—beautiful, smiling… and identical.
Underneath the photo, a faded note read:
“Amelia & Rosa – 1995.”
Lourdes froze. The women looked exactly like her and Marites.
She realized with horror that Rodrigo’s first wives were also twins, who had both mysteriously disappeared years ago.
The Locked Chest
From then on, the sisters began to notice strange things.
Rodrigo had a locked wooden baúl in his room. At night, they would hear him whisper:
“Amelia… Rosa… don’t leave me again…”
Sometimes, he stared at them with a haunted look—half-loving, half-terrifying.
One night, Lourdes followed him in secret. She watched as he unlocked the chest and slowly lifted its contents: two old wedding dresses, a pair of combs, pearls, and letters yellowed with age.
Then he murmured:
“Don’t worry, my loves… I’ve found you again.”
The Truth Uncovered
The next morning, Lourdes told Marites everything. They realized Rodrigo hadn’t married them for love or lust—he had married them because they looked exactly like his dead wives.
They were living replacements.
In growing fear, they began saving bits of money, pretending to be obedient while secretly planning their escape.
One day, an elderly maid, Lola Berta, whispered to Lourdes:
“Poor Amelia and Rosa… so young and beautiful, but they died for nothing.”
Lourdes begged her to explain, and Lola Berta finally confessed the truth:
“I was here when they vanished. He said they ran away—but I heard their screams that night. Then silence. He buried something in the backyard… and the next morning, he acted like nothing happened.”
The Final Night
That evening, Rodrigo drank heavily. He sat in the living room, clutching the old photo album, laughing and crying all at once.
“Amelia… Rosa… You left me once. But now you’re here again. This time, you’ll stay forever.”
His eyes turned toward Marites and Lourdes. The sisters knew—it was now or never.
When he finally passed out, they ran barefoot into the storm, hand in hand, across the muddy path toward the main road. But before they reached the gate, a chilling voice broke through the rain:
“Are you… leaving me again?”
Rodrigo stood there, drenched, holding an old comb in one hand, his face twisted in fury and grief.
Before he could reach them, Lola Berta burst from the house, screaming for help. The neighbors came running. Rodrigo froze, confused, then collapsed in tears.
The Discovery
Police were called. Following Lola Berta’s testimony, they dug behind the house. Beneath the damp earth, they found two skeletons—female, with matching wedding rings still clinging to the bones.
Forensic tests confirmed the truth: Amelia and Rosa, the twin wives from 1995.
Rodrigo was taken away, muttering over and over:
“I didn’t kill them… I just wanted them to stay with me… forever…”
Epilogue
Marites and Lourdes eventually escaped the nightmare. Though free, they carried deep scars—reminders of how greed and obsession could destroy even the purest lives.
In Benguet, their story became a haunting legend—one whispered around fires at night:
“Beware the love that traps,
for not every heart that clings
knows how to let go.”