I'm Elena, 33 years old, and this is the story of a marriage... which turned out to be invalid in the eyes of the law.
Carlo and I have been together for five years. We didn't have a fancy wedding—a simple ceremony in a small chapel, a few relatives, and friends as witnesses. I wore a peach dress, and he wore a barong. The priest even laughed at us when he promised he wouldn't leave me even though I couldn't cook.
But he left me.
From the sweet good morning texts, it became "I don't have time." Until there was no more feeling.
One day, I saw on Facebook — she's married to someone else. The woman was wearing white. Garden wedding. There was even a hashtag. #ForeverWithCarlo
It hurts. But more than that, I'm shocked. Aren't we married?
I went to a lawyer friend. He said, "You can sue for bigamy." I immediately looked for our marriage certificates to submit as evidence.
But there is no record.
No registration. Not in the NSO. It seems like we were never married.
My world collapsed. With all the time we spent together, with our son eagerly awaiting his father's embrace, with every sacrifice — why did it feel like I was the one who was left behind?
I went back to the chapel. I spoke to the minister who married us.
“Didn’t you register us?”
He was looking away. Silent. That’s when I realized… maybe he and Carlo did it on purpose.
My lawyer said, “If you have the original marriage contract and you have a witness, you have a case. The officiating minister is included in the case.”
Now that I know the truth, I don't just carry tears. Anger. Determination. For my son. For the fool I made of myself.
I'm not perfect. But I won't accept it as if I had nothing to do with it. I wasn't the first — I was the one who was cheated on.
If you were in my situation… would you fight, even if you weren't registered on paper?
