Upon seeing the unconscious Esther (Malou Crisologo), Erica (Kaila Estrada) checks if she’s alive, while Marco (Race Matias) and Lucas (JM de Guzman) get into a physical altercation, prompted by the assumption that Lucas hurt Esther.
Offended, Lucas angrily explains that even when he did nothing, Esther still ran away from him, dismissing Erica’s claim that he is a murderer. Determined to defend her suspicions, Erica asks Lucas why he was in the same location as them for Esther, to which he replies that he was there to find the truth and clear up the allegations that he and his brother were responsible for the disappearance of Esther.
After regaining consciousness, Esther, guided by Marco, pretends to have difficulty breathing to make him let her go, but he realizes she is fabricating the ailment to get free.
Erica mentions Esther’s estafa case, from which she is running, but assures her that they have no right to detain her and can only represent her in court—on the condition that Esther tells them the truth about Edong’s (Jake Cuenca) incarceration.
Still as defiant as she was 14 years ago, Esther insists that she is incapable of lying and claims she was actually pleased to be one of the people who helped imprison Edong, even going so far as to insult him. Lucas becomes furious at her statement, and Esther, frightened once more, calls out to the tanods for help, fabricating a story that Erica, Marco, and Lucas were about to harm her over her debt.
Attempting to diffuse the situation, Erica introduces herself as an attorney, and they ask to see her ID. As she tries to find it, a fight breaks out between Marco, Lucas, and the tanods, giving Esther the opportunity to escape.
The fight ends with all the tanods unconscious. Lucas is the first to try to catch Esther but is kneed, and eventually, the three of them are unable to continue pursuing her.
Frustrated, Erica lashes out at Edong, bringing up her speculation about him and Edong teaming up for revenge, much like what they possibly did to Celestino (Bart Guingona). Feeling wronged, Lucas reprimands her, noting that she was mistaken about Esther being dead and was hell-bent on painting the brothers as the bad guys.
Another flashback ensues—this time, before the chaos of Esther’s escape. Lucas merely asked Esther if she remembered him, to which she affirmed but degraded both Edong and Lucas.
With patience, Lucas slowly follows the walking-away Esther, stating that the case from 14 years ago was already over, that Edong was set to be freed a year later, and that nothing bad would happen to her if she revealed to the public that she was alive and had lied about Edong being Louisa’s (Mutya Orquia) murderer.
Esther continues to demean the likes of the Santiago brothers, even blaming them for the country’s deteriorating state. Then she feels an ache in her chest and pushes Lucas away as she tries to run, but her ankle twists and she falls—just as Erica and Marco arrive and witness her condition.
Lucas and Erica continue arguing, with Erica expressing that her gut tells her something is wrong—and that she trusts it, a lesson she learned 14 years ago. She adds that the brothers’ rage and any attempt to gain justice by hurting others are not the solution. Lucas retaliates, growing even angrier at the unfairness of the law toward him and especially toward his brother, who suffered because of it.
After seemingly calming down, Erica and Marco visit the house of Esther’s sibling and speak with her nephew, Argie, who informs them that she hasn’t returned yet and hasn’t called either. Erica continues the conversation, mentioning the possibility of them being charged with aiding and abetting because of their connection to Esther. Annoyed, Argie shuts the door on them, saying they should stop harassing his family if they really knew the law.
Inside his car, Lucas texts Edong about Esther, and Edong reads it in prison.
Don’t miss an episode of “What Lies Beneath,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5, and iWant.