Minutes after exchanging a bittersweet encounter with Alice (Janella Salvador), Erica (Kaila Estrada) finally reconnects with her half-sister, Althea (Andi Abaya), to straighten out the painful past she had with their mother, Annette (Sharmaine Suarez).
Overjoyed by Erica’s presence after years of reaching out to her, Althea is all smiles and more than ready to have her questions answered. She wastes no time, first mentioning Mel (Sue Ramirez) and Beth’s (Charlie Dizon) ramblings about how Annette didn’t like Erica.
Finding it hard to believe, Althea says it might not be true and takes Erica’s hands, only for Erica to pull away and reveal that Annette never really acted like a mother to her.
Despite Erica revealing more of what she went through—particularly having to go to Manila on her own—Althea remains in denial of the truth. Erica goes on to say that even if Annette was a loving mother to Althea, it was never the same for her. She then states that no connection should be rekindled between them at all.
Frustrated by Erica’s repeated insistence on referring to Annette as only Althea’s mother, Althea reminds her that they share the same mother. Further vexed by Althea’s stubbornness, Erica walks out.
Still persistent, Althea catches up to Erica, pleading with her to talk to their mother, believing it might be a misunderstanding on both sides. In disbelief, Erica goes on to enlighten Althea about more of what she experienced—being belittled by her own mother and receiving no comfort during the time of Louisa’s (Mutya Orquia) death.
More flashbacks resurface from Erica’s time in Manila, when she worked as a dishwasher at a carinderia. There, she was often verbally abused by the owner and the owner’s son.
One night, the son took her small savings and attempted to sexually assault her. Although the owner caught them—clearly seeing Erica resist and cry out for help—the son framed her as the one who initiated the act. Erica was then forced out onto the streets.
Back in the present, Erica stands firm and asserts to Althea that she survived and succeeded on her own. She refuses Althea’s requests to return to their family and reiterates that Annette’s good motherhood toward Althea does not make her own struggles unreal.
Don’t miss an episode of “What Lies Beneath,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5, and iWant.