Anna proves that true motherhood is about love, not blood in these 10 scenes from “Saving Grace”

Motherhood might be a shared journey among women, but it’s still different for every mom out there. In the primetime teleserye "Saving Grace The Untold Story," we see an unconventional face of motherhood in the character Anna Sarmiento (Julia Montes), who is a testament that being a mom is not measured by blood but determined by true love. 

Teacher Anna stepped in to protect her student, Grace (Zia Grace), from the child's abusive biological mother and stepdad, even if that meant putting her own safety on the line. And by saving Grace, she found herself becoming a ‘parent’ to the child, as shown in this Kapamilya Toplist compilation. 

The video montage opens with a scene at school, where Anna took care of Grace after the child fell asleep in class. She noticed that Grace appeared unkempt, as if she hadn’t bathed in a while. Concerned, she gave the child a hygiene kit and carefully wiped the dirt from her body. As she did so, Grace began to cry. This was a child who had never known the warmth of a mother's love, instead, endured physical abuse from her biological mother, Sarah (Jennica Garcia) and her stepdad Chito (Christian Bables). Anna was taken aback when Grace suddenly hugged her, crying and thankful. As Anna continued to tend to Grace, she discovered bruises on the child’s arms.

Anna informed her co-teacher, Patty (Lotlot Bustamante), about the bruises, and together, they decided to visit Grace’s home to confront Sarah. However, despite the abuse, Grace continued to protect her mother. The situation reached a breaking point, though when Sarah mercilessly beat her daughter one night. The next day, when social workers and barangay officials visited their home, Grace attempted to escape, leading to Chito  trapping her in a sack.

Anna was about to leave for the airport to head to Hong Kong, where she was supposed to study and work, when she suddenly heard the sound of a child crying. Following the noise, she found Grace inside a sack, and her heart shattered at the sight of the child in such a helpless state. She could feel the fear radiating from Grace, who was terrified at the thought of returning to her home. With compassion, Anna gently asked what Grace wanted, and the child, her voice trembling, simply said she wanted her teacher to stay with her.

Though Anna spent some time talking with Grace, she ultimately decided to leave for the airport. However, as she was riding in a cab, she saw Chito desperately searching for Grace. Seeing the rage in Chito's eyes, Anna ordered the cab to turn around so she could take the child to safety.

She brought Grace to Quezon to meet the child's aunt, who was a relative of Grace’s father, only to find out that the aunt had passed away years ago. With Grace pleading for a companion, Anna was forced to make a difficult decision to take Grace with her, despite the consequences. 

As they bonded during their escape, the once distant Anna found herself confronting her own past hurts, with Grace unexpectedly teaching her that she, too, is worthy of love. The two shared tender 'mother-daughter' moments, like when they played with shadows at the old orphanage where Anna’s own mother had once abandoned her. Another unforgettable moment was when Anna took Grace on a tour of the beautiful spots around her hometown in Palawan, showing the child the places that held so much meaning to her.

In Grace, Anna found not only a friend but also a source of comfort. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming urge to give the child a brighter future. She even planned to take Grace with her to Hong Kong, hoping to provide the child with a life full of possibilities.

There was also a poignant moment when Grace asked why they couldn't even be seen by Anna’s family, wondering if Anna would be sent to prison by her own relatives. This question led Anna to open up a little about her strained relationship with her adoptive family. In turn, Grace, with her charming innocence and sense of loyalty, reassured Anna that it didn’t matter because she would always be on Anna’s side. In that moment, Anna also gave her a gift—a toy chicken that resembled Grace's pet chicken named Pipo, which Chito had cruelly cooked to make her feel bad.

But like any mother, Anna also faces her own hurts and challenges, including the danger of hiding out, knowing that she could be imprisoned once people find out she had taken Grace. Anna's heart broke in a scene where her ex-boyfriend, Julius (Sam Milby), found them, and Grace, fearing for Anna’s safety, tried to run away to protect her from getting caught. Yet, Julius chose to understand the situation when he learned why Grace refused to return home, and why the child ultimately realized the true meaning of home through Anna.

Follow Anna's journey as a mother in "Saving Grace The Untold Story," weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), TV5, and A2Z.