Anna Marie Lukban

10 heart-wrenching moments that had fans rooting for Erica in “What Lies Beneath”

Article (news)

Rianna Mae Santiago

<p>The long-buried secrets and perpetuated injustices wouldn’t be dealt with if it weren’t for Erica Melendez (Kaila Estrada). In her youth, Erica alone went through unforgiving ordeals but emerged as a respected lawyer, who would often represent the marginalized. Throughout her journey, she clung tightly to the guilt of not defending Edong’s (Jake Cuenca) innocence; since then, she has strived to be more compassionate and never wavered on her quest to clear his name.  </p><div> </div><div><iframe width="966" height="543" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sW-hBoVRVGs" title="10 heart-wrenching scenes of Kaila that showcased her acting prowess in What Lies Beneath | Toplist" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div> </div><div><strong>Erica sheds tears over Mel’s speculated demise </strong></div><p>In the aftermath of Edong’s threatening call of relentless revenge against Erica and the rest of MABEL, a bomb threat arose at Erica’s residence, igniting a big commotion that caused problems for her neighbors.  </p><p>Once the fire brigade arrived, the alleged explosive sent by Edong was actually a severed hand, which Erica thought belonged to the missing Mel (Sue Ramirez). Despite distancing herself from Mel alongside Alice (Janelle Salvador) and Beth (Charlie Dizon), Erica still cares wholeheartedly for their lives. </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica lays out why she removed herself from MABEL </strong></div><p>After fourteen years, Alice was the first to approach Erica to talk about why they drifted apart. At first, Alice felt indignant with how Erica easily abandoned them but soon understood the pain they inflicted on her.  </p><p>Erica stressed that Edong wasn’t a monster before they all cruelly and unjustly imprisoned him inside Bagumbayan, where his traumatic encounters destroyed his sanity. Moreover, she recalled the indelible wounds from how Alice, Beth, and Mel, the very friends whom she thought would have stood by her, were in reality those who silenced her.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica grieves over failing to save Louisa and Edong </strong></div><p>Marco (Race Matias) takes a drunk Erica back to her home. Feeling devastated by Edong’s alleged death during the police’s pursuit as well as Louisa’s death, she continued to blame herself for having failed to save them.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica reveals Annette’s neglect to Althea </strong></div><p>Before Erica succeeded in her profession, she suffered harassment from her employer and was then thrown into the dangerous streets of Manila. She recalled this haunting memory when her half-sister, Althea (Andi Abaya), insisted that she reconcile with their mother, Annette (Sharmaine Suarez).  </p><p>Resistant, Erica bitterly disclosed more of her trauma caused by Annette’s neglect and made it clear that even if Annette was a good mother to Althea, it would never erase her past experiences. </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica is plagued by pain over Annette’s approach </strong></div><p>Following Annette’s request for Erica to separate herself from Althea, Erica went emotional in front of Marco, wondering how, despite all the years, Annette still hadn’t asked her for forgiveness. Erica immediately began to deny needing Annette but at the same time broke down in tears, with Marco consoling her.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica believes her life is indebted  </strong></div><p>Coming out strong from the “Lost Beauconeras” case, Erica opened up to Marco about wanting to let down her tears from the past few weeks of multiple incidents happening simultaneously. Marco urged Erica to be proud of her achievements, most especially helping the people around her, including him.  </p><p>Unable to accept Marco’s kind words, Erica instead stressed that her life seemed indebted to someone or something, and at any moment everything she worked hard for would fall apart, which is why it was impossible for her to be attached to anyone or anything.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica realizes Annette’s trauma as a rape victim </strong></div><p>Erica eventually discovered her long-covered-up identity as the daughter of her mother’s rapist and confronted her about whether she had ever looked at Erica as her daughter or just merely prayed for her to be dead. Achingly, Erica expressed that even if she wasn’t aborted, it felt more like she was being killed over and over again by her mother’s abandonment.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica opens up to Marco  </strong></div><p>Still recuperating from the misery of knowing Annette’s truth, Erica once again confided in Marco about her emotions, emphasizing that she now has her own life but was continuously being haunted by her mother’s words, describing her as having a shameful existence.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica receives Althea’s letters  </strong></div><p>Days after, Althea visited Erica, giving her all the unsent birthday letters. Tearfully, Althea accepted Erica’s distance and comprehended that if it weren’t for the incidents that happened, they wouldn’t have been inseparable.  </p><div> </div><div><strong>Erica blames herself for Althea’s critical condition </strong></div><p>With Althea being brutally attacked and brought to the hospital in critical condition, Erica wept, thinking about how Althea had pleaded to reconnect with her. She concurred with Edong’s remarks about how she couldn’t really save the people around her, even her sister.  </p><p>In a surprising turn of events, Annette slowly approached Erica and embraced her as her eldest daughter. </p><p>Catch the remaining episodes of <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/studios/tv/what-lies-beneath"><strong><u>“What Lies Beneath,”</u></strong></a> Mondays to Fridays, 8:45 PM, on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2. Viewers can also watch it on Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and <a href="https://app.iwanttfc.com/dFR6MWHAcVb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong><u>iWant.</u></strong></a></p>

<p>Home in on this Kapamilya Toplist featuring Kaila Estrada’s powerful portrayal of Erica Melendez’s ten painful ordeals leading up to the finale of “What Lies Beneath.”</p>

Home in on this Kapamilya Toplist featuring Kaila Estrada’s powerful portrayal of Erica Melendez’s ten painful ordeals leading up to the finale of “What Lies Beneath.”

10 heart-wrenching moments that had fans rooting for Erica in “What Lies Beneath”

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10 heart-wrenching moments that had fans rooting for Erica in “What Lies Beneath”

Rianna Santiago

Published March 26, 2026 09:13 AM PHT

Read More:

Kaila Estrada

What Lies Beneath

Erica Melendez

MABEL

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