Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw

Synopsis

Mia Sandoval is a simple girl from the province who dreams and aspires for a more comfortable life. In its harsh reality, this is what her loving husband Waldo Sandoval could not provide. In life's most unforeseen events, Mia seeks out for what she deems a better life and wanders into the arms of Lemuel Verder, a wealthy engineer in the city. But now, as she's finally living the life she has longed for, Mia still feels empty. She is torn between the life she wants and the love she had. Would Mia figure out what it is she truly wants?

Main cast

Supporting cast

Extended cast

Production team

Chapter 1

Its story revolves around Lemuel (Christopher de Leon), Mia (Alice Dixon) and Waldo (Richard Gomez), whose lives and loves are intertwined because of the choices they make due to the ambitions they have set for themselves. Mia is an ambitious woman. Her husband Waldo is a "Mangangabod" or a gold diver who doesn't makes ends meet. Mia fall in love with Lemuel, a wealthy architect and decides to come with him in Manila and make their own family there...

Mia leaves Waldo to go with Lemuel. She brings with her their son, Daniel.

Waldo is deeply hurt when Mia leaves him for another man and resorts to the most extreme of solutions. Meanwhile, Lemuel brings Mia home to his mom and informs her that they indeed have a son.

It has been years since Elmina lost her parents—Mia has run away and Waldo has supposedly claimed his life by jumping in the well. Elmina has been living now with her Lola Lucing.

In love's most inscrutable workings, Mia and Lemuel find out they are not the match they thought they were and part ways.

Lemuel is very well determined to keep Mia completely out of his life. He makes it his top priority to make sure she cannot and will not get her son back.

Mia faces a massive heap of problems as she is charged with a jail sentence and a case filed against her. With no financial capacity to defend herself and people to turn to, how can Mia ever even survive this?

Even her fellow inmates are convinced Mia is being set up. But what can Mia really do, where can she go for help? Meanwhile, in Barrio Tapas, Mia's mom suffers from another heart attack. Mia's world seems to crumble even more...

After her grandmother's death, Salud asks Elmina to go live with her, though Elmina is having second thoughts about this. She knows that Salud is indeed related to Lemuel, the very reason why her mother left her father. On the other hand, Miling, Lemuel's house help, visits Mia in jail, and discloses a lot of revelations. Will all these new pieces of information ever help Mia?

Against all her fixed pre-judgement, Elmina goes and lives with Salud. While Cita arranges Marcel to get a scholarship and therefore live in San Joaquin with the girl she wishes Marcel to marry.

Elmina's classmates are spreading rumors that Elmina is apparently having an affair with a much older man. Cita finds a gun in Waldo's possession. Waldo tells Cita that he is reserving the gun for some unfinished business. Meanwhile, in jail, Mia battles the unpleasant threats of being a prisoner.

Marcel gets into yet again another fight as he defends Elmina. While Elmina goes to San Joaquin with Salud.

Oscar helps Mia escape prison. Meanwhile, Stella befriends Elmina.

Stella asks Elmina to accompany her to go shopping, but all goes up in flames when a confrontation leads to a fight upon which the worst of circumstances follow.

Elmina runs away from Tapas to escape all the accusations against her. While Mia tries to contact Lemuel, Oscar warns him against her.

Elmina meets a girl on the ship and immediately becomes a friend. As Yasmin goes missing and escapes the authorities, Elmina assumes Yasmin's identity. During the frantic search for her friend, Elmina meets Tristan Villadolid at the ship.

Chapter 2

News spread out in Barrio Tapas that Elmina is dead and that she had jumped off the ship. Back in Manila, Elmina goes to Yasmin's aunt and introduces herself as Yasmin.

Elmina goes to live with Yasmin's aunt, Sabrina. She also finds out that Tristan is Yasmin's cousin. Meanwhile, Oscar faces Lemuel.

Stella's mother talks to Marcel. She informs him that they are taking back the scholarship that they are supposed to give him. During the conversation, Marcel learns a lot of things about his mother. Marcel spies on his mother and even travels to San Joaquin to see for himself where it is she has been going when she leaves Barrio Tapas.

Marcel confronts his mother after seeing where she has been going all this time. Meanwhile, Mia escapes Oscar to go see her son, Daniel.

Marcel learns life revealing truths from his mother. Meanwhile, Elmina is hoping that Yasmin's aunt would help her with her studies.

Feliza visits Lemuel's family and starts asking about Mia and her son, Daniel. Mia is threatened by a man who is looking for money from Oscar and the woman Oscar has been living with for a year. Meanwhile, Elmina is denied of her request to go back to school.

Feliza tells Lemuel that his secret is indeed safe with her. Lemuel convinces his mother to just let the property go and leave it with Feliza. The police search Oscar's house in suspicion and search of Mia's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Waldo tries to learn how to shoot a gun as he witnesses a murder.

Sabrina goes to Lemuel's house and tells Madonna that she has a certain problem she can no longer remedy. Meanwhile, Elmina accompanies Enrico to a school to help her get in. One of the maids notices something amiss and starts asking Elmina about the truth.

Waldo turns the murderer in to the soldiers who have been at the criminal's pursuit. Madonna sees Lemuel and his friend as they leave their bar.

Madonna secretly follows Lemuel and discovers something. With this, Enrico practically finds out the same thing. Meanwhile, Daniel learns that Anthony can stand on his own and is in fact already well.

Anthony strongly denies Daniel about the true facts of his physical condition. Waldo, recognized by an old friend from Barrio Tapas, becomes aware of this and tries his best to avoid him.

Cita runs over Waldo's old friend with her car and believes that such act would go undiscovered. Salud changes her mind about transferring and changing her address. On the other hand, Mia is surprised to see a woman enter their house.

Mia meets the woman and realizes who she actually is and her relationship to Oscar. Madonna talks to Feliza and learns that she knows the secret of Lemuel and of his mom.

Feliza pays Salud a visit. Madonna confides to Sabrina of things she learns about Lemuel and his mom. Meanwhile, Marcel and his sister inform their mother that they are not ready to have another father.

Lemuel calls Sabrina and asks if she has revealed anything to Madonna. Waldo tries to please Cita's children in effort to and make them comfortable with him.

Lemuel learns from a friend that Mia was not the woman inside the house when it burned down. Meanwhile, Salud hears Madonna talking to Feliza and asks her the reason behind this.

Madonna learns Salud's motives and Daniel's reason for being sick. While on the other hand, Lemuel gets an envelope with his and Sabrina's pictures in it.

Waldo learns some truths from Lilian that would make him furious at Cita. Meanwhile, a family friend of Yasmin's sees Elmina and tells Sabrina who she really is.

Feliza tells Madonna about Daniel's mother and denies the story that she is already dead. Meanwhile, Elmina goes off to find her mother.

Madonna confronts Lemuel about Daniel's mother asking him the truth about her.

Oscar asks Mia to marry him but she refuses. Oscar suspects that Mia is pregnant because of her mood swings. Meanwhile, Madonna is still mad at Lemuel for not telling her the truth.

Waldo lands the job at the construction. Mia confirms that she is indeed pregnant. Meanwhile, armed men come looking for Oscar again.

Sabrina catches Elmina going through her things and suspects her for thievery. Waldo is excited with his new work and even considers transferring to Manila.

Waldo gate-crashes into Lemuel's party there and takes matters into his own hands.

Lemuel awakes from the horrible nightmare that he has been having.

Lemuel brings Enrico to the hospital. Meanwhile, Erning hunts Waldo down for his own personal reasons.

Mia escapes Oscar as he tries to own her for good. Due to the aggravation, stress and anxiety of her escape efforts, Mia is rushed into the hospital and there suffers such a painful loss.

Lemuel visits his friend Enrico at the hospital. Moreover, he is surprised to see Anthony's condition and wonders why it is he was not made known about this.

Anthony goes home drunk; Lemuel and Salud start to argue whether or not Anthony is just lying about his true condition. On the other hand, Mia and Feliza unexpectedly see each other in Barrio Tapas.

Chapter 3

Mia feels deep regret for her past mistakes; she wants to correct all that she has done and to make peace with those whom she has done wrong to.

Enrico desperately needs a by-pass operation due to his ailing heart. Would he be able to survive such an ordeal?

Sabrina is surprised by the stipulations of Enrico's last will and testament. Just to whom would Enrico entrust all his properties and assets to?

Madonna loses it after she sees Daniel playing with Lemuel's gun. At the height of her emotional outburst, she expresses some very painful words to him.

Waldo is given another chance at his job, thanks to Enrico. Meanwhile, Feliza offers Mia her help so that Mia could find a temporary place where she could stay for the meantime.

It seems that Elmina’s supposed sins are gaining up on her, regardless of all her efforts to start anew life away from her past. On the other hand, Madonna and Sabrina plot some plans against Lemuel that should expectedly go their way—how would things turn out? Meanwhile, Waldo and Cita face a roadblock in their relationship.

Anthony seems to be pulling a fast one on everybody in their house in terms of him still being paralyzed, but is also seems that the jig is up as Lemuel confronts him about this. Meanwhile, Mia ponders just how things fell apart between her and Lemuel---as she thinks it over with Feliza, they figure out that Lemuel's mother, Salud may have had a hand in it.

Marcel just couldn't deny the very fact that he still in love with Elmina, which is the very reason he has been missing and has caused much aggravation for his sister, Lilian. Little does he know, Elmina seems to be having a new suitor on the prowl. Meanwhile, Oscar seems to drawing nearer to where Waldo is—would he be able to him?

Sabrina seems to be maximizing the situation of her husband as she offers him papers to sign upon which at the end of the day would only benefit her evil schemes—what just did she had him sign? Meanwhile, Mia begins to fear her return to her home province, Barrio Tapas.

The operation of Enrico is a success and his road to recovery shows a lot of promise and hope—how would this affect Sabrina's plans? Meanwhile, in her return, Cita and Mia run into each other and it seems that bad blood instantly exists between the two—would they come into any form of resolve?

As suspicious threats on his life have been circling around his safety, Lemuel finds himself in even more headaches as a telegram with a new messenger seeks for him—what could this lead to, especially if the note came from Jaime? Meanwhile, Waldo sees some clues that could help him for his personal schemes.

With some contact information of that can very much lead him to Lemuel, Waldo lets Cita reach a telephone number of which he has gotten—would this open windows for Waldo and Mia to meet again?

To add to his supposed worries, Lemuel finds out that his son, Anthony has run away from home—but, would he feel anything after this? How about Madonna, she acts as if she has got something planned. After inquiring, Cita finds out the real connection, if any, about the Verder character Waldo has been searching for. On the other side of things, finally, Enrico returns home, but it seems that Madonna is not so very pleased about it.

Madonna's plan of capturing Lemeul's care and concern for Anthony looks like it would take some time for him to soften up—or would he budge earlier than expected? Meanwhile, Lemeul's other son, Daniel, gets kidnapped by unknown syndicates—is this part of Madonna's schemes?

Lemuel learns of his son's kidnapper... with the ransom demand up front, will he comply or would he devise another plan to get his son back? Meanwhile, karma seems to be creeping up unto Cita's past sins—with clues easy to trace, Cita unknowingly places herself and family right in the line of danger.

Abdon attempts to abuse Cita but Cita is able to defend.

The principal asks Cita to quit her job. Meanwhile, Oscar captures Madonna. On other things, Elmina is celebrating her 18th birthday.

Lemuel gives the money to the kidnappers so he can save Madonna. Meanwhile, Oscar dies in a shootout.

Enrico hires a detective to investigate Sabrina.

Waldo is running after Lemuel. Also, Waldo meets Liberty. Meanwhile, Salud is investigating Madonna.

Johnny goes out on a date with Sabrina. Enrico hires an investigator to follow them. Mia works in a jewelry shop. Waldo goes back to San Joaquin, to his family.

Tristan confesses his love to Yasmin/Almina. Meanwhile, Lilian does in an accident.

Cita blames Waldo for Lilian's death. Someone robs Lemuel's factory and takes items worth 15 million pesos.

Tristan brakes up with Scarlet. Meanwhile, Lemuel and Salud investigate Madonna.

Chapter 4

Waldo decides to live in Manila. He rents at Liberty's house.

Waldo works at Enrico's appliance showroom. Rodolfo, the jewellery shop owner, likes Mia.

Mia learns that her boss likes her. Yasmin/Almina finds out that Anthony has connections with Lemuel and Daniel. Scarlet asks her men to beat up Tristan.

Scarlet tells Sabrina that Tristan and Yasmin/Almina are together. Madonna sees Mia at her salon. A woman arrives at the Villadolid's residence and claims that she's the real Yasmin.

Waldo's birthday. He celebrates his birthday together with Liberty. The fake Yasmin is Sabrina's daughter.

Madonna goes to Mia's house and talks to Feliza. A bloody doll is sent to Verder's residence.

NBI agents go to Verder's residence and looks for Simon Verder. Sabrina sees Mayumi getting her jewelries. Madonna tells Mia that she's Lemuel's wife. NBI agents arrest Lemuel.

Cita attempts to commit suicide. Madonna tells Mia that Daniel is dead. Mia survives from being buries alive by Madonna's men.

Yasmin/Almina is forced by Sabrina to leave Villadolid's house. She seeks Anthony's help. Mayumi falls from the third floor.

Elmina surrenders Daniel to the police without her knowledge that he is her brother. Waldo is promoted. Marcel goes to Manila to look for Waldo and Elmina.

Mia is back from Europe with Rodolfo. Meanwhile, Almina works as a waitress.