Chapter 12 — 26 Days My Husband Lived In The Attic

“But you said you returned to a ‘safe place’.”

“He asked if I had to go home.”

“I said no.”

I stopped.

“…He asked?”

“The person who is helping you hide…”

I said slowly.

“Why do you ask if I'm going home or not?”

Tran Dien opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

“Tran Dien.”

I looked straight into his eyes.

“Wei Tao is most likely Bui Chinh Tac's man.”

He immediately shook his head.

“He used to help me.”

“It was he who planned the entire disappearance…”

I interrupted.

“He designed a plan that left you completely isolated.”

“Cut all social ties.”

“Making you only depend on him.”

“That's not help.”

“It's control.”

I saw Tran Dien's body begin to tremble little by little.

“They want USB.”

I lowered my voice.

“As long as the USB is in your hand, they won't touch you.”

“But once we know where the USB is…”

“Or confirm you gave the data to someone else…”

Before I could finish my sentence, the phone suddenly lit up. Video call from “Tran Dien”. That fake person. I don't listen. Ten seconds later, the call came again. I continued to refuse. The third time, the other person sent the message:

“Khuong Mac, answer the phone.”

“Very important.”

I looked at Tran Dien. He nodded slightly. I pressed receive call. The screen lights up. Still the same face. Still has a perfect face like Tran Dien. But this time… The expression was completely different. There is no longer the gentle appearance of a husband. But cold. Like doing work.

“Miss Khuong.”

The voice is still Tran Dien's voice. But the intonation is completely strange.

“Who are you?”

I asked directly.

“That doesn't matter.”

The person on the other side replied calmly.

“The important thing is…”

“We need to get the data set back in your husband's hands.”

I laughed coldly.

“No more acting?”

“You already know the truth.”

“It's pointless to continue acting.”

“Are you Bui Chinh Tac's person?”

“It doesn't matter who I work for.”

“You just need to know one thing.”

The other person's voice was so cold that it made people feel cold.

“Hand over the USB.”

“You, your husband and your son can still continue to live normally.”

“We will not pursue further.”

“What if we don't deliver?”

The other end was silent for a second.

“You wouldn't want to know the consequences.”

“I have backed up the data.”

The person on the screen paused for a moment. Then laughed very softly.

“Miss Khuong.”

“I advise you not to do anything stupid.”

“Backup data can be discovered.”

“Human…”

“… same.”

The call was interrupted. Tran Dien and I looked at each other.

“They already know…”

His voice trembled violently.

“Pack up your things.”

I immediately stood up.

“Let's get out of here.”

“Leave the house first.”

I picked up Tieu Du. Tran Dien holds a USB and phone. It only took us five minutes to get out the door. When the elevator reached the basement parking lot, the door opened - there were already two people standing outside. Wear headphones. One person looked at me and then fixed his mouth.

"Incorrect."

“Miss Khuong.”

“Please stop walking.”

I pulled Tieu Du behind me.

“We don't want to make things difficult for you.”

The other person spoke calmly.

“Just wanted to talk.”

“What are we talking about?”

“You know.”

My hand tightened around the car keys. Thumb silently presses on emergency alarm button.

“I have already reported it to the police.”

Two The other glanced at each other.

“Miss Khuong.”

One person smiled faintly.

“Calling the police won't do you any good.”

"Your husband pretended to leave the country and deliberately hid his identity."

“These things themselves have legal issues.”

“Is this a threat?”

“It's a reminder of goodwill.”

Tieu Du behind me gently tugged my shirt.

“Are you a bad person?”

No one answered. At that moment — Footsteps were heard from the end of the basement. A man wearing a black coat walked over. Average stature. The face has almost no expression. When two people wearing suits saw him, they clearly stopped.

“Wei Tao?”

Tran Dien exclaimed. The other man glanced at him but did not respond. Then turned to the two people in suits.

“Mission cancelled.”

“General Bui told me to withdraw.”

The other two looked at each other hesitantly. One person put his hand on the headset, listened to something for a few seconds, then nodded. They actually turned around and left. Only the four of us and Wei Tao remained in the basement. Tran Dien took a step forward.

“You haven't contacted me for three weeks.”

Wei Tao replied very briefly.

“Busy with what?”

Tran Dien's voice began to tremble with excitement.

“Do you know how I've been these past three weeks?”

Wei Tao interrupted.

“I know everything.”

“Including the fact that your wife gave the data to a reporter named Giang Han.”

My whole body was cold.

“How do you know?”

Wei Tao did not answer me. He took out his phone, opened a page and held it in front of me. It's a draft of an article that hasn't been published yet. The title appears clearly on the screen:

"Tu Nac Khang is suspected of falsifying clinical trial data of the drug GR-17, internal documents are leaked."

Author: Giang Han.

“This reporter friend's speed is really fast.”

Wei Thao said calmly.

“The article will be up tomorrow afternoon.”

I raised my head.

“How did you get this?”

“I have my own source.”

“Whose side are you on?”

Tran Dien stared at him.

“You helped me disappear, gave me the phone, and even hired someone to pretend to be me for a video call with Khuong Mac…”