Chapter 1 — 47 Days of Betrayal, I Turned the Game Over

On the 32nd day of my business trip, I had just stepped out of the airport's T3 terminal when my phone vibrated. A message appears:

"Real estate in your name in Cam Lan Phu area completed the transaction today, selling price 3,200 thousand yuan (about 112 billion VND)."

I stood there for three seconds, thinking it was a scam. I called my husband - Lam Tri Vien. Still turned off. I threw my suitcase, took a taxi and rushed home. Forty-five minutes later, when I pushed open the door and walked in, I was dumbfounded. The villa... is empty. Furniture, electrical equipment, even the daughter's violin... all disappeared. I, To Niem An, 33 years old, senior partner of an architectural design company. Over the years, I have become accustomed to finding weaknesses in building structures. But I never thought... one day I would have to use that ability to reflect on my own marriage. Lam Tri Vien is two years older than me. Tall, wears silver-rimmed glasses, always speaks gently. Nine years of marriage, he has almost never argued with me. Every time I stay up all night and come back from work, there is always hot rice on the dining table. Our daughter, Lam Tieu Hoa, seven years old, is in second grade. The villa in Cam Lan Phu was bought in the fourth year after marriage. Three-story house, with a backyard planted with wisteria, which I like best. The red book is in my name, the deposit alone is 1,000 thousand yuan (about 35 billion VND) which my parents gave me. I stood in the middle of the empty living room, my legs starting to feel weak. The family photo hanging at the entrance had disappeared, leaving only a pale square mark on the wall. The imported leather sofa set was gone, the walnut tea table was gone, even the wall-mounted TV was removed. I rushed to the second floor. The large bed in the master bedroom was gone. The dressing room still has my clothes. But all of Lam Tri Vien's suits, shirts, and ties disappeared. The daughter's room... made me completely devastated. The mint green princess bed disappeared. The desk disappeared. The toy cabinet disappeared. Only the curtains were still hanging there, blown by the wind, moving every beat, as if laughing at me. With shaking hands, I took the phone and called my mother-in-law.

“Hello, Mom, where is Tri Vien?”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

“Nien An… didn't he tell you?”

"What are you talking about? Mom, where are all the things in the house? The furniture is gone!"

“This… I don't really understand, please ask Tri Vien.”

“He turned off the phone!”

“So… the phone probably ran out of battery.”

Her voice was vague, clearly avoiding.

"Mom, where is Tieu Hoa? Where is she?"

"Tieu Hoa is with her father. Don't worry, the baby is fine."

“This… I don't understand either.”

My voice rose high, almost breaking:

"Mom, what exactly do you know? Tell me!"

“Nien An, calm down, wait for Tri Vien to call you and then speak.”

“When will he call?”

“This… I really don't know.”

The phone is disconnected. I called back. Call your daughter's children's watch. Call your father-in-law. Still turned off. All... could not be contacted. I sat down on the floor, my mind blank. Joint account… 3 million yuan disappeared. Only 2,800 yuan left. My hands started shaking. Open transaction history. The last big expense was at the airport, 140,000 yuan. I click on details. Four plane tickets. Purchase time: 2pm yesterday. Destination: Vancouver, Canada. Who are the other two? I immediately called the real estate broker product.

“Hello, are you the homeowner at Cam Lan Phu, Ms. To?”

"Yes. I want to ask, how is my house being sold? I have absolutely no idea about this!"

The other side hesitated a bit.

"Miss To... don't you know? Your husband - Mr. Lam - brought the power of attorney and ownership certificate to complete the procedure. Said she was working abroad and specifically authorized him to have full authority to handle it."

“When did I give him authorization?”

"Your power of attorney has been notarized at Dinh Tin Notary Office, complete procedures."

“I've never been there!”

"This... if you have any questions, you can come and verify. The documents Mr. Lam provided are all valid, so we just completed the transfer procedure."

"Who is the buyer? Where does the money go?"

"The buyer is Mr. Trieu, paid in full. The money has been transferred to the account you specified."

“Which account?”

“Account stated in the authorization letter, extension 6639.”

A loud noise in my head. 6639... is Tri Vien's personal account. I hung up the phone, took a taxi straight to Dinh Tin Notary Office. Staff checks records.

"Miss To, this is the power of attorney to handle the real estate you made 20 days ago, the authorized person is your husband - Lam Tri Vien."

"I've never been there! Show me the camera!"

The video is opened. In the screen, a woman wearing a mask and sunglasses sits in front of a table. Body shape... really resembles me. The employee handed over the papers, the person bowed his head and signed.

"Not me!" I pointed at the screen, my voice shaking, "I wasn't in the country for those twenty days, I was on a business trip to Japan!"

"Miss To, you need to provide evidence for this. If you suspect someone is impersonating, you can report it to the police."

“I will report now!”

I rushed out of the office and ran straight to the nearest police station. After listening, the female police officer on duty immediately turned serious.

“You said someone impersonated your identity to do real estate transactions?”

"Yes! I have a passport, immigration history, I was not in the country at that time!"

“You make a report first, we will prepare an investigation case.”