Chapter 2 — After Divorce, I Counted 10 Years as a Nanny

I opened the door and walked in. The house was covered with a thin layer of dust. The sunlight from the balcony slanted in, shining on the old items, dyeing them a warm yellow color. I stood in the middle of the living room, my nose suddenly stinging. This is the first time after ten years of marriage that I feel like I still have a place to return to. I found the charging cord and plugged in the phone. As soon as I turned on the phone, the message exploded. There was chaos in the family group. My mother-in-law sent more than thirty voice messages, with only one main idea, saying I didn't understand things, didn't know how to think about the big picture, and wasn't filial. Chu Minh Huy's brother-in-law sent a direct message.

"Sister-in-law, as a human being, you should leave a way out, so that in the future it will be easier to see each other's faces. If you really do it to the point of utter love, don't expect to step foot in the Chu family in the future."

His wife Vuong Le immediately responded with an eye-rolling emoji.

"Some people are really lucky, getting married for ten years without having to work, but I think I will be greatly wronged."

I looked at the sentence "happy fate" and smiled softly. Then I took a screenshot of each message and saved it to my phone. Don't rush to answer. I know it too well, arguing with this type of person is useless. Reason with them, they will just think you are guilty. If you want them to understand, you have to make them hurt. At noon, Chu Minh Xuyen came looking for him. I had just finished cleaning the window in the room when he kicked open the door that was not closed tightly, his whole body filled with aggression and stood blocking the door.

“Lam Van, have you done enough?”

I wringed the towel dry, not even bothering to raise my head.

"If the stone door is broken, I will pay for it."

Maybe he didn't expect me to have such an attitude, he froze for a moment, his face even more unsightly.

"You did it on purpose, right? The whole family is looking for you, so you ran here to hide in peace?"

"It's not a good idea to hide from peace." I hung up the towel, turned to look at him, "This is my house, it's only natural that I come to live."

He stared at me, as if meeting me for the first time.

“What do you want to do anyway?”

I went to the sofa and sat down, opened the recording on my phone, placed it on the table and raised my chin.

"Good question. So let's explain it clearly today."

Chu Minh Xuyen's face changed slightly.

“What are you recording for?”

“I'm afraid you'll soon forget.”

I leaned back on the sofa, looking at him.

"First, I do not agree to transfer the house in my name to anyone. Second, from today, I will no longer return to the Chu family to cook, do laundry, or take care of your parents. Third, if you continue to bring your mother and brother to bother me, I will report to the police. Fourth, Chu Minh Xuyen, let's divorce."

As soon as the last four words were spoken, his whole body stiffened. A few seconds later, he laughed coldly.

"Divorce? Lam Van, why do you want to divorce me?"

"I take the fact that you have been married for ten years and treat me like a free nanny. Take the fact that your whole family sees my dowry house as their own property. Take the fact that yesterday at the birthday party, you tacitly agreed to let your brother rob my house. Is that enough?"

His expression darkened.

"Don't overdo it. Minh Huy's side is having a hard time, how about helping? Why do you need to get a divorce?"

I looked at him, every word clear.

“Because I suddenly discovered that for ten years in the Chu family, I was not living, but serving.”

He was so angry that his chest was heaving, it took him a long time before he managed to say a word.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing. It's not like you haven't gone out to work in the past few years, so your heart is lost." balanced? But that's my choice. Who forced you?

This statement is even more cruel than the name transfer agreement yesterday. I silently looked at him for a few seconds, suddenly feeling extremely funny.

“Chu Minh Xuyen, have you forgotten how I quit my job?”

His eyes stopped. I remember it very clearly. The second year after getting married, my father-in-law had a stroke, paralyzing half his body. At that time I was a nurse in the hospital, had just been promoted to team leader, and had the busiest job. My mother-in-law cried and begged me, saying that hiring an outsider was not safe and that there had to be a woman in the house to take on the responsibility. Chu Minh Xuyen also hugged me, saying it was only temporary, waiting for his project to stabilize, he would hire a nurse, I could go to work anytime I wanted. I believed. At that time, I was twenty-six years old, thinking that husband and wife had to overcome difficulties together, thinking that it was natural for family members to lend a helping hand when they encounter problems. But “temporary” turned into three years after three years. As soon as my father-in-law was able to get out of bed, my mother-in-law had spinal pain. When her mother-in-law got better, her husband's sister-in-law got pregnant and said no one would look after the child. When I grew up a little, Chu Minh Xuyen was promoted, the parties became more and more frequent, and there were no more people in the house. I wanted to go back to the hospital over and over again, and was stopped time and time again.

“Wait a little longer.”

“If I go to work, who will take care of my parents?”

"There's no one at home, who will pick me up after school?"

“I'm at an important stage of my career, don't distract me.”

Ten years, it's all about "wait a little longer". Waiting until I was thirty-four years old, waiting until my nursing certificate expired, waiting until I stood in front of the mirror, I almost didn't recognize myself. But now he asks me, who forced me?

“Yes, no one held a knife to my throat to force me.” I nodded, "It's me being stupid, it's me believing you, it's me thinking every word you say 'it will get better later' is valid."

Maybe what I said hit him right in the heart, his voice softened a bit.

“Lam Van, I know you're resentful, but you can't say divorce is divorce. When husband and wife live together, how can they avoid collisions? If you're really unhappy, I'll tell Minh Huy to stop talking about family matters for now, okay?"

“You will tell?”

I laughed, the last bit of warmth in my heart disappeared.

“Chu Minh Xuyen, until now you still think you are doing me a favor.”

A flash of frustration flashed in his eyes.

“So what do you want anyway?”

I turned my phone around, on the screen was a photo I found at midnight last night. In the photo, I am pushing my father-in-law's wheelchair, carrying my brother-in-law's child on my shoulder, and carrying two large bags of food in my hand. It was raining that day, my whole body was soaked, as miserable as a dog. That's a photo my neighbor took and sent to me. At that time, he also praised me for being gentle. But looking back now, it's just dazzling.

“I don't want anything.” I put my phone away, “I just don't want to live like this anymore.”

He was silent. I know he's calculating. It's not about whether you still love me or not. It's about thinking about how chaotic this house would be if they lost me. Sure enough, a few seconds later, his voice turned cold.

“Lam Van, don't take yourself too seriously. This house can still manage without you."

“That's good.”

I stood up and made way for him.

“So go ahead. Since today From now on, you Zhou family will manage on your own.”

When he left, his face was as blue as steel. The door slammed shut, and the whole room immediately fell silent. I leaned my back against the door and stood for a long time, my legs were weak. It's not painless. Ten years of marriage, how can you say that ending is not painful at all? It's just that there is pain, if you endure it for a long time, it will become numb. When I actually tore it off, I felt lighter. In the afternoon, I went to the bank once.