Chapter 3 — After Divorce, We Learn to Love Again

He almost always stays in the company. No one noticed... Co Tram Chu's wife's belly grew bigger and bigger. Until the twenty-ninth of December. The day before New Year's Eve. I gave birth to two children in a private mansion on the outskirts of Beijing. It's a small mansion that belongs to my dowry. Trieu Ngoc Lan was an eyesore so she never paid attention. Co Tram Chu has never set foot there. Just became a suitable place to hide people. The midwife was Aunt Chu. Thanh Hoa is there to help. There isn't even a decent obstetrician. I struggled all day and night. At one point, I almost bled. Thanh Hoa was frightened and burst into tears, intending to call an ambulance. I held her hand tightly.

"Impossible."

"Just call, the Co family will know right away."

"But you will die!"

"You can't die."

I bit the towel tightly. Little by little... Bringing two children into this world. An An was born first. The cry was clear and resounding. Forty minutes later. Lac Lac was just born. The crying is very small. Like a kitten. When Aunt Chu picked up the two children and placed them in front of me. My whole body trembled non-stop. Sweat soaked both clothes and hair. I laughed. It was the first sincere smile in three years. That night. In the banquet hall of a five-star hotel. Co Tram Chu was toasting the New Year with the most powerful people in City A. He didn't know. Thirty kilometers away. His daughter and son had just opened their eyes to the world for the first time. Don't know anything. And I don't intend to let you know either. When the special plane landed in Tinh city. It's four o'clock in the morning. Outside the plane window was just pitch black. In the distance, the lights of the harbor form a long strip of light. The air here is hot and humid. Completely different from the dry cold of City A in March. Mr. Tran, manager of the Khuong family's branch in Tinh city, personally came to pick him up. As soon as I saw it, I carried two children. He was stunned for three seconds.

"Miss... Miss Khuong? This is..."

"My child."

"Twins."

"You don't need to know anything else."

Mr. Tran opened his mouth. Then he was very alert but silent.

"Is the accommodation ready yet?"

"According to your instructions. I rented a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment in the East area. Fully furnished and equipped. Not in the name of any real estate of the Khuong family, but in the name of a newly registered local company."

"To the apartment."

The car glided through the quiet streets of Tinh city. Shadows of rows of palm trees pass by outside the window. Lac Lac slept very soundly in Aunt Chu's arms. An An is more hyperactive. Round eyes looked everywhere. It seems you are extremely curious about this new world. I held my child's tiny hand. Your fingers are so small... Hold one of my fingers and there's still a piece left.

"Arrived."

The apartment is located in a medium-sized apartment complex. There is a convenience store below. There is also a kindergarten. Very normal. Very safe. Doesn't stand out at all. Push the door and step in. Thanh Hoa flew over a few days in advance to prepare everything. Two baby cots. Sterilizer. Milk warmer. Diaper changing table. Nothing is missing. I gently placed An An in the crib. Then stand in the middle of the living room. Quietly look around. Sixty square meters. Wall painted white. Simple interior. Compared to the four hundred square meter master bedroom in the Co family's villa... This place is like a matchbox. Stand here. I can really breathe. No more Trieu Ngoc Lan. No more maids making sarcastic insinuations. There is no longer a large, empty bed. There is also no longer a light in the office that stays on all night. I sat down on the sofa. Finally allow yourself to relax. Right at that moment. The rope has been tight for the past three years... Tears fell silently. Not because of heartache. I'm finally safe. My phone is still powered off. Thanh Hoa asked if she should turn on the phone and check it out.

"No need."

"He hasn't found out yet."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because in his eyes, I never existed."

"Three days ago, I stood right in front of a proposal for divorce."

"He thought I was acting like a baby."

"I think..."

"How long will it take him to find out I'm no longer home?"

Thanh Hoa was silent.

"At least three days."

I said calmly.

"Three days later, he reluctantly remembered...it seemed like he hadn't seen that woman for a long time."

"At that time he will ask the butler to ask."

"But the butler will be stopped by the person I arranged."

"Extend one more day."

"On the fourth day..."

"Maybe he just went to see for himself."

"And then what?"

"He will only see..."

"An empty room."

"Is he going to come find you?"

I wiped the tears from my face.

"But not because you miss me."

"But because he felt insulted."

"She's Co Tram Chu's wife..."

"You dare not say goodbye."

"He couldn't swallow that anger."

"Then..."

"But he won't find you."

"Every step you take is carefully planned, Thanh Hoa."

"Even if he turned city A upside down, I still wouldn't expect you to be here."

"He will go ask Mr. Khuong."

"My parents didn't know I came to Tinh City."

"I only told them that I was leaving the Co family's house, but didn't say where I was going."

"My father is straightforward. As long as Co Tram Chu puts pressure, he won't be able to hide it."

"So... not knowing anything is the best way to protect grandparents."

Thanh Hoa looked at me for a long time.

"It turns out you had it all figured out."

"I've been counting for three months."

From the day my stay ended. That day, I lay on a small bed in a private mansion on the outskirts of Beijing. Next to them are two newly born babies sleeping soundly. Outside the window, white snow fell from the sky. The heating system in the room wasn't warm enough, so I had to wrap myself in two layers of thick blankets and quietly plan out each step of my plan to leave. The first thing... Is to sell everything that can be sold. I silently put all the jewelry in the dowry that was still valuable through the private auction channel, absolutely not letting the Co family find out. Even a small mansion on the outskirts of Beijing is also for sale. Add it all up... More than one million seven hundred thousand yuan. Second step. Make passport and visa. Both children's birth certificates used my information. In the father's name section... I wrote two words.

"Hollow."