Chapter 1 — After Menopause, I Found Out I Was Pregnant

One year after menopause, I got my period again. After hearing this, my close friends all said this was not normal, urging me to go to the hospital for a checkup. The test result sheet was filled with numbers and technical terms. I looked at it until my eyes were dizzy but I still couldn't understand a single line. The doctor looked intently at the report for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and asked me:

“Is your husband coming with you?”

“Yes, he is waiting outside.”

The doctor said again:

“Call him in, there are some things I need to tell him in person.”

I immediately panicked.

"Doctor, do I have some disease? Just tell me directly."

She shook her head.

“Your husband must know about this.”

My husband entered the room, and the door immediately closed. I stood outside, my heart pounding, and finally I couldn't help but put my ear close to the door. The first sentence I heard from inside was:

“Your wife's condition… is very special…”

This year I am forty-five years old. Health has always been very good. One year after menopause, I got my period again. The amount of blood was not much, but it was bright red and blinding. My heart immediately skipped a beat. After hearing this, my close friend Ly Mai changed her expression on the spot, saying that this was called post-menopausal bleeding and that it was not a small matter, and urged me to quickly go to the hospital for a check-up. I did not dare to delay, so the next morning I immediately let my husband, Chu Chi Minh, take me to the city's First People's Hospital. We signed up for a specialist examination. After completing a series of checks, it was already afternoon. I held a thick stack of results and sat in the examination room of the head of the obstetrics department, feeling confused. The smell of disinfectant in the room was so strong it was suffocating. Chu Chi Minh sat next to me, always holding my hand. His palms were hot and still a little wet with sweat. I know, he's more stressed than me. The doctor is a female department head over fifty years old, surnamed Vuong. She took my test results, turned them over one by one, looked at them very slowly, very carefully. From beginning to end, the eyebrows have never relaxed. My heart followed that expression and sank little by little. Could it be... what is this very serious disease? Cancer? I don't dare think anymore. My son just went to college, I haven't seen him get married or settle down yet. If I die, what will happen to this house? Chu Chi Minh felt my body trembling, so he squeezed my hand tighter.

“Don't be afraid, it's okay.”

He spoke in a low consoling voice. But that statement had no effect. The fear inside me was like crazy vines growing from the bottom of my heart, wrapping tightly around my throat, making it almost impossible to breathe. Finally, Dr. Vuong also put down the results. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her eyes glanced over me and then stopped on Chu Chi Minh.

“Are you her husband?”

Chu Chi Minh immediately nodded.

“Yes, it's me.”

The doctor's eyes were extremely complicated, both heavy and somewhat sympathetic.

“Come inside with me for a moment.”

She pointed toward the office inside. I was stunned. Chu Chi Minh was also stunned.

“Doctor…” I hastily spoke first, my voice shaking so much that I couldn't keep calm. "Is my illness very serious? Just tell me frankly, I can handle it."

Doctor Vuong shook his head. Her eyes still stopped on Chu Chi Minh's face.

“There are a few I need to tell your husband first."

“Why?” I immediately panicked. “This is my body, why don't I know?”

Chu Chi Minh also spoke up:

“Doctor Vuong, if you have anything, just say it directly. We are husband and wife, there's nothing we can't listen to together."

But her expression did not waver. She stood up, her voice not allowing anyone to object:

“You go here first.”

Having finished speaking, she went straight into the inner office, leaving a small gap in the door. Chu Chi Minh turned to look at me, his eyes filled with reassurance.

“Don't worry, let me go in and ask. Maybe it's just a few things that men need to pay attention to... to coordinate treatment."

He said as he stood up and followed. The office door closed in front of me with a "click". My heart feels like it's locked in a sealed box with no gaps. Fear and insecurity in the darkness began to grow like crazy. In the end, what disease is so serious that it can't be told to me directly? Do I have to inform my husband in advance so he can mentally prepare? I can't sit still any longer. I walked up to the door and put my ear to it. The door is very thick and has excellent sound insulation. I couldn't hear anything clearly. I could only faintly hear Dr. Vuong's voice, as if echoing through a layer of water. I was so impatient that sweat poured down my body. I pressed my ear closer, trying my best to distinguish. At that moment, the doctor's voice seemed to get a little higher. A broken sentence penetrated through the door like a needle piercing my ear.

“…Your wife's condition… is very special…”

My mind buzzed, completely blank. Countless terrifying speculations immediately rushed in like a fierce wave. Could it be that I have some rare incurable disease? Before he could digest those words, the office door was suddenly pulled open from the inside. I staggered, almost falling. Chu Chi Minh stood right in front of the door, his face pale, his eyes empty. He looked at me like he was looking at a stranger. That look... I've never seen it before. Not heartbroken. No worries. It's an emotion that's a mixture of shock, confusion, and... a trace of resentment that's hard to name. I felt chills down my spine when he looked at me.

“Chi Minh, what did the doctor say? What's wrong with me?"

I grabbed his arm and asked urgently. But he didn't answer. He just stood there looking at me, his lips moving slightly but not a single sound came out. His arms were stiff. Doctor Vuong walked behind him, looked at me and sighed softly.

“Your husband will tell you again.”

“Go home.”

Chu Chi Minh seemed to have lost his soul and turned around dully. He squeezed my wrist, the force was terrifying. Just one word. I was dragged by him and staggered. My mind was completely chaotic. This is not unlike the reaction of a husband when he learns that his wife is seriously ill. In the end… what happened?