Chapter 28 — Back Before The Wedding Day

The following weeks passed in a busy but happy atmosphere of wedding preparations. Khanh Linh spent all her free time sketching and sewing her own wedding dress - a design that combines elegant modern wedding shapes with hand-embroidered motifs inspired by traditional brocade patterns, bearing Tam Viet's mark.

"Are you sure you want to make your own wedding dress? That sounds very stressful," Bao Ngoc asked, as the two were sitting together in the workshop late one evening, surrounded by meticulously cut pieces of ivory-white silk fabric.

"I want this dress to fully carry my story," Khanh Linh replied, her hands still working on the delicate needlework. "Not only is it a beautiful dress, but it's also a symbol of the journey I've been through — from the difficult early days, to the complete happiness of today."

Bao Ngoc sat quietly watching her friend painstakingly sew every needle and thread, her eyes shining with admiration. "You know, looking at you now, I can hardly imagine the image of the girl who was trembling and confused on the first day of signing a contract at Bao Tin. You have changed so much, in a very beautiful way."

"It's all thanks to having friends like you around," Khanh Linh replied, looking up and smiling at her friend. "If it weren't for you, without Mr. Bao, without Thu Ha, maybe I wouldn't have had the courage to go to the end of this path."

The wedding was scheduled to be held on a late fall day, in a small garden on the outskirts of the city, where the space was green, simple but cozy, suitable for the personalities of both Khanh Linh and Lam Quoc Bao - people who do not like ostentation and flashiness.

"Who do you think we should invite?" Lam Quoc Bao asked one evening when the two of them planned the guest list together.

"Family, really close friends, and maybe..." Khanh Linh hesitated for a moment, "even Dang Khoa. Even though everything is over, I think, he deserves to be invited to witness my happiness, as a way to completely close the complicated relationship between us."

Lam Quoc Bao nodded, not showing any discomfort or jealousy at this proposal. "I think it's a nice gesture. Dang Khoa has proven his maturity over the past time, I think, he deserves that respect."

When receiving the invitation, Dang Khoa immediately called Khanh Linh, his voice full of emotion. "Thank you for inviting me, Linh. I really appreciate this gesture."

"I hope you will come," Khanh Linh replied, sincerely. "You have been an important part of my growing up journey, albeit in a complicated way. I think, we deserve a beautiful ending to our story, even if not in the way we imagined."

"I will come," Dang Khoa replied, his voice relieved. "And I wish you true happiness, Linh. You deserve it more than anyone."

Hanging up the phone, Khanh Linh sat quietly for a moment, recalling the entire complicated journey between her and Dang Khoa - from the initial vibrations that she deliberately suppressed, through the period of suspicion, tense confrontation, to his surprising maturity when he dared to stand up against his own mother for the right cause. She smiled, feeling relieved to know that their relationship had now found a point right stop — not love, but a sincere respect and understanding that both of them deserve after everything they've been through.

Two weeks before the wedding, Lam Quoc Bao's family - who lived in a neighboring province, not too well-off but orderly and cozy - visited Khanh Linh's house according to the traditional custom of opening the door. His parents, simple and gentle farmers, brought with them a basket of simple but sentimental country gifts.

"I heard Bao talk a lot about you," Lam Quoc Bao's mother said, holding Khanh Linh's hand tightly with affectionate eyes. "I'm glad that my son has found a girl who is both talented and kind-hearted like you."

"Thank you," Khanh Linh replied, clearly feeling the sincere warmth from her new family. "I promise to always respect and take good care of Mr. Bao." Lam Quoc Bao's father, a man of few words but kind eyes, nodded in agreement and flashed a rare warm smile.

The two families sat and chatted intimately all afternoon, discussing traditional procedures for the upcoming wedding. The warm, sincere atmosphere made Khanh Linh clearly feel that she had not only found a good husband, but also had a new, loving family to cherish and bond with.

That weekend, Bao Ngoc and Thu Ha organized a small bachelor party for Khanh Linh, with just three close friends eating, chatting, and reviewing the many memories they had spent together.

"I still remember clearly the first day you came to the company, looking both worried and determined," Bao Ngoc said, raising his glass of juice, his eyes full of nostalgia. "Who would have thought that our journey would go through so many ups and downs, and now, it all has a beautiful ending."

"I didn't expect it either," Khanh Linh replied, smiling emotionally. "But I believe, those challenges have helped us become better versions of ourselves, and helped our friendship become stronger than ever."

"Congratulations Khanh Linh," Thu Ha said, raising her glass, "wish you will have a happy, fulfilling marriage, worthy of all you have gone through and tried."

All three people clinked glasses together, bustling laughter and chatter echoed in the cozy space, marking one of the most memorable evenings between a friendship that had been forged through many of the harshest challenges.

A week before the wedding, when Khanh Linh was trying on the finished wedding dress one last time, Mrs. Hanh stood looking at her daughter in the mirror, unable to hide her tears of happiness.

"You're so beautiful, Khanh Linh," she said, her voice choked up. "I never thought that one day I would see my daughter completely happy like this."

"I am today thanks to my mother, father, and everyone who has always been by my side," Khanh Linh replied, turning around to hug her mother tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Mr. Tai, standing in the doorway observing the scene of mother and child hugging each other, could not hide his emotions. "I never thought that this small garment factory could witness so many meaningful moments in life," he said, his voice warm. "From the days when I was a little girl running around here playing with rags, to today, I'm about to become a bride. Time flies so quickly."

"You are always my little girl," Khanh Linh replied, stepping forward to hug her taking both parents in a warm, complete family hug, closing out an evening filled with love before the big day is approaching.

That evening, when all the preparations were in order, Khanh Linh sat alone in her room, reopening the old notebook that had accompanied her for nearly two years since her birth. She turned over each page, from the first notes full of confusion and worry, to the last words full of hope and happiness.

"In my previous life, I died because I trusted the wrong person, because I wasn't alert enough to recognize the warning signs around me," she whispered, her fingers lightly gliding over the pages that had become slightly yellowed over time. "In this life, I not only survived, but I also found true happiness, building a life more meaningful than anything I ever dared to dream of."

She closed the notebook, placing it in a small wooden box with other precious mementos — family photos, her first letter from a client, and now, soon, a happy wedding photo to complete the collection of the most meaningful moments of her life.

The phone vibrated, a text message from Lam Quoc Bao: "I'm at home, preparing a speech for the wedding. I'm more nervous than when I proposed." Khanh Linh laughed and quickly typed a teasing response: "You don't need to prepare elaborately, just speak honestly and that's enough." He texted back immediately: "Being honest with you is always the easiest thing in the world."

She smiled, put down the phone, looked out the window where the moonlight of the late autumn night gently illuminated the familiar small street. In just one week, she will officially enter a new chapter of her life - not with fear and doubt like the fateful rainy night of her previous life, but with a heart full of faith and hope in a happy, sustainable future that she has built herself, step by step, since the day she woke up in the past with the determination to rewrite her entire destiny.