Chapter 30 — Back Before The Wedding Day

Five years later.

Tam Viet's flagship store in the city center has now become one of the famous sustainable fashion brands, not only domestically but also known in several small international markets, thanks to collections that delicately combine traditional Vietnamese culture and modern design. Khanh Linh, now the creative director and co-founder of the brand, still maintains the same simple, approachable style as in the early days of starting her business.

On the first morning of the week, she stood in the main design studio, holding a sketch for a new collection, preparing for a meeting with the team. Her and Lam Quoc Bao's three-year-old daughter, An, ran around the workshop, holding a piece of colorful fabric, imitating her mother and scribbling on scrap paper.

"An, you're playing with mom's fabric again," Khanh Linh smiled, picked up her daughter, and gently kissed her cheek. "Do you want to become a designer like mom in the future?"

"I want to be like both mom and dad!" Baby An replied with a clear smile that made Khanh Linh unable to help but laugh happily.

Lam Quoc Bao, now the CEO of Tam Viet, walked into the factory, carrying a bag of breakfast for the whole family. "Are you two busy again early?" he asked, placing the bag of food on the table, then gently kissing his wife and daughter on the forehead.

"Dad, I just drew a beautiful dress!" Baby An showed off, holding up a scrap paper full of scribbled drawings for his father to see.

"So beautiful, my daughter has inherited her mother's talent," Lam Quoc Bao smiled, stroking his daughter's head affectionately.

At noon, Bao Ngoc - who has now become a famous accessories designer and still holds the role of co-founder at Tam Viet - stopped by the workshop with her husband, a fashion photographer whom she met and fell in love with during an exhibition abroad a few years ago.

"Can you see the new accessory I just finished?" Bao Ngoc asked, opening her bag and taking out a few jewelry samples inspired by brocade motifs, sophisticated and creative.

"Absolutely beautiful," Khanh Linh commented, admiring every meticulous detail. "You keep improving, I'm so proud of you."

"It's all thanks to you trusting me and giving me the opportunity from the first days," Bao Ngoc replied, smiling, her eyes shining with sincere gratitude after all the ups and downs the two of them had gone through together. Her husband, standing next to her, smiled slightly as he looked at the two close friends reminiscing, his eyes filled with appreciation for the rare friendship that he often heard his wife talk about with undisguised pride.

In the afternoon, Khanh Linh received a call from her former teacher at the design university, inviting her to share her experiences with senior students in a seminar on sustainable entrepreneurship in the fashion industry. She accepted immediately, always finding special joy in inspiring the younger generation.

At a seminar held a few days later, a young student raised his hand to ask, his eyes full of curiosity. "Ms. Linh, what helped you overcome the most difficult times in your entrepreneurial journey?"

Khanh Linh smiled, her distant eyes recalling the entire tumultuous journey she had gone through - from her unjust death in her previous life, to her arduous but also extremely meaningful journey of rebirth in this second life. "I think the most important thing is to always maintain sincerity and kindness to yourself and to those around you, even when faced with the harshest challenges," she replied, her voice full of experience. "Sometimes, life will test our belief in good things. But I believe, as long as we don't lose kindness, don't lose faith in justice and correct values, we will always find the right path to continue, no matter how difficult that path is."

After the seminar, another student, a small girl with timid eyes, approached Khanh Linh as everyone gradually left. "Miss Linh, I also come from a difficult family, trying to pursue my dream of fashion design but sometimes feel discouraged due to lack of resources. Do you have any advice for me?"

Khanh Linh looked at the young girl, her eyes filled with sympathy as she remembered her school days, dreaming of a distant future in the fashion industry. "I understand that feeling," she said, her voice warm. "But you know, your background does not determine how far you will go, only perseverance and true passion can do that. If you need, Tam Viet has an internship program for students in difficult circumstances but passionate about design, you can send me your resume."

The young girl's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? Thank you very much!"

"It's nothing," Khanh Linh replied, smiling, "I've also been helped by many people on my path, now it's time for me to return those good things to the next generation."

Looking at the young girl's figure leaving excitedly, Khanh Linh felt strangely warm in her heart. The internship program for disadvantaged students that she just mentioned has been implemented by Tam Viet for the past two years, silently supporting more than twenty young people in similar situations as her, giving them more motivation to pursue their own passions without having to give up just because of lack of resources.

That evening, when she returned home — a cozy little house near her parents' old garment factory, where the whole family often gathered every weekend — Khanh Linh sat at the dining table with her husband, daughter, and her parents who had stopped by for dinner. Bustling laughter echoed throughout the small house, a simple but warm scene, more complete than anything she had ever dared to dream of.

After dinner, when baby An fell asleep, Khanh Linh sat alone at her old desk and reopened the small wooden box where she kept the notebook that had accompanied her throughout her journey of rebirth. She turned over the pages that had yellowed over time, rereading the first words she wrote on that fateful day: "March 14 — the day destiny begins. This time, I will be the one in control."

"I did it," she whispered, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. Not through cruel revenge, not through destroying those who have hurt you, but through perseverance, kindness, and an undying belief in the good values in life. She not only saved her mother and regained justice for herself, but also built a life more fulfilling and meaningful than anything she ever dared to dream of in both lives.

Lam Quoc Bao steps entered the room, gently sat down next to his wife, put his arms around her and hugged her. "What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"I'm thinking about the journey I've been through," Khanh Linh replied, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder, "and feeling extremely grateful to have you, to have my family, to have all the people I love by my side."

"I'm the one who should be grateful," Lam Quoc Bao said, gently kissing his wife's hair. "You gave me a life I never dreamed of."

Outside the window, gentle moonlight illuminates the familiar small street, which has witnessed Khanh Linh's entire journey of maturity - from the early days of confusion and fear, to the perfect happiness of today. The story of a woman who died unjustly because she trusted the wrong person, has now ended with the most complete ending possible - not only for her, but for everyone who went through that meaningful journey with her, a living proof that, no matter how cruel life is, as long as they are resilient and sincere enough, anyone can rewrite their own destiny, and find true happiness waiting ahead.

The next morning, when Khanh Linh woke up, the morning sunlight shone through the window, dyeing the whole small room yellow. Baby An ran into the room at some point, climbed onto the bed between her parents, giggling happily. Lam Quoc Bao opened his eyes, looked at mother and son with eyes full of love, then the three of them walked downstairs together, preparing for a new day full of work, plans, and above all, the simple but complete happiness of a family that had overcome all challenges together to find true peace - an ending that five years ago, when she woke up in the middle of the panic of her fateful rebirth, Khanh Linh never dared to believe that she would have, but now, she is seeing it. fully present in every moment of everyday life.

RUN OUT OF.