Chapter 7 — Back Before The Wedding Day

On weekends, the central general hospital was crowded with patients waiting in line to be examined, but Khanh Linh made a separate appointment for her mother at the examination service area to avoid having to wait long. She sat next to Mrs. Hanh in the waiting room, holding her mother's hand tightly, trying to hide the anxiety rolling in her heart.

"Why are you so nervous?" Mrs. Hanh smiled, patting her daughter's hand, "I'm fine, it's probably just mild gastritis."

"I just want to make sure everything's okay, mom," Khanh Linh replied, trying to smile reassuringly even though her heart was pounding.

When Mrs. Hanh's name was called, both mother and child entered the gastroenterologist's office. The elderly doctor carefully reviewed the results of the ultrasound, endoscopy, and blood test indicators before looking up, his eyes serious.

"The endoscopy results showed a small polyp in the colon, about one centimeter in size," the doctor said, his voice calm but professional. "The initial biopsy test showed signs of abnormal cells. Although it cannot be concluded that it is malignant, it needs to be removed and closely monitored. Fortunately, it is detected at a very early stage. If removed in time, the possibility of complete treatment is very high."

Mrs. Hanh was stunned, her face pale with panic, while Khanh Linh felt her whole body tremble - both an instinctive fear when hearing the word "abnormal" and an indescribable feeling of relief that crept in between that anxiety. This is exactly the same disease that took her mother's life in her previous life — but this time, thanks to discovering it nearly two years earlier, the chance of a complete cure is within reach.

"Doctor, is there any danger if the surgery is removed early?" Khanh Linh asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though her hands were still shaking slightly.

"This is a fairly common procedure, with a very high success rate if detected early like your case," the doctor replied, his eyes reassuring. "I recommend arranging surgery within the next two weeks to ensure absolute safety, to avoid further polyp growth."

Leaving the clinic, Mrs. Hanh was still in shock, holding her daughter's hand tightly. "Mom... do you have cancer?"

"The doctor said it was detected early, mom, we just need surgery to remove it in time and we'll be fine," Khanh Linh replied, trying to keep her voice steady even though tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. "I will take care of all the procedures, don't worry about anything, just rest assured about treatment."

On the way home, Khanh Linh immediately called an old classmate who is currently a surgeon at this very hospital, asking to arrange the earliest surgery and the best team of doctors for her mother, without sparing any expense. She also called her father to tell her the news. Mr. Tai's voice was low and filled with worry over the phone, but when he heard his daughter's reassurance about early detection and the high possibility of complete treatment, he gradually calmed down.

"Thank you for being determined to take my mother to the doctor," Mr. Tai said, his voice choked up. "If it weren't for you, your mother would probably still have to patiently endure it. By the time she found out, it might have been too late."

Khanh Linh couldn't answer right away, her throat was choked with emotion. "I just hope mom stays healthy and stays with our family for a long time, dad," she said, her voice trembling but filled with determination.

During the two weeks waiting for the surgery, Khanh Linh took care of her mother while also trying to arrange work at the company. without interruption. She took a few days off to take her mother for a pre-operative check-up, and the person who most proactively offered to support her during this time was Lam Quoc Bao.

"You can rest assured to take care of your family," he said when he found out through Bao Ngoc's accidental story, "I'll compile this week's financial report, you just need to look it over and sign it when you have free time, no need to worry anymore."

"Thank you very much," Khanh Linh replied, truly grateful for his thoughtfulness and sophistication. "I didn't expect you to be so attentive and helpful."

"The person who helped me in the most difficult times, now I just do what I can to reciprocate," he replied, his voice sincere without any politeness.

Dang Khoa also learned about Khanh Linh's mother having surgery through a briefing, and unexpectedly visited the hospital the afternoon before the surgery, carrying a basket of fresh fruit. "I heard that my aunt had to have surgery. I came to visit and encourage her a little," he said, his sincere attitude making Khanh Linh surprised.

"Thank you for your concern," Mrs. Hanh said from the hospital bed, smiling gently even though her face was still a little worried before tomorrow's surgery. "You are my daughter's colleague, so kind."

"Yes, you and Linh are in charge of a project at the company," Dang Khoa replied, his eyes briefly glanced at Khanh Linh standing next to the hospital bed, "you can rest assured to recover, everything at the company is taken care of by Linh and everyone."

Witnessing that sincere concern, Khanh Linh couldn't help but feel confused. She knew clearly that Dang Khoa was not a naturally evil person - he had truly good qualities, he was just too weak, too easily influenced by his mother when faced with important decisions. That's what makes the tragedy of her past life so much more painful — not because she was completely deceived by an evil person, but because she put her trust in someone who could be good, but didn't have the courage to protect that goodness to the end.

"Thank you for visiting," she said, her voice gentle but still keeping enough distance. "You probably have a lot of work to do at the company. There's no need to stay long."

"It's okay, I just stopped by for a bit," Dang Khoa replied, then said goodbye and left after a few questions about his health. Looking at his shadow disappearing behind the hospital room door, Khanh Linh sighed softly, a complexity that was difficult to name arose in her heart - she did not hate him, nor could she completely trust him like before, leaving only a cold alertness necessary to protect herself in the fateful chess game that was gradually unfolding.

Two weeks later, the surgery to remove the polyp was successful. Ms. Hanh lay on the hospital bed, her face was still a bit pale but her eyes shone with relief when she heard the doctor announce that the post-operative biopsy results were completely benign, with no signs of malignant cells spreading.

"Thank goodness," Mrs. Hanh whispered, tightly holding the hands of her husband and daughter sitting on both sides of the hospital bed. "I thought I was going to face something terrible."

"It's over, mom," Khanh Linh replied, tears rolling down her cheeks because of happiness. She bent down and hugged her mother tightly, clearly feeling the familiar warmth, her heartbeat still beating steadily under her chest - something she had lost forever in her previous life just a few years later.

"I did I can change one thing," she thought to herself, her eyes following her mother's peaceful face as she fell asleep due to fatigue after the surgery, "no matter how many storms the road ahead has, I have done this alone." This is the first time, since being reborn, that Khanh Linh most fully felt the true meaning of the second chance that fate had given her - not only to take revenge or regain justice for herself, but also to protect and preserve those who loved ones from tragedies that should not have happened.

In the evening, when her mother was sleeping peacefully, Khanh Linh sat in the hospital hallway, opened her notebook, and wrote an emotional line: "Mom is safe. This is the first proof that what we know from our past lives can actually change our fates — not only our own, but also those of those we love. From now on, I will be more confident in the path I have chosen, and will be even more careful to fully protect what I have."

The gentle light of the hospital hallway shines down on the page, and in Khanh Linh's heart, a more solid belief than ever is gradually forming - that she can completely rewrite not only her own fate, but also that of everyone she cherishes, as long as she is alert enough, steadfast enough to act at the right time, in the right way.

The next morning, when Mrs. Hanh was discharged from the hospital and returned home to recover, the whole family gathered together in the small kitchen, the atmosphere was warmer than ever. Mr. Tai cooked a pot of chicken porridge to nourish his wife, while Khanh Linh sat next to her mother, telling funny stories about work to help her forget the pain after the surgery. Looking at the scene of her family's reunion, she silently thanked fate for giving her this precious second chance, and told herself that she would cherish every simple moment like this more, instead of engrossed in chasing frivolous ambitions like before.