Chapter 17 — Because of his ex-wife, he lost everything

His voice trembled, not sure if it was because of the cold or some other reason. I was silent for two seconds. Then I said: “I know.” The sound of rain on the other end of the line seemed to stop for a split second. "You know? How do you know?"

“Lawyer Chau told me.” My voice was very flat, as if I was telling a story that had nothing to do with me, "Her colleague was in charge of a case and investigated some of Tham Duong's matters. Duong Duong's biological father is someone else."

"You knew before? Why didn't you tell me?"

“Tell me?” I laughed softly. That laugh had no irony, just a slight tiredness, "Luc Hanh Chu, we're divorced. My business no longer has anything to do with you."

“Dan Thanh…”

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up."

“Don't hang up!” He almost shouted, his voice carrying an almost collapsed plea, "Dan Thanh, you were wrong. You were completely wrong. You shouldn't have disbelieved me, you shouldn't have given my money to Tham Duong, you shouldn't have left me alone, you shouldn't have..." His voice choked up, "I shouldn't have left you alone to have surgery."

This end of the line was silent for a long time. I held the phone and looked at the night scene blurring in the rain outside the window, but there was no wavering in my heart.

“Luc Hanh Chu,” I said, my voice still calm, “Do you know what I regret the most?”

The man on the other end of the line did not speak, only the sound of heavy breathing.

“It's not about marrying me.” I paused for a moment, "But I shouldn't have waited for so long. From the first time I found out that you put Tham Duong above me, I should have left. But I didn't. I endured it over and over again, holding on until I finally lost myself."

"Dan Thanh, I'm sorry..."

“No need to say sorry.” I interrupted him, "Sorry doesn't change anything. My apology to you is no longer important."

“Do we… have any other possibility?” When he asked this question, his voice was so small that it was almost drowned out by the sound of the rain.

My answer is only one word, decisively, without any hesitation:

“No.”

The call ended. I put the phone down on the tea table, picked up the glass of lemonade and took a sip. The rain outside the window was still falling, tapping against the glass, creating soothing sounds. My apartment is quiet, warm yellow light, faint smell of fresh lemon, the book on the sofa is still open to the page I just finished reading. I picked up the book, turned to the interrupted paragraph, and continued reading. In the book, there is a sentence that I used to draw a faint line with my pen: *There are people who come into your life not to stay, but to teach you how to turn away.* I looked at that sentence for a long time, then closed the book, turned off the light, and went to bed. That night I slept very soundly, a dreamless dream. As for Luc Hanh Chu, it is said that he stood in the rain for half the night. After the phone was hung up, he held the phone and stood in the rain for a long time. The dark call interface reflected his face: disheveled, twisted, like an empty shell drained of its soul. Rainwater flowed down from his hair, his whole body was soaked without a dry spot, but he didn't feel cold, because there was a place in his heart that was colder than this rain. hundredfold. He lost me. Completely, forever, without any chance of salvation, he has truly lost me. He remembered the first time he saw me on the subway two years ago, I was so scared by a pervert that he turned pale, he sneaked past and grabbed that hand tightly. During the testimony, I sat next to him, my voice was still shaking, but I still tried to smile and say thank you. That smile was as clear as morning dew, at that moment he thought to himself, this girl is really good.