Chapter 2 — Because of his ex-wife, he lost everything

I didn't care, changed my shoes, opened the door, pulled my suitcase into the elevator. When Luc Hanh Chu chased him out, the elevator door just closed in front of him. The last slit reflected my coldly still face. I called a taxi in front of the apartment complex gate, read an address - it was a small apartment I bought for myself before getting married, located in the south of the city, about forty minutes by car. Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, my hand suddenly fell on my lower abdomen. The four-month-old pregnancy was slightly protruding, and wearing loose clothes was not clearly visible, but I could feel that little creature quietly growing inside my body. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn't. The eye sockets were dry, and after the fire in his heart burned out, only ashes remained, cold, without any warmth remaining. The braised pork dish is just a drop in the bucket. The thing that crushed me was never a plate of food. 02 The way Luc Hanh Chu and I met each other is a bit like an idol movie. On the morning rush hour subway two years ago, I was groped. In the crowded, cramped carriage, a hand was placed on my waist. I was so scared that I stiffened and wanted to scream but I couldn't make a sound. It was Luc Hanh Chu who passed by from the side, grabbed that person's wrist, and dragged the pervert out in front of everyone in the carriage. He called the police, accompanied me to the station to take a statement, and then conveniently took me to the company. Just like that, we made WeChat friends, from occasionally saying a few words to texting every day, from inviting each other to eat to going on dates, everything happened very naturally. My parents initially did not agree, because Luc Hanh Chu was divorced and had a son. But Luc Hanh Chu's performance in front of my parents was impeccable: mature, mature, considerate and thoughtful. When mentioning his previous marriage, his expression was sincere and straightforward:

“My ex-wife had an affair, I couldn't accept it so I had to divorce.”

"But I have a responsibility to Duong Duong. Even if I divorce, I can't leave him alone."

Those words then entered my ears, the expression of a responsible man. I think, a man can maintain kindness with his ex-wife, always be responsible for his children, and his dignity is definitely not bad. After a year of dating, we got married. After the wedding, Luc Hanh Chu discussed with me that Tham Duong took Duong Duong to rent a house where the conditions were not good. He wanted to rent them and their mother a more decent place to live nearby, so that it would be easier for them to visit their children. I put myself in his place, thinking that the child really needed a father, so I agreed. But what I didn't expect was that the house Luc Hanh Chu rented for Tham Duong was located in another building right in our apartment complex, a five-minute walk away. I didn't expect that this decision to "conveniently visit my children" would become a thorn that could not be removed in my married life. First came the phone calls. Tham Duong's phone doesn't distinguish time, you can call at any time, sometimes at ten o'clock at night, sometimes early in the morning on weekends. There are all kinds of reasons: Duong Duong has a fever, Duong Duong fights with friends at school, Duong Duong misses his father and can't sleep, Duong Duong has a sports festival at school that needs his father to participate, Duong Duong has to pay tuition, Duong Duong Duong has to pay insurance, Duong Duong wants to learn piano and needs to buy a piano... Luc Hanh Chu goes every time. Regardless of whether he was eating or sleeping, as soon as the phone rang, it was as if a switch had been pressed, he put on his clothes and left. There were times when he was called away at two o'clock in the morning and didn't return until dawn. He said softly: "Duong Duong had a nightmare, he insisted that I stay next to him before he would sleep." I hold back. I think, children are innocent, a father's love for his children should not be criticized.