Chapter 9 — Because of his ex-wife, he lost everything

“Stop talking nonsense.” I picked up a stack of documents on the tea table, which was the divorce agreement that lawyer Chau had prepared, and slammed it down in front of him. "One is to sign right now, two is I will sue for divorce. Fifty thousand has been transferred, thirty thousand is my pre-marital property, twenty thousand is the joint property of the couple, you must return it all to me. If I lack a penny, I will still sue to the end."

Luc Hanh Chu lowered his head to look at the divorce agreement, his facial muscles twitching continuously. He raised his head and looked at me with eyes I had never seen before. There was anger, shock, hurt, and even a hint of helplessness.

“You have everything prepared, right?” His voice was hoarse, "I've wanted to divorce you for a long time."

“Yes.” I looked at him, my eyes calm, "Since the first time you left me in the middle of the night to run to Tham Duong, I've been thinking about it. That plate of braised pork that day, just gave me a reason to make up my mind."

Luc Hanh Chu stared at me viciously, his chest heaving violently. A long time later, he raised his hand to pick up the agreement on the table, without looking at it, he directly tore it in half.

“I didn't sign.”

I expressionlessly took out a new copy from the drawer and placed it on the table:

"I print ten copies, you tear one and I'll get a new one. Luc Hanh Chu, this time it's not up to you to decide."

08 Finally he signed. Not because I gave in, but because I put the bank statement and transfer history in front of him and coldly said: "You arbitrarily dispersed the couple's common assets without your wife's consent. If you go to court, the court will judge you to divide little or no assets. Luc Hanh Chu, think carefully for yourself." On the afternoon of the day I finished signing the papers, Luc Hanh Chu stood at the door and turned to look at me. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression complicated as if five spices had been thrown in his face.

“Dan Thanh,” he said in a deep, hoarse voice, “Are you really that in love?”

I stood in the door frame, not answering. The door slowly closed in front of him. That house has a sign for sale. That was Luc Hanh Chu's pre-marital property, a three-bedroom apartment of one hundred and twenty square meters, quite good location, and found a buyer in less than a month. The day the money from the house sale was transferred to my account, I received a text message from the bank - fifty thousand, not a penny missing. Looking at that message, I did not feel the joy I imagined, nor the feeling of liberation. Just very calm, like a long solo trip finally reaching the destination, so tired that there's no energy left to celebrate. Lawyer Chau helped me complete all the procedures. The day I held the divorce book in my hand, it was raining outside. I stood in front of the gate of the Civil Affairs Department, put the small red book in my pocket, opened the umbrella, and walked into the rain. Rainwater hit the umbrella canopy, making a gentle rustling sound. I walked very slowly, step by step, not in a hurry, not in a hurry. The face under the umbrella was pale and calm, but there was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. From today onwards, I and Luc Hanh Chu, and Tham Duong, and those endless suffocation, no longer have any connection. From now on, I only live for myself. 09 The first month back to single life, I cleaned the apartment inside and out, changed new sheets and curtains, Place a few more potted plants on the balcony. The house is not big, but it fits one person: quiet, clean. No one silently took my food away while I was cooking, no one answered the phone while I was sleeping and then quickly left, no one even transferred all my savings to my ex-wife and scolded me for making such a big deal out of it.