Chapter 16 — Debt Book at the End of the Alley

Dieu left Uncle Tu's car repair shop in a state of half disappointment and half determination. His evasive answer was not enough to quell the doubts that had formed so clearly in her mind, but also not enough evidence for her to be certain before confronting her again. She returned to the restaurant and saw Huong still awake, waiting, the light from the table lamp shining on her friend's worried face.

“What's wrong?” Huong asked as soon as he saw her enter.

Dieu recounted the entire conversation, her voice was monotone as if she was trying to suppress her emotions. "He admitted he had feelings for his mother, but denied the 'baby' thing. I don't believe it, Huong. The way he answered, the way he avoided looking at me, didn't look like someone who was telling the truth at all."

Huong nodded and hugged her friend's shoulders. "Maybe he needs more time. This is not an easy thing to talk about, especially when it's been kept secret for nearly thirty years. Don't rush to force it, let him speak up when he's ready, or you can find more solid evidence so he has no way to deny it."

Dieu nodded, feeling that Huong's advice made sense. She needed more evidence, more solid pieces of the puzzle, before she could confront her again with the necessary conviction.

The next morning, when she went to the hospital to visit her mother, Dieu brought both a stack of letters and a debt book, deciding this was the time to show her mother in person, even though she knew this could cause strong emotions. She sat down next to the bed, holding her mother's hand, her voice gentle but firm.

“Mom, I found a stack of letters from Uncle Tu,” she said, placing each letter in front of her mother so she could see it clearly. "I also talked to him, but he hasn't told me the whole truth. Mom, I need you to help me, even if it's just a small sign."

Her mother looked at the stack of letters, her eyes opened wide, tears welling up uncontrollably. She tried to lift her trembling right hand, gently touched the last letter - the one that mentioned "the baby" - and then looked straight at Dieu, a look that without words was enough to convey a thousand pent-up emotions.

“Is it true, Mom?” Dieu asked, her voice shaking. “Is Uncle Tu…”

Her mother, with all the strength she had left, nodded—a slow but decisive nod, not at all vague like her previous reactions. Her tears flowed endlessly, her whole body trembled with emotion, but her eyes still maintained that clear confirmation, unwavering.

Dieu felt like the whole world around her was collapsing and being rebuilt at the same time. The truth, at last, was confirmed, no longer a vague hypothesis, but a fact directly confirmed by her mother herself, with all that remained of her limited ability to communicate.

“Mom,” Dieu said, her voice breaking with tears, hugging her mother tightly but still gently enough not to hurt her. "I'm not angry, Mom. I just... I just need to know the truth. I still love Mom, Dad Phong, Uncle Tu, nothing has changed."

Her mother hugged Dieu with her still moving right arm, choking sobs emanating from her throat, wordless but filled with all the emotions of a mother who had kept a heavy secret for nearly thirty years, now finally relieved of some of that burden.

The nurse entered and saw the patient's emotional state, which was mild Gently remind Dieu to keep her mother calm. Dieu nodded, soothed her mother, and stayed a while longer until she fell asleep in a sleep that seemed more relieved than the previous nights, as if finally confirming the truth, even without words, had relieved some of the psychological burden she had been carrying for many years.

Dieu sat back and watched her mother sleep, her heart was filled with a complicated feeling - both pain because the truth now had no room for doubt, and relief because she finally no longer had to live in ambiguity and guesswork. She knew that her next step was to go back and confront Uncle Tu again, this time with full confirmation from her mother, to force him to no longer be able to continue avoiding the truth.

But she also knows that she needs more time to mentally prepare for that conversation, so that she can approach it not with anger or resentment, but with understanding and tolerance that she believes that this story full of silent sacrifices deserves to be treated like that.

On the way home, she stopped by a familiar restaurant, sat alone and ordered a glass of iced tea, to give her mind time to calm down after the emotional shock she had just experienced. She took out her phone and looked at the lock screen with a family photo taken many years ago — her, her mother, and Phong's father, standing in front of the shop, all three smiling brightly.

She looked at that photo for a long time, feeling that the love in it had not diminished even though she had just learned a great truth. If anything has changed, perhaps it is that she appreciates more the man who chose to nurture and love her like his own child for many years, despite knowing the truth behind it, a choice that requires an extraordinary generous heart that not everyone can do.

She texted Huong, updating the latest developments. "My mother confirmed it. I have no doubts anymore."

Huong answered almost immediately, even though she was helping look after the shop for Dieu this morning. "Are you okay? Do you need me to come over right away?"

“I'm fine,” Dieu replied, even though she wasn't entirely sure about that herself. “I just need a little more time alone to organize my thoughts before going back to the shop.”

She sat at the cafe for another half hour, looking at the flow of people passing by on the small street, trying to accept and gradually digest the newly confirmed truth. She thought of the twenty-eight years of her life, of every moment with Uncle Tu's presence — the times he repaired her bicycle as a child, the times he silently left gifts at the door, the way he always appeared just when her family needed a shoulder to lean on.

All of those moments, looking back now, carry a much deeper meaning than the affection of an ordinary uncle — it is the silent, patient love of a father who is not allowed to openly acknowledge his child, but has never truly left.

Tears welled up in Dieu's eyes again, this time not because of pain or shock, but because of a deep emotion at the quiet love that she had never realized over the years. She dried her tears, stood up, paid for the drink, and decided to return to the shop to continue working, bringing with her a new peace even though there were still many things that needed to be resolved ahead.

Returning to the restaurant, she saw that Huong was handling everything smoothly, customers were coming in and out regularly as if nothing unusual had happened. Dieu stood at the door looking in for a moment, feeling the familiar warmth of this space, which now had a new layer of meaning - not only the place where her mother built her career, but also the place that witnessed a silent love story that lasted for nearly thirty years, between bowls of rice, debit books, and a secret kept because of great love for a child who deserved a perfect childhood.

In the afternoon, when the restaurant was empty, Huong sat down with Dieu. The two of them reviewed the entire stack of papers they had collected over the past few days - debt books, stacks of letters, copies of birth certificates - as if they were summing up a long investigation.

“When do you plan to talk to Uncle Tu again?” Huong asked, rearranging the papers in neat order.

“Maybe for a few more days,” Dieu replied, thinking carefully. "I want to give him more time, and I also need to prepare more mentally. This time I want to talk in a gentler atmosphere, not in a tense confrontation like last time."

“That's reasonable,” Huong nodded in agreement. "In the meantime, let's continue to focus on the Kim Phat loan and the real estate project. That's the most urgent threat right now, but family matters, although important, can be slowly resolved after everyone is more ready."

Dieu nodded, feeling relieved at her friend's alertness and reality, something she really needed right now when her personal emotions were easily overwhelming her reason. Together they plan their next steps — continuing to collect evidence about the connection between the two companies, waiting for news from Nam, and at the same time, preparing themselves for an important unfinished conversation with Uncle Tu, a conversation that they both know will play a decisive role in putting all the pieces back together of a family that has lived for too long in unspoken secrets.