Chapter 10 — Final Record

Ly Mai died, falling right before my eyes, blood splattered all over the cold ground, like a red-tinged end to everything. I stood there, motionless, like a statue whose soul had been drained, leaving only an empty shell. Her last words were like a curse, repeating over and over in my head, unable to get rid of them.

“It will become a monster that no one wants to get close to…”

Monster... how could it be my child, An An, the child I risked my life to bring into this world. No, it couldn't be, that was just the last lie before dying, a fatal stab to drag me down with her. I told myself so, but the ambulance sirens, the police, everything around became blurry, like a distorted dream with no way out. I don't remember how I got back to the postpartum care center. I only know that when I regained consciousness, I locked the door. I held An An in my arms, examining her over and over again, as if just looking a little closer could negate everything. My eyes are still bright, my arms and legs are still strong, I still cry, still laugh, still cry like any other child. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing. I hugged my child, repeating it to myself over and over again, as a way to hold on to the last bit of calm. But that curse... has taken root in my heart. I started to become paranoid. If my baby cried a little longer, I would think he was becoming agitated. As soon as my baby moves while sleeping, I think there is a problem with his nerves. I… am going crazy. Lawyer Truong came to find me, his face was heavier than ever, as if carrying an irreversible verdict.

"Miss Tinh... what Ly Mai said may be true."

He handed me a file, and just that small action was enough to make my hands shake uncontrollably. He found Ton Nhue, at first she was silent, but when she saw the video of Ly Mai jumping from the building... she completely collapsed. And tell it all. I opened the file, each line of text caught my eye, brutally clear, not giving me a chance to escape. She followed Ly Mai's instructions, injected illegal drugs, faked fetal distress, and forced me to have an unnecessary surgery. And that drug… can cause irreversible brain damage to newborns. The stack of papers fell from my hand. The "click" sound was so small it was scary, like something inside me had just completely shattered. Hope finally... died. It's all real. From the moment my child was born, an indelible crack was carved in his fate. As for me... a mother, without knowing it, I still thought I had won and created a good future for my child. Turns out… I was the biggest loser. A mouthful of blood rushed out of my throat, the world before my eyes went black, and then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying on the hospital bed, with an IV drip on my arm, my body felt as heavy as if it had been crushed. Luu Chan Bang sat next to him, his eyes full of worry, like the only adult still awake in this storm. He said he had found the best team of neurological experts in the world. Tomorrow he would fully examine An An. Regardless of the results, he would be there to help me. Money is not a problem, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, he will bring it back to me. I looked at him, tears silently falling. Type treatment What? It is a wound that lies right from the beginning of life, not something that can be repaired with money or technology.

“Thank you... but no more.”

I spoke, my voice so hoarse that I didn't even recognize it, like someone who had just come out of the dead. He was stunned, not understanding why I refused. I sat up, pulled out the needle, blood dripped down but I didn't feel any pain. In my eyes right now... there is only a terrifyingly flat surface of water left.

“I will handle this myself.”

I stood up, walked to the window, looked at the cars below, the world was still running as if nothing had ever happened.

"Ton Nhue is just a tool, Ly Mai is dead, but the most important person... is still alive."

Liu Zhenbang asked me who it was. I turned around and looked straight at him, each word falling as clearly as a verdict.

“The person who gave 500,000 USD to Ly Mai.”

“The person behind it all…”

“My mother-in-law.”

“Vuong Thuc Lan.”