Chapter 3 — Forced to Peel Shrimps, I Smashed an Entire Family

The next morning, I went to the lawyer's office at the appointed time. The person who received me was a lawyer named Ly, about forty years old, wearing neat business clothes, sharp eyes, the same person I contacted yesterday and famous for his experience in divorce cases.

“Hello Ms. Khuong.” We sat down in the reception room, lawyer Ly got straight to the point, "I had a brief grasp of the situation over the phone, now I need all the details, as specific as possible."

I nodded, calmly recounting everything that happened yesterday and the process of knowing, falling in love and then marrying Co Dich, from the pre-marital promises to the post-wedding weakness and nauseating attitude of his family. I speak very clearly, without crying, without adding anything, because those things themselves are enough to make the listener feel suffocated. Lawyer Ly listened, occasionally jotting down a few lines, without interrupting. Only after I finished speaking did I raise my head, with some approval in my eyes.

"Miss Khuong, your handling is very correct, especially keeping the pre-marital property and changing the locks immediately, extremely sober."

Her words made me feel a little better, then she turned the notebook towards me and turned to the most important issue, property.

"Next, let's talk about property division. First of all, the apartment in your name is your pre-marital property, there's nothing to discuss, Co Dich has no right to touch it."

“And the house the two of you live in after getting married is the important thing.”

I made it clear that my family paid three hundred thousand yuan for the deposit, their family paid two hundred thousand yuan and it was in the names of two people, and for the repair and all the furniture, my parents paid an additional two hundred thousand yuan and paid it in one go. Lawyer Ly asked me if I kept all transfer documents or invoices. I replied yes because my family always keeps all major expenses.

"Very good." She nodded, her voice softened, "According to regulations, the deposit can be divided according to the contribution ratio, while the repair and furniture costs are entirely paid by your side. There is evidence so you can completely claim greater benefits."

Then she mentioned bride price and dowry, I choked up a bit but still explained the situation clearly.

"Their family gave one hundred eighty-eight thousand yuan in bride price, my parents didn't keep it, they gave it all to me. I used that amount plus my savings to buy a car in Co Dich's name, as a dowry."

I used to think that husband and wife were one unit, no need for clear division, but now thinking back, I just find it funny because of my naivety. Lawyer Ly frowned and analyzed that the car was in Co Dich's name, so legally it could easily be considered a private gift, but disputes could still be based on the connection between bride price and dowry.

"However, if it can be proven that this is a conditional gift, when the marriage no longer exists, she has the right to reclaim it, but this will be a major point of dispute if it goes to court."

I nodded, looked straight at her, and stated my request clearly.

"What's mine, I won't give up a dime. What's not mine, I won't take, I just want to end it quickly and have nothing to do with that family anymore."

Lawyer Ly looked at me with satisfaction, said he would help me gain maximum benefits and handle the matter as quickly as possible, and told me to prepare enough evidence and No direct contact with the Co family.

"From now on, just let me deal with them. If they continue to harass you, immediately report it to the authorities."

Leaving the law office, I felt a lot lighter. Professional matters were left to the professionals. I just needed to stabilize my mood and prepare evidence. I drove, not to my apartment, but back to the wedding house, where I needed to retrieve all my personal belongings and most important documents. There was no one in the house, everything remained the same as when I left, on the living room wall hung an enlarged wedding photo, I was smiling brightly in the photo and Co Dich was also gentle and polite. It's only been a few days, but it feels like a lifetime ago, but I didn't stop for long. I went straight to the office, opened the safe where all the bills and contracts were kept, which I believed was the safest. But the moment the safe door opened, my heart suddenly turned cold, because inside was empty, all the evidence... had disappeared. In the safe, there were only a few sets of unrelated documents left, all invoices for transferring deposits, repairs, furniture purchases... all disappeared as if they had never existed. My blood rushed to my brain and immediately turned cold. There was no trace of ransacking in the house. The only person who knew the password to the safe was Co Dich besides me. I didn't need to guess to know it was him. He came back here before knocking on my door last night, taking away all the things that were unfavorable to him, clearly planning from the moment I opened my mouth to ask for a divorce. He didn't come to hold me back, but to erase the evidence, wanting to swallow all my assets. Thinking about that made me feel so disgusted that I felt nauseous. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down, because panicking won't solve anything, I need to be alert now more than ever. I immediately called lawyer Ly and told him the whole situation. The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds and then she spoke up very firmly.

"Miss Khuong, first of all, don't panic. Losing documents is a disadvantage, but it's not the end of the world. Bank transfers are something that cannot be erased."

"Just prove that the cash flow from you or your parents transferred to the investor or construction unit is still legally valid."

“Now you must immediately go to the bank to print all relevant statements as soon as possible. I suspect they will fake documents, such as loan documents.”

“To turn the money your parents spent into a loan, so they will have an advantage in disputes.”

Her words were like a bucket of cold water that helped me wake up, this was no longer a love story, but a battle I had to win.

“I understand, I will go to the bank now.”

Hanging up the phone, I left the house that made me suffocated. As soon as I sat in the car, my mother's phone rang. Her voice was filled with anger as soon as I answered.