Chapter 5 — Forcing My Mother to Sleep on the Sofa, Do You Think I Will Resist?

"We not only ask the court to award a divorce, but also ask Mr. Tran to compensate for the mental damage caused by his adultery and his tendency towards domestic violence."

"Adultery?" Tran Minh suddenly raised his head, his eyes panicked.

Lawyer Truong smiled slightly and pushed a few photos and chat screenshots over. Those are the passages I accidentally discovered on his old phone - vague messages with a female colleague, along with some evidence of renting a room. I kept it all, just to use it today. Tran Minh's face immediately turned gray. When Ly Thuy Phuong heard that her son was not allowed to share the house and that her son might have to pay compensation, her face immediately changed color. She no longer turned to me, but turned to Tran Minh and screamed.

"You useless thing! How many times have I told you, you have to coax him well, you have to add your name to the red book! Now it's good, it's all empty! And you're still sneaking around with a woman outside! Are you worthy of me?"

Tran Minh was scolded until his face darkened and he also exploded.

"You still dare to talk about me? If you weren't causing trouble every day, would Lam Van divorce me?!"

The mediation room turned into a mother-son bickering drama. A true "dog bites dog" scene. I sat there, watching it all. Cold to the bone. Just feel lucky. Luckily I woke up, it wasn't too late. During the process of preparing the divorce documents, lawyer Truong helped me summarize the entire cash flow of family expenses over the past three years. Each number appeared so clearly and coldly that it made me look directly at the truth for the first time. In this marriage, what am I? A walking ATM. A “host” is drained. On the wedding day, Tran Minh's family's conditions were normal, the bride price was thirty-eight thousand, what else could they say, "choosing one in ten thousand", which sounded like a good omen. For the wedding house, my parents, who missed their daughter, contributed the majority of the deposit, and I used all my savings to buy it. But from the day I stepped into the Tran family's house, Ly Thuy Phuong went everywhere saying that this house belonged to them, that Lam Van I climbed high. Because of the so-called "family harmony", because of Tran Minh's low self-esteem, I held back time and time again, never objecting. My patience, in their eyes, became tacit acceptance and easy bullying. Tran Minh, in the name of "filial piety", asked me for money every three days. On his father's birthday, he had to buy a gold bracelet. One day, his mother liked the new massage chair. Another day, it was a distant relative with a full-month baby who needed a thick envelope. In order to maintain that false appearance of harmony, I silently paid over and over again, without ever calculating. Now that I think about it, I'm not a wife. I'm just someone who carries debt for them, a tool to help their whole family "escape poverty". Looking at those numbers, my heart hurt like it was being cut. That's not money. Those were the overtime nights, the wasted personal time, all the strength I had to trade. Yet they spend it as a matter of course, without even a word of thanks. I told my mother everything. My mother hugged me and sobbed, her body shaking with pain.

“My stupid daughter… why didn't you tell me sooner… I was wrong, I should have stopped you from the beginning…”

I hugged her back, gently patting her back.

“Mom, it's not too late.”

“Wake up now, there's still time.”

"Everything I spent, I will make them pay back. Both capital and interest."

Sacrifices overlooked, trampled hearts, will now become the sharpest weapon on the court. This memory is like a red-hot blade. Cutting off every last illusion I had about this marriage. Pay. Must be decisive. Don't leave any love behind. Seeing clearly that she could not save her house or money, Ly Thuy Phuong completely revealed her true form. She began a furious counterattack, targeting my job and my reputation. Out of nowhere, she hired a group of "dirty seeders" to go to local forums, online forums, and even the comment section on my company's website to spread false rumors.

"Shocked! A female senior manager in the internet industry named Lam Van, has a poisonous snake in her heart, transferred assets during marriage, abused her mother-in-law, forced her husband to leave empty-handed!"

"Exposing 'independent women' who climb to the level of men, behind is a dirty face!"

In those articles, I was portrayed as a scheming, money-hungry, cruel person. Photos are edited, messages are cut, everything is fabricated so smoothly it's scary. Rumors spread as quickly as fire in the wind. Within the company, whispers also began to appear. Some people looked at me with questioning eyes, others whispered behind my back. The boss called me directly to talk. The words were very light, but the meaning was clear: resolve personal matters as soon as possible, don't let it affect the company. In those days, the pressure pressed down like a mountain. But I don't collapse. Don't even argue with them. Anger only makes me lose control.