Chapter 4 — Freedom Is The Most Precious Gift

Watching him swallow, I dared to pick up a chopstick of fried potatoes. Looks like... there's no medicine at all. After that, whatever dish he ate, I also carefully followed that dish. During the entire meal, I ate with my heart pounding and my legs shaking — just because when you start to be wary of the person lying next to you, every bite can become an obsession. "Mom said she knew she was wrong and wanted to apologize to you, but she felt embarrassed. She promised not to take things from the house to give away anymore. Can you forgive me?" I nodded: “Okay.” So he smiled brightly and happily ate. After finishing the meal, he finally got straight to the point: " Doanh Doanh, look, we've been married for a few years... it's probably time to have a baby." I shivered unconsciously — yesterday's recording flashed in my head, making my whole body cold, sweat pouring down my back. "Look at Tieu Viet, handsome, good at studying... My child is definitely even better. Before, you said you wanted to enjoy life as a couple for a few more years, so I didn't force you. But now that you're young, having children is the most reasonable thing, in the future the generation gap won't be too big. I often complain that my parents gave birth to me late, I think the generation gap is too big." I swallowed my saliva: "Okay... but I'm not feeling well lately, I'm going to the doctor. I'll take good care of my health, then we'll think about having a baby." Lac Tung smiled, sat down next to me, and kissed me on the cheek. My back was immediately drenched in cold sweat. When he walked into the kitchen to wash the dishes, I immediately picked up my phone and frantically texted my best friend: [Honey, call me in ten minutes, say you just had an argument with your boyfriend, you need me to come over right away, save you, please!!!] Lac Tung finished washing the dishes and walked out: "Why are you still sitting here? Hurry up and take a shower and go to sleep." I clenched the phone in my hand. “Ah… yeah, I'll clean up a bit then go take a shower.” At that moment, my phone rang. "Hello? What? Are we arguing again? Okay, okay, I'll come over now!" I stood up, holding my bag: "My friend argued with her boyfriend again, this time even wanting to commit suicide. I have to go over and see." Lac Tung frowned: "It's late, let me take you." I shook my head: "Well, if Mom comes home and sees that we're both not home, she'll start thinking wildly. Tell her once that everything's over, and I'm not the one to accept it." Lac Tung nodded: "That's right. So remember to call me if anything happens." I smiled and nodded, then turned and left the house. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. While sitting in the taxi, I suddenly burst into tears without warning. The driver panicked, stepped on the accelerator and took me to my friend's house as quickly as possible. As soon as I walked in the door, I hugged my best friend and burst into tears. To be honest... I was a bit panicked. At first, I thought I was calm enough and rational enough to deal with Lac Tung and his mother. But only after one meal did I know - I couldn't stand it anymore. I kept feeling like he was going to hurt me. I really can't be with that man anymore. Linh Linh is my best friend since childhood, a lawyer, and the person I trust the most. After listening to the recording, she immediately threw the pillow away: "You bastard! Why didn't you see that he was so disgusting before?" I curled up on the sofa, crying and letting out all the pressure of the past few days. "While he hasn't done anything to seriously harm you, let's divorce." I wiped my tears and gritted my teeth: "Yes. Divorce, I will definitely divorce. But I also don't intend to divorce." Let him live in peace." Linh Linh nodded: "Then I'll call him first and say I'll stay at your house for a few days to comfort you, and we'll slowly move on." 8 Leaving that "home", I finally had a good night's sleep - but in my dreams I still woke up startled in panic. The next morning, I asked for permission to leave work for health reasons. My emotions right now are unstable and not suitable for work. At noon, Linh Linh and I went to my brother's company. After listening to the recording, my brother was so angry that his hands were shaking. “Beast… why are you so wretched!” He looked at my red, swollen eyes and painfully asked, "Girl, what do you want to do next?" I clutched the tape recorder, gritted my teeth and said: "He loves nothing but money, right? Then I'll leave him empty-handed. He likes dignity, right? Then I will make him lose face. And his mother likes to show off? Then I will expose her true face before the world. Based on the recording, he is definitely raising his girlfriend outside. I will collect evidence and sue for divorce." My brother immediately sent someone to investigate Lac Tung - and unexpectedly, the results were even more terrible than we imagined. First of all, he actually raised a girl outside, and that girl gave birth to his child last year. And that's not all - it was also discovered that he used his good-looking face to seduce his partner's wife, taking advantage of his "sexual" relationships to get many business contracts. It was so disgusting that I immediately went to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up, afraid that he had brought some disease to me. Fortunately, the examination results did not reveal anything serious. We also discovered that his mother had a record of stealing. A few years ago, she once stole a piece of jade, then knelt down and asked for forgiveness and said it was "not intentional", only to escape being arrested and taken to the police station. No wonder she is so used to the habit of "getting it wrong with her right hand", it turns out she has experience. Yet he still talks all day long to save face and arrogantly brags. I don't have a face, so where can I get "face"? Sure enough — their house was truly a nest of poisonous worms. I just want to get rid of Lac Tung as soon as possible. Therefore, we began to devote all our efforts to collecting evidence of his adultery. This guy is so greedy for money, if I proactively ask for a divorce, he will definitely not agree. So — have to prepare for a divorce lawsuit through court. But if we go to court - we must be fully prepared. 9 Over the past few days, I have been exhausted both physically and mentally, and I have not had a full night's sleep for a long time. Just closing my eyes makes my mind chaotic, feeling like I'm truly a failure. I prayed to God and Buddha - please let me have a smooth divorce, please let Lac Tung receive retribution. Finally, today, I collected all the evidence — and made an appointment with Lac Tung. When he saw me with Linh Linh, he smiled: "Is the matter resolved?" Linh Linh snorted coldly. I signaled him to sit down. When Lac Tung just put a shrimp in his mouth, I calmly said: "Lac Tung, let's divorce." He choked on the spot and coughed loudly. I had to drink water for a while, wait for it to stabilize before asking: “What? Did you comfort her and then advise me to divorce? "Are you kidding me? Or are you testing me? Wife, stop being naughty." I shook my head: “No must be joking. Lac Tung, save some face. Divorce. I left empty-handed.” This sentence seemed to stab straight into his pain point, he screamed: "Go away empty-handed? Lam Doanh, are you crazy? What wrong have I done to you that you want a divorce?!” Then he pointed at Linh Linh: "She instigated it, right?! She's not living happily so she wants to drag you into a divorce, right?!” Linh Linh pouted and rolled her eyes: "The fault was yours, now it's being blamed on someone else? Lac Tung, do you really love Doanh Doanh?” Lac Tung laughed coldly: "There is no reason to suddenly ask for a divorce. If it wasn't her instigation then what was it? You and Lam Doanh love each other, have been married for many years, have never had any major conflicts, why did you suddenly ask for a divorce after staying at her house for a few days? I burst out laughing, a bitter smile: "There is no big conflict because I always think that marriage is something that must be nurtured together. If there are things that I can endure, I will endure them. It is because I endure that there is no conflict. “But think about it, if I realized that this marriage was inherently wrong from the beginning, then why would I hold back?” Lac Tung frowned: "What do you mean?" I took out my tape recorder and played the recording from that day — I didn't care that this happened in a crowded place, because it wasn't me who lost face. As soon as he heard the first few sentences, Lac Tung's face turned pale - he knew very well what was said behind him. "You... set me up? How dare you record me?!" I pressed the pause button: "I just want to hear what you and your mother have to say. I don't need you to defend me. As long as she admits her mistake and promises not to take my things to give away in the future, I will forgive her and continue to try to preserve this marriage. "So what is the result? Guess what — how many disgusting things have I heard?” Lac Tung started to get agitated, but he tried to control himself. He squeezed his forehead, his eyes looking at me were no longer gentle. “I don't agree with divorce. If you have the courage, go to court and sue for divorce." As I predicted, Lac Tung would not easily agree to a divorce, especially when I asked him to leave empty-handed. Over the years, he has earned quite a bit, so for him to let go of everything - how could it be that easy? You probably think I only have that recording in my hand. If we take each other to court, even if there is a real divorce, it won't be enough to leave him empty-handed. Thinking back and forth, filing a divorce lawsuit is more beneficial for him. If he can't save it, at least he can keep the money. I looked at his ice-cold eyes — a strange, chilling feeling. Until now, he has never looked at me with those eyes. “Okay,” I said, “I'll file for divorce.” Lac Tung took the briefcase, coldly glanced at me and Linh Linh, then left. I don't know if it was because he stood up too quickly or not, but he staggered a bit and even kicked the corner of the table.