Chapter 13 — From the Ruins, I Rise Brightly

Ambulance and police sirens... sounded alternately. Tearing through the quiet night of the villa area. Chu Khai was taken to the ambulance. He's not dead yet. Slash the knife to avoid dangerous places. But he lost too much blood... fell into a deep coma. Me and Co Ngon... were taken to the station to give statements. The police station's lights are on. I sat in the room... telling everything. Every detail. My voice is... terrifyingly calm. The young police officer who was taking notes... looked up at me. His eyes were a bit sympathetic.

“Are you… okay?”

I looked at him. I'm not okay. No one can be okay… after witnessing that scene. My hand... under the table was still shaking slightly. Stomach rolls every time. But I don't allow myself to be weak. Especially... because of him. He doesn't deserve it. Leaving the station… it was already three in the morning. Cold night wind. I tightened my jacket. The air carries the smell of grass after rain. Clarity. Co Ngon is still standing next to me. Say nothing. He… why is he here? Why did he turn into this human, inhuman, ghost-like appearance? Co Ngon's reaction was faster than mine. He immediately locked the car door. Then picked up the phone... preparing to call the police. Chu Khai saw it. He got even more crazy. He used his fist... to frantically hit the car window.

"On Tinh! Come out here!"

The voice was hoarse, full of resentment.

“You are an evil woman!”

"You destroyed my house! Destroyed my job! Destroyed everything!"

"I won't forgive you! I'll take you with me when I die!"

While screaming... he pulled out something from his shirt. A fruit knife. Cold steel flashed. I stopped. He's really crazy. He wants to kill me. Co Ngon's face immediately darkened. He called the police, speaking in a low voice.

“Sit still in the car.”

Chu Khai held a knife... and stabbed it repeatedly into the glass. The sound was shrill and shrill. Fortunately, the car's glass is strong enough. He can't break it. He went around to the front. Start using a knife to scratch the paint layer. The mouth still kept cursing. Vulgar, disgusting words. I sit in the car. Look at him through the glass. Look at the man... I once loved. Now… a crazy demon. In my heart... there is no more fear. No more anger. Only left... a coldness. Feel sorry for him. And for myself… of those lost stupid years. Then the police siren sounded. Chu Khai paused. The madness on his face… turned to despair. He knows... it's over. He looked at me one last time. That look... I can't read it. There is regret. There's even... there's begging. Then he raised his knife. Not on my part. Which stabbed me straight in the stomach. Blood... gushed out. Dyeing torn clothes red. He looked at me. Lips moving. As if wanting to say something. But not in time. The body falls down. Lying in a pool of blood. Everything… happened so fast. So fast that... I didn't have time to react. The police car stopped in front of the gate. The police rushed down. Co Ngon opened the door and ran out. My world is… chaotic. Only Chu Khai's last look remained. Engraved deeply in my head. Like a question... never answered. Between me and him... All love and hatred... Finally ended. With a dot... stained with blood. Ambulance and police sirens... sounded alternately. Tearing through the quiet night of the villa area. Chu Khai was taken to the ambulance. He's not dead yet. Slash the knife to avoid dangerous places. But he lost too much blood... fell into a deep coma. Me and Co Ngon... were taken to the station to give statements. The police station's lights are on. I sat in the room… tell everything. Every detail. My voice is... terrifyingly calm. The young police officer who was taking notes... looked up at me. His eyes were a bit sympathetic.

“Are you… okay?”

I looked at him. I'm not okay. No one can be okay… after witnessing that scene. My hand... under the table was still shaking slightly. Stomach rolls every time. But I don't allow myself to be weak. Especially... because of him. He doesn't deserve it. Leaving the station… it was already three in the morning. Cold night wind. I tightened my jacket. The air carries the smell of grass after rain. Clarity. Co Ngon is still standing next to me. Say nothing. Chu Khai is like a fierce but quick storm, coming quickly and then disappearing quickly. After the storm, my life quickly returned to peace, even more open than before. A few days later, lawyer Tran called me to inform me that Chu Khai's case had had a preliminary result. His crime of intentionally causing injury and disturbing the peace was confirmed, but because he self-inflicted the injury, leading to a serious condition, the court will consider some mitigation. However, a prison sentence is certainly inevitable. As for Truong Que Phan, my ex-mother-in-law, after learning that her son was in prison, she had no one to take care of her. In addition to the huge unpaid hospital bills, she once again had a stroke. This time was more severe than the previous time, leading to hemiplegia and loss of speech. The hospital contacted relatives in the countryside, but no one was willing to come forward. In the end, the local government had to step in and put her in a public welfare nursing home. As for Chu Le, after her brother had an accident and her mother was paralyzed, she stole the remaining money in the house and disappeared. Some people said she followed a man to the South, others said she had gambling debts so she ran away. In any case, the Chu family - the place that once consumed three years of my youth and countless efforts - disintegrated in the most tragic way, everyone went their separate ways, completely disappearing from my life. I listened to lawyer Tran tell everything, without a wave in my heart. No gloating, no pity. They are like a fierce traffic accident on my life's road. I used to be the one caught up in it, but now, I'm just someone passing by, calmly looking back. My life has entered a new, broader and brighter path.