Chapter 4 — Goodbye The One I Love So Much

I turned away.

“I'm okay.”

Ms. Ly looked at me, about to say something, but then just patted my shoulder before returning to bed. As I turned around, my eyes fell on the orange wedding invitation on the table. Wedding at sunset. It should have been mine. At that moment, I suddenly felt unwilling, extremely unwilling. Emotions overwhelm reason. I rushed out the door and ran straight to the main lobby. I want to tell you... I'm your fiancee!

7

The salty sea breeze swept past, burning my face. Diep Ninh's laughter echoed down from the second floor. I raised my head and saw Tham Quan Nam drying her hair. The movements are gentle, careful and full of love. This scene is painfully familiar. Diep Ninh comfortably leaned into his arms, and I... From the one being hugged, I became the one on the outside looking in. I was pinned in place by that laughter. If I tell the truth now, saying that I am your fiancee... Tham Quan Nam is the responsible person, what will you do? But I don't want you to pity me. I just want you to love me. When I regained my composure and returned, it was almost dawn. Ms. Ly is still not sleeping.

"It was Quan Nam who discovered it himself. He lost his memory, but still did not forget his instincts."

“I know.”

Tham Quan Nam is always smart, how could he not realize that Captain Vuong intentionally approached him?

"What about his parents? Has Captain Vuong told him?"

The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds.

“Said it was a car accident.”

I nodded and said nothing more. At least this reason is easy to accept.

“Quan Nam said that after the wedding, he will return to Lam Thanh with us.”

After a while, I spoke up.

“Once you get married, you should bring your wife back to visit her parents... That's natural.”

“Did Quan Nam ask you?”

I remembered the person who was waiting for me at the door.

"I asked, but I didn't say anything. Don't worry."

“Nien Nhat, you know we don't mean that.”

I hugged my stomach, where the dull pain was coming.

“But you do.”

From 18 to 28 years old, ten years. Tham Quan Nam has become an indispensable part of my life. He is like a vine wrapping around the most important memories. Now, when I have to separate, I am in so much pain that even my flesh and blood are torn apart. On the third day here, the insomnia returned. I kept my eyes open until dawn. There are only two days left until their wedding. Early in the morning, Diep Ninh's voice echoed throughout the yard. She is preparing for the wedding.

"Here I want a flower gate, using red roses! How long should the red carpet be? How big should the background be? Ah Nam, if there wasn't a photo wall, you'd be dead!"

The voice chattered non-stop. I buried my head in the blanket, but the sound still went straight into my ears. Actually, we also had a wedding. The flower road on the proposal day is covered with white jasmine flowers. The wedding flowers were put together by Tham Quan Nam himself, and were a bouquet of orange-scented hyacinths with a gentle, sweet scent. Guest chairs are tied with orange ribbon. The menu had to be changed four times before it was decided. Even the wedding candy box was chosen by us together, with chibi drawings of the two of us printed on it. He held my hand and walked through that long flower path. His warm hand trembled slightly. Even though it was just a rehearsal, he was still extremely nervous. Everything is favorable... But that night, an unexpected mission appeared. He hasn't had time to put on my wedding ring yet. Not even seeing me wearing a wedding dress with his name embroidered on it. He kept apologizing, saying it was only for a week. In just one week, he will come back to marry me. Yet I kept waiting, waiting for five years. Only to receive news that he was about to marry someone else. When I finished my makeup and walked out, they were setting up the stage for the wedding. Diep Ninh saw me and immediately ran over.

"Miss Niem Nhat, I need your help with something."

I couldn't believe it. The thing she asked me to help with... was her wedding.

8

The whiteboard stood in front of me. I took out the color palette and chose the paint color to use. With just a few brush strokes, the sunset image gradually appears.

"Done, done! Niem Nhat's drawing is so beautiful!"

“If I didn't have to put pictures on it, I really want you to paint the whole background!”

I packed up my brushes.

“Photo?”

“It's a photo of me and A Nam over the past five years.”

Diep Ninh carefully pasted each photo on the board. She is the type of person who is approachable, or perhaps she simply wants to share her happiness with everyone. So, she kept talking about their five years.

"This photo was taken when A Nam had just been discharged from the hospital. At that time he was very thin, but his personality was very unapproachable."

“You saved him, he worked to repay your debt.”

"Actually, the one who fell in love first was me. I pursued him for two years, but was rejected every time for the same reason."

Diep Ninh scratched his head.

"He said he forgot something very important. If he can't find it again, he won't think about anything else."

I suddenly remembered what he said when he proposed to me that year.

“Nien Niem, I have something extremely important that I need your help with.”

“What?”

“Be my wife.”

I looked at the man in the photo, his voice hoarse.

“That important thing... have you found it yet?”

Diep Ninh shook his head.

“No, he doesn't remember anything.”

“I wandered around searching for him for three years.”

“Later, we went through some bad things, he loved me as an older girl, so he agreed to marry me.”

A long while later, I heard my own voice.

“So it probably doesn't matter that much.”

Diep Ninh immediately objected.

"No! For A Nam, it is very important."

“He absolutely hates hospitals, but because of that, he accepted treatment for three years, without interruption.”

In the photo before him, Tham Quan Nam stands by the beach, the sunlight covering his body with a warm color. He smiled brightly, full of extravagance. In that moment, I seemed to see Tham Quan Nam at eighteen years old, arrogant, not afraid of anything... except the girl he loved. I reached out to touch the photo and spoke softly.

“It has to be like that... If you forget it, it means it's not important.”

“Miss Niem Nhat, please sign first!”

The orange pen in my hand suddenly became heavy. I held it for a long time but couldn't put the pen down.

“Forget it, your handwriting isn't very pretty.”

Wedding flowers need to be ordered in advance. Tham Quan Nam is very busy, busy preparing for the wedding with Diep Ninh. She pulled me along. I really wanted to refuse, but I wanted to hear more about him over the past five years. The flower shop is located in town. The shop is small but there are many flowers.

“Boss Vuong, reserve 1000 red rose, use the day after tomorrow.”

It seems they know each other, the boss raised his hand to make an "OK" gesture.

“The hyacinth just arrived, very fresh, do you want some?”

Diep Ninh shook his head.

“I like flowers with strong scents and bright colors, that doesn't suit me.”

The girl in front of me looks exactly like a red rose. Enthusiasm, full of vitality, can heal everything, including damaged souls. Before leaving the flower shop, I still bought two hyacinth stems. Orange flower petals give off a gentle fragrance. On the way, we passed a fruit stall. Diep Ninh sat down and picked mangosteen.

“A Nam likes to eat mangosteen so much, I have to buy more!”

We live in a Northern city, the only familiar fruits are apples and pears. I never knew you liked a Southern fruit so much. Besides your face, it seems like everything that belongs to you... is no longer my Tham Quan Nam. The roar of motorbikes rang out in the distance. The car zigzagged down the small alley, two policemen chasing close behind. The motorbike came at breakneck speed, but the driver had no intention of stopping. As soon as Diep Ninh stood up, the motorbike grazed her shirt. I put all my strength into pushing her away. An intense pain immediately spread throughout my body. I was thrown by the car onto the fruit stand, then fell to the ground. At that moment, I just saw... My bouquet was trampled under someone's feet.

“Miss Niem Nhat!”

9

The third day here, I went to the hospital. Woke up, it was afternoon. Surrounded by a circle of people, including captain Vuong and Tham Quan Nam. I no longer have the strength to speak up. Diep Ninh talked a lot, tears still in her eyes. Someone gently patted her back to comfort her. I looked for a moment, then closed my eyes again. The next time I woke up, it was late at night. The room was dark. The first thing I did was reach out and touch my hair. In the darkness, someone pulled my hand down and gently stroked my hair. The back of my hand suddenly felt warm. On the bed, the other person sobbed softly.

“Since when?”