Chapter 14 — I Can't Be Patient Anymore

I hugged the box in my arms, as if embracing the last remaining warmth from someone who had left. Returning to the hotel, I continued to rearrange everything, hang clothes on the closet, place cosmetics neatly, open the computer to prepare for work, as if life could return to order if I was calm enough. Then while packing, my hand touched a hard object in the side compartment of the suitcase, a strange feeling made me stop. I took it out. It's a phone. Chu Minh's phone. I remember the old black machine, a model from a few years ago, it was a spare machine he said he would use for work, then later abandoned it. Why is it in my suitcase? I tried turning it on. The device still has battery. Bright screen. Required to enter password. I tried his date of birth, it was wrong. Tried my date of birth, wrong. Tried wedding anniversary date, also wrong. Just when I was about to give up, the screen suddenly vibrated, and a WeChat message appeared on the lock screen.

"Minh Minh, when did she move out? I can't wait anymore."

Sender: Treasure Thien Thien. My hand froze on the screen. She called him that. In the three years of marriage, I have never called him that. I call him Chu Minh, or husband, friends call him old Chu, and colleagues call him manager Chu. Only very close people. Just called it that way. I stared at that message. Then slowly enter the password. His bank card password. Open screen. The background image is a woman. Smiling at the camera. Behind her. It's my bedroom. The wedding bed of me and Chu Minh. My heart stopped beating for a moment. I open WeChat. The conversation is pinned at the top.

“Baby Qian Qian.”

I clicked. The message appears. Started a year ago.

“Minh Minh, today's meeting is so tiring, I miss you.”

"Good baby, I'll pick you up for dinner tonight."

“Your wife won't find out?”

“No, she's working overtime today.”

“Then hurry up, see you at the old place.”

“Okay, wait for me.”

“Minh Minh, it seems you're pregnant.”

"Really? You're about to become a father?"

"Yes, I tried yesterday. When will you divorce? I don't want my child to be born without a title."

"Almost, I'm thinking of a way. My mother is about to come up, I'll let her make a fuss and force Lam Uyen Thanh to propose a divorce herself, so dividing the assets will benefit me."

“Then hurry up, my stomach can't wait.”

“Rest assured, baby.”

"Minh Minh, when will your mother take action? I can't wait anymore."

"In a few days, I'll have unplugged the camera and she won't notice. When my mother breaks that vase, I'll have an excuse to cause trouble and force a divorce."

"The torn vase her mother left behind, said to be a family heirloom, is actually not worth the money. Hit it, hit it, and just wake her up."

“Is your mother really going to beat you?”

"I understand my mother, she hates Lam Uyen Thanh's noble style, she will definitely beat him."

"Minh Minh, you're really good. After the divorce, we got married. My parents said they would give me a car as a dowry."

“Okay, love you.”

I continued scrolling down. Three months ago.

"I'm transferring assets and deposits to your account. Later, keep saying the investment is a loss."

Two months ago.

"I asked the company to go on a business trip abroad. After the divorce, I will send you abroad, and the child born there will get a green card."

A month ago.

"My mother is coming next week. Get ready. After she causes trouble, we'll take action."

Last week.

“I've taken care of the camera, she didn't find out. Wait until the vase breaks, I will lay down my cards."

I looked at those lines, each word was familiar, but when put together, they became so strange that I couldn't understand, or more accurately, I didn't want to understand. One year, they were together for a year, the child in their belly for three months, and I, for the past three years, lived like a blindfolded person, believing in a marriage that never existed. Transferring assets, applying for a business trip, preparing to go abroad, getting a green card, every step was meticulously calculated, like a chess game that had been planned from start to finish, and I was just the stupidest piece. I thought the times he worked overtime were for work, but it turned out to be with her. I thought the business trips were for the future, but in fact they were to meet her family. I thought the words "I'm old so I'll let you go" were reconciliation, but it turned out to be a way to force me to let go. I thought the vase was just a souvenir, but I didn't expect it to be part of his plan, a prepared trap, just waiting for me to step in. It turns out that everything, from beginning to end, is calculation. I sat on the hotel carpet, staring at the phone screen, then suddenly burst out laughing, a dry laugh as if something in my heart had just broken. Laughing for a while, tears fell, each drop falling onto the screen, blurring the text messages that were already enough to make people suffocate.