Chapter 2 — I'm Not A Loser

The voice is so soft and sweet that it makes people nauseous.

“Hurry up, I don't want to remain nameless and have no space like this.”

“Also… is she really pregnant with a girl?”

Ha Xuyen smiled softly.

"I asked someone at the hospital to ask, eight or nine percent is correct."

"It's different with me, I'm pregnant with a boy."

I covered my mouth tightly to prevent myself from vomiting. The phone is still recording. Record my husband, record my mother-in-law... and the other woman. The next morning, I still went to work as usual. At noon, Duong Duyet placed a stack of printed bank statements on my desk.

“The joint account you asked me to check, I checked it.”

“In half a year, Bach Vy received a total of thirteen amounts of money.”

“The minimum amount is five thousand, the maximum amount is thirty thousand.”

I turned to the last page. Latest transaction... was yesterday afternoon. Amount: 12,000. Notes are still two words. Nutrition. Just as I was about to open my mouth, my phone suddenly vibrated. A text message from an unknown number. The content is very short.

"The sea cucumber received it, but my mother still knows how to love people."

Behind, is a photo. In the photo, a woman's hand is placed next to a bowl of soup. The ring finger... wears the couple ring that I gave Ha Xuyen last year. I saved that message, then wrote down the other phone number and sent it to Duong Duyet.

“Help me look up the owner's information.”

Duong Duyet cursed and nodded, then picked up the phone to call an acquaintance.

“Let me find someone to handle it right away.”

When I got home at night, the dining table was already set with four dishes and one soup, looking extremely neat. Ha Xuyen sat in the host position, and her mother-in-law was busy in the kitchen. My mother-in-law rarely takes the initiative to scoop me a bowl of chicken soup, but even pushes it towards me.

"Come on, drink, don't be angry and make your body suffer."

I didn't accept, she pushed the bowl of soup a little more, her voice began to carry a sense of reproach.

“We are all family, anger must be moderate.”

I looked at the bowl of soup, the golden layer of oil floating on the surface, glistening under the light. A photo of that afternoon appeared in my head, making my heart cold. The other woman's hand was placed next to the bowl of soup, her ring finger wore a familiar ring. It was the ring I personally bought for him. I reached out, took the paper out of my pocket and placed it on the table in front of the two of us. The mother-in-law's face immediately darkened and her eyes became uncomfortable.

“Aren't you done yet?” she asked coldly, no longer any pretense of gentleness.

I didn't answer, just continued to get more evidence. I took out the bank receipt and placed it next to the other paper, then took out the stack of printed statements and put it down. Finally, I opened my phone and placed the photo from the unknown number right in the middle of the table for them to see clearly. I laid everything out in front of them, each piece of evidence like a cold knife. The space at the dining table was immediately suffocatingly silent. Ha Xuyen reacted first, suddenly standing up and reaching out to grab my phone. I leaned away, my eyes still calmly looking at him.

“Don't rush, there's more.” I said, my voice light but enough to send chills down people's spines.

Then, I played the recording directly. The mother-in-law's voice rang out clearly in the room, each word had no mistake.

"This child is probably a girl, why waste money on raising it?"

Her face immediately turned white, her lips trembled and she couldn't say a word. Ha Xuyen roared, his voice full of anger.

“You still dare to record?” Older brother I shouted, as if I was the one who was wrong.

I looked straight at him, not avoiding him.

“Yes, I recorded it.” I said, every word clearly, without any hesitation.

“And you had an affair, using my money to support the woman outside.”

"You also asked someone to find out the gender of the baby in my belly and calculate everything."

“Are we… equal?”

The mother-in-law banged on the table and stood up, her high-pitched voice ringing out in annoyance.

“It's okay for men to go out and socialize a little.”

“You keep clinging to this small matter and not letting go, do you want to destroy this house?”

She spoke as if it was all my fault. I laughed, the smile was cold to the bone, without any emotion left.

“Small matter?”

"Using my money to raise my third child, I hope I give birth to a daughter and then move on."

“That… is also called a small matter?”

“So what's your next step? Tell me.”

I looked straight at them, my eyes no longer retreating. Ha Xuyen's face turned pale, but he still tried to maintain a fake calm look.

“Du Sinh, don't cause trouble.”

“She is just a customer, the photo was sent by herself to divide us.”

He spoke, each sentence was extremely smooth. I nodded, as if I had heard a tasteless joke.

“Okay, then I'll take out the ring.”

He didn't move, his eyes began to waver, not daring to look straight at me. The atmosphere at the dining table became increasingly heavier.

“Last year's anniversary, the platinum ring I gave you.”

“I want to see it, now.”

He still didn't move, and my mother-in-law began to avoid my eyes. That silence… said it all. I pushed the bowl of chicken soup aside, no longer interested in pretending.

“From today, I won't eat anything you cook.”

“My payroll card stopped transferring money to the joint account.”

"Next month's mortgage payment, you guys can take care of it yourself."

The mother-in-law immediately panicked, her voice high and excited.

“Why do we have to pay rent?”

I looked at her, every word said clearly, without any hesitation.

“Because this house is in my name.”

"I paid the deposit before the marriage, and most of the installments were also paid by me."

“You guys are staying at my house, spending my money.”

“But behind my back you curse my child as a loser.”

“Now you still want me to take care of your lover?”

I said, my voice calm but decisive. Ha Xuyen finally couldn't bear it anymore and stood up to protest.

“The house is not yours.”

“After we get married, we will pay in installments, and you will also have a share.”

“It's useless for me to cause trouble.”

I stood up, gathered all the papers and neatly put them in my file bag.

“Let's meet in court then.”

Having finished speaking, I turned around and left, no longer intending to stay another second. Behind her, her mother-in-law began to scream loudly.

"If you get a divorce if you're pregnant, who will want you anymore?"

Her voice was full of malice, without any concealment. I didn't stop walking, only reaching the door did I turn to look at her once.

“No one wants it… it's better than having your whole family eat it all.”

That night, I didn't stay home anymore and left directly. Duong Duyet came to pick me up and take me to the hotel. When I packed my things, she stood next to me, trying to suppress her anger. It wasn't until the car drove away that she asked.

“What are you going to do next?”

Her voice was low, filled with worry. I leaned back in the chair, gently placed my hand on my stomach, my eyes turned should be steadfast.

“Get your house back.”

“Get back every penny.”

“Finally… divorce.”

Duong Duyet nodded without hesitation for another second.

“I will help you find a lawyer.”

“One more thing.”

She said and gave me the phone.

"We found Bach Vy, her real name is Bach Vy, she lives in Lan Dinh apartment on the seventeenth floor."

Information is displayed clearly on the screen. I took the phone and before I could react, she said another sentence. Her voice lowered, carrying a bit of coldness.

“This afternoon I passed by the city obstetrics hospital…”

“I saw Ha Xuyen taking her to a prenatal check-up.”