Chapter 5 — I Went Through The Forgotten Years

The divorce negotiation process... was much more unsightly than I thought. Chu Thua Vien initially wanted to prolong it. He just texted and said he would change, and Ly Tu Mai came to make a fuss, crying and saying that the child cannot not have a perfect family, that a divorced woman is destroying her own future. When he realized I was completely unmoved, he began to negotiate terms.

"Don't expect to divide your house much."

He sat in front of the lawyer, his face tense:

"The deposit was paid by my parents, and she hasn't worked in several years."

My lawyer turned over the documents, his voice was calm but firm:

"Real estate purchased after marriage, the installments paid during the marriage period and the corresponding increased value according to the law are all common assets of the couple. In addition, my litigant, for a long time after marriage, took care of children, the elderly and all household chores, those contributions also need to be considered in property division."

Chu Thua Vien's face was sometimes red and sometimes white. Ly Tu Mai immediately exploded:

"Does doing a little housework count as a contribution? In which house do women not do housework?"

For the first time in a situation like this, I didn't get angry. I just calmly said:

"Women work in every house, it doesn't mean women have to work for free."

The hardest thing… is still the child. Chu Thua Vien knows that as long as I grasp Chu Tu Ngon, I will not dare to go to the end of many things. He started to emotionally attack him, took his child out to play, bought expensive toys, and even acted pitiful in front of his child:

"It's not that Dad doesn't love you, it's that Mom refuses to forgive Dad."

When I knew that, my hands turned cold with anger. But I didn't immediately make a fuss. I called my child over, sat down at eye level, and softly asked:

“Tu Ngon, have you told me anything about adults lately?”

I bowed my head, my voice was small:

“Dad told me to advise mom to go home.”

I was silent for a long time, feeling like something was weighing me down. At that same moment, I became even more certain— I could not let my child continue to stay in that house. To gain custody of my children, I began to adjust my entire life. I would like to work flexibly and proactively accept more tasks with clearer results; I moved house closer to my child's school, trying to ensure stable pick-up and drop-off; I even signed up for parent education courses, learning how to protect my child's emotions in a broken family. Hua Vy looked sadly:

“You look like you're fighting a war.”

I smiled faintly:

"It's inherently a battle. It's just that what I'm fighting for is not dignity, but what kind of person my child will become in the future."

The night before the court date, Chu Thua Vien suddenly came. He stood downstairs, his suit wrinkled, his beard unshaven, looking completely haggard.

“Van Van… do we really have to go to this step?”

His voice is very low:

"I admit I was wrong, but you can't destroy the whole family because I made one mistake."

I looked at him and suddenly remembered many years ago, the first time he pursued me, he also stood downstairs like this, waiting. At that time I thought I had met someone who could go with me. But it turns out, what I was waiting for... was just an acquaintance to enjoy accept my sacrifice, then criticize me for not having value.

“This family was not destroyed by me.”

I say it very lightly:

“You gave up respect first.”

His throat moved slightly:

"What about the child? Can you leave him without a father?"

“He will still have his father.”

I looked straight at him:

“But I will not let him grow up in an environment where adultery is justified, where family work is looked down upon, where the mother is treated as a dependent.”

The disguise on Chu Thua Vien's face finally broke:

"Lam Van, now you think you're very talented, right? Earning that much money a month, how well do you really think you are raising your children?"

I suddenly burst out laughing. The smile was so cold that it was sharper than the wind.

“At least I won't say I love him... and use him as a card at the same time.”

On the day of court, I wore a dark, neat and decisive suit. Standing in the court hallway, my palms were sweaty, but my steps were still steady. When presenting about the division of duties after marriage, about adultery, and about the child care situation, I did not cry, nor did I lose control, just stating the truth one item at a time. Every document I present... is like testifying to myself of the years that were once overlooked. Finally, the judge asked me:

“Why are you determined to gain custody of your child?”