Chapter 15 — It's Too Late, Doctor Vu

Three days after baby Mien was discharged from the hospital, completely recovered under the devoted care of both parents, Lam Nhi texted to meet Dinh Vu at a quiet cafe near the park, a neutral space that was not reminiscent of either the Tay Ho villa or the small apartment in Cau Giay. She left little Mien at home and asked Bich Van to look after her, wanting to have a really serious and complete conversation with Dinh Vu, without being interrupted by anything else.

Dinh Vu arrived fifteen minutes earlier than the appointment time, chose a table in a hidden corner, brought his laptop and the most complete set of documents he had prepared. When Lam Nhi walked in, he stood up and pulled out a chair for her, a familiar polite gesture from the early days of their relationship that she had not received in a long time.

"Thank you." She spoke softly, sat down, her eyes no longer had the cold, defensive look like the last time they met, but still had a hint of necessary caution.

The waiter brought two cups of hot tea at Dinh Vu's request, who still clearly remembered that Lam Nhi could not drink strong coffee in the afternoon because it would cause insomnia, a small detail that made her feel guilty, realizing that no matter how many defensive walls he tried to build, there were parts of him about her, about her habits, that were still intact and had not faded.

"Do you want to hear it from the beginning?" Dinh Vu asked, his voice was gentle but serious.

Lam Nhi nodded, and Dinh Vu began to tell the whole story slowly, in detail, without missing any pieces — from the night he returned home to discover the letter, to the discovery of tampered camera data, the meeting with Phung Dac Nguyen, the discovery of Vuong Tuyet Nhung's identity and her relationship with Vuong Ba Khiem, to the conversation with his old classmate about the financial motives behind it all.

This time, Lam Nhi not only listened in silence like last time, but actively asked questions, asking him to explain every detail more clearly, even carefully reviewing the technical data on the laptop herself.

"So the photos and messages that were posted online, do you think they were also staged?" She asked, her voice much calmer than the panicked night when she first saw them.

"I'm sure of it." Dinh Vu replied. "Nguyen asked an expert to analyze and found that the photos showed clear signs of editing when examined closely at high resolution - the lighting was inconsistent, there were traces of layering on the edges of some details. This is quite a sophisticated technique, but not absolutely perfect."

He opened his laptop and showed her the detailed technical analysis report that Nguyen's expert had sent, each photo was enlarged, unusual points were circled with red boxes, and with professional notes explaining why they were signs of editing. Lam Nhi attentively looked at every detail, occasionally nodding when she understood the problem. The feeling of relief gradually replaced the confusion that had followed her for many days.

"What about the text messages?" She asked again, still a little confused. "They look very natural, as if they were real conversations."

"That was the most sophisticated part of their plan." Dinh Vu explained. "Nguyen's expert commented that it was likely that the messages were pieced together from real work conversations between him and a few other female colleagues in the hospital, then cropped and edited in context to create a feeling of ambiguity. This is why they look so real — because part of the original content actually exists, just with the original meaning completely distorted."

Lam Nhi sighed in relief, leaned back in the chair, feeling like a large rock that had been weighing heavily on her chest for many days had finally been somewhat removed. "They really calculated it very carefully, to the point of being scary."

Lam Nhi was silent for a moment, fiddled with the coffee cup in front of her, then looked up at him. "I'm sorry for not trusting you from the beginning, for letting those people manipulate my emotions so easily."

"No, Nhi." Dinh Vu held her hand across the table, his voice earnest. "You have nothing to apologize for. I am the one who should apologize, for letting you live in the dark for the past five years, creating an environment that any bad person can take advantage of to sow doubt and divide us. If we had made everything public from the beginning, perhaps Vuong Ba Khiem would not have had the opportunity to carry out this plot."

Lam Nhi nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks, but this time they were tears of relief and a pain that had begun to ease, not despair like before. "So now what do we need to do next?"

"You need more direct evidence to be able to publicly confront him." Dinh Vu said, his voice returned to serious and decisive. "Testimony or evidence of contact between Vuong Ba Khiem and Vuong Tuyet Nhung will be the most important key. But approaching Tuyet Nhung directly is very risky, she can immediately notify Khiem if she feels threatened."

"Let me try." Lam Nhi said, making Dinh Vu look at her in surprise. "I remember, Tuyet Nhung worked at a hospital charity fundraising event two years ago. At that time, I was still a nurse in charge of logistics. I contacted and talked to her a few times. Perhaps, if I approach as an old acquaintance, without direct threats or accusations, I can make her open up more, especially if she is really being forced and feels tormented like what you analyzed."

Dinh Vu pondered for a moment, weighing his concerns for Lam Nhi's safety and the feasibility of the plan she had just proposed. "I don't want you to be in danger, Nhi. If Vuong Ba Khiem finds out, he may take unpredictable actions."

"I will be careful." Lam Nhi replied, her eyes determined. "Mr. Vu, I want to participate in this, not only for myself, but for my whole family. I don't want to just sit around waiting for you to solve everything anymore. We've spent too much time living apart, both in our secret marriage and in this war. It's time for us to face everything together."

Dinh Vu looked at her, a complex emotion rising in his heart between joy because she had begun to trust again, and concern for her safety. Finally, he nodded. "Okay, but we'll plan carefully, and I'll always be nearby to make sure you're safe."

They spent the next two hours sitting together, discussing details about how to approach Vuong Tuyet Nhung, how to collect more evidence without revealing their intentions to Vuong Ba Khiem. For the first time in weeks, the two of them actually worked together as a team, as they should have done from the beginning of their marriage — not hiding, not one shouldering the burden in the darkness and the other living in the light, but facing every difficulty together.

Before saying goodbye, Dinh Vu hesitantly asked. "So... can we consider it a connection again, Nhi? Or do you still need more time?"

Lam Nhi smiled slightly, the first sincere smile he saw after many weeks of separation. "Let us finish this first, Mr. Vu. I want to start over completely, without any ghosts from the past. But I think... my heart never really left you, even though I tried to convince myself otherwise."

Dinh Vu gently squeezed her hand, a relieved smile appeared on his always serious face. "Then, let's go down this path together."

Leaving the cafe, the two stood for a moment on the sidewalk before each returning to their car. Late in the afternoon, pale yellow sunlight penetrated through the canopy of trees, and a light wind blew, causing a few dry leaves to fall onto the road. Dinh Vu looked at Lam Nhi, his eyes contained so many things he wanted to say but didn't know where to start, while Lam Nhi also stood there, his heart mixed between the hope that had just been rekindled and the caution that still remained.

"Can you visit Mien this weekend?" She asked, breaking the silence. "She's been talking about you since that day at the hospital."

"Of course." Dinh Vu replied immediately, his eyes lit up. "I'll bring the puzzle you like, and maybe the princess cake I owe you from the other day."

Lam Nhi laughed lightly, the first genuine laugh after many stressful weeks, making Dinh Vu unable to hold back his smile. In that simple moment in the middle of a small street, both of them temporarily forgot the dark conspiracy that was still lurking behind them, leaving only two people who once loved each other deeply, trying to find their way back to each other.