Chapter 23 — It's Too Late, Doctor Vu

Even though they have moved back to live together at the Tay Ho villa and all misunderstandings have been completely cleared up, there is still one last important thing that needs to be resolved completely - the divorce documents that Lam Nhi asked lawyer Trinh Bao Han to draft during the darkest days of their marriage, are still there, not officially withdrawn according to legal procedures.

"I think we should go see lawyer Bao Han to resolve this officially." Lam Nhi said to Dinh Vu one weekend evening, while they were both watching baby Mien play in the villa garden. "Even though it's just a formality, I want to close that chapter completely and properly."

Dinh Vu nodded and held her hand. "I agree. It's also a way for us to officially start over, with a completely new page."

Before the date, Lam Nhi spent an evening sitting alone in the living room, reopening the old diary she wrote in the first years of marriage, re-reading each page one last time before officially closing the saddest chapter of her life. She no longer feels pain when rereading those words, but instead feels an appreciation for the journey she has gone through - both the happy years and the dark days, all of which have contributed to creating the person she is today, a stronger woman who understands her own value better than ever.

Closing the diary, her eyes accidentally touched the small wedding photo frame placed on the bookshelf opposite - the photo she stood silently looking at and then put down, without taking it with her, on the morning she left this house forever as if she would never return. Now it is no longer hidden behind medical dictionaries like before, but placed neatly in the most visible position, facing the door, as if someone had decided to let the whole house, not just the two people in the photo, see it every day. She stood up, picked up the photo frame, her fingers ran across her youthful face that day, and this time, she smiled instead of shedding tears.

The following Saturday morning, they both went to Trinh Bao Han's lawyer's office, where they witnessed Lam Nhi's tears of pain on the first day she came to seek help to end her secret marriage. Now, when she entered that familiar room, her mood was completely different — there was no longer despair, only an indescribable relief and happiness.

Bao Han welcomed them both with a warm smile, different from the serious and professional look usually seen at work. "I was very happy to receive your call last week, informing me that I wanted to cancel the divorce file. Honestly, this was one of the calls I was most excited to receive in my entire career as a family lawyer."

"Thank you for accompanying me during the most difficult period." Lam Nhi said, her voice was sincere. "If it weren't for your advice that day, I probably wouldn't have been alert enough to reconsider everything when Mr. Vu came to present evidence."

"I just gave a few suggestions, the final decision is still up to you." Bao Han humbly replied, then took out the old divorce file. "In terms of procedures, because the file has not been officially submitted to the court, we only need you to sign the application to withdraw the request and cancel this entire file, without having to go through any other complicated legal processes."

Lam Nhi held the pen and looked down at the file that once contained the most painful decision of her life. She looked up at Dinh Vu sitting next to her, his eyes were full of anticipation and love, then she signed the application to withdraw the request, each stroke was decisive but full of hope, different from the shaky strokes full of despair from before.

"Done." Bao Han smiled, took back the signed documents, then carefully stamped the cancellation stamp on the cover page before storing it in a folder. "Officially from today, this file is no longer valid. I will save a copy for the office's records, but legally, everything is considered to have never happened."

Lam Nhi sighed softly in relief, feeling as if she had just removed the last sharp thorn that had been stuck deep in her heart for many weeks. She looked at the file being put away, then turned to look at Dinh Vu, their eyes exchanged a wordless understanding, as if confirming together that the darkest chapter of their marriage had truly closed, making way for a completely new beginning.

Dinh Vu held Lam Nhi's hand, his voice choked with emotion. "Thank you, Nhi. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to correct my mistakes, to prove that I am worthy of your love and trust."

"We'll get through it together, Mr. Vu." Lam Nhi replied, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. "I also need to thank you, for not giving up, for persevering in finding the truth even though I refused every opportunity you gave me."

Bao Han stood up, poured more tea for both of them, and smiled slightly at the couple in front of her. "I've seen many couples come to this office hoping to end things, but rarely have I seen a turnaround story as dramatic as theirs. This is truly what makes my job so much more meaningful."

Before leaving the office, Dinh Vu suddenly knelt down on one knee right in the middle of lawyer Bao Han's office, making both Lam Nhi and Bao Han stunned. He took out a small box from his pocket, inside was a new ring, much more sophisticated than the simple silver ring he gave her five years ago.

"Chu Lam Nhi, five years ago I proposed to you with a simple ring and a promise that I couldn't keep completely - the promise that we would soon live like a normal family, without any need to hide. Today, I want to propose to you again, not in the dark, but in the light, with a new promise that I will definitely keep for the rest of my life - I will always put you and Mien above everything else, will never let anything, Whether it's career or fame, making our family live in the dark again, do you agree to be my wife, once again, under the public light, without any hidden names?"

Lam Nhi burst into tears of happiness, both her hands covering her mouth for a moment before nodding repeatedly, her voice choked. "I agree. I agree, Dinh Vu."

Dinh Vu put the new ring on her finger, then stood up and hugged her in the middle of the small office, while lawyer Bao Han stood looking at the scene with tears in her eyes, unable to hide her emotions at a rare complete ending that she had witnessed throughout her career.

"I think this is the first time in my career that I've witnessed a proposal right at my divorce lawyer's office." Bao Han said, smiling and wiping tears. "Congratulations to both of you, truly congratulations. Maybe I should hang a small sign on the door, stating that this office not only specializes in handling divorces, but sometimes also brings love back to couples who seem to have lost all hope."

All three laughed at that humorous statement, completely dispelling the heavy atmosphere usually associated with a law office specializing in marriage and family, leaving each person with a rare warm aftertaste amid the chaos of daily work full of dry legality.

Leaving the lawyer's office, Dinh Vu and Lam Nhi held hands and walked down a small tree-lined street, the weekend morning sunlight gently shining down, different from the torrential rain of that fateful night not long ago, when Lam Nhi had to rush to grab her child and flee from her own house.

They stopped by a familiar small bakery on the way home, bought the princess-shaped cake that Dinh Vu had promised his daughter a long time ago but never had a chance to keep. They planned to hold a small party that night to celebrate with the whole family, and also an opportunity to officially announce the good news about the new engagement ring to baby Mien, who will certainly be extremely excited to know that her parents are about to hold a real wedding, something she has often dreamed of attending. attend after watching cartoons about princesses and princes.

On the way home, Lam Nhi looked down at the sparkling new ring on her finger, then looked up at Dinh Vu who was driving. His face now no longer had any tension or burden of a "single star doctor" who had to play a role for many years, but only remained the relaxation and genuine happiness of a man who had fully found his family. Now, there's nothing left to run away from, nothing left to cover up - there were only two people left who had overcome the storm together to find each other again, ready to continue on the road ahead, together and publicly, forever, towards a future where both were sure there will be no more secrets that can separate them.