Chapter 6 — It's Too Late, Doctor Vu

After meeting with lawyer Trinh Bao Han, Lam Nhi spent two weekends quietly preparing for a new life, all while Dinh Vu was still busy with the final receptions of the appraisal. She knew she didn't have much time left, because the more she hesitated, the more afraid she would become soft-hearted like before.

On Saturday morning, while Dinh Vu was at the hospital to see off the appraisal team before they returned, Lam Nhi took the opportunity to look at a small two-bedroom apartment in a popular apartment building in the Cau Giay area, not far from Bich Van's house to conveniently ask for help in times of need. The apartment was not as spacious and luxurious as the Tay Ho villa, the painted walls were a bit old, the small balcony was only big enough for a clothesline, but it had one thing that the other villa never had - it completely belonged to her, there was no need to hide her existence from anyone.

"Do you like this apartment?" The broker asked, looking at Lam Nhi standing quietly in the middle of the empty living room, the afternoon sunlight filtering through the uncurtained window.

"I rent." She replied, her voice decisive, then immediately signed the rental contract, transferring the three-month deposit with all the personal savings she had quietly accumulated over the years - a small amount, not because she was poor, but because all the major expenses in the family had been under Dinh Vu's name for a long time, and she always kept a part of her salary as a prudent habit, unexpectedly that habit would now become the salvation for the most important decision of her life.

She stood for a moment after the broker left, looking around the empty room, imagining that this place would put a small sofa, that place would put a desk for little Mien, and a few potted plants would hang in the corner of the window to make the house less cold. It was the first time in many years that she was able to decide every detail of a living space on her own, without considering whether it fit the "single star doctor" image or not, without worrying whether there was any trace of a child forgotten in the corner of the house. That small feeling of freedom, even though it was accompanied by unresolved pain, still made her feel a little lighter.

On the same afternoon, Lam Nhi submitted a resignation letter from the hospital's human resources department, citing the reason that her family needed to move to another place to live. The head of the human resources department, who admired her dedication throughout many years of work, tried to convince her to stay, even offering to increase her salary and change to another position if she no longer wanted to be Dr. Vu's personal assistant. But Lam Nhi just smiled, shook her head slightly, thanked her for her concern, then resolutely completed the procedure, handing over all the work to a new assistant who will take over next week.

She didn't tell anyone in the hospital the real reason, except for Bich Van - the only friend who was always there to support her, even though she was somewhat worried about her hasty decision. A few other close colleagues in the department sent messages to ask after hearing the news of her sudden resignation, regretting the loss of an assistant who was always highly appreciated for her thoughtfulness and dedication, but Lam Nhi only responded with short words of thanks, without further explanation, keeping the secret that had followed her for five years until the last moment of leaving the place where she had spent most of her youth.

"Are you sure you've thought this through?" Bich Van asked as she helped Lam Nhi pack small boxes to move to the new apartment on Sunday night, right when Dinh Vu was still attending the celebration party at the hospital. "Quiting your job, moving house, filing for divorce, all within just three days. I'm just afraid you're acting because it's too painful, not because you've thought it through clearly."

"Three days to decide, but five years to accumulate enough courage, Van." Lam Nhi replied while folding baby Mien's clothes into the suitcase, her voice unusually calm. "I'm not acting impulsively. I'm just doing what I should have done a long time ago."

That evening, when all the necessary furniture had been moved to the new apartment, Lam Nhi held the sleeping baby Mien in her arms and entered the small house for the first time. She put her child down on the single bed that had just been temporarily set up in the bedroom, pulled the blanket over him, then stood silently in the middle of the empty room, surrounded by cardboard boxes that had not yet been opened, and streetlights shining in through the uncurtained window.

This was the first time in five years that she had a place all to herself, without having to share anyone's secrets, without having to worry about disappearing when guests came to visit. That feeling was both relief and suffocating loneliness.

She pulled out her phone and looked at the last text message she sent to Dinh Vu before deciding to block his number - a simple message informing her that she would take her child to her friend's house to stay for a few more days. She had no choice but to completely cut off contact, because she clearly understood that if she heard his voice and saw his eyes, perhaps she would once again soften her heart and believe in the promises once again.

That night, Lam Nhi wrote a letter to Dinh Vu, weighing each word carefully, trying to clearly state her decision while not letting anger and hurt overshadow the five years of sincere love she had for him. After finishing writing, she asked Bich Van - who still kept a spare key to the villa from the previous times she babysat Mien for Lam Nhi - to bring it to the dressing table in the main bedroom, right on Sunday afternoon when she knew Dinh Vu was still busy attending a party.

On Monday morning, Lam Nhi woke up early in her new apartment, prepared a simple breakfast for her child before taking her to school - she was able to complete procedures for temporarily transferring Mien to a facility near her new home, even though she couldn't help but feel guilty about having to let her child leave familiar friends.

"Mom, isn't dad here in the new house?" Little Mien asked while eating breakfast, her big round eyes looking bewilderedly around the kitchen, which was still cluttered with boxes.

Lam Nhi paused for a second, then sat down at her child's eye level, trying to choose the gentlest words possible. "We'll be at our new home for a while. Dad still loves you, it's just that now he and I need some time alone to think about some things."

Baby Mien remained silent, looked down at the bowl of porridge in front of her, then quietly asked in a slightly worried voice: "So can I still see dad?"

"Sure." Lam Nhi hugged her child in her arms, trying to suppress the emotions welling up in her heart. Her voice still maintained the familiar gentleness even though her heart was aching. "No matter what happens, I will always be your father, nothing can change that."

After taking her children to school, Lam Nhi drove around a few streets before really starting a new day without having to go to the hospital, no longer having to play the role of a devoted assistant next to her husband whose name she could not publicly name. She stopped the car by the lake, sat quietly watching the water's surface ripple gently in the early morning sunlight, feeling a strange emptiness mixed with a faint ray of hope for a new beginning.

She pulled out the small notebook she always carried with her and started making a list of things to do for the next week - finding a new job, even if it was no longer a nurse at a big hospital, it would still be enough to cover the living expenses for mother and child; Complete school transfer procedures for Mien; Rearrange the apartment's interior to make it as cozy as possible within the current limited financial capacity. She wrote each line in neat handwriting, as if making a specific plan could help her control some of the chaos going on inside her.

In the midst of those realistic plans, there was a moment when she stopped writing, looked out at the lake, and let the memories of the past five years flood back uncontrollably — about the small duty room where she and Dinh Vu first held hands, about his radiant smile on the day they registered their marriage, about the first cry of baby Mien, whom he held tightly in his arms as if afraid of breaking a treasure. She let the tears roll down once more, then dried herself, closed the notebook, and started the car to leave the lakeshore. Although the road ahead still had many hardships awaiting both mother and daughter, she knew she had no other choice but to move on.