Chapter 3 — Last Hope

He laughed coldly, then slammed the door and left. The hospital room became quiet again. I looked at my sister-in-law lying motionless on the bed, tears falling uncontrollably. Sister-in-law… did you hear that? The man she loved all her life... expected her to die. What should I do? What should I do... I sat beside the bed, held her cold hand, and sat like that for a whole day. By evening, my brother did not return. Lam Na also did not appear. Only one new household worker came in on time to change medicine and take temperature. That night, I laid my head down on the side of the bed and fell asleep. In the dream, the sister-in-law woke up. She held my hand and smiled gently.

"Tieu Hi, don't be afraid, I'm here."

From childhood to adulthood, she told me this sentence countless times. My parents passed away early, and my brother and sister-in-law raised me. My brother speaks little and is not good at expressing himself. Always a sister-in-law… like a mother, taking care of me, protecting me. For my college tuition, she secretly sold dowry jewelry to make ends meet. The first time I fell in love, she hugged me and cried all night, and the next day she took me out to the most expensive meal. She always says:

"Tieu Hi, even if the sky falls, I will still support you."

Your sky has fallen. It's my turn to hold up the sky for her. I suddenly woke up from the dream, my face wet with tears. It's morning. I took out my phone and opened a photo. That's a photo of our whole family. In the photo, my brother and sister-in-law are standing in the middle, I am nestled next to her, the three of them are smiling so brightly, so happy that they feel like they can touch them. I zoomed in on the photo and looked closely at my sister-in-law's face. Looking for a while, I suddenly realized a detail. The day the photo was taken, the sister-in-law wore a pair of pearl earrings. Those earrings... are the things she loves the most, they have a special meaning. But since she was hospitalized, I have never seen it again. All of her jewelry was taken away by my brother. He said… afraid of losing. But something suddenly flashed in my mind. Yesterday when Lam Na left... on her ears, there also seemed to be a pair of pearl earrings. identical to my sister-in-law's pair. My heart beats rapidly like a drum. Those earrings. I absolutely cannot get it wrong. It was an eighteenth birthday gift from my sister-in-law's mother. A grown-up gift. She once said that it was the most precious thing in her life. Even me, she couldn't bear to touch me. But now... it's on another woman's ear. That woman even held my brother's arm. I took out my phone, my fingers shaking with anger. I don't have Lam Na's contact. But I know her name. In this era, wanting to find someone... is not difficult. I opened social networks and typed "Lam Na". A series of identical names appeared. I patiently clicked each one. Browse each avatar. Finally... I saw that familiar face. Sophisticated makeup, puckered lips, raised hand in a V shape. Profile photo is a selfie. Behind… seems to be a luxury restaurant. I clicked. Her personal page is full of photos of fun and enjoyment. Branded bags, luxury items, high-end hotels. Living is truly too "comfortable". I continued scrolling down. Then stop. One photo left me speechless. In the photo, she is wearing a beautiful dress, standing on a yacht. The sea breeze blew her long hair. She smiled very brightly. But what sent chills down my spine— was the pair Pearl earrings in her ears. That's it. The photo was posted three months ago. At that time... my sister-in-law had been in the hospital for more than half a year. I opened the comments section. Someone asked:

“Wow Na Na, the new earrings are so beautiful, what brand are they?”

She replied:

“It's not a brand, it's a gift from someone else, it's very meaningful.”

Right below... my brother's account gave me a like.

“Someone else gave it.”

“Very meaningful.”

I trembled with anger. You are truly not human! I continued scrolling down. There's another picture... even more outrageous. Photo of her and my brother together. The main scene is the house we are renting. The house... was decorated by my sister-in-law herself. In the photo, Lam Na is nestled in my brother's arms, smiling brightly like a flower. My brother hugged her, bowed his head and kissed her forehead. That look... I've never seen him look at his sister-in-law like that. The caption reads:

“With you by my side, every day is sunshine.”

Posting time: last month. I took screenshots of each photo, one by one. Here is the evidence. Clear evidence that my brother had an affair and betrayed his sister-in-law! I tightened my grip on the phone and rushed out of the house. I have to find them. I have to ask why—has his conscience…been eaten by dogs! I know where they are. Every day he goes there to "act". Playing the role of a lovesick husband. I took a taxi and went straight to the hospital gate. In the coffee shop downstairs, I saw them. The two sat next to each other, laughing and chatting happily. Lam Na is using a spoon to feed my brother a cake. The scene was so sweet that it was… nauseating. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. Don't talk much. I placed the phone firmly on the table. On the screen— was their intimate photo.

“Tran Loi, aren't you going to explain?”

The two people were startled. When Tran Loi saw the photo, his face immediately changed.

“Tieu Hi, are you following me?”

"Do I need to monitor? You posted it yourself, are you afraid people won't know?"

I pointed straight at Lam Na's ear.

"And you! Return my sister-in-law's earrings!"

Lam Na reflexively touched her ear. Her eyes flashed with panic.

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is what A Loi gave me!"

“He gave it to you?”

I laughed coldly.

"This is my sister-in-law's relics! No... she's not dead yet. Are you so anxious to be a widow, waiting to inherit her things?"

My voice is not small. The whole cafe turned to look at once.

“Just keep quiet!”

Tran Loi lowered his voice and shouted.

"You know you'll lose face? When you guys do these things, why don't you feel embarrassed?"

"What's the matter? Lam Na and I truly love each other!"

Finally… he admitted.

"True love? So what about my sister-in-law? Is she an obstacle to your noble love?"

"Luu Van, she... she's like that, it's no different from death."

He said that without blinking. My heart... was completely numb.

“Tran Loi, you are truly an animal!”

I raised my hand, intending to slap him. But he held my wrist tightly. The force is terrifyingly strong.

"Tran Hi, I warn you, don't be too much."

“Am I too much?”

I burst out laughing, laughing until I choked.

"In the end, who is the one who is too much? You turned your sister-in-law into a vegetable, and even had sex with the little tam, giving away her things to someone else! Are you saying I am too much?"

“I'm spitting blood!”

He roared.

“Who said I harmed her? I have proof Are not?"

“I don't have... but heaven has eyes! It won't end well for you two!”

He waved his hand. I couldn't stand firmly, stumbling and hitting the table behind me. Coffee spilled everywhere. Disgraceful and pitiful. Lam Na stood up and approached. She looked at me from above, her eyes full of contempt.

“Tran Hi, right?”

She smiled, a smile full of complacency and provocation.

“Don't waste any more effort, the person A Loi loves is me.”

She leaned close to my ear, her cruel voice like a poisonous snake hissing through my ear.

“And your plant sister-in-law… should have died a long time ago. If we don't die, where will we get a place?"

My head made a buzzing sound. All reason... suddenly stopped.