Chapter 13 — Marriage Book

“Nothing, just a fact.” Her voice remained unchanged, "In addition, according to the agreement, we have sent a lawyer's letter to your email regarding the financial obligations you need to bear. Please do so within the prescribed time limit, otherwise we will proceed with enforcement."

“Debt.” Chu Khai Hang felt his head pounding, "What's the debt?"

"The loan is in the joint name of him and Ms. To's parents. The contract and transfer documents are all there, clearly stating that it will be used for wedding preparation expenses and new house furniture." Chu Nhiem calmly explained, "According to the AA agreement signed by you, all expenses in the marriage are divided in half. Now that the marriage is over, the unpaid portion is of course fully borne by you."

“All.” He couldn't believe it, his voice rose, "Why doesn't everyone get half? It's clearly written in the agreement to split in half."

“Because the rest, To Ninh paid off last month.” Chu Nhiem said very softly, "For her part, she never intended to hide, it's just that I never really looked closely at those numbers."

Chu Khai Hang stood still, unable to say a word. He suddenly remembered the time before we got married, I often sat in the living room holding my laptop, sometimes even holding the computer and clicking away. At that time, he thought I was calculating work or planning future expenses. He still felt secure in his heart. He once bragged to his mother that he married someone who "knows how to manage money." It turns out I'm calculating the part of my life that I have to bear alone.

“Mr. Chu.” Chu Nhiem's voice pulled him back to reality, "When you signed that agreement, you should have understood what each clause meant. You wanted everything to be clear, every penny, so now, please respect that clarity."

His lips trembled slightly.

“Lawyer Chu… how is she… now.”

“Very good.” Chu Nhiem paused for a moment, "At least it's better when I'm still with you."

The call ended, the ringing sound echoed in his ears, and he suddenly felt the entire large building become empty. At noon, he was notified that he was temporarily suspended from work. In the afternoon, the human resources department sent an email requesting cooperation in the investigation. In the company chat group, messages exploded. Even though no one mentioned his name directly, every sentence "Have you heard" or "What a terrible calculation" was like a slap in the face. At night, his mother called again.

"Khai Hang, is there someone in the company intentionally trying to harm you? The video has already spread to your hometown. Your aunt and uncle keep calling and asking mom, what's going on?" Her voice was loud, "That girl dares to do that to you, quickly find her and take it all down, and that debt, why do you let me bear it all, the money she spent on buying wedding dresses, decorating the house, don't you enjoy anything, she ran away and still makes you pay, is that reasonable?"

"Mom." His voice was hoarse, "The house was bought by her before the wedding, she paid for the wedding dress herself, the wedding plan was also chosen by her, the additional items that mother asked for at that time, were also advanced by her. The agreement was written very clearly, and I signed and agreed to it myself."

“If you sign then sign, then you know he will get a divorce.” His mother still refused to let go, "This is a trap. From the beginning it wanted to harm you. Don't be stupid. Come home to me quickly and find your uncle to figure out a way. You can't bear such a loss."

"Mom." He closed his eyes, "Mom, don't interfere anymore. I brought this on myself."

The other side was silent second.

“What did you say?”

“I said, I brought this on myself.” He repeated, each word clearly, "You proposed the agreement, you signed the words, you betrayed the person."

After speaking, he seemed to be drained of strength and leaned back on the couch. For the first time, he no longer tried to push responsibility onto someone else. His mother was still screaming "no", "can't be ignored", but those sounds gradually became distant to him. Hanging up the phone, he stood up, left the company through the back door, and walked along the small road leading to the train station. The afternoon wind brought a bit of cold moisture and blew on his face, making his mind more alert. He suddenly remembered the first time I went with him on this road. That day, I wore a simple white t-shirt with jeans, carrying the bag I had just bought in one hand, and the other hand on his arm. Two people crowded out of the market. At the corner of the street there was a crowded tea stall with a long line of people. I turned my head to look at him, a slight expectation in my eyes.

“Want to eat?” He asked smilingly.

"YES." I nodded, then immediately added, "But didn't you tell me to limit sugar? Let's wait until next time."

At that time he blurted out a sentence.

“Then AA, you eat mine, I'll try a piece.”

I paused for a moment, then smiled.

“Okay, from now on.”

At that time, he did not understand how serious that sentence was. Looking back now, it turns out that everything had signs early on. AA in marriage, AA in love, AA in every sacrifice, even when he left, he could only watch helplessly as I decisively withdrew, not owing him anything. The train rushed past, the strong wind blew away his shirt. He suddenly wanted to know where I was now and how I was living. But he understood very clearly that that question was no longer something he had the right to ask. Divorce proceedings do not take too long. One month later, mediation failed, the verdict was announced, the marital relationship ended, assets and debts were completely divided according to the AA agreement that we signed. Each clause that seemed "fair" ended up being blades that cut right into his weakness. He thought he had all the advantages, but in the end he realized that the one being counted was himself. The news spread back to his hometown, and his mother was so angry that she had to be hospitalized, lying in bed cursing every day. Relatives gossiped, saying "young people don't understand things", but behind his back, no one wanted to marry his daughter. Work is more directly affected.