Chapter 17 — Marriage Is A Trap

The phone lights up one last time. Co Dien's message.

"Good morning."

“See you tomorrow night.”

Co Dien's dinner party was held at a private club located next to the lake. When I arrived, there were more than ten people inside. Completely different from my imagination. There was no sound of clinking glasses. There are no business elites wearing neat suits. People here dress very comfortably. There is a middle-aged woman over fifty years old. There is a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses. There is also an old couple with white hair. Co Dien stood at the door waiting for me.

“Miss To, you're here.”

“Who are these people?”

“They are all my friends.”

He smiled lightly.

“After telling them today's topic… everyone wanted to come.”

“What topic?”

“The Truth in Marriage.”

He led me inside and introduced everyone one by one. The woman over fifty years old is named Ngo Man Chi, a retired judge, specializing in handling family and marriage cases. Thirty years of trying more than a thousand divorce cases. The young man wearing glasses named Manh Pham has a doctorate in psychology, whose main research direction is attachment theory. And the old couple is much more interesting. Husband's name is Chung Quoc Dong. His wife's name is Ly Ngoc Hoa. Married forty-two years. Mr. Chung said he had never argued with his wife in his entire life. Ms. Ly immediately exposed him on the spot.

“He's lying.”

“Last week, just because you forgot to buy a bottle of soy sauce, you argued with me.”

The whole room burst into laughter. There was a feeling of relaxation that had not appeared for a long time. This party is not like a social party. Which is more like a private chat salon. Each person tells a part of their experience related to their marriage. Ngo Man Chi told about a case she once tried. A couple, the wife is a full-time housewife, the husband is a senior manager of a business. After the husband committed adultery, the wife did not rebel. She quietly spent three years studying law, taking the bar exam, then standing out as her own divorce lawyer. Finally won the case. Divide assets in half. Currently, he also opened his own law office.

“From the moment I tried that case, I knew…”

Ngo Man Chi put down his cup of tea.

“That woman won.”

“It's not about winning the case.”

“It's about winning your own life.”

Manh Pham then shared a perspective on the type of emotional attachment.

“A lot of times, we choose what type of person to love… not because we truly love.”

“But because of familiarity.”

“A person who grew up in a cold family…”

"Often you will unconsciously choose someone who is also cold."

“It's not because they like that coldness.”

“But because that kind of feeling… makes them feel ‘safe’.”

Hearing that sentence, my heart shook a little. The story of Chung Quoc Dong and Ly Ngoc Hoa is the shortest. Mr. Chung smiled and said:

“Forty-two years of marriage, the secret is only one word.”

Ms. Ly immediately continued:

“He said it right.”

“But yielding is not being patient.”

"But when eating... always give the best piece to the other person first."

The whole room burst into laughter. It's my turn. I don't tell my marriage story. It's about a letter a reader once sent me. A woman has been married for ten years. Her husband is seriously ill. She took care of it alone for three years. After her husband passed away, she wrote me exactly one sentence.

“Miss Nam Son, he's gone.”

“But I haven't regret marrying him.”

“Because the three years of taking care of him… were the three years I felt the most in my life that I was truly needed.”

After I finished telling the story, the whole space became quiet. Mrs. Ly quietly wiped the corners of her eyes. The dinner party ended and everyone left one by one. I stood by the lake, looking at the lights reflecting on the water. Co Dien walked over and stood next to me.

“You didn't tell your story today.”

“I've told you enough.”

I looked at the ripples of the lake.

“At the autograph session.”

“In the article.”

“I don't want to do it again.”

“So after hearing other people's stories…”

He turned to look at me.

“What do you feel?”

“I feel…”

I smiled softly.

“My failed marriage is actually quite normal.”

Co Dien laughed softly.

“That's not a bad thing.”

His eyes were very gentle.

“Normal failures… are the easiest to heal.”

I turned to look at him.

“The question you said…”

“Can I ask now?”

He was silent for a few seconds. Then slowly spoke up.

“After my marriage ended…”

“I'm always thinking about one thing.”

“Between you two…”

“After all, there exists some kind of relationship…”

“Not the bond of marriage.”