Chapter 2 — Milk Before Bed and Great Conspiracy

I checked and re-checked the kitchen, confirming there were no suspicious spots. In the end, I could only suppress my doubts and turned around to leave. I didn't stay long, exchanged a few words with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law and then drove home. On the way home, I kept replaying every detail of today in my head. Aunt Truong's shaky instructions, her mother-in-law's avoiding eyes, and the cold glass of milk she drank... were all intertwined. I thought back and forth the whole way, still unable to find a breakthrough. Everything is so perfect it's scary. When I got home, I was restless. Whether I was sitting or lying on the sofa, my mind still couldn't stop. From what she saw at her mother-in-law's house during the day, to Aunt Truong suddenly quitting her job and leaving a warning, everything kept repeating in her mind. The more I thought about it, the more it felt wrong, but I couldn't grasp that vague key thread. At ten o'clock at night, my husband, Duong Minh Khai, came home from work. He works as a manager at my father's company and has always been gentle and thoughtful towards me. When it was time to go to bed, I finished showering, lay on the bed, mentally prepared myself, intending to tell him today's strange story and the uneasiness in my heart. But as soon as I called him back, my eyes stopped on what he was holding... then froze. In his hand was a cup of warm milk, gradually moving towards me, like every day, preparing to deliver it to me. It's a habit he has maintained for many years. Every night he prepares me a glass of milk before going to bed, saying it will help me sleep better. But right now, looking at that glass of pure white milk... My heart suddenly tightened. A chill spread straight from his chest to his whole body. Milk again. My fingertips trembled slightly, but I still forced myself to smile calmly, not daring to show any unusualness. I reached out to receive the cup of warm milk. My fingertips touched the edge of the cup, which was still slightly hot, but inside, my heart was cold to the bone.

"Minh Khai, Aunt Truong has been with us for so many years, always careful and stable. This time she suddenly quit taking care of Nguyet Nguyet, it's really a bit strange."

My voice was deliberately kept light, a faint doubt appeared on my face, and my eyes locked tightly on his face.

“When she left, her face was panicked, her speech was hesitant, as if she had encountered something scary but didn't dare say it.”

"Today I made a special trip back to the house over there. I saw Nguyet Nguyet and the children were fine, there was nothing unusual in the house, I really couldn't think of the reason."

"She doesn't look like she's tired or unfamiliar with the place, but like... she's extremely scared of something. Do you find this strange?"

After listening, Duong Minh Khai's steps paused for a moment, then bent down and placed the briefcase on the cabinet next to the door, his expression still gentle as usual. He rubbed his forehead with his hand, his voice carrying a bit of fatigue but full of reassurance.

"Aunt Truong has only ever taken care of us. She's used to it, she definitely can't adapt to taking care of a newborn."

"Besides, I also know my mother's personality, hot-tempered, straightforward. Sometimes I accidentally say harsh words, scaring her."

"It's normal for a maid to want to quit when she's unhappy at work. Maybe she wants to tell you about her suffering but doesn't know how to say it. Anyway, to her, Nguyet Nguyet and mother are still is my relative."

Having said that, he reached out and patted my shoulder, his eyes were straight, not seeing any unusual points.

“You're just too soft-hearted, always worried about others. Don't think about nonsense anymore, drink milk and sleep well."

"Just rest well, I'm in the house, no matter how big the problem is, you don't need me to shoulder it."

I stared at Duong Minh Khai's face, every sentence, every word, every expression was captured in my eyes. As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes slightly avoided, his fingertips unconsciously touched the bridge of his nose. I'm so used to that small movement that I can't get more used to it. In the past, my best friend used to tease me, secretly saying that every time he lied he would touch his nose, telling me to keep this a secret, so that later I would know when he was lying. My heart suddenly sank again, colder than when I saw the glass of milk just now. The person I trust the most, love the most... is also deceiving me. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, not showing any panic on my face, still remaining calm. Only the hand holding the glass of milk was clenched a little tighter.

“Minh Khai, can you help me get tomorrow's meeting documents from the office? I want to watch it again.”

I raised my head to look at him, trying to keep my voice natural, not revealing any flaws. Duong Minh Khai didn't think much, nodded then turned and walked towards the office. Hearing his footsteps fading away, I immediately stood up, grabbed a glass of milk and quickly went to the bathroom. I locked the door, held my breath, and poured all the milk in the cup into the toilet. At the end, I deliberately kept a little bit and carefully poured it into a bottle of mineral water. I tightened the cap and hid the bottle in the upper cabinet in the bathroom, hiding it carefully. Having finished everything, I looked in the mirror, adjusted my expression, picked up the empty cup, then slowly opened the door and walked out. I placed the empty milk glass on the nightstand. Not long after, Duong Minh Khai picked up the arranged documents, pushed the door open and entered the bedroom. He walked over to the bed, bent down and placed the file on the nightstand. His eyes paused for half a second, stopping on the empty cup for a moment, but said nothing. I lay on the bed, my heart beating rapidly, but I still closed my eyes and pretended to be sleepy, not daring to face his eyes. I could clearly feel his gaze stopping on my face for a few seconds, then slowly turned and left. That night, I lay in bed unable to sleep. In my ears was the sound of my husband lying next to me breathing evenly, while my heart was churning and churning restlessly. All night long, I didn't dare relax even a little bit. It was just dawn, I used the excuse of having to go to a meeting early, gently got out of bed, hid the milk sample in my bag and left the house. I ran straight to the central hospital, found my old classmate who worked in the testing department, and secretly gave her a milk sample. After more than half an hour of waiting, I couldn't sit still, countless scary possibilities appeared in my mind. The moment the result sheet was given to me, my friend's face was terribly heavy, and his voice was full of pain and seriousness.

“This sample… found ingredients in short-acting birth control pills, and also exceeded the safe dose.”

“Long-term drinking will completely destroy reproductive function, and can even lead to permanent infertility.”

“You must stay away from this source, this type of damage is irreversible, great Don't put your body at risk."

I just nodded mechanically, unable to say a word. Stepping out of the hospital, the sunlight was so bright that I couldn't open my eyes. His legs felt weak and he almost fell to the ground. Only confusion and coldness remained in my heart. A year ago, Duong Minh Khai and I were full of anticipation and preparing to have a baby. However, he held the diagnosis sheet and told me that I had congenital ovarian failure and that in this life it was almost impossible to get pregnant. That night, I hugged him and cried all night, filled with guilt, feeling that I was not worthy of a man who loved children like him, and was not even qualified to be a mother. But clearly you know I already have difficulty getting pregnant... So why do you still secretly... give me such a heavy dose of birth control pills? He always clearly shows his love for children. Since Duong Nguyet Nguyet's sister-in-law became pregnant, he has been even more concerned than a father about to have a child. Every time Nguyet Nguyet goes to a prenatal checkup, no matter how urgent the work is, no matter how important the social occasion is, he ignores everything and insists on accompanying her from start to finish. After the dragon and phoenix couple were born, even though he got off work at midnight, he still went to his mother-in-law's house, took one look at the two children before returning. Every time he held those two soft children, his eyes were so gentle that they seemed to melt, and the corners of his lips could not hide the smile.