Chapter 5 — Milk Before Bed and Great Conspiracy

Countless small doubts instantly connected into a chain. The more I thought about it, the more I panicked, and the more I thought about it, the colder my spine became. I took a deep breath, forced myself to suppress the fear and coldness rolling in my heart, forcing myself to completely calm down. Just speculation is useless, I need proof.

“I can't guess anymore... I have to have proof.”

I used my relationships, avoided the eyes and ears of Duong Minh Khai and my mother-in-law, and secretly arranged a "child visit" that seemed normal. I prepared clean sampling equipment, and throughout the process I still pretended to love the children as before. While gently holding them, I quietly collected hair and saliva samples from the two children. After that, I took advantage of my daily activities to secretly take a few strands of Duong Minh Khai's lost hair and carefully preserve them. I immediately sent two samples to a reputable inspection agency. The entire process went through a private channel, absolutely not revealing half a point of information. During the days waiting for the results, I remained the same on the outside, treating Duong Minh Khai as gently as before, without revealing anything. But only I know… every second that passes is torture.

“I'm scared... but I can't help but know.”

The day the assessment results came out, I sat alone in the office, my fingertips trembling as I opened the sealed envelope. When I saw the words: "Confirmed that Duong Minh Khai and the two newborns are directly related"... I was strangely calm. No crying, no madness. Only cold. Cold to the bone.

“So… that's it.”

And also... the feelings in my heart were completely numb. All the blindness in love, all the sincerity, all the tolerance... In that moment... crumbled into ashes. Only hate remains. And determined to return it all.

“Duong Minh Khai… you really dare to go to this extent.”

It turns out... those seemingly sincere tenderness... Those seemingly thoughtful concerns... It was all just a play calculated from the beginning. Later, from the clues that the detective dug up, combined with Aunt Truong's fragmented memories, I was able to piece together the past that Duong Minh Khai had kept hidden for more than ten years. Duong Nguyet Nguyet was abandoned by her biological parents when she was young, and then was adopted by my mother-in-law. But that adoption... was not simple at all.

“Adopting what… obviously raising a bride.”

In the countryside, getting married is already difficult, and the father-in-law passed away early. My mother-in-law has long planned to use this method to soon arrange a "child-raised bride" for Duong Minh Khai, while also saving money on the bride price later. As for Duong Minh Khai and Duong Nguyet Nguyet, they grew up together, have a tacit understanding of each other, and their feelings have long gone beyond the limits of normal siblings. Because she wanted him to go to school, Duong Nguyet Nguyet soon dropped out of school to work in a factory. She gave every penny to him. She herself was frugal to the point of suffering, just hoping that one day he would change his life. Duong Minh Khai looks simple and hard-working on the outside, but on the inside he is extremely selfish and self-deprecating. In his mind there was only one thought... to escape the lower class, to stand above others.

“I have to change my life… at all costs.”

During college, he risked his life to prove himself, jostling to become a class officer. Taking the opportunity to organize student records, he came in love seeing my family information. Only child... wealthy family... parents run a business... no one competes for assets. It was at that moment… The cruel thought called “swallowing the entire inheritance”… took root in his heart.

“If I can just marry her… I won't have to try anymore.”

He saw the fact that I didn't have complicated family ties... He saw the fact that I was soft-hearted, easy to fall into love... He saw the huge wealth behind me even more.