Chapter 6 — My House is Not a Living House

Four days after Vu Dong gave birth. Tran Trac Vien came to find him. No calling this time. No WeChat messages. Which stood directly in front of my small apartment door. Exactly eight o'clock at night. The doorbell rang. I opened the door. He stood in the hallway, holding a bag in his hand.

"How do you know this place?"

"My car is parked in this area every day."

"I checked the camera."

His face looked very tired. I don't step aside.

"If there's anything, say it."

"Let's talk."

I looked at him for a few seconds. Finally, she still leaned over to let him in. As soon as he entered the house, he looked around the forty square meter apartment. The desk is full of drawings. The wall is covered with project progress tables. The refrigerator door still had some sticky notes stuck on it.

"Since when did you rent this place?"

"A year ago."

He turned to look at me. His eyes became complicated.

"I hid it from you for a year."

"I just need a space that belongs to me."

He put the bag down on the tea table. Inside are a few items I left behind in the other house. Two books. A charger. Same box of unopened mask.

"Vu Dong was born."

"Two little girls."

He sat down on the sofa.

"My mother is very happy."

"Congratulations."

He raised his head to look at me.

"Don't you have anything else to say?"

I leaned against the desk. Cross your arms and look straight at him.

"Tran Trac Vien."

"What exactly did you come to say today?"

He was silent for a while. Then he spoke up.

"I feel like there's a problem between us."

I laughed faintly.

"It's only now that I feel..."

"Or finally realize it?"

He looked at me.

"I admit I didn't handle things well in the past."

"But I can't just leave because of that."

"Just because of that?"

I smiled softly.

"It's been twenty days since I left."

"Today is the first time I came to look for you."

"And just because Vu Dong has given birth."

"There is a caregiver staying here."

"So you think I should go back."

He parted his lips. Want to say something. But I don't give you a chance.

"You looked for me..."

"It's not because you miss me."

"I just want this marriage to look normal on the outside."

"Tran Trac Vien."

"I asked you a question."

I looked straight into his eyes.

"If Vu Dong wasn't pregnant..."

"Are you coming to see me today?"

He didn't answer. That silence... Was the clearest answer.

"Go home."

I opened the door. He stood up. Walked to the front door and stopped.

"Do you really want a divorce?"

I calmly looked at him.

"What do you think?"

There was a look of confusion in his eyes that I had never seen before.

"I don't agree to divorce."

He quietly left. The door closed. I stood still. Not sad. Not angry. No more torment. I only know one thing. That man... is no longer relevant to my life. In just one month, my life has completely entered a new trajectory. The workload at Hoa Truc is more than the previous design institute. But the way it operates is completely different. No more cumbersome layers of approvals. No more lengthy processes. From idea formation to implementation, the speed is many times faster. The Lang Dinh project also progressed beyond expectations. Immediately after seeing my first plan, the investor was immediately satisfied. They skipped the selection round. Decided to deliver all design items Furniture for Hoa Truc. During the meeting, Trinh Hac Nien directly announced this news. Applause echoed throughout the room. He stood in front of the whiteboard and said:

"This project was brought by Niem So."

"From now on everyone coordinates according to her progress."

I just nodded slightly. Say nothing more. Around the same time... The "One Room" account officially surpassed two hundred thousand followers. A furniture brand signed a partnership with me for one year. Twelve content periods. Contract value one hundred and eighty thousand yuan. Not long after, a real estate investor also proactively texted. They want to invite me to design a model house for a new project. The budget is up to six hundred thousand yuan. My own income... Has more than doubled Tran Trac Vien's annual salary. But... I don't know at all. In your mind... I'm still just a wife who works at a design institute. Every month I earn about twenty thousand yuan. During that time, every few days he sent me a WeChat message. The content is almost identical.

"When will you come back?"

"My mother asked if I would come home for dinner this weekend."

"Vu Dong's confinement is almost over, can I go home?"

I do not respond to any messages. Until the twenty-eighth day. He sent a completely different message.

"Nien So, I know you've quit your job at the hospital."

Seeing that message... There are some things that can't be hidden in the end. Just five minutes later. Another news.

"When did you quit?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Then one more news.

"What are you doing now?"

I put the phone aside. Continue to complete the drawing. By eleven o'clock at night. He called. I answered the phone.

"You really quit your job?"

"How long has it been?"

"Almost a month."

"Where do you work now?"

"Another design company."

"Which company?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. Then he slowly said:

"Lam Niem So..."

"I've changed."

I calmly replied.

"It's just that you've never understood me before."

He took a deep breath.

"What do you want anyway?"

"Just state the conditions."

"Let's sit down and figure it out."

I leaned back in the chair. Take a look at the perspective of the Lang Dinh project on the computer screen.

"Tran Trac Vien."

"My conditions have never changed."

"My sister..."

"Not allowed to take another step into my life."

"But I can't do it."

"And for the rest of my life..."

"You won't be able to do it either."

"So you really want a divorce?"

I asked softly again.

"Do you think we have any other way?"

His breathing became heavy.

"I will not divorce."

"Then keep it going."

I hung up.