Chapter 7 — My mother-in-law made a will to steal my property, leaving the whole family empty-handed

Ly Hao's jacket is still on the sofa. Chu Cam's melon seed shells are still on the table. Ly Vy's dress was still drying on the balcony. Everything… carries traces of appropriation. I stood up. Go to the windows, open them all. Let the wind and light flood in. Blowing up everything that's made me nauseous for the past three years. I took the vacuum cleaner, disinfectant, and brand new cleaning cloths. Start cleaning. I want this house… completely clean. Not a speck of dust left. Not a single trace of them remained. I gathered all their things, packed them, and threw them in the trash can downstairs. I cleaned each tile, each small corner. A whole afternoon passed. Until the sunset shines through the shiny glass window. I stood in the middle of a house that had completely changed. A clean, quiet house. Belongs only to me. I let out a long breath. Like just coming back to life again. The phone in my pocket vibrated. I took it out to see. It's a message from Ly Hao. In a row… more than ten messages. The content of the message was nothing new, over and over it was just cursing, criticism and cheap threats. It's because I'm heartless and meaningless, it's because sooner or later I will have to face retribution. I looked at the phone screen, my face unchanged, as if I was reading a passage unrelated to me. After that, I calmly chose the numbers of Ly Hao, Chu Cam and Ly Vy, and without hesitation added them all to the block list. From that moment on, everyone went their separate ways, high mountains and long rivers, no longer had anything to do with each other. The next morning, I slept until I woke up. There was no one in my ear to urge me to get up and cook, and no one to sit and wait to be served as a matter of course. The sunlight filtered through the curtains and fell on my face, bringing with it a gentle warmth that made people want to stay a little longer in peaceful sleep. I stretched, feeling each joint relax, my whole body felt light as if I had just escaped an invisible cage that had locked me in for three years. It's a very strange feeling... but also very familiar, its name is freedom. I went into the kitchen, made myself a simple breakfast, golden fried eggs, crispy toast and a glass of steaming hot milk. I sat down at the table, slowly eating each bite, not caring what anyone liked, nor listening to any nagging. This quietness made me a little unfamiliar, but more than anything, it felt reassuring to the bottom of my heart. After eating, the first thing I did... was call my parents. For the past three years, I've always announced good news but hidden the bad news, just because I didn't want them to worry. But now, everything has come to an end, I can't continue to hide it anymore. As soon as the phone was connected, my mother's voice rang out familiarly.

“Tieu Tinh, why did you remember to call mom today? Didn't you go out with Ly Hao this weekend?”

Hearing her voice, my nose suddenly pricked up, all the strength I tried to maintain in front of the Ly family... in this moment, completely collapsed. My voice choked.

“I… got divorced.”

The other end of the line was silent. There was such a long silence that I thought the call had been disconnected. Then, my mother's voice rang out, low, clearly tense.

“What's going on, is Ly Hao bullying you, or is that mother-in-law causing trouble again?”

She understands me… better than anyone. I took a deep breath, then recounted everything that had happened in the past few days, from the moment I discovered the will. phone call with Ly Hao, until I kicked them out of the house. I told it very calmly, as if I were talking about someone else's story. But on the other end of the line, my mother's breathing became increasingly heavier, clearly she was trying to suppress her anger. When I finished speaking, she could barely hold it any longer.

“What kind of house is that, what a bunch of robbers!”

Her voice trembled with anger.

“My daughter, who I have cherished since childhood, is marrying there so they can trample on her like that!”

“No, mom and dad come over now!”

“Don't be afraid, Mom and Dad are here!”

Hearing those words full of anger and mercy, my tears finally fell. But I quickly wiped it away.

“Mom, you two don't come over.”

"I'm almost done with it. The two of you coming will just make me worry more. I don't want my parents' health to be affected because of this."

“Besides… I'm doing very well.”

“Really, I have never felt as relieved as I do now.”

“I just wanted to let my parents know so they can rest assured.”