Chapter 15 — Never Blame a Janitor

Since the night Nguyet Ha realized she was being followed, the relationship between her and Dac Long's small family became closer in a natural way that none of the three of them could resist. Every few days, after her shift, she would stop by the small apartment, sometimes just to eat a simple meal together, sometimes to review her lessons with Anh Thu or talk about her future plans.

One weekend evening, when Anh Thu went to her room to do her homework, Nguyet Ha and Dac Long sat in the small living room, the soft yellow light shining down on two steaming cups of hot tea. This was the first time they had a long private conversation without being caught up in work or daily worries.

"Have you ever regretted choosing the medical path?" Dac Long asked, breaking the comfortable silence between the two. "I heard it's an extremely harsh field of study."

Nguyet Ha smiled, looking distantly towards the window. "There were times when I was so tired that I just wanted to give up, especially in the first years of boarding school, sometimes I couldn't sleep for three days in a row. But I never really regretted it. My family has a tradition of medicine, my father is a surgeon, my mother is a pharmacist. From a young age I was used to seeing my parents save people, and I always wanted to do the same."

"So what about your privacy?" Dac Long asked, then quickly realized that the question was somewhat sudden and hastily added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to be too curious."

Nguyet Ha laughed lightly and waved her hand. "It's okay. To be honest, I put almost all my time and energy into work, to the point where my family kept urging me to get married and I didn't have time to think about it. Once, a long time ago, I was in a serious relationship, but it ended up going nowhere because he couldn't accept my work schedule — always on duty at night, always able to be called in at any moment for an emergency."

Dac Long spoke without thinking, his voice was so sincere that even he was a bit surprised. "That person doesn't deserve you. Someone who truly loves you will understand and appreciate the work you are doing, not consider it a burden."

Nguyet Ha looked at him, their eyes met for a longer moment than usual, a warm silence enveloped the small room. "What about you?" she asked softly, her voice light but full of meaning. "Have you ever thought about starting over, finding a new partner? Thu needs a mother, and I think you also deserve to have someone by your side to share with, instead of shouldering everything alone for so many years."

That question made Dac Long ponder for a long time. He looked down at the teacup in his hand, his fingers gently turning the cup in an unconscious circle. "For the past eight years, I've never allowed myself to think about that," he said, his voice slow. "My life is too complicated, too many secrets, too many hidden dangers. I don't want to drag anyone else into that mess, especially someone as good as you."

Nguyet Ha put down the teacup and looked straight into his eyes. "But I'm already in there, whether you like it or not. From the night I received Thu's emergency case, I have become a part of your family's story. You can't push me out just because you want to protect me forever."

Dac Long looked up at her, in his eyes, a complex inner struggle was evident - between the fear of losing another important woman because of his own enemies, and the desire to once again feel the warmth of a perfect home that he had lost a long time ago.

"Nguyet Ha," he said, calling her by her name informally for the first time without a title, "I don't dare promise anything right now, when everything is still so uncertain. But I want you to know, your appearance in the lives of me and Thu, has brought something I thought I would never have again - a feeling of being alive, not simply existing to protect my child."

Nguyet Ha's heart beat faster at those sincere words. She reached out and gently placed it on Dac Long's hand on the table, a simple gesture but containing so much unspoken emotion. "Then, let everything happen naturally," she said, "I'm in no hurry, I just want to be by your side and Thu, no matter what happens."

At that moment, Anh Thu suddenly came down from the room to get water, accidentally catching an intimate moment between the two. The girl stopped on the stairs, a mischievous smile gradually appeared on her lips, but deliberately turned back quietly, not wanting to break that moment. Later, when she told Dieu Khanh on the phone, she could not hide the joy in her voice.

"Hey, I can't believe this," she whispered over the phone, trying to suppress her giggles, "my Uncle Phuc is flirting with Dr. Ha."

"Huh? Seriously?" Dieu Khanh shouted on the other end of the line, then lowered his voice as soon as he realized he had shouted too loudly. "Tell me, what do you two know?"

"So I went down to get some water and saw two people sitting holding hands, looking at each other like... I can't describe it, it's like a movie," Anh Thu giggled. "But never mind, I'm really happy. He deserves it."

"Oh so you don't find it... strange?" Dieu Khanh asked, her voice mixed with curiosity and caution. "It's natural for someone to come between father and son."

Anh Thu was silent for a moment, his voice lowered, no longer joking. "At first I was a little... I don't know, a little afraid that things would change. But I saw you smiling a lot more since you had Miss Ha, more comfortable and relaxed than usual. All these years you've only worried about me, never thinking about yourself. So, I choose to be happy for you."

A few days later, on a rare Sunday afternoon when all three of them were free, Nguyet Ha suggested going for a walk together in the park near her house, bringing a basket of snacks she prepared herself. Mr. Thu excitedly brought along a box of paints and sat sketching the park scene while Dac Long and Nguyet Ha sat on the grass carpet nearby, chatting about the trivial things in everyday life - a rare relaxation that all three of them cherished amidst days full of worries.

"You know," Nguyet Ha said, looking at Anh Thu who was passionately painting under the shade of a tree, "looking at Thu now, no one would have thought that just a few weeks ago, she had just gone through an event that almost took her life. Her vitality and determination are admirable."

"That's the only thing I'm most proud of over the past eight years," Dac Long replied, his eyes gently looking towards his daughter. "No matter how harsh life is, I always try to keep my child from losing the inherent innocence and optimism of a child. There are times when I wonder whether I am doing the right thing, whether hiding the truth about the past from my child is the best choice, but seeing my child grow up healthy and happy like this, I think all the sacrifices are worth it."

Nguyet Ha turned to look at him, her eyes filled with sincere admiration. "You are a wonderful father, Dac Long. Whatever your true identity, no matter how complicated your past, I firmly believe that your love for Thu is the truest thing I have ever witnessed."

That was the first time she called his real name directly, even though she only heard it vaguely from the few times Ho Trong Nhan accidentally mentioned it on the phone that she overheard. Dac Long was slightly startled, looking at her with both surprised and slightly worried eyes, but when he saw the absolute sincerity in her eyes, without any judgment or fear, he just nodded slightly, gently squeezing her hand as a silent thank you without needing to say anything.

In the following weeks, despite being busy with hospital work and quiet worries about the gradually being implemented re-export plan, Dac Long still tried to make time for simple moments with Nguyet Ha - an evening cooking together, once taking Anh Thu to see the school's art exhibition, short phone conversations before going to bed. Each of those small moments, for a man who had lived in solitude and vigilance for eight long years, became small bricks that rebuilt the belief that, no matter how dark his past, he still deserved a brighter future waiting ahead.

But deep inside, Dac Long still could not completely relax his vigilance. Every time she saw Nguyet Ha laughing happily with her daughter, a vague fear arises - the fear that, like Thao Ngan in the past, this woman could also become the next target in Tang Bach Nguyen's cruel chess game, just because of the feelings she had for him and his daughter. It was a worry he had never shared with anyone, a silent burden that he told himself he would have to resolve once and for all, as soon as possible, before this fragile happiness that had just rekindled was in danger of disappearing like it had happened once in his life.