Chapter 13 — Post-Divorce Rebound: Claiming My Daughter and Starting Over

What about your daughter? What can Nuan Nuan possibly offer you? She is nothing but an anchor dragging you down.

Every word, every syllable, pierced straight into my heart. But the most agonizing sting was the mention of the children. Zi Xuan and the others have a fever.

Deep down, my heart constricted instinctively. Five years of habit cannot be erased in a single heartbeat. Yet, I saw it all clearly. The calculation hidden in the eyes of Dinh Tham. He was probing me, weaponizing my fragile maternal instincts. At the same time, he used Nuan Nuan like a blade to twist the knife deeper. I closed my eyes, inhaling a jagged, shaky breath. When I opened them again, there was nothing left in my gaze but cold, crystalline clarity.

If Gu Zi Xuan, Gu Zi Hao, or Gu Zi Rui have a fever, then seek out their biological mother, Dr. Vy Vy Lam, or consult their father—you. It has absolutely nothing to do with me.

I turned away, pulling Nuan Nuan into a tight embrace, shielding her trembling frame with my own body to block out Dinh Tham’s glacial stare.

Nuan Nuan is my daughter. She is my priceless treasure, not a burden. How my daughter and I choose to live is of no concern to you, Mr. Gu.

Very well. Excellent.

Dinh Tham laughed, a sound devoid of mirth, his head nodding in sharp, rhythmic movements. Thanh Uyen Diep, you truly have forced me to see you in a new light. It seems that for the past five years, I have severely underestimated you.

He took a step back, ceasing his advance into the room. He smoothed his sleeves, his demeanor settling into a practiced, chilling composure, yet his eyes remained sharper and colder than before. If you insist on being this stubborn, then there is nothing left to say. Let me remind you of one thing: the game has only just begun. Your lawyer, your paintings, your daughter—everything you cherish, I will make you understand the true price of crossing me. To cross Dinh Tham in the city of Phong Dan is to invite a ruin you cannot fathom.

With that, he didn’t spare me another glance. He waved his hand toward the inspection team, turned on his heel, and strode toward the stairs with a cold, detached grace. The two men behind him followed in hurried, awkward silence. The hallway quickly fell into a deafening quiet, leaving only the frantic rhythm of my own breathing and my daughter’s hitched gasps.

Mommy… Nuan Nuan buried her face in my chest, her voice muffled by tears. He… he was so scary. Nuan Nuan is afraid.

Don’t be afraid. I stroked her back gently, my voice cold—so cold that I barely recognized it as my own. He is not your father. From this day forward, he is nothing more than a stranger.

I shut the door and bolted it tight. I sat on the sofa, clutching Nuan Nuan for a long, frozen eternity until her shaking finally ceased, her breathing smoothed into the rhythmic tide of sleep. Dinh Tham’s final words coiled around my heart like a venomous serpent. The game has just begun. What would he do next? Would he pressure my lawyer? Sabotage the illustration commissions I had fought so hard to secure? Or worse—would he strike at Nuan Nuan? No. I would never allow him to harm her. I had to be faster, more proactive.

The following days were unnervingly quiet. It was a silence so profound it felt ominous. Lawyer Tham sent a message to inform me that he had officially filed the petition with the court, requesting a review of the divorce settlement’s asset division clauses while simultaneously launching an investigation into Dinh Tham’s holdings. The process would undoubtedly be fraught with difficulty; the Gu family would move mountains to block us. It would take time, perhaps more than I had.

Meanwhile, on my social media account, my series of illustrations, "The Little Deer Finds a Home," suddenly gained traction. A prominent parenting blogger shared my work, leading to a surge in followers. Several small brands reached out to discuss collaborations. The pay was modest, but it was enough to offer a glimmer of hope. During the day, I began to build my future.