Chapter 27 — Post-Divorce Rebound: Claiming My Daughter and Starting Over

The voice was calm, with a cadence so detached it bordered on cruel.

Of course.

This matter requires concrete, irrefutable medical evidence. For instance, a precise biological comparison of the three children’s samples against the DNA of Co Dinh Tham and Lam Vy Vy. However, as it stands, Co Dinh Tham would certainly refuse to cooperate, and Lam Vy Vy even more so.

I brought a hand to my mouth, my stomach churning in violent, relentless waves. If all of this were true, then what of the past five years? What were the three children I had poured my heart and soul into raising? And what was I? Was I merely a tool for Lam Vy Vy to secure her position? A byproduct of Co Dinh Tham’s obsession with continuing his bloodline? Or was I nothing more than a cold, discarded commodity in a cycle of illicit transactions? And as for my role—was I just a blindfold, a convenient screen to mask their filth, or simply a live-in nanny who worked for free?

Furthermore, Tham Du Minh added, we have uncovered that Lam Vy Vy holds several secret overseas accounts. Recently, there has been highly irregular movement in these funds. While we cannot yet determine the precise source, when you place this alongside the investigations currently plaguing the company of Co Dinh Tham, it is difficult not to draw a connection.

You mean that Lam Vy Vy might be involved in the financial crimes occurring at Co Dinh Tham’s firm? My voice felt as though it were drifting away, disconnected from my own body.

It cannot be ruled out, To Tinh chimed in. As someone in the inner circle of Co Dinh Tham, she had access to core information. It is even possible that her approach to him was calculated from the very beginning. Her displays of affection and the children themselves were likely nothing more than a charade.

To Tinh continued her analysis. If Co Dinh Tham is already struggling to save himself, and then discovers that Lam Vy Vy is compromised, the implications are clear. When the desperate are cornered, their shared secrets become liabilities rather than protections. Former allies may turn on one another in an instant, tearing each other apart.

Attorney Tham, Miss To, I said, forcing myself to remain steady as I looked them both in the eye. What is it you want me to do?

They exchanged a look. We need further evidence to confirm Lam Vy Vy’s involvement and the illegal links between her and Co Dinh Tham. This will not only shatter their alliance and put you in a position of power for the divorce, but it could potentially bring down Co Dinh Tham entirely.

Tham Du Minh’s voice dropped to a low, serious tone. However, Lam Vy Vy is exceptionally cautious. She guards that box with extreme vigilance, and our people have been unable to get close to it. Even if we managed to secure the box, whether the contents would hold up as admissible evidence remains a significant legal hurdle.

To Tinh leaned forward, her gaze fixed on me. Miss Diep, you are the only one who has lived in the Co household for an extended period and observed Lam Vy Vy from such close proximity. We need you to search your memory. Any detail regarding that box or her erratic behavior could be the missing piece. Where did she usually hide it? Were there specific days or events that caused her to pay closer attention to it?

I closed my eyes, desperately scouring my cluttered, painful memories. The old, silver-gray metal box with the combination lock… Lam Vy Vy usually kept it in a secret compartment at the very top of the walk-in closet, buried beneath clothes she rarely wore. Every so often, in the dead of night, she would retrieve it. She would sit alone before her vanity, staring at the contents for hours with an expression so complex it was difficult to decipher—sometimes, it was an intensity that bordered on madness. As for specific dates…

I remember something, I whispered. It seems to happen toward the end of October every year.