Chapter 2 — Six Sticks Change a Life

No, that's not right. Looking at strangers will not make you feel nauseous. I turned my head. "Let's go." When I went downstairs, I calculated a problem in my heart. Broken bones, torn ligaments in both knees plus broken tibia. Even if the world's best orthopedic surgeon came here, she would never be able to stand up again in her entire life. Being able to use a wheelchair is already a blessing for three generations. Crime of intentionally causing injury, causing serious injury in the second degree. Penalties range from 3 years to 10 years. If the victim writes a letter denying the complaint, it may be mitigated. So the next thing I need to do is very simple. Pour out everything, don't give her a chance to drop the complaint. Make this outcome irreversible. Three years in prison. In exchange for her being crippled for life. Worth it? I sat in the back seat of the police car, watching the street lights recede outside the window. Worth. Exaggerated. * The interrogation room of the police station is not large, sitting opposite are two police officers. One young, one older. The old police officer turned over the declaration form, without even raising his head, he asked me: "Co Tri Y, confirm once again, you admit that you used a baseball bat to hit Tran Tam Dao's legs at home tonight?" "Admit." "How many times in total?" "Six times." "Position of the attack?" "Left and right knee, left and right tibia." The young female police officer looked at me with slightly complicated eyes. She probably found my attitude too calm. The older man continued to ask: "What was the motive for the crime?" "When I came home, I found her and my husband having sex on my wedding bed." The sound of a pen scratching. "Was there a plan at that time?" "No. It was a spur of the moment." This is the truth, but not entirely the truth. The baseball bat is at the door, picking it up only takes 3 seconds. But from the moment I picked it up until I took more than ten steps into the bedroom, I was conscious every step. I know what I'm doing. I know the consequences. And I choose to accept the consequences. After signing the minutes, I was taken into custody. The sound of the iron door closing behind me was deafening. Inside was damp, with a faint smell of disinfectant and human body odor. A few people in the room saw me come in, made a few assessments and then said nothing. I found a corner to sit down. Lean your head against the wall, close your eyes. What I'm repeating in my head right now is not Tran Tam Dao's distorted face, nor Tong Nghieu's screams. Which was 3 years ago. The day I got married. Tran Tam Dao, wearing a bridesmaid dress, patted my shoulder at the banquet table and said: "Such a handsome groom, you have to treat people well in the future." At that time, I still smiled and gave her a glass of wine. Now that I think about it, that glass of wine was really redundant. The next morning, the lawyer arrived. As a member of the law office that my company often cooperates with, I called and asked them to send someone. The person who came was a female lawyer in her 30s, surnamed Chu, wearing glasses, looking very resourceful. "Miss Co, I have grasped the basic situation. Currently the results of the other party's injury assessment are not available, but from a preliminary look, there is a high possibility that it is a second-degree serious injury. If the other party is willing to write a letter of dismissal, plus the fact that you confessed—" "Lawyer Chu." I interrupted her. “I didn't come to you to ask for a reduced sentence.” She was stunned. I looked straight into her eyes: "My request is very simple." "First, refuse all forms of mediation and dismissal of complaints from the other party." "Second, do not accept any compensation agreement." "Third, I need you to help me with something." "What?" "Under my name there is an apartment, two cars, plus company shares and cash in the account, total assets are about 4.5 million yuan (nearly 16 billion VND)." Law Professor Chu nodded, waiting for me to continue. "Before the court pronounces the verdict, I want to legally dispose of all this money." "It's okay to donate, it's okay to set up a trust fund, and transfer it to a place where they can't touch it."