Chapter 24 — Tears in the Frost

The official wedding of Kiều Thư Nhã and Lăng Bách Việt was held on a sunny late spring day, in the garden of the villa they had built together over the past months. Different from the lavish splendor often seen in the upper class, the two agreed to choose a simple, cozy ceremony, inviting only the closest people, those who have accompanied them through all ups and downs.

The garden is decorated with hundreds of pure white daisies, which have become a personal symbol of their love story since their memorable proposal night. The white silk strips gently fluttering in the spring breeze, combined with the soft golden sunlight shining through the trees, created a scene that was both romantic and warm, completely different from the coldness that had enveloped their relationship for three long years.

Thư Nhã stepped out in a simple but elegant ivory white wedding dress, tailored to fit her more curvaceous figure in the last months of pregnancy. Her neck sparkled with her late mother's necklace, a memento she had always carried with her since the night of her proposal, as a way for her mother, even though she was dead, to still be present on the most important day of her daughter's life. Her father, the man who raised her alone, held his daughter's hand tightly, his eyes filled with tears as he walked with her on the path strewn with white flower petals, towards Bách Việt who was waiting under the romantic flower dome.

The row of guests was not as large as the usual lavish weddings of the upper class, but each face present had a special meaning in the couple's journey - from former colleagues in the shareholder relations department, to the forensic audit expert who silently helped them find evidence, and even doctor Đặng Thảo Lam, who had kept Thư Nhã's pregnancy secret from the first bewildering days.

*

"Daughter, your happiness today is the greatest gift of my life," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion, before giving his daughter's hand into Bách Việt's, symbolizing a new, complete and sincere beginning.

Bách Việt took Thư Nhã's hand, his eyes did not leave her face for even a moment, as if he wanted to completely engrave this happy image in his mind forever. "I promise to spend the rest of my life caring for and cherishing you, not because of any terms, but because you are the most precious thing I have ever had," he spoke during his vows, his voice ringing firmly in the presence of all his loved ones.

"Me too," Thư Nhã replied, happy tears rolling down her cheeks, "From a cold contract, we have built a true love together, overcoming all challenges. I vow to always be by your side, no matter what the future holds."

*

Mr. Lăng Chính Nghĩa stood up to give his blessing, his voice filled with emotion as he looked back at the entire arduous journey that the two of them had gone through. "I have witnessed the entire story of the two of you, from the early days when it was just a cold contract forced by circumstances, until today, when true love has won over all challenges, all plots, all doubts. I believe that this is the clearest proof that sometimes the most imperfect beginnings can lead to the most beautiful endings."

Đinh Bội Quyên, as a bridesmaid, couldn't hide her tears of happiness when she saw her best friend finally find a peaceful place after many ups and downs. Tạ Khắc Bình stood quietly behind, his eyes filled with pride as he remembered the rainy and windy night three years ago, when he personally drove the two people to the notary office, not knowing that a hasty decision that night could lead to such a perfect ending.

*

Three weeks after the wedding, on an early summer morning, Thư Nhã felt the first labor pains while preparing breakfast with Bách Việt in their cozy small kitchen. Bách Việt, even though he had mentally prepared in advance, still could not avoid the rare panic as he rushed her to the maternity hospital that had been arranged many months ago, his hands shaking as he held the steering wheel faster than any tense negotiation he had ever experienced in his career.

Doctor Đặng Thảo Lam, who accompanied Thư Nhã throughout her pregnancy, was personally on duty to deliver her baby. Hours of labor passed in a mix of anxiety and hope. Bách Việt held his wife's hand tightly outside the delivery room, whispering words of encouragement, while Mr. Chính Nghĩa and Thư Nhã's father sat waiting in the hospital hallway, constantly pacing back and forth in excitement.

Đinh Bội Quyên also showed up early, holding a basket of newborn items that had been prepared many weeks ago, sitting next to two men who were eagerly waiting, occasionally getting up and walking back and forth in the hospital hallway to ask for more information from the nurse on duty. "She's very strong, she'll definitely be fine," she reassured Bách Việt when she saw him becoming more and more nervous, his hands clasped together until they turned white.

Tạ Khắc Bình stood quietly in the corner of the hallway, his eyes distant, recalling the rainy night of that year when he drove two young, strangers to the notary office to sign a cold contract. He never thought that one day he would be standing here, waiting for the cry of the birth of a little creature, crystallized from a love that has overcome many challenges to become a reality.

*

Finally, the baby's first cry rang out, tearing through the tense atmosphere, replaced by a burst of happiness that couldn't be described in words. A beautiful, healthy baby girl, with big round eyes like her mother and delicate facial features like her father, was born in the loving arms of the whole family.

"Our daughter is so beautiful," Bách Việt said, his voice choked up when he held his daughter in his arms for the first time, his eyes, which were always cold and controlled, were now filled with tears from extreme emotion. "Thank you, Thư Nhã, for bringing me the most precious gift of my life."

Thư Nhã was lying on the hospital bed. Even though she was still tired after a long labor, her face was radiant with happiness as she looked at her husband cuddling their baby. "We have overcome everything together, to get to today."

*

A few months later, in a small, cozy villa in the suburbs, children's laughter echoed loudly every day, completely dispelling the cold and gloom that once covered the three-year secret marriage between the two. Bách Việt, now is not only a talented and decisive General Director in the marketplace, but also a devoted husband and father, always spending all his free time with his small family.

Thư Nhã, in the role of Director of Investor Relations, continues to devote her excellent abilities to the sustainable development of Việt Thịnh, while skillfully balancing her career and motherhood. She often sits by the window every afternoon, holding her little daughter in her arms, looking at the garden full of daisies that Bách Việt takes care of every day as a reminder of the challenging but also full of love journey that the two have gone through together.

On an evening at the end of the year, when the whole family gathered together in the warm living room, Bách Việt held her little daughter in her arms and told her the story of her mother - a woman who bravely faced all dangers, using her own wisdom and steadfastness to protect her family, even though initially it was only a marriage signed in the most urgent circumstances. "You must grow up learning strength and integrity from your mother, you know," he whispered, gently kissing the forehead of his sleeping daughter in his arms.

Thư Nhã sat next to her, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder, looking out the window where the first snow of the season was gently falling onto the garden covered with dried daisies that had been kept from last spring. She thought about the past three years, about the lonely nights crying silently in the dark, about the times she almost gave up and left everything, and she was grateful that in the end, all those resilient efforts led her to the right place where she belonged.

That winter, when the first snowflakes gently fell on the city, no longer brought with them the cold loneliness of the old years, but only the radiant warmth of a complete family, where the tears of the painful past had completely melted amid the frost, giving way to a future filled with happiness and sincere love that both Kiều Thư Nhã and Lăng Bách Việt deserved, after everything they had resiliently overcome.