Chapter 10 — That Night of Fire

"In here is all my savings, the password is your date of birth." I laughed: "Chu Nghien, you are so cruel." His body stiffened. I said: “Until now you still think that money and kneeling can wipe out people's lives.” The bank card lay alone on the ground. The cleaning lady passed by, took one look, and mumbled: "You've killed someone before you come here to pretend to be in love, do something soon." Chu Nghien bent down to pick up the card, his hands trembling before he could pick it up. 【Chapter 6】 On the day of discharge from the hospital, the weather was gloomy and the wind blew, making the wound tight. My left leg still couldn't walk normally. Tan Chieu pushed the wheelchair and took me to the car. Chu Nghien stood in front of the hospital gate, holding a coat in her hand. He took a step forward: "I'll take you home." Tan Chieu stood in front of me: "No need." Chu Nghien looked at me: "Te Hoa, let's go home and talk." I smiled faintly: "Which house? The house that burned down, or the house where you cut the cake for Hua Nhuy?" His face was gray. I don't go back to Ngo Dong area. That place was sealed for investigation, the safety latch on the door was removed as evidence, the walls were blackened by smoke, and only an empty cavity remained from the bedroom window. I moved into the apartment that Tan Chieu rented for me. The first night, I lay in an unfamiliar bed, my whole body was in pain and I couldn't sleep. After the anesthetic completely dissipated, the broken bone ached with dull pain, the lower abdomen cramped, and the blood in the body seemed to flow endlessly. When the nurse changed my bandage, she saw me biting the corner of the blanket, her eyes were also red. "Girl, just scream when it hurts." I shook my head. I'm afraid that if I scream, I won't be able to stop anymore. At 12 midnight, the doorbell rang. Tan Chieu stood up from the sofa, looked through the cat's eyes, his face darkened. "Chu Nghien." I closed my eyes: "Don't open them." Outside the door came Chu Nghien's voice: "Te Hoa, I know you're in there, I won't go in, I'll just say a few words." Tan Chieu was about to call the police, but I raised my hand to stop him. I told him to put the chain on the door and open a small gap. Chu Nghien stood outside the door, holding a black plastic bag in front of her chest, inside revealing broken pieces of photo frames. His eyes were bloodshot and scary: "I've already packed up the things in our house." I saw that there were wedding photos in the bag. The glass was broken, my face in a wedding dress was cut by a crack. Chu Nghien said: "I read the memory book you wrote for the baby." My breath stopped. In that memo, I wrote a lot of trivial things. *The first time I went to the doctor, I had to take my dad with me.* *My baby's family name is Tieu Hoa Mieu (Little Rice).* *If dad goes on a mission, mom will record a video and send it to him.* Chu Nghien's voice was so hoarse that it broke: "I wrote, if I were a boy, I would be like you, a little brave. If I were a girl, I would be like you, a little obedient." He suddenly raised his hand and punched the wall hard. His knuckles immediately bled. "You're not worthy." Tan Chieu coldly spoke: "If you want to go crazy, go downstairs and do it." Chu Nghien didn't look at him, just looked at me: "Te Hoa, I've thrown away all the things Hua Nhuy gave me, I've also confessed. I will accept the responsibilities I have to accept, but can you please not see me?" I looked at his bleeding hand: "You confessed because the evidence crushed you, not because you suddenly found your conscience." His lips trembled. "And also, I don't see you, because I feel disgusted." Chu Nghien's shoulders slumped, as if someone had dislocated his bones. I slowly closed the door. When the gap in the door was only a finger's distance away, he suddenly spoke: "Is that baby... a boy or a girl?"

girl?" My hand stopped.