Chapter 16 — That Night of Fire

I looked at her: "The price for your mistake is my child." Her crying became even louder. The investigator asked Chu Nghien: "Do you, as a firefighter, know that locking the door can prevent trapped people from escaping in a fire?" Chu Nghien raised her head. He glanced at me, tears falling. "Know clearly." "Is it spreading information that the plaintiff can maliciously call for help to others?" "Yes." "Does it lead to a delay in the judgment of receiving the news?" His fingers trembled: "Yes." "Do you admit that your actions are related to the consequences of the victim's injuries?" Chu Nghien closed his eyes: "Admit." Hua Nhuy suddenly cried: "What about me? I only said a few words, I didn't lock the door!" The investigator looked at her: "The content of the conversation between you and the relevant staff showed that you knew that information could affect rescue judgments, but still proactively spread it." Hua Nhuy shook her head: "I didn't, I didn't know there would be a fire!" I turned to look at her: "I didn't know there would be a fire." She stiffened. I stared at her: "But you all know, if I was really in trouble, I would call for help. What you are doing is to make others not believe me." Hua Nhuy's lips trembled, unable to speak. I took out a photo of a pair of little yellow socks. The real thing was sealed, I only brought a photo. "This is what I bought for my child." My voice wasn't loud, but it made the whole room fall silent. "It still doesn't have a name, there aren't any pictures other than the results of the fetal echocardiogram. It died in the fire, it died in the delay system, it died in every sentence of 'she's making a mess' from you guys." Chu Nghien covered her face with her hands. hands and shoulders tremble violently. Hua Nhuy bowed her head, tears falling onto the table. I continued to say: "I came here today, not to hear you cry. Crying cannot be evidence, remorse cannot offset criminal liability. I only request that it be handled according to the law." After the hearing, Chu Nghien stopped me in the hallway. In his hand he held a piece of paper. "This is a report I wrote myself, I accept all responsibility, I will also cooperate in investigating the things Hua Nhuy and my mother did." I took it and gave it to Tan Chieu. Chu Nghien looked at me: "Te Hoa, can I ask you one last question?" I said nothing. His voice was hoarse: "If you turn around that night, we can..." I raised my eyes to look at him. His words choked in his throat. I said: "There is no if. You heard me say I was pregnant, but you still left. You saw Hua Nhuy crying, so you locked the door. You didn't make a mistake, but with every step you stepped on me." The light in Chu Nghien's eyes completely extinguished. He slowly sat down, his hands rubbing his head, his throat emitting broken moans. At the end of the hallway, Thieu Minh and Luong Sach were standing there. Luong Sach's eye sockets turned red and he softly cursed: "Mr. Chu, you are really not as good as an animal." Chu Nghien seemed not to hear, just curled up into a ball. I used my crutches and walked past him. This time, he didn't call me anymore. 【Chapter 10】 The day the trial officially opened, the auditorium was filled with people. The press asked for permission to attend, but the court only allowed a few people to enter. I was wearing a black coat and still couldn't stand on my left leg for long. Tan Chieu helped me to a chair. When Chu Nghien was brought in, his hair was shaved short and his face was so thin that his cheekbones were prominent. Seeing me, his steps stopped for a moment.