Chapter 15 — The Bride Strikes Back: Exposing the Liar

Graduation trip. A high fever. To Thanh's words were like a key to pry open the door of memories that I had tried to bury. Three years ago, after graduating, I went to Tibet with a few friends. To Thanh also insisted on going with us. My parents couldn't refuse so they let her join the group. Our last night in Lhasa, we went to a bar. I just remember drinking a glass of wine… then everything disappeared. When I woke up, I was lying on the hospital bed. The doctor said I had a constant high fever and was in a coma for two days and two nights. They told To Thanh and his friends to take me to the hospital. After that time, I had to leave early, got seriously ill, and only a few fragments of my memory of that night remained. Loud music, bright lights... and a feeling of fear that cannot be named. To Thanh said I was drunk and had a reaction to high altitude, so I had a fever. I believed. But now she said it again. Is it… really that simple?

“What do you mean?”

I looked straight at her.

“I don't remember, could you please tell me again?”

To Thanh smiled, his eyes full of pride.

“Want to know?”

She took a sip of coffee, her movements slow as if prolonging the torture.

"Okay."

“But now I don't want to talk anymore.”

“To Du Du, the game has just begun.”

“The Trieu family is just an appetizer.”

“The main stage… is still behind.”

She stood up, carrying her bag.

"I advise you, it's best not to report to the police."

“Because I have no proof.”

“And in my hands… there is something enough to destroy you.”

“If you dare to act rashly, I guarantee you will be a hundred times worse off than now.”

Having finished speaking, she turned and left, leaving behind an arrogant shadow like a winner. I sat there for a long time. The coffee cup was cold, the bitter taste spread from the tip of the tongue to the bottom of the heart. Her threat kept swirling in my head. Three years ago… what happened? What is she holding in her hand? I took out the phone, my hands shaking slightly, and searched for a name that had been covered in dust for a long time. Truong Vi, university class president, organized the trip that year. The call is connected.

"Hello? Who is it?"

His voice was much different.

“Class monitor, it's me... To Du Du.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

"Du Du? Is it really you?"

His voice carried indescribable emotions.

“I called to ask something.”

I get straight to the point.

“The last night in Lhasa, after I drank… what happened?”

My heart was beating like it was about to burst out of my chest. The other side was silent for a long time. His voice was heavy.

“That happened a long time ago, why do you keep bringing it up?”

That answer… is confirmation. Something definitely happened that night.

“This is very important to me.”

“I beg you, tell me.”

He sighed.

“It's not that I don't want to say…”

"But... that day, To Thanh didn't let us talk."

It's her again.

“What did she say?”

My heart sank little by little.

“She said… you were drunk and followed a… an ethnic man.”

“You came back the next morning, you had a high fever, you don't remember anything.”

“She asked us not to say anything, saying it would affect your reputation.”

“We… believed it at the time so we kept it a secret.”

My mind exploded. Following a strange man? No way. I understand myself, absolutely never do that. This is slander. It's a lie made up on purpose. But… why does even my friend believe it?

“Class rep, that's not right!”

Tone I trembled.

“It was To Thanh who lied!”

“Du Du, calm down.”

He quickly reassured.

“Actually… we also felt strange at that time.”

"Because the person who took you to the hospital... wasn't To Thanh."

“But a strange man.”

“He took you to the emergency room and then left.”

"We asked, To Thanh also couldn't say clearly."

“Then… while you were in a coma, we looked at your phone.”

“In the album… there is a photo.”

“You and that man… stood very close to each other.”

“The position… is quite intimate.”

The blood in my body... turned cold.