Chapter 1 — The Call That Locked My In-Laws Out

During my postpartum confinement, my husband’s younger brother got married. My husband gifted them eighty thousand yuan, charging it entirely to my supplementary credit card. I said nothing. Then, his brother went on his honeymoon driving my Porsche; my husband told me he was only borrowing it for two days. Again, I said nothing. It wasn’t until the day I was discharged from the hospital, standing alone in the lobby while cradling my newborn, that I realized the true nature of my situation. I called my husband three times. The first time, he told me the car was still with his brother. The second time, he told me that taking a taxi would only cost a few dozen yuan. The third time, he simply didn’t pick up. I stood there in the registration hall and started to laugh, laughing until the nurse beside me stared in confusion. After that, I made a fourth call, but not to him. By that evening, my husband’s entire family was in an uproar, while I had already changed the locks on my front door.

The day I gave birth, Manh Thoi Vien was not outside the delivery room. He was at a hotel. His younger brother, Manh Thoi An, was having his engagement party. Both families were seated across three large banquet tables, and at the last minute, they needed to pay an additional deposit. My mother-in-law, Phung Le Binh, called me, her voice hushed.

"Thanh Hoa, can your supplementary card still be swiped?"

I had just been wheeled out of the delivery room; the anesthesia had not yet worn off, and I couldn't even lift a finger. I asked her how much she needed. She said eighty thousand. I was silent for a few seconds. The nurse beside me brought the baby over—a tiny, fragile creature with a cry as thin as a thread. I looked at my child's wrinkled face and finally spoke.

"Tell Manh Thoi Vien to ask me himself."

Ten minutes later, Manh Thoi Vien called. In the background, I could hear people laughing and the clinking of glasses against tables.

"Thanh Hoa, just pay it for now. I’ll make it up to you later."

I asked him, "Our child was just born; aren’t you coming back?" He paused.

"I can't leave this place; today is Thoi An’s big day."

I stared at the blindingly white ceiling.

"Go ahead and swipe it."

A notification popped up immediately. The supplementary card ending in 6912 had been charged exactly eighty thousand yuan. That card was one I had opened for Manh Thoi Vien with a limit of three million. I had never thought to guard against him. In our three years of marriage, I paid the mortgage, bought the cars, and even covered all the prenatal care expenses. Manh Thoi Vien’s salary wasn't low, but his money always had a destination. His mother’s blood pressure medication had to be imported. His father’s fishing gear had to be top-of-the-line. Manh Thoi An needed capital for his startup. Every time, he would say, "We’re family, don't be so stingy with calculations." I used to tell myself the same thing. We had a child now; life had to go on. On the night of the engagement, Manh Thoi Vien didn't arrive at the hospital until one in the morning. He reeked of alcohol, and his coat pocket was stuffed with wedding candy. He stood by the hospital bed and glanced at the baby twice.

"He looks like me."

I said nothing. He placed the wedding candy on the nightstand.

"Mother says don't overthink it; just consider the gift money as a loan we're giving to Thoi An."

I asked, "Where is the loan agreement?" He looked stunned.

"Do brothers write up loan agreements?"

I stared at him intently. Feeling uncomfortable under my gaze, he laughed.

"Why are you being so petty today?"

I had just finished my stitches, and the pain below made me break into a cold sweat. I had no energy left to argue. I simply pulled my child closer to my chest. Manh Thoi Vien hadn't been sitting for ten minutes when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and immediately stood up to walk outside.

"I’m taking this call."

The hospital door wasn't closed all the way. I heard him lower his voice.

"Don't worry, Thanh Hoa won't say anything."

"She’s just all bark and no bite."

In that moment, I closed my eyes. My breasts ached with milk, and my stitches burned. But the most painful thing was his dismissal of me. The next day, Phung Le Binh arrived with a thermal jug. She didn't look at me first. She lifted the baby’s blanket to check between his legs. Only then did a smile appear on her face.

"A boy is good; the Manh family has an heir now."

My own mother didn't live in this city and hadn't managed to arrive yet. I lay alone in the hospital room, listening to her dictate the terms of my confinement.

"Thanh Hoa, don't hold the baby so much; you'll spoil him."

"If you don't have enough milk, just add formula; don't make such a fuss all the time."

"Thoi An’s wedding plans are set; the family has spent a lot lately, so don't go buying expensive things."

I asked her, "What expensive things have I bought?" She slammed the thermal jug onto the table.

"Your car is too flashy."

I looked at her.

"What is flashy about my car?"

Phung Le Binh frowned.

"It’s not proper for a woman to drive such an expensive car; it looks bad to outsiders."

Just then, Manh Thoi Vien walked in. He heard the last sentence and immediately chimed in.

"Mother only wants what’s best for you."

I looked at the two of them standing before my bed. One took everything for granted; the other pretended to be a peacemaker. I suddenly felt that the hospital room was suffocatingly small. My phone beeped again. Another bank notification. The card ending in 6912 had been charged sixteen thousand eight hundred yuan. The merchant was a wedding photography studio. I raised my head to look at Manh Thoi Vien.

"Is this also for my own good?"

Manh Thoi Vien’s face stiffened. Phung Le Binh spoke up first.

"Thoi An only gets married once in his life; what’s the harm in you, his sister-in-law, paying a little?"

I turned my phone screen toward them.

"Eighty thousand for the gift, sixteen thousand eight hundred for photos."

"How much more is there?"

Phung Le Binh’s face darkened.

"Thanh Hoa, you just gave birth; don't be so calculating with your elders. It’s unsightly."

Manh Thoi Vien reached out to take my phone.

"Alright, I’ll handle it later."

I pulled away. He stood still, his eyes darkening.

"Ha Thanh Hoa, don't cause a scene in the hospital."

I started to laugh.

"Who is causing a scene?"

Outside the door, a nurse holding a tray of medicine stopped. She looked at me, then at them. Phung Le Binh immediately lowered her voice.

"There are outsiders here."

I locked my screen and placed the phone under my pillow.

"Then we shall talk when there are no outsiders."

Manh Thoi Vien let out a breath of relief. He thought I was yielding again. But he didn't know that that very night, while he was asleep, I checked my credit card statement for the first time. I scrolled down the long list of transactions. I saw the hotel deposit for Manh Thoi An. The remaining fees for the wedding planning. The installments for a diamond ring. And then, a charge for forty-two thousand yuan. It was labeled as a vehicle rental deposit. But in my garage sat my Porsche, and the keys had always remained in the drawer by the entryway. I sat on the hospital bed, holding my child, and stared at those words. The lights in the corridor stayed on all night. My finger hovered over the screen, unable to scroll further, because the date of that transaction was the night before my child was born.

On the fifth day postpartum, the baby’s jaundice levels were slightly high, and the doctor advised two more days of observation. Manh Thoi Vien said the company was busy, visiting once during the day and going home to sleep at night. He said the cot for the caregiver was too hard. I didn't stop him. After he left, I learned to change diapers, mix formula, and track feedings on my own. Every time my stitches stretched, it pained me. Every time the baby cried, I broke into a sweat. On the morning of the sixth day, Phung Le Binh came again. This time, she didn't bring soup. She held a red wedding invitation and placed it on my bedside table.

"Thoi An’s wedding is set for the beginning of next month."

I didn't bother looking at it.

"I’m still in my confinement."

"Being in confinement doesn't mean you can't go out."

Phung Le Binh sat on a chair, her voice very calm.

"If the sister-in-law is absent from the wedding, it will look bad to others."

I put the baby back in the crib.

"I cannot go."

She stared at me.

"Then can the car still be borrowed?"

I looked up.

"What car?"

"Your Porsche."

Phung Le Binh said it very naturally.

"The wedding procession needs to be impressive. Thoi An said he’s only borrowing it for two days."

I didn't answer immediately. I thought of the rental deposit on the statement from the previous night. So, it wasn't that they didn't have a car; they just felt that renting one was more expensive than using mine. I asked her, "Does Manh Thoi Vien know?" The door was pushed open. Manh Thoi Vien walked in carrying a bag of diapers. He set them on the cabinet.

"I know."

I looked at him.

"So, you have already decided?"

He frowned.

"It’s only for two days; it’s not like I’m not returning it."

I said, "The car is in my name."

"You are my wife."

As he said this, there wasn't a hint of hesitation on his face. It was as if my belongings were, by nature, the property of the Manh family. I asked, "Where are the keys?" Manh Thoi Vien didn't look at me. Phung Le Binh cut in.

"Thoi Vien went home to get them last night; Thoi An has already taken the car to put on the wedding decorations today."

The hospital room was silent. The baby in the crib stirred, opened its mouth, and went back to sleep. I looked at Manh Thoi Vien.

"You didn't ask me."

He said, "You were asleep yesterday; I didn't want to wake you." I nodded.

"Then ask me now."

Manh Thoi Vien was silenced. He tore open the package of diapers and set it down.

"Thanh Hoa, don't be so petty."

Phung Le Binh followed suit.

"We are family. Does borrowing a car require a formal request?"

I sat up straight; the pull on my stitches made sweat roll down my back.

"I do not agree."

Manh Thoi Vien’s expression darkened.

"The keys have already been given."

I said, "Then take them back." He lowered his voice.

"Thoi An has already posted it on social media. If you take it back now, how do you expect him to save face?"

I raised my eyes.

"Whether or not he can save face has nothing to do with me."

Phung Le Binh suddenly stood up.

"How can you say something like that!"

The baby was startled awake and began to cry. I reached out to pick him up, but Manh Thoi Vien stepped forward and held the edge of the crib.

"Mother, please keep your voice down."

Phung Le Binh was so angry her chest heaved.

"Where am I being loud? She’s been a part of this family for three years, and she can't even spare a car for them to borrow!"

I picked up my child. The small face pressed against me, red from crying. I patted his back gently.

"This is my child, not a prop for you all to argue over."

Manh Thoi Vien looked at the baby, his voice softening.

"Alright, the baby is here."

I said, "Then get the car back." He was silent for a few seconds.

"Thanh Hoa, Thoi An has to test the wedding route tomorrow."

I started to laugh.

"So you didn't come here to discuss it."

"You came to notify me."

Manh Thoi Vien was humiliated.

"Do you have to be like this?"

I didn't answer. I soothed the baby to sleep and placed him back in the crib. Then, I took my phone and called the insurance agent. Manh Thoi Vien reached out immediately.

"What are you doing?"

I dodged his hand. The call connected quickly. I put it on speaker.

"Hello, I would like to confirm something. If a car is being operated by someone other than the registered driver, and without the owner’s consent, will the insurance company cover any potential accidents?"

Manh Thoi Vien’s face changed. Phung Le Binh was stunned. The voice on the other end explained the protocol.

"It depends on the insurance contract and the specific liability involved in the accident. We strongly advise the car owner not to lend their vehicle to others without authorization."

I said, "Alright, thank you." I hung up. No one in the hospital room said a word.