Chapter 8 — The day I registered my marriage, I discovered that my husband had two lives

He walked to the table, picked up a pen and drew a straight line on the paper.

“This is the timeline in the perception of two people.”

he said. Then he made a few cuts in the middle of the line.

“Now... this timeline has been divided into several segments.”

He pointed to a passage in it.

“This part... is the time I spend with you.”

Then point to another paragraph.

“This part... is the time I spent with her.”

He stopped for a moment. Then draw a few new straight lines on the paper.

“But the problem is…” He said slowly. “There are more than just two paragraphs.”

I stared at the paper. My heart gradually becomes cold.

“The pictures you two just saw…” He said. “Just a few of them.”

My throat was tight.

“In other words…”

I slowly spoke up.

“In different ‘time periods’… you married different people?”

He doesn't deny it.

“So how are those time segments cut?” I asked.

He looked at me and smiled softly.

“This question…”

“You two don't need to know right now.”

I slowly clenched my fist.

“Do you think it will end like that?”

He didn't answer. But turned to look at To Uyen's belly.

“Now the most important thing to me is the baby.” he said.

To Uyen immediately exploded.

“Stop beating around the bush!” Her voice trembled. “What do you see me as?”

Lam Trach was silent for a second. Then say something quietly.

“You are all just ‘a phase’.”

As soon as that sentence ended, the whole space seemed to be drained of air. I was stunned. To Uyen was also dumbfounded.

“A phase?”

I repeat. He nodded.

“Each period of time will correspond to a life.” he said. “You are just characters in different stages.”

My mind is blank. At this point, I suddenly understood. From beginning to end... He never saw us as complete human beings. In his eyes... We are just... Slices of time.

“So have you ever thought about a possibility…” My voice lowered slightly. “Will those ‘phases’… sometimes overlap?”

He looked at me. Say nothing. But at that moment... I saw a glint in his eyes... I immediately grasped that point.

“We just compared the times.” I continue. “The time you spent with me completely coincided with the time you 'disappeared' with her.”

He nodded.

“That's by design.”

“So what if the design goes wrong?” I stared at him. “What if two time periods overlap?”

He was silent. The silence for that second made my heart pound.

“Have you ever encountered that situation yourself?” I asked.

He didn't answer. But I already know the answer.

“Co Niem…”

To Uyen suddenly called softly. I turned to look at her. Her face was pale.

“Just before you saw me downstairs…” She said slowly. “He actually talked to me.”

I stopped.

“What do you mean?”

“He said... he just arrived.”

My mind exploded.

“But I clearly saw him standing downstairs waiting for you for a long time.”

She nodded.

"That's right." She replied. “But he said he just came from the company.”

The atmosphere immediately became strange. I'm slow turned his head to look at Lam Trach.

“Have you ever thought about a possibility…”

I looked straight at him, emphasizing every word.

“The person we saw... wasn't the same 'Lin Trach'?”

His pupils immediately contracted. That was the first time I saw... He was really scared. At that moment... My phone suddenly rang. I was startled. The screen lights up. The caller's name appeared... My whole body stiffened. I slowly raised my head to look at Lam Trach standing in front of me. He was still standing there. Didn't move at all. But my phone... Still keeps ringing. My fingers trembled, I clicked to listen. The other end of the line transmitted his voice.

“Where are you?”

My mind was completely blank.

“Aren't you... standing in front of me?”

My voice trembled to the point of being lost. The other end of the line was silent for a second. Then he said something that gave me goosebumps all over my body.

“I just arrived at your house.”

I immediately raised my head to look at Lam Trach in front of me. He was also looking at me. Completely changed. The air froze in that moment. I held the phone tightly. The whole person felt trapped in a broken world. Existing at the same time.