Chapter 3 — The Day I Take It All Back

Looking at the man kneeling on the ground, tears and snot running down his face in front of me, my stomach churned with nausea. This is the man I loved for five years and was married to for three years. Before the benefits… His knees were softer than paper.

"It's late."

I spoke coldly.

“The moment you stood there watching them insult me without saying a single word…”

“It's too late.”

I took out my phone from my pocket. Open the recording. Before I walked in the door, I had already turned on the recording function. Right in front of them, I directly pressed playback on the "family trial" episode just now.

“You are not worthy of my son, divorce!”

"That's great! Tran Hao, quickly print out the divorce papers!"

Tran Chinh Duc's extravagant tone. Vuong Lan's sour voice followed. Tran Dinh's cruel sarcastic words. Along with the sound of Tran Hao's footsteps entering the study room in the back. Everything is clear. After the recording ended, I turned off the phone.

“This recording, along with the contract in my name…”

“And also the ‘pre-marital asset supplement clause’ that my father once forced Tran Hao to sign to prevent unexpected events…”

“It will all be left to my lawyer tomorrow.”

I looked at the whole family in front of me, white as ashes, and slowly announced my final decision.

"Kissing must lead to separation."

“Shophouse must definitely recall.”

“And you guys…”

I turned my eyes to look at each face.

“It's best to think about it…”

“If there is no more rent profit sharing of nearly 1,000,000 yuan per year…”

“Then next month, the loan payment for the house you live in…”

“What are you going to get in return?”

What I said was like the last straw, completely crushing the nerves of the entire Tran family. The first person to go crazy was Vuong Lan. She was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, screaming loudly:

"No! No withdrawal!"

"That's my son's money! It's our family's money!"

She rushed forward like a madman. But not rushing towards me. Instead, he rushed to where Tran Hao was kneeling on the ground. Fists continuously pounded down on his back like rain.

"Useless thing! Harmful thing!"

“At first I told you to comfort him well and bring all his family's money back here…”

“What the hell are you doing?!”

"Now that's good! It's all gone!"

Tran Hao held his head and let his mother beat him, only repeating over and over again:

“Mom… stop fighting…”

“I was wrong… I really know I was wrong…”

Tran Dinh was also completely dumbfounded. She looked bewildered at the chaos before her eyes, muttering:

“What about your bag… what about your new car…”

“Brother, didn't you promise to buy me a red sports car next month?”

In that chaos, only Tran Chinh Duc gradually calmed down after the initial shock. He stared at me. His eyes were dark and scary like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark. He spoke, his voice hoarse but still carrying a command that did not allow resistance.

“If you're human, you should leave room for retreat.”

“It will be easier to see each other later.”

"It's true that our family was wrong first, we accept it."

“But you can't be that cruel.”

I looked at him, without speaking, waiting to see what else he was going to say.

“Divorce is okay.”

He took a deep breath as if he had just made a huge concession.

“But nine shophouses That must leave half!”

“If not, at least three apartments must be left behind!”

“It seems like you have been respectful to me and Aunt Vuong for the past three years!”

I almost laughed out loud. It's come to this... What he thinks is not salvation. It's about how to extract the last bit of benefit from the rubble that he personally set on fire.

“Respectful?”

I raised my eyebrows and asked again.

“Uncle Tran, I married into this family for three years…”

“Every Tet holiday, gifts for two people…”

“Are there any dishes that I didn't choose myself?”

“The clothes you wear, the things in your house…”

“How many things are there that I didn't pay for?”

“Even the international university that Tran Dinh is studying at…”

“Tuition fees of more than 100,000 yuan per year are also taken from the shophouse profit sharing money.”

“Why don't you count those things?”

“Not the same!”

Vuong Lan immediately stopped beating her son and protested loudly.

“That's what you should do!”

"If you marry Tran Hao, you are a member of the Tran family!"

“How about spending some of your money?”

I laughed coldly.

“That's good.”

“Now I don't want to be a member of the Tran family anymore.”

“Things that belong to me…”

“I'll take a penny back.”

Tran Chinh Duc roared, grabbed the ashtray on the tea table, and pretended to throw it straight at me. I don't dodge. His eyelids didn't even bother to blink. I just calmly looked at him:

“Just throw it away.”

“I threw it, I immediately called the police.”

“Crime of intentionally causing injury…”

“In addition to the verbal insult from earlier…”

“There's also this recording.”

“Who do you think the police will believe?”

Tran Chinh Duc's raised arm stiffened in midair. He's just good at scaring. He didn't dare to really take action. All his prestige is built on the patience and obedience of others. Once someone is no longer afraid of him... He is just a paper tiger.

“Dad! What are you doing?!”

Tran Hao crawled over and hugged his father's leg.

“Dad, don't get excited! Three!"

Then he raised his head and looked at me. His eyes were bloodshot, with tears and snot mixed on his face, looking so pathetic that it was hard to see.

“Nien Niem… consider me begging you…”

“Don't be like that anymore…”

“Can we talk again? Respecting our previous feelings..."

“Love?”

I directly interrupted him.

“Tran Hao, do you still have the face to mention your feelings for me?”

“When your family repeatedly caused trouble for me, where were you?”

"When they said I couldn't have children and wanted to go to the temple to ask for water charms for me to drink, where were you?"

“Today they sit here like they are judging a prisoner, forcing me to get a divorce, telling you to go print out a petition…”

“Where were you at that time?”

With each question I asked, his face turned a little whiter.

“When you stand between feelings and interests…”

“And without hesitation choose benefits…”

“Then there are only interests left between us.”

I don't want to see anyone else. The faces in this room made me nauseous from the bottom of my heart. I turned around and went straight to the door.

“Tu Niem! You stand there for me!”

Behind him, Tran Chinh Duc's angry screams rang out.

“Nim Niem! Don't go!”

That was Tran Hao's desperate voice. I don't turn around.