Chapter 10 — The Door Closes, You Also Leave

I shook my head.

“Later…”

“There will be no more of me.”

A wind blew horizontally. My throat hurts. I pulled my coat tight, turned around and was about to leave. Behind him, his hoarse voice rang out.

“Hua Kha... I will wait for you.”

My steps stopped for a moment.

“Don't wait.”

“I'm not lost.”

“But... escaping.”

I returned to the apartment. Close the door. The new lock makes a very soft "click" sound. The lock is on my side. The person standing outside... Will never be able to decide when I can step out again. The progress of the case is slower than I thought. Reality is not like short videos that only take a few minutes to turn the situation around. Testimony still needs to be taken. Determine responsibilities. Then calculate the compensation level. At first, Tham Nhu still insisted that...

“She didn't know that lock would lock the door from the outside.”

The lock manufacturer provides an explanation of the product structure. The fire department also confirmed that the outside locking latch had been pushed into the locked position. Only then did Tham Nhu change her words. Say...

“Memories at that time were chaotic.”

Lawyer Phuong compiled all of her conflicting statements before and after into a comparison table. After reading... I just feel tired. Can Nghiem was also summoned to testify. He told the police that he did not hear me calling for help. But in the recording... The door shook violently. The neighbor's testimony also confirmed that I called for help. Even people standing in the hallway heard it. Finally... He changed his words. Admit that you heard. Because the declaration was not true... Your company also knew about it. According to mutual friends... He was suspended from an important project. As for Tham Nhu... much more miserable. She moved back in with her mother. Every day I lock myself in the house. One time... She stopped me right downstairs in the studio. It was the third week after I returned to work. She wore a white coat. Visibly thinner. As soon as I saw it, I immediately ran over. I took half a step back. The receptionist immediately stood in front of me. Tham Nhu cried as she spoke.

“Kha Kha... I really can't stand it anymore.”

“The landlord demands compensation every day.”

“There are still people scolding me online.”

“My mother also blames me.”

“Can you withdraw your application?”

“We were so close before…”

“You can't really watch me have my life ruined.”

I looked at her. Before? Before... In the middle of the night she had a high fever. I took a taxi to take her to the emergency room. Before... She was scolded by her superiors. I took time off from work to sit with her and eat porridge. Before... She said she had nowhere to turn to. It's me who opens the door. Give her a place to hide. But then... She burned down that house. Also... Locked my way of life. I looked at her.

“Tham Nhu.”

“I treated you well before…”

“It doesn't mean…”

“You have the right to harm me.”

She cried harder.

“I'm just afraid of being responsible…”

“I never wanted you to die.”

“What if the firefighters had been five minutes late that day?”

Her face immediately turned pale. I asked again.

“What if I don't have the strength to knock on the door anymore?”

She couldn't answer. I went around her. Walk straight go inside. Behind her, she screamed.

“You have really changed!”

I stopped walking.

“Someone who almost died once…”

“Of course it will change.”

I moved studios. Go to an office building with an independent fire protection system. I started designing commercial spaces. In each design... I proactively add notes about emergency exits. Fire resistance level of material. And the location of the smoke detector. Colleagues laugh. Say I'm too careful. I also laughed.

“The carefulness…”

“Could save a life.”

Two months later... The fire prevention team where Trinh Da worked came to our office area to hold a training session. He wears a uniform. Lecture on escape skills in case of fire. The voice remained calm. Still as strong as the first time I met him. Coming to the practical part... I stood at the back of the crowd. But... My palms began to sweat. White smoke shot out from the fire extinguisher... Reminded me of the smoke that night. My face gradually turned pale. The whole person could barely stand anymore. Trinh Da was the first to realize that. You don't call me by name in front of everyone. Nor did he immediately step forward to help me. He just quietly walked aside, put down the fire extinguisher, and said softly:

“You can not participate in the practical part.”

I was stunned. He calmly continued:

“The safety training session is not to force you to relive painful memories.”

“The decision is yours.”

That moment... My nose suddenly stung. Real help is showing others a way out. Not to drag them to the next step according to your wishes. After that, we still kept in touch occasionally. He sent me some documents about fire prevention standards. And I asked him about details related to safety in commercial space design. He has never exceeded the limit. I never asked how scared I was that night. One time I worked overtime until very late. He only sent one message. 【Don't let cars block the emergency exit downstairs. Be careful when you go home.】 I answered exactly one word. Right after that, he sent another message. 【No need to answer me. As long as you get home safely, that's all.】 I looked at that message for a long time. There is a place in my heart... That has been tense for a very long time.