Chapter 4 — The Fateful Oath

I still remember clearly what happened eight months ago. "Thanh, your house is absolutely massive!" Minh Nguyet had squealed, scurrying around the villa like a commoner who had suddenly stumbled into a royal palace. Her eyes darted from one expensive ornament to another, gleaming as if she had discovered a buried treasure. "Thanh, dear," she had said, clutching my arm with a sickeningly sweet, wheedling tone. "You’re the best person in the world! You're so beautiful and successful. Could you please, please buy me a plane ticket to Shanghai?"

I had looked at her with suspicion. "What do you need to go to Shanghai for?"

Minh Nguyet’s expression immediately shifted, a flicker of awkwardness crossing her face as she struggled to maintain her excitement. "I... I’m just going to visit a friend." Once she saw that I had booked the round-trip ticket and completed the payment, she threw her arms around me, planting a messy kiss on my cheek while showering me with frantic thanks.

I stepped into the restroom for only a moment, but when I came out, she was gone. Along with her, several bags of snacks my sister-in-law had bought for the children had vanished—and so had a box of condoms from my bedside drawer. That box was special. For some reason during that period, my husband, Thuong Vi, had insisted on using protection every single time we were intimate. We had been married for over a year without a child, and I was growing anxious. Sensing he was intentionally avoiding fatherhood, I had been driven by a quiet rage to secretly prick seven or eight tiny holes into every single condom in that box.

Oddly enough, from that day forward, he never touched me again. The box sat uselessly in the drawer until it disappeared along with Minh Nguyet. When I first noticed it was missing, I suspected she had taken it and called her immediately, intending to warn her not to use them.

"Minh Nguyet, about that box of condoms the other day..."

"What condoms? I never saw anything. I'm busy, I have to go."

Click. I stared at my phone in a daze, tapping my forehead lightly. I scolded myself, thinking I was being too paranoid. Surely a child had just taken them to play with, especially since the snacks were gone too. But the next day, when my nephew started crying while searching for his missing treats, I knew for certain it was Minh Nguyet. Fearful that something might happen to her, I tried calling again, only to be hung up on and promptly blocked.

Now, looking at the security footage of Minh Nguyet’s bulging stomach, she looked like she was ready to pop. "Hubby, I want some 4J cherries," Minh Nguyet whined on the screen, swaying her hips like a favored concubine carrying a prince.

"We must buy them! Buy ten kilograms for my precious daughter-in-law!" my mother-in-law chirped, her voice dripping with a fake, nouveau-riche arrogance.

Thuong Vi puffed out his chest confidently. "Of course! Anything else you want, just say the word. Your husband will buy it all!"

"I also want ruby grapefruit, Japanese Aomori apples, and white strawberries..."

My mother-in-law was on a roll. "Ten kilograms! Ten kilograms of everything!"

"And finally... I want some 5A Wagyu beef," Minh Nguyet added with an innocent smile.

"Ten kilograms of that too!" the old woman screamed reflexively.

At that, Thuong Vi’s lip gave a slight twitch. He finally hesitated. "Mom... if we buy that much, it’ll go bad before we can eat it all. It won't be fresh..."

I clicked my tongue in disgust. A man earning six thousand a month having the audacity to spend money like water—this was going to be an entertaining show.

Soon after, Thuong Vi, his father, and his sister all headed out to shop, likely needing the extra hands to carry the haul. As I predicted, less than forty minutes later, my phone vibrated. The moment I answered, a voice screamed from the other end.

"Thanh! What is going on? Why isn't my credit card working?!"

I let out a soft laugh. "If your card doesn't work, what does that have to do with me?"

"No, I mean your card! The one I use!"

"Ah, my card isn't working? Well, what does that have to do with you?"

"Thanh! Are you trying to use this petty trick to force me and my family to apologize to you? You truly disappoint me!"

The man was still trying to manipulate me? Was his brain made of mud? "You’re disappointed in me? So what? Why should I care about the disappointment of a eunuch?"

"You... you..."

"You bitch!" my sister-in-law’s voice screeched in the background, so loud I had to move the phone half a meter away to save my ears. "You want us to bow down to you? In your dreams!"

My father-in-law chimed in as well. "If you’re going to act like this, don't you dare ever come back to this house!"

I smiled coldly, articulating every word clearly. "Please, let’s be precise. That is my house, not the den of animals you people inhabit. And for your information—I’ve already filed for divorce."

Not wanting to waste another second on those ungrateful wolves, I hung up. However, the old man’s words gave me an idea. I immediately logged onto a real estate app and listed the villa for sale. My ownership certificates, large savings books, and other vital documents were already safe in a bank vault; I didn't need to return to that house for anything.

Lying in my hospital bed with nothing to do, I checked the home cameras again. I caught Minh Nguyet in the middle of a tantrum, clutching her massive belly. "I said ten kilograms! Why are there only ten pieces? And 5A Wagyu isn't beef-flavored sausage! I wanted real beef!"

I nearly spat out my soup.

The detached villa in Royal Blue Bay was a hot commodity. By the fifth day of the listing, I received a call from an agent. The buyer was a man in his mid-thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with sharp eyes and a composed, powerful aura. I expected the viewing process to be tedious, but he surprised me.

"No need for a tour. I know the layout of this area well. I like the property. We can sign the contract now."

His decisiveness made me feel a bit guilty, so I decided to be honest about the situation—that my ex-husband's family might refuse to leave during the handover. He simply gave a small, knowing smile. "That won't be a problem."

Usually, the title transfer takes a week, but somehow everything went through as if the gears had been greased with gold. By the end of the day, the transfer was complete.

"Miss Thanh, how would you like me to handle the furniture and belongings in the villa?"

"I’ll send you an address. Please have a moving company pack everything up and send it there. I’ll cover the costs." I gave him the address of the luxury apartment I had purchased back in university—my safe haven.

"Do you need a list of personal items to ensure they are packed correctly?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "No need. As long as those people are out of the villa, it’s fine. Everything in there—from the bricks to the tables and the spoons—was bought with my money."

The man nodded leisurely. "Understood."

A day later, exactly as I expected, Thuong Vi called. "Thanh, you despicable woman! Who gave you permission to sell the house? Did you even consult me?"

I replied casually, "Oh, it seems... I didn't need to."

My indifference caused him to lose his mind. "Damn it! We aren't even divorced yet! On what grounds do you think you can sell our joint property?"

I curled my lip. "Unfortunately, that is a pre-marital asset. The deed is in my name alone."

Thuong Vi hissed, "What about your income after the marriage? Half of that is mine!"

I paused for a second. "What income?"

He scoffed. "Don't play dumb! You have four point sixty-five million in annual interest from your three-hundred-million savings account! We’ve been married for two years; you owe me exactly four point sixty-five million!"

I rubbed my temples, truly speechless. "Alright, welcome to a legal lesson for the illiterate: the principal of a bank deposit is a pre-marital asset. The interest generated from it is considered income from personal property. Under the law, it is not marital property. So... stop dreaming."

The sound of my mother-in-law wailing erupted on the other end. "Oh, Heavens! How did our family end up with such a wicked daughter-in-law? She wants to drive us all to our deaths! Boohoo!"

Hearing her cry actually made my mood soar. Then, Thuong Vi spoke again, his voice sounding as though he were grinding his teeth. "Thanh, if this is how you want to force me to crawl back to you... fine. You win. I’m sorry."

A shiver of disgust ran down my spine, and my skin crawled. I cut him off immediately. "Stop, stop, stop. Please, don't be so full of yourself. I only hope you and that mistress stay in love forever. That’s all!"

I hung up and blocked him. Then I blocked the sister, the mother, and the father. I reviewed the camera footage from the past few days, disappointed that I couldn't find evidence of them trying to poison me. Now that the house was sold and the cameras would soon be removed, I couldn't investigate further, but the look on their faces was a satisfying enough ending for now.