Chapter 19 — The Fateful Trial

I said softly: "The other person asked me to go alone. If he sees the police, will he destroy the household registration book?" The police were silent for a second: "We will follow in plain clothes. Will you take the baby with you?" I glanced at little An An who was sleeping soundly: "No. He has suffered enough today." I took An An to her mother's house. My mother picked me up from inside the house, her hands were still shaking. This afternoon she received a phone call from me, asking three times if the Ha family was bullying me. I still haven't told the story clearly. But now seeing my eyes red, she understood everything.

“Hoa, let's get a divorce.”

My nose stung, but I still nodded: "There will be a divorce. But before that, I have to get An An's name back first." At nine forty minutes in the evening, I approached the old building of the Obstetrics Hospital. This building has been abandoned for a long time, withered vines wrap around the outer walls, and there is only a flickering streetlight at the gate. Plainclothes police were scattered around the area. I clasped the phone in my hand, walking towards the back door as requested by the text message. The back door was only slightly closed. Inside, there was a smell of antiseptic mixed with the smell of mold. The hallway was dark. As soon as I walked in, the phone rang again. Still the same number. *”Go to the second floor, don't turn back.”* I followed the stairs up. Each step is very slow. At the end of the second floor hallway, there was a small patch of light. That place used to be the room to store newborn records. The door was slightly open. I pushed the door and walked in. There was a woman in the room. Not Lam Mai. Nor is it Tong Uyen. She was wearing a hospital logistics uniform, her hair was gray, and her hand was holding a cement paper bag. I recognized her. She is Ms. Ly - the person who performed the hospital discharge procedures for me the day before. An acquaintance of Lam Mai in the hospital. Seeing me, she sighed first: "Miss Duong, I have no choice." I stood at the door, not going further in: "Where are the things?" She held up the paper bag: "Copies of the household registration book, the baby's bracelet, and the birth registration certificate were swapped at that time." My heart skipped a beat: "Switch?" Ms. Ly's eyes were evasive: "At that time, your son's birth information had been entered into the system. Later, Lam Mai asked someone to say that the family information had been filled in incorrectly and please retract it. She brought Ha Tuan there. I thought your family had discussed it thoroughly." My voice was cold: "You received the money, right?" Her lips trembled: "I just helped her get her registration confirmation back. The system is not fixed by me. The person who actually has the right to intervene in the system is not in my department." I stared at her, saying every word: "Who is it?" Ms. Ly was just about to open her mouth when suddenly there was a light noise outside the door. It's like someone kicked a bottle. Her face turned pale and she immediately thrust the paper bag into my hand: "Go quickly!" Before I could hold it firmly, the hallway light went out. In the dark, someone pushed me hard from behind. I bumped into the corner of the table and the paper bag fell to the floor. A hand reached forward and grabbed the household registration book on the ground. I gritted my teeth and rushed forward, pressing firmly on the notebook. The opponent's strength was very strong, his nails scratching the back of my hand were painful. The next second, the police's shout rang out in the hallway: "Freeze!" At the same time, the flashlight shined straight into the room. The other person turned and ran away. Plainclothes police rushed in from both sides, and chaotic footsteps rang out in the hallway. I knelt on the ground, picking up the scattered pieces of paper. Ms. Ly cowered in the corner of the wall, trembling in fear. Very quickly, the police escorted a person back. That person was wearing a hat and half of his mask was pulled off. I looked up, my whole body stiffened. Not a stranger. That is Lam Quoc Cuong - Ha Tuan's uncle, also the younger brother that Lam Mai trusts the most.