Chapter 2 — The Former General's Ex-Wife Was a Genius Advisor

Co Ngon Chu was sitting on a single sofa in the main bedroom, her hair was damp, and she was wearing only a black tank top and sweatpants. The muscular lines from the collarbone to the forearms are as clear as if sculpted. Seeing me enter the door, he raised his eyes slightly: "Have you had enough?"

“Yes.” I leaned my suitcase against the wall. "Are you free now? Let's talk about the divorce agreement."

“Sit down.” He tilted his chin toward the opposite edge of the bed.

I sat down and took out two printed agreements.

"I won't take this house, the penthouse with river view in the east of the city will belong to me. Shares are calculated according to the dividend ratio converted to money."

Before getting married, we had our assets notarized so the division was very neat and decisive. He scanned each page and then signed. I stowed the agreement, pulled my suitcase out the door. His voice came from behind:

"Can you tell me why you suddenly want a divorce?"

“Not suddenly.”

“So when did you start thinking about it?”

I stopped walking, remembering a bit: "You know you invested in Mien Nguyet's studio, attending events together is unavoidable, I won't divorce because of that."

“So what is it for?”

I thought about it and replied: "Because every time I 'finish', I go to the balcony to smoke." His expression finally changed a bit. Very light, like a leaf blown by the wind.

“Just for that?”

“Just for that.”

If it wasn't for a sleepless night when I went to the balcony to pour water, I wouldn't have discovered - in those thousands of late nights, the thing he kept looking at over and over again on the phone screen was To Mien Nguyet's photo. * The day we moved out of the Co family's house, there were no formalities. The maid helped me load the last carton into the car. Co's mother stood at the door, hesitantly trying to speak again, but in the end she could only say one sentence: "Van Tinh, I've suffered a loss for you." I smiled: "Auntie, don't say that, this is my decision." When the car drove out of the Co family's gate, through the rearview mirror, I saw her standing on the steps wiping tears from her eyes. But I never looked back. The penthouse in the East of the city is 180 square meters wide, with ground-level glass windows overlooking the river. This is the gift Co Ngon Chu gave me when I got married. At that time, he said this was his heart, and put my name on it. Now that I think about it, maybe it was just going through the motions. But whatever. It took me two days to clean my new house, then another day to buy enough household items. Living alone feels much more comfortable than living under the same roof with Co Ngon Chu. At least I wouldn't have to hear the balcony door open at two in the morning, then lie in the dark pretending to be asleep. On the evening of the third day, my close friend Tran Niem called.

“I saw the hot search, are you two really divorced?”

“I haven't gotten the papers yet, just signed the agreement.”

“Then it's a matter of sooner or later.” Tran Niem paused for a moment: "I thought that even if Co Ngon Chu didn't love you, he would at least play his role for the rest of his life. I didn't expect that as soon as To Mien Nguyet returned, he was too lazy to act."

I held the phone between my ear and shoulder, put the milk in the refrigerator and said:

“You're not surprised, I'm not surprised either.”

“But I'm angry.” Tran Niem's voice began to burn: "He doesn't either Just think about how much you helped him get to where he is today.”

I unscrewed the cap of the bottle of mineral water and took a sip.

“No one knows those things, and no one needs to know.”

"Your personality is like that and you'll often suffer losses."

I did not respond. Tran Niem sighed.

“Okay, let's go out to eat tomorrow, I've made a reservation at the Japanese restaurant you like.”

“Okay.”