Chapter 6 — The Gift I Left After My Divorce

The next morning. Chu Minh Hien woke up drunk. Last night he didn't come home, but drank until he was exhausted outside. That so-called "home"... now just makes him suffocated. The phone vibrates continuously. He uncomfortably picked it up. A series of missed calls and messages. From company leaders, colleagues... even unknown numbers. He opened a message. Sent by the head of human resources department.

"Chu Minh Hien, you are fired. Immediately return to the company to complete the resignation procedures."

His head felt like it was exploding. He immediately called the manager back.

"Manager Vuong, why? Why did you fire me?"

The voice on the other end of the line was cold as ice.

"Why? What are you doing to yourself, don't you understand?"

“Go online and watch it!”

“The company's face... has been ruined by you!”

Chu Minh Hien's hands trembled as he opened the social network. On the hot search board, a dazzling title hung in the third position. The man forced his wife to leave empty-handed, then "art" retaliated harshly. He pressed on. At the top... is the video from yesterday, the scene of him kneeling and threatening me in front of my parents' house. Extremely sharp shooting angle. Every single one of his ugly expressions... was recorded clearly. Below the video, is a long article posted by my lawyer in my name. No inflammatory words. Just... calmly tell it. Five years of marriage. Little by little. I told about my parents saving up their whole lives... to buy us a wedding house. I told Truong Lan that she took my salary card in the name of "keeping it for me". I told Chu Minh Hien to use my money... to support another woman outside. I told how together they forced me to sign the paperwork to leave empty-handed. Every detail... has evidence. Transfer statement. Photo of the message. Even... his and the other person's rental history. I bring it all… to light. At the end of the article, I just write a few lines.

“I used to think that marriage was a refuge.”

“Later I found out… it was a bottomless pit that swallowed people whole.”

“My work ‘Dowry’… is not revenge, but a farewell.”

“I said goodbye to a failed marriage… and to myself—a version of myself that was once weak, resigned, and exploited.”

"As for Chu Minh Hien... his and his family's behavior has seriously threatened the safety of me and my relatives."

“I filed for a protective order.”

“If there is any more extreme behavior... we will take legal action.”

That article... was like a bomb exploding among public opinion. The comments section… exploded.

“Oh my god, it's like eating porridge in real life!”

“Being a freeloader and having an affair, the right kind of scum!”

“The whole family sucks blood, no one is kind!”

"Support me! This retaliation is great!"

“This work of art deserves to be exhibited nationwide!”

Chu Minh Hien's company was also dug out. The official page is spammed with boycott comments.

"Does your company still keep this type of person? Fire it immediately!"

“Never buying products from this company again!”

To protect itself, the company immediately cut him off. Chu Minh Hien looked at the phone screen, his eyes dark. This time... it's really over. Reputation. In just one night… crushed to nothing by me. He was like a fish stripped of its scales and thrown onto the shore, struggling helplessly. The phone rang again. It's Truong Lan.

"My child! Have you seen the news on the internet?"

“My home address was revealed Already!"

"Someone came to paint and throw trash in front of the door!"

“Hurry up and think of a way!”

What else could he think? Even myself... I can't keep it up. He hung up and threw the phone on the ground. The screen shattered. Exactly like his life. He collapsed onto the steering wheel, screaming like a cornered animal. He hates. I can't understand... that once obedient, resigned woman... How could she become so cruel. He didn't know— What crushed the camel… was never the last straw. But... every single stem. Over the past five years, he has loaded me with countless straws. And now… it's just time to pay the price.