Chapter 14 — The Husband's Secret

Lawyer Trinh added another sentence. "They also suspect taking biological samples from children without consent." The policeman's eyes turned to Tham Nghien. Tham Nghien was silent. His silence was more of an admission than a denial. The police officer asked them to leave first. My mother-in-law still wanted to say something, but was pulled back by Tham Nghien. Before leaving, he looked at me. Those eyes carried fatigue, resentment, and a coldness that I had never seen before. He said. "Diep An, you've done everything so cruelly." I said. "I crossed the limit first." He didn't answer anymore. The elevator door closed, I fell to my knees, almost kneeling on the floor while still hugging Vien Vien. My mother quickly helped me up. Vien Vien woke up completely, crying loudly. I held my child and walked back and forth in the room. "It's okay." "Mommy's here." "No one can take you away." But my voice was shaking. The police officer finished the report, then told us to change the locks. After they left, Lawyer Trinh directly called a locksmith. At three o'clock in the morning, the new lock was installed. The old lock was removed and placed on the shoe cabinet. I looked at that cold piece of metal, an extreme fear rose in my heart. If there is no anti-theft chain. If I sleep soundly tonight. If Attorney Trinh has left. I don't dare think anymore. It was morning, I barely slept. Vien Vien, on the other hand, was tired of crying and fell asleep in my arms. My eyelashes still have tears. This morning, a strange phone number called. I thought it was that nurse. Picking up the phone, a very light childish voice came from the other end of the line. "Are you my sister's mother?" My hand stopped. "Who are you?" The boy coughed twice. "I'm Tieu Du." My whole body stiffened. My mother and Lawyer Trinh looked at me at the same time. The other end of the line was very noisy, like a hospital hallway. Tieu Du's voice was small. "Dad is asleep." "I used dad's phone to call you." My throat was tight. "What are you looking for?" The boy was silent for a moment. "Grandma said my sister can save me." "But dad cried yesterday." "Mrs. Khuong also cried." "Are you very bad?" Tears welled up in my eyes. I closed my eyes, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm not a bad child." "It's not my fault that I'm sick." The boy said softly. "So, is your sister hurt?" I said. "It would be scary." The other end of the line was silent for a long time. Then the boy said. "I'm scared too." "I don't want my sister to hate me." My heart felt like someone had twisted it. I was just about to say something, when Tham Nghien's voice suddenly rang out on the other end of the line. "Tieu Du, what are you doing with dad's phone?" The boy called his dad in panic. The next second, the phone was snatched away. Tham Nghien's breathing was very heavy. He didn't hang up right away. I didn't say anything either. A few seconds later, his hoarse voice rang out. "Diep An, two o'clock this afternoon." "Let's talk." I said. "Bring a lawyer." He said. "Okay." I thought he was going to hang up. But he added one more sentence. "You don't know everything about Lam Van Duong." "She left a letter." "The letter mentioned you." 14 Before two o'clock in the afternoon, I took Vien Vien to another place. I don't stay at my mother's house anymore. Lawyer Trinh said, last night they knew the address, and knew we would take precautions, it was not safe to continue there. An old colleague of my mother's had an empty house in the southern city, normally uninhabited. We brought Vien Vien, birth certificate, vaccination book, common medicine, powdered milk, and moved there that night. Along the way, Vien Vien slept restlessly. As soon as the car stopped, she opened her eyes and looked for me. When I carried my child out of the car, the wind blew and made my little face cold. She buried her face in the crook of my neck and rubbed it gently.

At that moment, my heart suddenly felt sour. She didn't know anything, yet she had to follow me and run away like this. At 1:30 p.m., Lawyer Trinh and I arrived at the appointed place. The location is the conference room of her lawyer's office. Tham Nghien arrived ten minutes earlier than the scheduled time. He wore yesterday's jacket, there were heavy dark circles under his eyes. Behind him there was no mother-in-law, nor Aunt Khuong. Bring only one document bag. When he sat down, the first thing he said was, "Tieu Du's condition is stable this morning." I didn't answer. Lawyer Trinh put the recorder on the table. "The entire conversation today will be recorded." Tham Nghien glanced at the recorder. "Okay." His voice was very hoarse. It was like it had been sandpapered over overnight. I said. "Where is the letter?" Tham Nghien took out an envelope from his file bag. The envelope was yellowed and the corners were frayed. There was no recipient's name on it, just a very light line of text. If you can't go out, please read it all yourself. I stared at that line, my fingertips cold. That was not a letter written to me. Tham Nghien said. "She wrote before giving birth." "At that time her health was not good, the doctor said there was a risk." I asked. "Why did she mention me?"