Chapter 15 — The Husband's Secret

Tham Nghien was silent for a moment. He pushed the letter over. "See for yourself." I didn't touch it right away. I was afraid that as soon as I touched it, the things that had rotted in the dark would actually stick to my hands. Finally, Lawyer Trinh put on gloves and spread out the letter. The handwriting is very elegant. Not like the panic of a patient before death. First line written. Tham Nghien, I'm sorry. I read on. Lam Van Duong said in the letter that she knew me. She knows Tham Nghien has a girlfriend who is getting married. She said that her and Tham Nghien's conversation should have ended a long time ago. She said this child came at the wrong time. She said she didn't want to use the child to tie anyone down. She also wrote my name. She said, Diep An doesn't owe me. If anything happens to me, don't let her pay for my child. Reading this, my eyes warmed up. I thought I would hate her. But these words, like a late hand, pulled me out of deep waters. At least she understands. I don't owe her. Vien Vien doesn't owe her anything. Tham Nghien always bowed his head. I turned to the next page. The second page reads. If the child survives, please take care of him. If you can't do it, give it to my aunt. Don't ruin other people's lives because of it. Don't lie to Diep An. Don't let her live in a marriage full of lies. The words "don't lie to Diep An" made my tears fall. I raised my head to look at Tham Nghien. "I saw it." He did not deny it. I asked. “When did you see it?” He said. “The second day after she left.” I smiled faintly. The voice was very quiet. "So five years ago you knew, she told you not to lie to me." Tham Nghien clenched his hands, his knuckles turning white. "At that time I didn't know what to say." "Diep An, I admit I was wrong." "But I didn't plan to hide it from you all my life." I looked at him. "So when are you going to say it?" He didn't answer. I answered for him. "Wait until the wedding is over." "Wait until I'm pregnant." "Wait until Vien Vien is born." "Wait until Tieu Du gets sick." "Wait until you need Vien Vien." With each sentence he uttered, his face turned a little whiter. Lawyer Trinh flipped to the end and suddenly stopped. "This letter is incomplete." Tham Nghien raised his eyes. "That's all." Lawyer Trinh pointed to the lower right corner of the second page. "There are page numbers here." "Two out of three." The meeting room was silent for a moment. My heart slowly sank again. I looked at Tham Nghien. "Where is the third page?" Tham Nghien's eyes changed. Very short, but enough for me to notice. He said. "It's gone." I said. "When did it die?" He said. "Many years ago." I stared at him. "Tham Nghien, you were talking just now, wanting to clarify everything." His throat moved. "The third page is not necessary." I smiled. "Whether it is necessary or not, it is not up to you to decide." Lawyer Trinh put the first two pages in a transparent plastic bag. "Please provide a full copy of the original." Tham Nghien's voice was deep. down. “I don't have it.” “The original is with my mother.” I finally understood. You didn't come today to confess. He came to use Lam Van Duong's letter in exchange for my softness. Show me the part where she said poor child. Don't show me the part where you're really scared. I said. "Why did your mother keep the original?" Tham Nghien closed her eyes. "That year she helped me handle a number of things." I said. "Including kicking Lam Van Duong away." "Including hiding Tieu Du." "Including now forcing Vien Vien to go to the hospital." He suddenly raised his head. "Diep An, don't think everyone is that bad." I looked at him. "Then bring out the third page." He once again remained silent. quiet. This time, I don't wait anymore. I stood up. "We're done talking." Tham Nghien also

stood up. "Diep An." "I came today, to ask you to give Tieu Du a chance." I turned to look at him. "You're begging the wrong person." "You should go beg your mother." "Pray for yourself." "Pray for all the adult bone marrow banks." "But you can't beg for an eight-month-old child." Tham Nghien's eyes were red. "If Vien Vien knows later, she had a chance to save her brother but didn't." help, does she hate you?” My heart ached. But I didn't back down. "If she knew later that her father secretly took her teething ring and forced her from the baby crib to the hospital bed, would she hate you?" Tham Nghien's face was completely gray. At this moment, Attorney Trinh's phone rang. She answered the phone, only listened to a few sentences, and her face immediately changed. She turned off the phone and looked at me. "The hospital just reported the news." "Someone intentionally canceled the denial statement you submitted last night." My mind was buzzing. Lawyer Trinh's voice became even colder. "The other party brought the power of attorney from Tham Nghien's mother." "He also brought a photocopy of the third page of the letter." 15 Lawyer Trinh and I hurried to the City Children's Hospital. There were several people surrounding the door of the Medical Department.