Chapter 9 — The Husband's Secret

He said, don't bring the child out to get angry. I said, I'm not angry. He turned his eyes to my mother. He said, Mom, this is between my husband and me. My mother sneered. She said, you know you two are husband and wife. Tham Nghien's face changed. I immediately took a step forward. I said, Mom, please carry Vien Vien inside. My mother doesn't want it. But she took one look at me, then still hugged Vien Vien into the bedroom. The door closed, leaving only me and Tham Nghien in the hallway. He said, you heard what happened, right? I looked at him. I said, I hope you heard something. Tham Nghien was silent. At that moment, his phone rang. The moment the screen lit up, I saw the caller's name. Thanh Duong school teacher. Tham Nghien turned it off. But the next second, a message popped out. Father Tham Du, my son suddenly had a nosebleed at school. We have contacted Aunt Khuong, please come here quickly. 09 Tham Nghien squeezed the phone tightly into his palm. His face at that moment became pale. I looked at him. He also looked at me. The sensor light in the hallway turned off. Darkness fell, no one moved first. A few seconds later, the light came on again. Tham Nghien's voice was hoarse when he opened his mouth. He said he would come back later to pick up the mother and daughter. I asked, whose nose is bleeding? He avoided my eyes. He said, the son of a company colleague. I burst out laughing. That laugh was very soft, so soft that I even found it strange. I said, does the company colleague's son also call you dad? Tham Nghien's throat rolled up. He didn't answer. I said, Tham Nghien, you've made up stories to this extent, don't you feel tired? He raised his hand to gently rub her eyelids. He said, Diep An, now is not the time to talk about this. I asked, so when is the time? I said, should I wait until you take Vien Vien to the hospital? He looked up at me. This time, there was finally panic in his eyes. He said, how much do you already know? I said, enough for you to not let me touch Vien Vien. He took a step forward. I immediately stepped back, my hand on the doorknob. I said, you take one more step, I will call someone. Tham Nghien paused. He suppressed his voice, Tham Du was sick. I said, so what. He said, the boy needs a chance. I said, Yuan Yuan is not his chance. He said, she just did the initial screening. I glared at him. I said, you certainly know. His expression became even more unsightly. I said, when did you start having plans for Vien Vien? Tham Nghien closed his eyes. I said, don't say such harsh words. I said, then you teach me how to say it. I said, do you make a medical appointment for your eight-month-old daughter, which sounds more pleasant to your ears, or do you hide from your wife and let your daughter have a bone marrow test for another child, which sounds more pleasant to your ears. Tham Nghien's voice lowered. He said, Tham Du is also his child. When this sentence came out, my chest felt like it had a hole in it. I know the truth is one thing. Hearing him say it in person was another story. I asked, what about five years ago? I asked, where were you when Lam Van Duong gave birth? Tham Nghien's eyes changed color. He didn't expect that I even knew this name. He was silent for a long time. Then he said, things are not what you think. I said, that's what it is. He said, he and she are over. I said, it ended to the point that when she gave birth, he signed as her husband. He said, at that time the situation was urgent. I said, it was so urgent that you tricked me into going away on a business trip. He said, Diep An. I interrupted him. I said, don't call me. I said, I feel nauseous. Saying this sentence brought tears to my eyes

pouring down. Not because of softness. It's because the days that I've treasured in my heart for so many years suddenly all collapsed. Cold glass of lemonade at the wedding dress shop. His hand held mine outside the antenatal clinic. His red eye sockets on the day Vien Vien was born. Those moments that I thought were real are now tinged with the shadow of another woman's life. Tham Nghien saw me crying and her expression softened a bit. He said, it's not that I don't want to tell you. I said, you don't dare. He said, Tieu Du doesn't have a mother. I said, so I forced your daughter to bear the debt for me. He said, he had no intention of harming Vien Vien. I said, you have been hurting her. In the bedroom, Vien Vien suddenly cried loudly. My mother is comforting me inside. My mind was immediately pulled back. I don't want to deal with him anymore. I said, you go. Tham Nghien looked towards that door. He said, he wanted to look at her for a moment. I said, no way. He said, he is her father. I said, from the moment you hid it from me and filled in her name on the bone marrow test application, you were no longer worthy of meeting her alone. Tham Nghien's hand clenched into a fist. But in the end he didn't rush through the door. He turned around and went downstairs.