Chapter 4 — The Lamp No Longer Shines Because of You

“Chu Tu, do you remember the first time we went to the old house?”
He was stunned, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. That day was also a table of food like that. I was so nervous that I didn't dare pick up food. He secretly held my hand under the table and put the peeled shrimp in my bowl.
"Don't be afraid. From now on, this place will also be your home."
Now, in this house there is no longer a place for me. I pushed his hand away.
“Go back in with her.”
His eyes darkened.
“Jian Ninh, your current appearance is really unreasonable.”
I said no more, called the car and left. When I returned to that house, the living room light was still on. The tea table was full of Hua's mother's medicine boxes. On the back of the sofa were draped couple's pajamas, and on the balcony drying Hua Nhuoc Duong's dress. I opened the wardrobe. The clothes that belong to me only have one small compartment on the right. Most were pressed into corners, wrinkled into a pile. I packed my luggage. The suitcase is so light that it can be carried with one hand. Six years of marriage, in the end, we could only hold so many things. In the desk drawer there is also an old photo album. The first page is a photo of me and Chu Tu in front of Hoa Phong restaurant. He smiled brightly, his hands covered in mud. On the back of the photo is written:
“Ninh Ninh, we will have a home of our own.”
I pulled out the photo and tore it in half. Half put in the suitcase, the other half in the drawer. It's five o'clock in the morning, the sky has just brightened. I placed the signed divorce agreement on the shoe cabinet, using the wedding ring on top. At twelve noon, I was sitting in the airport waiting room. Chu Tu sent a message. 【Tonight I will take Nhuoc Duong and her aunt back from their old house. I'll clean the guest room first. We'll talk about yesterday's story when we get home.】 At nine o'clock in the evening, Chu Tu took Hua Nhuoc Duong and her mother back. With one hand he carried Hua Nhuoc Duong's bag, the other hand pressed the fingerprint lock. Door lock not responding. He frowned and pressed it again, but the screen was still black, and there was no notification sound. Hua Nhuoc Duong asked softly:
“Is the battery dead?”
His expression darkened and he took out the spare key. The door was open, it was dark inside. The air conditioner was turned off and the refrigerator didn't make any sound. As soon as Hua's mother walked in, she complained that it was hot. She groped and sat down on the sofa, almost knocking over the boxes of medicine on the tea table.
"What's going on? Tieu Tu, is there a power outage at your house?"
Chu Tu turned on his phone's flashlight and went into the kitchen to check. The faucet was turned on but only made two dry sounds. The gas stove cannot be turned on, and the network transmitter does not light up. He called the management. After checking in for a few minutes, the staff politely said:
"Mr. Chu, this apartment's electricity, water, gas and network accounts were canceled this afternoon, there was no incident."
The back of Chu Tu's hand holding the phone tensed up.
“Who did it?”
"The applicant is Ms. Gian. She applied online, complete procedures."
The other end of the phone was still explaining, but Chu Tu could no longer hear clearly. He hung up the phone and immediately called me. The phone is turned off. Voice calls through the app also go unclaimed. The phone light swept through the mysterious entrance, his eyes suddenly stopped. On the shoe cabinet, the ring quietly pressed against a file folder. He bent down and picked it up. At the top of the page are five clear words. Divorce agreement. Chu Tu's breath immediately choked. Hua Nhuoc Duong also saw it, her face changed slightly force a smile.
"Did your sister-in-law really write the agreement? Maybe she just wanted to scare you. All women are like that when they're angry, don't take it seriously..."
Chu Tu did not listen to it all. He grasped the agreement and rushed into the master bedroom. The wardrobe was pulled out, the small compartment on the right was empty. On the dressing table, my skin care cosmetics and hairpins were all gone. In the bathroom, the toothbrush cup and towel I usually use are gone. There was only a small nightlight left at the head of the bed. That's the lamp I was afraid he would bump into his leg if he woke up in the middle of the night, so I specially bought it. Outside the living room, Hua's mother began to cry impatiently.
"What should we do now? There is no water, no electricity, and we can't even drink medicine."
"Tieu Tu, quickly book a hotel. It must be clean and not too noisy."
Chu Tu walked out of the bedroom. His face was pale, his eyes focused on her. Three months ago, he personally welcomed mother and child into the house. Hua Nhuoc Duong said her mother had just had minor surgery and the environment in the rented house was so bad that she wanted to stay for a few days. He said Gian Ninh is very honest and will not compare. Then days turned into weeks, weeks turned into three months. In the house there is an extra set of bowls and chopsticks, a set of pajamas and a pile of toiletries. He always felt like nothing mattered. Until now, the house was as cold as an empty shell. He just realized that Gian Ninh had been pushed out little by little by them. Hua Nhuoc Duong stepped closer and deliberately spoke in a gentle voice.
"Mr. Chu Tu, don't be in a hurry. Your sister-in-law loved you so much before, after a few days she will definitely come back."
Chu Tu looked at the pajamas on her body. Light gray, same style as yours. At that time, Nhuoc Duong said the shopping center was having a promotion and buying two sets would be cheaper. Yet he did not refuse.