Chapter 8 — The Last Stop of Marriage

Everything will return to the way it was. That agreement... It will be nothing more than a discarded piece of paper. Will become the biggest joke. The days that followed. Everything was unusually quiet. Tran Huy doesn't call me anymore. Also completely silent. They have accepted reality. Only Lac Lac. Call me on time every day. That's not what I meant. It was the mother-in-law's idea. You're using the child... As an invisible string. Want to pull me back. Friday night. During the call. Lac Lac suddenly hesitated.

"Grandma said..."

"...She misses her mother."

"She also said..."

"She took out mother's favorite jewelry set and maintained it."

"Wait until mom comes home to wear it."

My heart tightened slightly. That set of jewelry... was the dowry my biological mother gave me on my wedding day. A very precious jade set. From then until now. I always lock it in the innermost compartment of the bedroom safe. Password... Only me and Tran Huy know. My voice is still calm.

"She also said..."

"That's mom's stuff."

"She's just holding it for me."

"She also said..."

"The household registration book and red book are also family belongings."

"Mom alone keeps..."

"Not safe."

Finally... The true intention was revealed. Going round and round for days. What they want most... is still to get those documents back. These words... Mother-in-law deliberately used Lac Lac's mouth to speak. Just testing. Just a warning. She wanted to see... Whether I still considered them family or not. At the same time, it also implicitly reminds me. If I refuse to hand over the documents. Well, my private property... They can also touch it at will. I took a deep breath. Then slowly say to your child:

"I'll tell grandma to help mom."

"Mom's stuff..."

"Mom knows how to keep it herself."

"There's no need for her to worry."

"Tell her to remember it well."

"Safe password..."

"Tran Huy knows."

"But mom..."

"I also know how to change."

"If even one item of yours is lost..."

"The agreement will immediately lapse."

"We..."

"See you in court."

The other end of the line. Lac Lac was clearly frightened by my tone.

"Alright."

"Go do your homework."

"Mommy loves you."

I hung up. Immediately open the banking app. Find a service to replace safe lock cores at home. Time... It's tomorrow morning. The next day is Saturday. I got up very early. I didn't tell my parents what I was going to do. Just said he wanted to go home and get some things. My parents didn't ask much, just told me to pay attention to safety. I took a taxi back to the familiar apartment building that now felt extremely strange. Standing in front of the door, I took out the key. Unexpectedly, my hands were shaking a bit. I took a deep breath and opened the door. The house is very neat, you can tell someone has cleaned it. On the dining table, place a bouquet of fresh lilies. It's my favorite flower. The tea table in the living room also has a plate of peeled fruit. Everything feels like... I've never left this place. And also full of fakeness. I didn't touch anything, went straight to the bedroom. The safe is still intact. I entered my password and opened it. The velvet box inside is still there. I opened the box. The jade jewelry set rests inside, the clear blue color is cool to the eyes. Don't lose anything. But I know... They opened the safe. Because the position of the box has shifted about three centimeters from its original place. This is a warning from the mother-in-law. She is telling me that everything in this house is still under her control. Opened it once... Then it will Opened a second time. I smiled coldly. Take the box and put it in your bag. Then clean out all your belongings in the safe. Including some documents and a few bank cards are my own savings. At that moment, the locksmith I scheduled called.

"Hello, I've arrived at the apartment complex gate."

"Yes, wait a minute, I'll come down and pick you up right away."

I locked the door and went downstairs. Take the worker up to the house, right in front of him open the safe again.

"Dear, please help me change this lock. Change it to a completely mechanical one, it can only be opened with a key."

"Okay sister."

The worker worked very quickly. In less than half an hour, the shiny new lock was installed. He gave me two brand new keys.

"Please keep it safe. If you lose the key, the only way is to break the lock."

"Thank you."

I paid the money and sent the worker away. Holding two cold keys in my hands... I finally felt more secure. I keep one in a secret compartment in my wallet. I put a red string on the other one and hung it around my neck, holding it close to my body. Having finished everything, I prepared to leave.