Chapter 9 — The Last Stop of Marriage

As soon as I walked to the door, the phone suddenly rang. It's Tran Huy. His voice was so panicked and scared that I had never heard it before.

"Tham Nhien! Something's wrong! Go to the hospital quickly!"

"What is up?"

My heart suddenly sank.

"...My dad... my dad had a heart attack! In the emergency room!"

His voice was choked, it didn't sound like he was pretending.

"In which hospital?"

"City Center Hospital! Emergency Department! Come quickly! The doctor said... surgery may be required! A lot of money is needed!"

It's money again. My first reaction... Don't worry about my father-in-law's health. Is this... Another trap? A humiliating plan to force me to hand over my salary card. Always delegate financial management authority.

"Tham Nhien! Do you hear? This is a human life! Why are you hesitating anymore?"

Tran Huy screamed into the phone.

"I'll be right there."

I hung up. My heart is as tangled as a thread. Reason tells me... It's very possible that this is just an act. What if it's true? It's a human life. I don't dare bet. I rushed downstairs and hailed a taxi.

"Dude, go to the City Center Hospital. Please run quickly."

The car weaved through the crowded traffic. My heart is like the road ahead. Heavy to the point of suffocation. Half an hour later. The car stopped in front of the hospital's emergency department. I paid and ran straight inside. The strong smell of antiseptic mixed with the moans of the patient and the cries of the family members made my mind dizzy. I kept a nurse.

"Let me ask, which emergency room is the patient who had a heart attack just brought in, his name is Tran Quoc Dong?"

The nurse looked it up on the computer and shook her head.

"Our hospital is not accepting any patients with that name today."

The blood in my body immediately cooled by half. Seeing that my face was not okay, the nurse added:

"Not just today. In the past week, our Cardiology Department has not had any patients with this name admitted to the hospital."

A vile trap. A drama using the excuse of "related to human life" to trick me into taking the bait. I stood in the middle of the noisy emergency room. Whole body cold. The phone rang again. Still Tran Huy. I picked up the phone.

"Are you here yet? Why aren't you here yet? My dad... my dad is not okay..."

His cries sounded so real that... Maybe the Oscars should also give him a gold statue.

"Tran Huy."

My voice was cold as ice.

"Which room are you in?"

"...I... I'm..."

"...In front of the door to the Intensive Care Room on the third floor. Come up quickly!"

"Okay."

I laughed.

"I'm standing right at the nurse's station in the emergency room."

"The nurse just told me..."

"For the past week, this hospital has not had any patient named Tran Quoc Dong."

"Or now..."

"Come down here and show me..."

"How did your father end up in the ICU?"

On the other end of the line... Silent as death. Tran Huy's crying immediately stopped. I even clearly heard him take a sharp breath. Maybe he didn't expect it in his dreams... I'll go check. In his and his family's perception, just hearing the words "father-in-law is in critical condition", I should have panicked, cried, and rushed to bring money. Instead of calmly running to the nurse's station to verify.

"Th... Tham Nhien... I... I'll listen to your explanation first..."

Tran's voice Huy stammered. Full of panic of someone who has just been exposed to a lie.

"It's... the wrong doctor! That's right! It's the same name! We... we're not at the Central Hospital! We're... at the Southern Hospital!"

He continues to lie. Still consider me a fool. I turned around and walked out of the emergency room. Bright sunlight covers you. But I can't dispel the cold in my heart.

"Southern Hospital, right?"

"Then I'll come right away."

"Just wait there."

"Don't come!"

Tran Huy almost shouted.

"My dad... my dad doesn't want to see you! If you come, you'll provoke him!"

Really funny. A person who originally didn't exist in the hospital... He was also afraid of being provoked.

"Tran Huy."

"I'm asking you one last time."

"Finally..."

"What do you want?"

My voice is not loud. But every word... It was like nails driven straight into his ears. Finally... He collapsed.

"...It... was my mother's idea..."

Crying and interrupting... He told everything. Since then, the salary management authority has fallen into my hands. Household expenses are starting to tighten. Mother-in-law is used to spending freely.