Chapter 9 — The Light Is Out

No heartache, no worries. It's a complicated feeling that can't be clearly explained. Just like when you used to raise a flower pot, then you stopped raising it and gave it away. One day, I suddenly heard that the flower pot was about to die. You won't take it home. But you will think: How did it live like that? When I got home, I took a shower and forced myself not to think about it anymore. But as I lay in bed, the doctor's words kept flashing in my mind. Right leg fracture, two broken ribs. Fall from above. Doan Gia Hua is not a careless person. He is always careful and thorough in his work, and even has a bit of an excessive desire for control. So… Was it an accident? Or... I tossed and turned, suppressing that thought. Doesn't concern me. It really doesn't concern me anymore. The next day. I still went to work as usual, finished processing the manuscript in hand. At noon, Giang Du sent a text message.

"He's awake, his condition is okay. His mother has arrived."

I answered with one word, “Yes.” Then there was another news:

“He asked me if you came yesterday. I didn't say, what do you think?”

“Don't talk.”

“Okay.”

I thought this was the end. But in the afternoon, I received a text message from an unknown number. It's Doan's mother.

"Nghien Hoa, I know you went to the hospital yesterday. Gia Hua was seriously injured. I wanted to meet you and talk to you, is it convenient?"

I looked at this message and was silent for a long time. Mother Doan. Over the past five years, this woman has never really looked straight at me. Every time she came to Doan's house, her eyes were forever on Duong Nguyet. Sometimes talking to me is also a polite way of looking down from above. Now that something happened to your son, you remember me? I don't answer. After finishing work, turn off the phone and go to a flower arranging class nearby. Today we learned about winter flower bouquets, using red camellia and white willow. The teacher said the meaning of camellia is “ideal love”. I wrapped the bouquet, brought it home and put it in a vase in the living room. Ideal love. I don't know what it is. But I know, that's definitely not what Doan Gia Hua ever gave me. Another week has passed. I did not ask further about Doan Gia Hua's hospitalization. Until that night. When I got home from work, I saw an unexpected person at the gate of the apartment complex. Nguyet Street. She stood next to the flower bed in front of the gate of the area, wearing a light blue life jacket, her whole body much more emaciated than the last time we met. His eyes were red, as if he had just cried. Seeing me, she quickly walked over.

“Miss Giang!”

I stopped walking and looked at her.

“What happened again?”

Duong Nguyet took a deep breath, her voice filled with sobs.

"I came... to apologize to you."

I raised my eyebrows and didn't speak.

"Gia Hua happened because of me." She bit her lip, tears falling, "That day he came to find me, saying he wanted to completely cut off our relationship. My emotions collapsed, causing a fuss for a long time. After leaving my house, he went straight to the construction site, his mental state was very poor, that's why..."

She couldn't speak anymore, she covered her face and cried. I stood still, calmly looking at her. Wait for her to finish crying.

“So what?”

Duong Nguyet raised her head and looked at me with teary eyes.

"Miss Giang, Gia Hua really wants to start over with you. In the past half year, he has always changed, he returned my house key, cleaned up all his things. Check it out, he really…”

“Duong Nguyet.” I interrupted her.

She froze.

“These things don't concern me anymore.”

“He can cut it off if he wants, or he can't cut it off. It's okay if he changes, or he doesn't change, it has nothing to do with me."

I looked at her red eyes from crying, her voice calm.

“You don't need to come find me, nor do you need to say good things for him. The matter between the two of you, you two can solve it yourself."