Chapter 2 — The Wedding House Was Destroyed, I Want It All Back

Chu Da and I have been together for three years, and last year we got engaged. His family background is much better than mine. His father worked as a construction materials trader in Wuhan. Mother stays at home to manage money and take care of children. There is also a sister four years younger than him — Chu Tinh — who has been raised like a princess since she was a child. My parents are both high school teachers. Calm personality, reasonable conversation. From the first time we met, his mother - also my future mother-in-law - was cold. She criticized me for not being tall, having single eyelids, having a normal family, being busy with work and not being at home all day. Not like the "peaceful and taking care of the family" type. Chu Da said he didn't care. Said he liked my progress. The conflict really started... when talking about marriage. His family offered to buy the wedding house, they paid a deposit, registered their names, and after the wedding paid the loan together. My parents found it reasonable. But I don't agree. I have money saved up. Plus my parents' support, it's enough to buy a decent, small three-room house. I want a house... that belongs only to me. Even if it's a little small, it's okay. That's the feeling of security I've been chasing for many years. Chu Da at first thought I was too calculating. Said I was "too clear-cut" and "not like a family member". We argued several times. Then he let go, said it was up to me, too lazy to continue arguing. So I used all my savings to buy an apartment in Van Duyet Phu. From drawings to interiors, I followed everything closely myself. His family is in charge of the wedding and other expenses. This decision made his mother very upset. In her eyes, I was like "occupying" a house, but not letting her son get any benefits. She thought I was "calculating" and "many-minded". Chu Tinh is even more outrageous. All day long, he added fuel to the fire in front of his mother and brother. I "have not even returned home yet my husband wants to be the boss", I "look down on their family", I "always act superior". As for Chu Da... Initially, he was still in the middle of reconciliation. After that, avoid it. Say things like:

“Don't turn family matters into work.”

“Let me be quiet for a bit.”

During the house renovation, the number of times he came... could be counted on one hand. Every time I come, I don't complain that I'm tired, but I complain. From electricity and water, ceramic tiles, wooden furniture... It's all up to me. He said only one sentence:

“You decide for yourself.”

I used to think... Those were just small conflicts before marriage. Until three months ago. Chu Tinh suddenly said that her boyfriend's company needed capital. Want to borrow a small amount. 500,000 yuan. She came to me directly, her tone was as if it were natural:

"Sister-in-law, since you bought the house, you probably have money left over, right? Let me borrow it for a while, I'll pay it back soon."

I do have a spare. But that's to pay for the furniture and in case something unexpected happens. Furthermore, Chu Tinh spends money uncontrollably. Her boyfriend also doesn't have a good reputation. This amount of money, if lent... is almost impossible to get back. I politely declined. Saying all the money has been put into the house and invested, it cannot be withdrawn. Chu Tinh immediately turned around. Knock on the door and leave. The next day, Chu Da was called home by his mother. When he came back, his face was not good. He told me:

"Chu Tinh is my younger sister, so you won't help with such a small matter? Or should I temporarily lend her the money for the furniture? In any case, I won't let you worry about the wedding expenses."

That moment… I felt like I was doused with a bucket of cold water. But still firmly said there was no money left over. Unexpectedly, this became a trigger. Chu Da gave me a cold face for a week. After that, the appearance returned to normal... But the crack was already there. Last weekend, we went to his house for dinner. Chu Tinh suddenly mentioned the new house right at the dinner table. Half joking, half serious:

"Brother, Ms. Lam Niem's new house is decorated beautifully, even better than our house. I think the master bedroom bathroom is very large, there is more than enough room to put a bathtub."

“I want to raise a big dog, our house is too small, or should I give you the key and let me take the 'General' over there to run around and 'break into the house' by the way?"

I paused for a second. Chu Da is eating with his head bowed. Hearing that... burst out laughing again.

“What do you think?”

His mother also laughed. No objections. Doesn't stop it either. A kind of… tacit permission. I put down my chopsticks. Looking straight at Chu Tinh, her voice was flat:

"No. The new house is not complete, many things are not fixed. It is not suitable for bringing pets in."

“And I don't want others to enter my house without consent.”

The laughter at the dinner table immediately stopped. Chu Tinh's face turned red. She slammed her chopsticks on the table:

"Your house? Isn't it my brother's house?"

"You're not married yet, but you already consider yourself the boss? Why are you showing off like that!"

Only then did Chu Da raise his head and say a formal sentence:

“Stop it, she's a perfectionist, don't make trouble anymore.”

The meal ended in an uncomfortable atmosphere. Before leaving, Chu Tinh's eyes looked at me... Unable to hide her resentment. Chu Da started blaming me:

“Can't you give it a little?”

"He's been pampered since he was a child, can't you treat it like a child?"

“Do you have to make the air so tense?”

He spoke as if… The one who ruined everything — was me. I watched the light outside the window recede, not responding. There was only a layer of coldness in my heart that slowly subsided, as heavy as lead, weighing down each breath. I didn't expect that the so-called "a little coaxing", the so-called "don't make Chu Tinh unhappy", could explode in such an extreme and stupid way. When the temporary anti-theft door was installed, it was completely dark. The worker received the money and left, leaving the hallway with only the sound of the wind passing through the door. I locked that rough iron door, turned around and looked one last time inside the dark, chaotic house like a wound that hadn't yet healed. Then I turned around and walked straight towards the elevator, my movements so decisive that even I felt strange. The phone lit up, it was a text message from Chu Da sent from an hour ago, the tone was still familiar as if nothing had ever happened.

"Nien Niem, won't you come over for dinner tonight? My mother asked. Chu Tinh made a fuss again and said you don't respect him. Don't accept him. Let me tell him again. Let's go see a movie this weekend."

I didn't answer, just looked at that text for a few seconds and then turned off the screen, as if I had just closed the last door in my heart. The elevator slowly descended, the floor numbers jumping one box at a time, like time was counting down to something that could not be saved. Arriving at the underground parking lot, I sat in the driver's seat but did not start it immediately. Darkness covered the car, only the dashboard emitted a weak light like a cold heartbeat. I leaned back, closed my eyes, and only my mind remained an endlessly spinning number — 4,530,000 yuan, brutally clear. There was no screaming, no tears, only a cold, terrifying alertness, like an ice knife slowly cutting through the heart, scraping away every layer of illusion of affection and patience. I know very well that what was destroyed was not just the house, but three years of love, the belief in marriage, and the dream of a place called "home". I opened my eyes, turned the key to start, the car rushed out of the tunnel, the taillights pulled into a cold red line in the night.