Chapter 15 — The Wedding That Became a Goodbye

Tham Do, Lam Tran suddenly spoke up, her voice trembling slightly in the cool night air. When you first took my case, was it truly nothing more than a routine appraisal?

Tham Do paused in his tracks, turning to look at her. Bathed in the pale, ethereal moonlight, his eyes resembled two pools of deep, fathomless water—tranquil yet carrying an undeniable, profound tenderness.

The day that video of you flinging champagne made it to the top trending searches, I watched it no less than twenty times, he confessed, his voice low and rich. Every single time I watched it, I found myself asking the exact same question.

What question?

If I had only crossed paths with this woman sooner, would she ever have been forced to endure such cruel injustice?

Lam Tran stood frozen, her mind blank. Reaching out, Tham Do gently tucked a stray lock of hair that had been whipped across her face by the evening wind behind her ear. His touch was exquisite in its care, as though he were handling something fragile and infinitely precious. So when you finally called to retain a lawyer, I outwardly cautioned you about privacy protocols, but in truth... I was merely testing the waters to see if you would entrust the case to me.

Then all those things you said back then, about how much you disliked taking on cases involving unfaithful husbands...

My dislike was entirely genuine, Tham Do interrupted softly. But the only reason I did not outright reject Lu Hoai Chu's retainer was because accepting it was the sole way I could legitimately acquire your phone number.

Lam Tran's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. You mean to say all of this was orchestrated by you on purpose?

Yes.

Just when exactly did you start scheming against me?

From the very instant you hurled that glass of champagne across the room during the wedding reception, Tham Do's voice dropped into a gravelly, resonant register. Lam Tran, you may find this difficult to believe, but I was utterly captivated by your ferocious courage first, and it was only afterward that I fell hopelessly in love with the person you are.

A sudden, hot sting bloomed behind Lam Tran's eyelids. Drawing in a deep, shuddering breath, she forcefully beat back the rising tide of emotion, before letting out a bright, bubbling laugh that caused the corners of her eyes to crinkle adorably. Counselor Tham, you are blatantly abusing your professional position for personal gain. That is a severe violation of professional ethics.

I gladly accept whatever punishment you deem fit, Tham Do chuckled, a warm smile crinkling the edges of his eyes. Let my sentence be treating you to hotpot for the rest of my life.

A lifetime is terribly long, Lam Tran tilted her head, a playful glint in her gaze. Let us start with a trial period of ten years.

Make it twenty.

Deal.

Beneath the amber glow of the streetlights, their shadows stretched out and intertwined, melting into a single, seamless silhouette against the pavement. In the distance, the sprawling lights of the city glittered like a fallen galaxy strung across the horizon. The proprietress of the hotpot stall was busy stacking chairs outside her shop, and upon catching sight of the two figures lingering down the street, she shook her head with a fond, knowing smile, murmuring to an employee standing nearby. Look at that young woman over there. Just three months ago, she was sitting right here eating hotpot while still wearing her wedding dress.

Curious, the employee tilted her head. What about her now, boss?

Now? The proprietress flipped a wooden chair upside down onto a table with a soft clatter. Now, she is finally sharing her meal with the right person.

There are those who say that every single encounter in this vast world is merely a long-awaited reunion after a lengthy separation. Yet for Lam Tran, the meeting between herself and Tham Do felt far more like a meticulously plotted design—one mapped out with staggering precision. He had wrapped himself in the austere armor of the law and the cold camouflage of rational detachment, quietly infiltrating the most wretched and disheveled chapter of her existence. Right there, at the exact juncture when she had abandoned all hope of ever finding love again, he quietly handed her the very devotion she had yearned for all her life. But none of those complicated beginnings mattered anymore. The only thing of consequence was that she had finally waited long enough for the right person to arrive. It had not happened during the fleeting, unblemished years of youthful innocence, but rather amidst the smoking ruins of deceit she had shattered with her own two hands, where a brand-new flower had defiantly pushed through the rubble to bloom. And the name of that magnificent blossom was Tham Do.