Chapter 26 — There Are Positions You Can Only Hold For Yourself

Dad looked over at me. I nodded slightly. He said to the other end of the line.

“The person who brought things to this point…”

“It's you.”

The call ended. Lawyer Tham brought new news. Manh Dinh submitted his testimony. Old Tien was also brought back by the police to coordinate the investigation. To protect himself, he handed over all backup copies. There are not only documents related to the engagement ceremony. There are also some problematic internal emails of the Tran family project. Not long after, the Tran family was officially placed under investigation. Initially, Tran Nhien wanted to push all responsibility to Manh Dinh and Vuong Le. But the command in the email. Time in chat history. Trace the legal department editing the supplemental agreement. They all pointed straight at him. Vuong Le once came to my house. She stood outside the door. The arrogant appearance from before had completely disappeared.

“Nguyet Nguyet.”

“I beg you.”

“Please leave Tran Nhien a way to live.”

Mom wouldn't let her in.

“Mrs. Wang.”

“When you told my daughter to give up her seat, your tone was not like this.”

Vuong Le's tears immediately fell.

“I am also a mother.”

Mom looked straight at her.

“Just because you are a mother…”

“So you have to understand even more.”

“Someone else's daughter... also has someone who loves her.”

The door closed right in front of her. At that moment, my mother turned around and hugged me.

“Nguyet Nguyet.”

“Today mom helped me get justice.”

I smiled and nodded. But the rim of the eye is hot again. A few days later, I received Tran Nhien's last email. This time, he was no longer threatening. There are no more excuses. In the email there was only a very long letter of apology. He said he was used to taking my understanding for granted. He said he always thought he could balance any relationship. Only in the end did I realize... Everyone was hurt by him. He said... If time could go back to the day of the engagement. He will definitely let me sit back in my rightful place. I finished reading. No reply. If a person only learns to respect after losing all avenues of retreat... Then that respect is no longer worth cherishing. I forwarded the email to Attorney Tham to keep on file. Then blocked all of Tran Nhien's communication methods. The engagement bride price will also be fully refunded in the presence of a lawyer. The engagement ring was also returned intact to the Tran family. Handover day. Tran Nhien did not appear. The person who came was just an assistant of the Tran family. He put down the receipt, bowed his head and said.

"Mr. Tran's condition has not been good recently."

I did not respond. That... It no longer has anything to do with me. Later I heard. Manh Dinh accepted the investigation and publicly admitted that he distributed documents before and after the engagement. She no longer pretends to be innocent. She said she was wrong. But the Tran family also owes her an explanation. That is a debt between her and the Tran family. I don't care anymore. The Tran family's project was eventually suspended. Although the Giang family lost part of the initial investment cost. But thanks to stopping in time... A bigger hole was avoided.

“In the marketplace, the scariest thing is having the mentality of luck then enter a rotten game of chess.”

“The same goes for marriage.”

The day I returned to work at the company. Not a single colleague mentioned the engagement. On my desk there is only one more bouquet of sunflowers. The card next to it only had four words written on it. Welcome back. I stood by the window. Look at the gentle sunlight covering each petal. My heart suddenly became strangely relieved. Previously, I used to think that... The sitting position during the engagement ceremony symbolizes my position in a relationship. Only later did I understand. True position... It's never something someone else gives you. It's something we have to preserve ourselves. If that day I choose to be patient. Maybe I'll still have a wedding. But I would lose more important things. Self-esteem. Alertness. And the courage to say no. Afternoon after work. Mom called me.

“Nguyet Nguyet.”

“Let's go home for dinner tonight?”

I laughed.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Whatever.”

Dad's voice echoed on the other end of the line.

“Let the child choose for herself.”

“Today he is the most important person.”

I couldn't help but laugh out loud. The sunset dyed the whole street in a gentle yellow color. I walked through the crowd. Every step is steadier than ever. That wild engagement ceremony... Finally ended. As for my life... Not stopping in front of the chair that was stolen. It started again... From the moment I took the microphone and said:

“I cancel this engagement.”