Chapter 6 — This House, I Will Not Give Up

“In the mortgage contract, the borrower is him, so what does the owner part say?” he pointed to the middle of the page, "Did the bank say he had a power of attorney signed by you?"

"Have." I smiled faintly, "There is a 'husband and wife mortgage agreement' signed by me."

“You signed it yourself?”

“I've never seen that piece of paper.” I shook my head, "The signature was faked."

“Are you sure?” His voice became serious.

“The handwriting is different from my usual signature, and the timing doesn't match either.” I took a deep breath, "The date stated on the authorization letter, I'm working overtime at the company, I have timekeeping."

Truong Cuong pondered for a moment.

“Then the problem is serious.” He took that sheet apart, "Forging my signature to create a mortgage, the nature is completely different."

"What you need to do now is gather all the evidence to prove that he transferred assets, forged signatures, and arbitrarily mortgaged them without your consent."

“Have you got the statement yet?”

“Got it.” I pushed the stack of papers over, "Transactions transferring money from the joint account, and also the times he transferred it specifically to Chu Diem."

Truong Cuong turned to respect the old man and carefully looked at each item.

"Based on the timeline, part of the money from my account coincides with the homestay's cash flow." he nodded, "This proves that the joint assets were used to support his sister and brother-in-law's project."

“The important thing is, I don't agree at all.”

I clenched my fists.

“You, in this case, how will the court view it?”

"In civil terms, I have the right to request to determine that he has intentionally transferred common property, and to request an unfavorable division of property for him upon divorce." he said slowly, "Combined with forging a signature to get a mortgage, you can also request to cancel the mortgage transaction, at least prevent the bank from handling the house."

"In terms of criminal matters, if the amount of money is large enough and is related to illegal capital mobilization, the police will also get involved."

He raised his head to look at me.

“What are you going to do?”

"Divorce." I don't hesitate.

The room immediately became quiet.

“Why haven't you figured it out until now?” he smiled softly, "Since he took the money to repair the house to buy a car for his sister, I should have realized it."

“I was pregnant at that time.” I bowed my head, "I don't want the baby to be born without a complete family."

“But now I understand.” he said calmly, "A perfect family is not something that comes with suffering."

I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Uncle, I don't want to be seen as a fool by the whole family anymore.”

“You can help me.” he put down his pen, "But I have to make one thing clear."

“Do you want to leave… or do you want them to pay the price?” he looked straight at me, "The law can give you justice, but it doesn't give you the feeling of being angry. If you just want to get back what belongs to you, then the next step is to be stable."

"And if you want them to pay the price, we can still do it, within the framework of the law, to expose everything. But the process will be longer and the pressure will be greater."

I was silent. Each scene flashed in my mind—Chu Kien Quoc standing in front of my house, head held high, pointing his finger. Chu Diem stepped on the shoes bought with my money and entered the house I had carefully prepared. The saying goes: "If you have a child in your belly, you can't run away." My fingers tightened.

“I want both.” I raised my head, my eyes were determined, "I want to keep the house, I want the baby to live next to you.”

“And I also want them to understand that considering others as prey… there is a price to pay.”

Truong Cuong looked at me for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“Okay.” he nodded, "Let's do it that way."

“You go back to Hangzhou first. Your side will prepare a lawsuit, first conduct civil procedures, ask for divorce and divide assets."

"At the same time, you asked people in the industry to find out the situation at 'Van Tuc Tieu Truc'." Truong Cuong said, "If that party is really involved in illegally raising capital, once the police officially file a case and submit your documents, the economic investigation side will also call you to testify."

“Until then, just tell the truth.”

I nodded.

“So when will you come back?”

"Tonight." He looked at his watch, "Tomorrow morning, go to court and submit your documents, the sooner the better."

He paused for a moment and then added:

“Also, remember to schedule a paternity test for the fetus first.”

I was stunned.

“Is that… necessary?”

“Not sure if I will use it.” He said, “But keep that as your trump card.”

“You never know what the other side will say in court.”

That evening, when we returned to Hangzhou, it was almost ten o'clock. The summer night wind blew through the glass window, bringing with it some humidity. I didn't go back to my wedding house. That place is now sealed by the court, so even I can't get in. I went to my parents' small rented house first. In recent years, to help me pay for rent, my parents sold the old house and followed me to the city to work. Mom was the one who opened the door. She had just finished washing the dishes, her apron was still tied at her waist. Seeing me carrying my luggage standing in front of the door, she froze, then quickly moved aside.

“Why is it only now? Are you tired?

"No problem." I changed my shoes and looked around the house.

Dad sat on the sofa watching the news, heard a noise and turned around.

“Are you back?” His voice was very calm, but he had already turned down the TV volume.

“Yes.” I nodded.

There were still two plates of food on the table, both cold, clearly the portion they saved for me. I have no appetite, just drink a few sips of hot water. Mom and Dad looked at each other, in the end it was Mom who couldn't help it.

"To Niem... over there..." she cautiously opened her mouth.

“I was here first.” I interrupted, trying to keep my voice light, "You helped me file the lawsuit."

She was stunned.

“Divorce.” I say those two words clearly.

Mom's eyes immediately turned red.

“Is his family bullying you again? Or is my sister-in-law causing trouble again?”

“It's not about causing trouble... it's about planning.” I smiled faintly, "Mom, I've already sealed the house."

"What?" Dad responded faster, “What did you do with the house?”

“Court sealed.” I explained, “No one can come in now, not even me.”

“That's your suggestion.” I looked at them, "First keep the house, don't let them continue to destroy it."

Mom opened her mouth, it took a long time to say a word.

“So… where will you be later?”

“Here first.” I took a deep breath, "Wait for the lawsuit to be resolved and then move on."

She just wanted to say it again. I know what she's thinking.