Chapter 7 — Three Thousand Yuan Every Month, In Return The Whole Family Is Ruined

There's no use cursing me. Her biggest problem right now... is that the money in the house is running out. She staggered back to the sofa, holding the expense book, muttering nonstop.

“Rice is almost gone… oil is almost gone… management fees have not yet been paid…”

With each sentence she spoke, her face became a little whiter. I looked at that scene… without any pity. This is the outcome she chose for herself. Chu Minh returned home. He saw his mother, then saw my post. In the end, he didn't say anything, just went into the kitchen to pour water. Then, he walked in front of me.

“Let's talk.”

His voice was hoarse, but strangely calm. The final moment has come.

“Let's go outside and talk.”

I don't want to end up in this house a long-dead marriage. We met at a cafe under the apartment complex, the space was quiet, the music was soft and melodious, in complete contrast to the stuffy, suffocating atmosphere in the other house. Chu Minh ordered an Americano, but I didn't order anything. He picked up the coffee cup and took a big sip, as if he needed that bitter taste to gain the courage to speak.

“Yeu Duyet… let's not be like this anymore, okay?”

His voice was hoarse and slow, as if trying to drag me back to the past.

“We used to love each other like that, do you still remember those days in college?”

"We studied together in the library, walked together on the school grounds, you said you would marry me after graduation, we would have a happy family."

He tried to use old memories to move me, but every word he said just made me feel funny about myself that year. The person in front of me now is no longer the boy from back then.

“Chu Minh, get straight to the point.”

I interrupted, my voice cold and calm, causing him to pause.

“What… what do you really want?”

He asked, his eyes both helpless and confused.

“You hide money, seeing me and mom living so hard... do you feel happy?”

“Do you know what the people in the neighborhood are saying? They say my mother is harsh, say I'm unfilial, say you…”

He hesitated.

“Tell me what?”

"Tell me it's too much, I don't care about my mother-in-law."

I laughed.

“Chu Minh, you are still the same, still living for the eyes of others.”

“Is face that important to you, more important than your wife, your whole life?”

“I didn't mean that!” he quickly denied, “I just think… family shouldn't come to this.”

“So what do you think it should be?” I looked straight at him, "I continue to be patient, letting you and your mother freely spend my money. Is that called family?"

“You're not like that!”

His voice rose, but was weak.

“Isn't that right?” I laughed coldly, "The money you earn, except for your expenses, gives the rest to your mother and sister. Have you ever given me a penny?"

"For this house, my parents paid the deposit, I paid the installments, have you ever contributed a penny?"

"Electricity and water bills, living expenses, from start to finish, who takes care of them?"

“Chu Minh, ask yourself, three years of marriage, what have you done for this house?”

The questions poured in like rain, leaving him completely unable to refute. His face turned red and then pale, his lips trembled but he couldn't say a word. In the quiet cafe, the atmosphere between us was frighteningly cold. After a long time, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“So… you what?"

His voice had lost all strength. I said it as lightly as nothing. He jumped up, his eyes shocked.

“What did you say?”

“I said, let's get a divorce.”

I repeated, my voice calm to the point of cruelty.

“No way!” he almost shouted, “I don't agree!”

“Why not?” I asked, “Do you still love me? No, I just love myself and my mother.”

“Does this house mean anything else to you?”

“I don't agree!”

He stubbornly repeated, as if holding on to something that had long since collapsed.

“Chu Minh, it's time.”

I stood up and looked down at him.

“Today I did not come to negotiate, but to make an announcement.”

“This house is my pre-marital property, it has nothing to do with you.”

“We have no children, no common property, and no common debt.”

“Divorce will be very simple.”

“I give you three days.”

"Three days later, if you don't voluntarily come forward for the procedure."

“We'll see each other in court.”

“I will also submit proof of your adultery.”

I opened my phone, showed a photo. In the photo, he hugs a young girl in front of a movie theater, so intimately that no explanation is needed. Chu Minh was dumbfounded. His face was pale, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

“You…when did you…”

“You think I don't know?”

I took the phone back, my voice cold as ice.