Chapter 5 — Twenty Years of Payment

Life seems to return to peace. But I know… it's just a facade. Tham Tu's days in prison... were not pleasant. Co Dinh not only spread news about his 30 million yuan (≈ 105 billion VND) debt. But I also "asked" some old friends to take special care of me. Every now and then, I receive news. His leg was broken in an “accident.” He was locked into solitary confinement because of mental instability. Every piece of news... is a fragment of punishment. And also… justice comes late. For being involved in fraud and abetting kidnapping, To Man was sentenced to 12 years in prison. At the detention center, she wrote me a letter. The paper... was full of dried tears.

"Lin Khe, I was wrong, please forgive me. Tham Tu is crazy, he even wants to kill me. Before that, he bought me a large insurance contract, the beneficiary is him..."

I looked at the letter. Then conveniently... throw it straight into the shredder. Dramas like this… I've seen enough of them. Until one day— Co Dinh suddenly appeared under my company building.

“Tham Tu wants to see you.” He leaned against the car door, his expression serious.

“See me?” I laughed coldly. “What else does he have to say?”

“He said… he has the truth about your father's accident in his hand.”

My whole body was shocked. The cup of coffee in my hand almost fell to the ground. Five years ago, my father died in a traffic accident. At that time, Tham Tu was still my fiance. It is he who takes care of everything. I always thought… it was just an accident.

“Where is he?” I asked through gritted teeth.

"The hospital in the prison. He's not going to survive. The creditor bribed the people inside... he was stabbed three times."

I got in the car. All the way... without saying a word. The prison hospital hallway is dark and stuffy. The air carries a damp and fishy smell. Tham Tu lies on the hospital bed. So skinny that he was almost deformed. His face was gray. Seeing me enter, his eyes suddenly lit up—a crazy light.

“Lin Khe… you finally came.”

His voice was hoarse.

"Tell me. What is the story of my father... in the end?"

I stood by the bed, looking at him.

“Ha…” He grinned, his teeth yellow. “You beg me. You beg… I will tell.”

“Tham Tu.” I bent down and looked straight into his eyes. “You don't even have the right to pray for death right now... do you think I will beg you?”

I said slowly:

“I just went to the bank yesterday.”

“Interest has increased again.”

“But I won't touch a penny.”

“I will leave it lying there… and you… carry this secret and die here.”

The smile on his face… stiffened. Eyes full of resentment.

“Lin Khe... you've changed.” “You're even more cruel than me.”

“You taught me.”

I looked at him, coldly.

“Speak or not?” “If not… I'll leave.”

I turned around. He was breathing rapidly, his chest heaving.

“I said… I said… your father… he found out that I was embezzling public funds… he was going to report to the police…”

My heart felt like it was falling to the bottom.

“So… you killed him?”

“No… I didn't do it directly.” He smiled tremblingly. “It was To Man… she hired someone to do it.”

“We originally intended to… kill you too.”

"But after your father died... you inherited the property. We needed that money to get by..."

I feel nauseous. It turns out that for the past five years… I've been living a giant lie. The man I loved for five years… Again accomplices killed my father.

"Lin Khe..." He smiled, his eyes full of pleasure. "Is it painful? Desperate?"

“You win money, you win freedom…”

“But for the rest of your life… you will live in guilt.”

“It was you… who brought your father's killer into the house.”

I looked at him. Suddenly burst out laughing. Laughter echoed in the hospital room.

“Tham Tu… do you think that you can defeat me?”

I leaned close to his ear and whispered:

“Actually… I knew it a long time ago.”

The smile on his face… froze.

“What…what did you say?”

“After something happened to my father, I checked the dash cam.”

“Even though it was destroyed… I still managed to partially restore it.”

“I saw To Man's car.”

“Also saw… your call history from that night.”

I stood up straight. His eyes were cold as ice.

“For the past five years… every day I have been acting.”

“I look at you pretending to be affectionate.”

“Watching you take away little by little the property my father left behind.”

"Watching you step by step... falling into the trap I set."

Tham Tu was completely stunned. Empty eyes.

““Have you… from the beginning until now… been lying to me?”…”

“I won't lie to you…” I said softly. “How can I make you feel secure in leaving everything to To Man?”

“I didn't lie to you... how could I make you pretend to be dead... transfer 6,115,000 yuan (≈ 21.4 billion VND) to an account controlled by me?”

I took out a photo from my pocket. It was the last family photo before he faked his death. I tore it… right in front of him.

“Since the day my father died…”

“I have already started waiting for you.”