Chapter 17 — Voices Behind the Dark Room

After dawn, the lawyer took me to the police station. The female police officer told me the new situation. Luong Duc Hai initially did not admit it. He said the medicine was his, and it was normal for the medicine box to be placed in the office. Luu Ngoc Mai cried and said she couldn't remember clearly. As for Luong Nhuoc Tinh, she completely brushed it off, saying she was not at home that day. But Luong Thua Trach's call recording, combined with the old red box of cigarettes and the chat history in the family group that year, little by little blocked their way back. In that disbanded family chat group, there are relatives who still keep a few screenshots. In the photo, Luu Ngoc Mai once sent a sentence. "Finally, the child is sleeping, scaring people to death." Luong Nhuoc Tinh replied below. "Dad still has a way." Another relative asked. "Is it okay to cry for so long?" Luong Duc Hai sent a voice message. When the police played it for me, my hands were still shaking. Luong Duc Hai's voice was very clear. "Less than half a pill, what could happen to a child?" "It's not disturbing, adults can be quiet." I closed my eyes, tears still falling. It wasn't a mistake. It was a group of adults surrounding a two-year-old child, implicitly allowing her to suffer. The female police officer gave me a tissue. "We will continue to investigate the origin and use of this drug." "Then we should also take the child for a detailed assessment." I nodded. "I will cooperate." Leaving the police station, I took Duong Duong for a health check. After hearing the whole thing, the doctor was silent for a long time. He said the influence of the drug from two years ago is difficult to trace directly. But being intimidated, confined and threatened for long periods of time is enough to cause serious psychological damage and language regression. I asked: "Can the baby still recover?" The doctor looked at Duong Duong. Duong Duong was sitting on a chair, placing his small hand on the rabbit's ear. The doctor said, “The child has begun to recover.” “The child has begun to express itself, which is a very important sign of recovery.” “But don't let her go back to those people again.” I said, “I won't.” In the afternoon, the divorce case was brought to trial again. This time, everyone from the Luong family was present. Luong Duc Hai has clearly aged a lot, but his eyes are still tough. Luu Ngoc Mai bowed her head, clutching a tissue in her hand. Luong Nhuoc Tinh sat in the back row, his face pale. Luong Thua Ze did not sit next to them. He sat alone near the aisle, as if he had finally been pushed out by the Luong family's dining table. In court, new evidence was submitted one after another. Dark room video. Red toilet box. Photo of group chat. Luong Thua Trach's admission. Minutes of Ms. Manh's intervention. Paintings by Duong Duong. The other side's lawyer tried to change the subject to my emotional instability several times, but was interrupted by the judge. The judge asked Luong Duc Hai, "Do you admit that you once locked a child in a storage room and verbally threatened her?" Luong Duc Hai gritted his teeth. "I taught him." The judge asked again: "Do you admit that you once gave the child medicine that did not belong to her?" Luong Duc Hai's face turned red. "Just a little." "I didn't mean to hurt it." I suddenly burst out laughing. I have heard this sentence too many times. All of them did not intend to harm her. But during the two years Duong Duong couldn't speak, none of them actually asked her if she was in pain or not. Luong Thua Trach stood up. "I admit that I was present that year." "I admit that I did not save her." "I also admit that at the present stage, I am not eligible to have visitation rights." Luong Duc Hai suddenly turned his head. "Shut up!" Luong Thua Trach did not shut up. He looked at the judge, his voice very low. “I'm ready to accept it all

The child's future medical expenses." "Custody of the child belongs to Dao An Ninh." "I won't fight anymore." Luu Ngoc Mai immediately burst into tears. Luong Nhuoc Tinh also bowed her head. I didn't look at them. I just looked at the stack of documents on the table. Each page was a step for Duong Duong to crawl out of the darkness. When the trial ended, the judge announced right in court. Duong Duong was directly raised by me. Before the professional assessment, Luong Thua Trach was not allowed to visit. Luong Duc Hai, Luu Ngoc Mai and Luong Nhuoc Tinh are not allowed to voluntarily contact Duong Duong. The related acts were then transferred to the authorities for further handling. After hearing this, Luong Duc Hai immediately stood up. "She is my niece!" The judge coldly reminded him. "First of all, she is a minor protected by law." When I walked out of the court holding the documents, Luong Thua Trach chased after me. He stopped a few steps away from me. "An Ninh." I turned my head. His eyes were red. "Can you say sorry to Duong Duong for me?" I looked at him. "I can't." "Your apology should not come from me." "Wait until she grows up, wait for her to be willing to listen, I said to myself." He stood still in place, not moving any further. When I arrived at the new house, Duong Duong was lying by the window looking at the small trees downstairs.