Chapter 14 — When I No Longer See Them As Family

The old house in the old neighborhood named after Dinh Tue and the financial package of 500,000 yuan... were all put on the judicial auction floor. Auction day was a beautiful sunny weekend. I have arrived. Don't tell anyone. I sat in the back corner of the hall like a normal auctioneer. Look at the photo of the house appearing on the big screen. Red brick wall. Old window frame. The place that holds all my memories of the so-called "family". Mixed with pain. I thought I would miss it very much. But the moment comes when I really have to let go. In my heart... It's as calm as a lake in late autumn. The auctioneer's voice echoed in the auditorium.

“Starting price 1.2 million yuan.”

“Every time the price increases by 10,000 yuan.”

The auction process is not too intense. After a few rounds. The price stops at 1.35 million yuan. A young man wearing a checkered shirt held up his license plate. Next to him is a young girl. Both of their faces carried joy and anticipation for the future.

“1.35 million yuan, one time.”

“1.35 million yuan, second time.”

“1.35 million yuan, third time.”

“Success!”

I saw the excited girl hugging the guy next to her. They had their first house in this city. Finally able to completely say goodbye to my past. Auction proceeds. Plus the other financial amount. After deducting all expenses. Enough to pay all compensation according to the court's decision. The remaining amount was more than one hundred thousand yuan... Lawyer Ly did as I wanted and transferred it all to Dinh Tue's account in the mental hospital. Consider it the only guarantee for the rest of her life. That was the last thing I did for her. From today. Live or die. Crazy or sane. It has nothing to do with me anymore. One month later. I received a phone call from lawyer Ly. Luu Van was born. It's a boy. DNA testing results are also available. As expected, he is not Khuong Vi's child. After learning about the revelation of that lover, he immediately packed his bags and fled. Block WeChat. Completely disappeared from the world. Liu Yun's family, especially her brother — Liu Cuong — also kept their promise to me. They never appeared to bother me again. Completely abandoned Luu Van. They announced to the outside world that they had severed all ties with this corrupt daughter. Luu Van truly became a lonely person. Holding a still red child. No money. Helpless. Third day after discharge from hospital. She used the public phone in front of the hospital gate to call me. The moment the call connects. She burst into tears. Cry until your heart is broken. She begged me... To show respect to the innocent child and lend her some money. Even if it's just a few thousand yuan... Let her live through this month. I listened silently to everything. Wait for her crying to gradually subside. I slowly said the last sentence of this entire storm.

“The baby is truly innocent.”

“But you don't.”

“Its destiny…”

“It was created by your own hands.”

“So it must be your responsibility.”

"Not me."

I blocked that phone number. Outside the window, the sun is beautiful. My new house is also completely completed. The designer has just sent the final perspective. Airy. Is the style I like the most. I took a deep breath. The air seemed to carry the scent of a new life. The war My… It's over. But my life... It's just begun. New interior. A new beginning. I changed my phone number to a new one. Only a few closest friends and colleagues knew. I used to think... Those people, those things... I was completely buried in the past. My days pass very peacefully. At the end of the week, I will make an appointment with lawyer Vuong to go to the tennis court for a real match. He often laughed and told me it was like I had become a different person. There was no longer the darkness and gloom of before in his eyes. I told him. It's not like I turned into someone else. But I found myself again. The me that was once bound so tightly by the chains of love that I couldn't move... Is dead. The person alive now... is Khuong Nghien who lives for herself. Life is as peaceful as a lake without ripples. Until that day. After work, I stopped by the convenience store in front of the residential area to buy water. A woman holding a child passed me. She was wearing cheap clothes that didn't fit her, and her hair was greasy. The baby in my arms cried non-stop. I don't pay much attention. I just felt the child's cry was a little heartbreaking.