Chapter 9 — Where Sunset Falls

"He has investigated your address in Europe," Lam Vi's voice rang out from the other end of the line: "This morning on the way to the airport, he had a car accident."

The sunlight poured in from the window, shining on me, so warm that it felt somewhat unreal.

“You are now in the ICU room, still unconscious.”

I stood still, not saying a word. The receptionist looked at me and asked me in English if I wanted to check out. I waved my hand, signaling her to wait a moment. Hanging up the phone, I stood in the middle of the hotel lobby, looking out the window at the deep blue sea. Looked for a long time. That evening, I bought a plane ticket back home. 11. When I returned to Hai Thanh, Luc Thoi Yen had been transferred from the ICU room. Lam Vi drove to pick me up, not saying much the whole way.

"You're awake, but your condition is not very good," Lam Vi paused: "The doctor told me to rest, not to get excited."

When I entered the hospital room, Luc Thoi Yen was leaning against the headboard, eyes looking out the window. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head. Dark eye circles, bloodshot eyes, and a tired and exhausted body, the appearance of General Luc Thi in a suit and leather shoes was no longer as dazzling as before. When he saw me, he was stunned. I stood at the door, not moving forward. The hospital room was extremely quiet, only the soft beeping of medical equipment could be heard.

“Khuong Niem.” He spoke, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

I looked at him and said nothing. He had lost a lot of weight, his face was pale, his lips were chapped, and there was still an IV needle in his wrist.

“Are you finally willing to go home?” he asked.

I did not answer. He trembled and reached under the pillow, took out the divorce certificate book, held it tightly in his hand, his eyes staring at me.

“I need an explanation.” he said.

“We are divorced.”

He looked at me blankly: "Just because I didn't take you to the hospital that time?"

“Let's just say so.”

“Do you know what decision you are making?!” His voice suddenly rose: "From the beginning, the one who got married was us, the one who said we would be together forever! You said go, go, there wasn't even a direct greeting. Khuong Niem, what do you think of me?"

What is Coi? It's ridiculous. I looked at him, my voice was very light: "Be my ex-husband."

“Since I'm an ex-husband, I don't think I need to tell you where I go, whether I come back or not.”

“Why?” He looked at me harshly: "Do you like someone else?"

I laughed out loud.

“Ha, Luc Thoi Yen, you've been with Tham Du Du for a long time, your skill in arguing nonsense has really improved.”

I stood up.

“If you called me here to criticize, to cause trouble and blame me for the end of this marriage, then we have nothing more to talk about.”

I grabbed my bag and turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist tightly. His whole body was shaking.

"Three years, the past three years..." He looked up, his eyes red: "Just because I wasn't with you that one time, you want a divorce? Khuong Niem, you actually stopped loving me a long time ago, right? You wanted to leave me a long time ago, right? How could you be so cruel to me, after all these years together, you said go and go, do you really have a heart?!"

“I know No, the two months you haven't been here, every day I remember how we looked when we first got married. I think I'm not good, I always think you will always be there, always think that if you're angry then I'll come back and comfort you. I want to wait for you to come home, I want to tell you that I know it's wrong, I want to take you to the place where we had our first date, I want to be with you well, I want to make up for all the time you had to wait for me..."

His eye sockets were red to the point of being uncontrollable.