Chapter 6 — You use Filial piety to tie me down, I use divorce to end it

As long as something happens to my mother-in-law, I will definitely return. But if I just go back... I won't be able to go on anymore. He wanted to use his mother's safety to lock me in a chain that couldn't be removed. Calculation is cruel. Chu Minh Khai... You truly have broken the limits of my perception of shamelessness time and time again. I arrived at the airport and easily boarded the plane. The plane passed through the night. But my heart is colder than the darkness outside the door. Three hours later, the plane landed. I didn't delay for a second and took a taxi directly to the hospital. The emergency room hallway is cold and bright white. Ms. Truong was standing impatiently in front of the operating room door. As soon as she saw me, it was like seeing a savior.

“Miss Hua, you're finally here!”

“What's the situation?”

"The doctor said it was a brain hemorrhage and needed immediate surgery. I've already paid the hospital fee in advance, but the surgery consent form must be signed by a family member..."

She gave me a stack of papers. I looked at the words "Signed by family member", my hand trembled slightly. Just sign down... It means I proactively take on full responsibility. And Chu Minh Khai's goal... can also be considered achieved. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When it comes to human life... I have no other choice. I picked up the pen and signed my name in that box. The moment I finished signing, I felt like all my strength was drained from me. I lost. This game... In the end, I still lost to his shamelessness. The surgery lasted three hours. At four o'clock in the morning, the operating room lights finally turned off. The doctor stepped out and took off his mask.

"The surgery was very successful, the patient is out of danger. But due to his age and underlying illness, the recovery process will be very slow and requires careful care."

Ms. Truong and I breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

“Thank you, doctor.”

The mother-in-law was pushed out of the operating room and transferred to the ICU. Through the thick glass, I watched her lie still on the hospital bed, her head wrapped in a white bandage, her body covered with IV lines and breathing tubes. I have no hatred in my heart. There's also no pity. Only a numb, empty space remained. After arranging everything, it was just dawn. I told Ms. Truong to go home and rest first, while I stayed and watched outside. After she left, I sat down on the bench in front of the ICU, leaning against the wall tiredly. At that moment, the phone rang. It's Chu Minh Khai. He finally turned on the phone. I looked at the name flashing on the screen, my eyes cold. I picked up the phone. Say nothing. On the other end of the line came a sleepy voice, mixed with the smell of alcohol and confusion.

“Hello… Tinh Tinh?”

It sounded like he just woke up.

“You… you're back?”

He won. Of course he was pleased.

“Chu Minh Khai.”

I spoke up, my voice hoarse as if it had been sandpapered.

“Where are you?”

"I... I was drinking at a friend's house. I drank too much yesterday and my phone ran out of battery. I just woke up."

He lied without even blushing. I laughed coldly.

“Your mother fell from the bed, had a brain hemorrhage, just had surgery last night, and is still in the ICU.”

“Do you know?”

The other end of the line immediately fell into dead silence. I clearly heard him take a sharp breath of cold air. More than ten seconds later, he let out a scream panic.

"What?! How did it turn out like this?! How is your mother now?!"

He acted really well. Just like a filial son who just found out something happened to his mother, he was so impatient that he went crazy. If I hadn't seen through his plan early... Maybe I really would have been tricked by him.

“Chu Minh Khai, put away that fake drama of yours.”

My voice was cold as ice.

"I'm at the hospital. Your mother can't die yet."

“Now, immediately, immediately, get out of here!”

“Between us… it should be over.”

Half an hour later, Chu Minh Khai appeared. He ran so much that he was sweating profusely, his shirt was wrinkled, and he still smelled of overnight alcohol. As soon as he saw me, he immediately rushed forward, his face full of worry and self-blame.

"Tinh Tinh! How is mom? What happened?"

He wanted to hold my hand, but I avoided him. I stood up and looked at him coldly.

“If you want to know, go ask the doctor yourself.”

My coldness made him pause. The expression on his face stiffened for a moment, then he immediately walked quickly towards the doctor's room. I looked at his back, there was no wavering in my heart. This play… It's time for the curtain to close. I went to the hospital's automatic printer and printed out the documents I had prepared on my phone. When I returned with three warm copies of the "Divorce Agreement" to the door of the ICU, Chu Minh Khai had just walked out of the doctor's room. His face was pale. Her eyes were filled with fear and... guilt. Seeing the documents in my hand, his pupils shrank violently.

“What is this?”

“Divorce petition.”

I put two copies in front of him, my voice calm as if talking about the weather.