The moment I asked for the engagement jade pendant back…
The entire room became silent.
Tham Tram Bac looked at me as if he had heard something impossible.
—Ha Van…
His voice lowered.
—You don’t want to marry me anymore?
I looked at him.
Ten years.
Ten years waiting for this man.
Ten years believing that no matter how many times he disappointed me, eventually he would come back.
But that day…
I was tired.
Really tired.
—Yes.
I answered calmly.
—I don’t want to marry you anymore.
His expression changed.
For the first time…
I saw panic in his eyes.
Before, whenever he pushed me away…
I chased him.
When he canceled our engagement for the first time, I cried for three days.
When he ignored my messages for weeks because of “work”, I waited outside his office.
When rumors spread in the military district that I was the reason he refused to marry…
I defended him.
I told everyone:
“He is just busy.”
“He has his reasons.”
“He will come back.”
But the person who needed to believe in him the most…
was me.
And I finally stopped.
Tham Tram Bac stepped closer.
—Ha Van.
—This isn’t funny.
I smiled.
—I’m not joking.
His brows tightened.
—Because of the marriage report?
I shook my head.
—No.
—Because of ten years.
That sentence made him freeze.
I pointed at the jade pendant hanging around his neck.
—Do you remember when my father gave you that?
His hand instinctively touched it.
Of course he remembered.
It was the engagement token from my family.
The symbol that told everyone:
Ha Van belonged to Tham Tram Bac.
And Tham Tram Bac belonged to Ha Van.
At least…
that was what I believed.
“When we were eighteen, you said you would marry me.”
“When we were twenty, you said after your promotion.”
“When we were twenty-three, you said after your mission.”
“When we were twenty-six, you said after your career stabilized.”
I looked at him.
—Every year, I waited for another reason.
—And every year, you asked me to wait a little longer.
His lips moved.
But no words came out.
Lam Vi suddenly spoke softly.
—Ha Van, don’t misunderstand.
—Brother Bac has always cared about you.
I looked at her.
Then smiled.
—Does he?
She became silent.
I continued:
—A person who cares about you doesn’t use your life as a joke.
Lam Vi’s face changed.
Tham Tram Bac frowned.
—Don’t involve her.
I laughed softly.
Of course.
Even now.
He protected her first.
Not me.
That small action was enough.
I removed the jade pendant from his hand.
I placed it beside the ring.
—The ring belongs to the Tham family.
—The pendant belongs to the Ha family.
—Now both families’ belongings have returned to their owners.
He stared at the two items.
His expression became complicated.
—Ha Van…
—What about us?
I looked at him.
There was a time when that question would have destroyed me.
Now…
it only made me tired.
—There is no “us” anymore.
Three days later.
My wedding took place.
But the groom was not Tham Tram Bac.
It was Tham Chap.
The man everyone believed would never marry.
The youngest uncle of the Tham family.
A man who spent years recovering from injuries.
A man known for his cold personality.
When I first met Tham Chap…
I expected regret.
Maybe disappointment.
Maybe a marriage without love.
But I was wrong.
The first thing he said after seeing me was:
—You don’t need to force yourself to smile.
I froze.
He continued:
—I know this marriage was unexpected.
—But from today on, no one will make you wait.
Those simple words…
almost made me cry.
Because for ten years…
I had waited for someone to choose me.
And the first person who did…
was someone I never expected.
After the wedding, Tham Tram Bac disappeared from the military district for several days.
Everyone thought he was busy.
But they were wrong.
He was standing outside the old Ha family house.
Holding the jade pendant.
Waiting.
When I saw him, I was surprised.
—Why are you here?
He looked different.
Not like the proud major general everyone feared.
Just like a man who had finally realized he had lost something precious.
—Ha Van.
His voice was hoarse.
—Come back.
I was silent.
He continued:
—I know I made mistakes.
I smiled slightly.
—Mistakes?
His eyes lowered.
—Yes.
—I shouldn’t have changed the report.
—I shouldn’t have laughed with them.
—I shouldn’t have made you wait.
Pause.
—I shouldn’t have assumed you would always stay.
That last sentence…
was the only honest thing he said.
Because that was exactly his mistake.
He thought my love had no limit.
He thought no matter how much he hurt me…
I would always return.
—Why now?
I asked.
He looked at me.
—Because I saw the wedding invitation.
Silence.
—And I realized…
His voice trembled.
—You were really going to become someone else’s wife.
I looked at him.
Ten years ago, I would have run into his arms.
But now…
I only felt peaceful.
—Tram Bac.
He looked up.
—You didn’t lose me when I married someone else.
—You lost me every time you chose to hurt me and believed I would forgive you.
He closed his eyes.
For a long time.
Then he whispered:
—Do you hate me?
I shook my head.
—No.
That surprised him.
—Then why?
I smiled.
—Because I finally stopped loving you in a way that hurts me.
Years later…
People in the military district still talked about that wedding.
The one where everyone expected Ha Van to marry General Tham Tram Bac.
But she became Mrs. Tham Chap instead.
Some said she was foolish.
Some said she was lucky.
But only I knew the truth.
I didn’t choose another man to punish Tham Tram Bac.
I chose myself.
Tham Tram Bac spent ten years believing:
Ha Van would always wait.
Ha Van would always forgive.
Ha Van would always come back.
But he forgot one thing.
Even the deepest love…
will eventually disappear when it is repeatedly treated as something guaranteed.
And the day Ha Van finally stopped chasing him…
was the day Tham Tram Bac realized:
The woman he thought would belong to him forever…
had already become someone else’s happiness.
