Luc Chinh’s steps stopped.
—Niem Chi Vi?
Assistant Tieu Vuong nodded.
—Yes.
—The person who called said that all cooperation agreements with our company will be terminated effective immediately.
Luc Chinh frowned.
—Why?
Tieu Vu hesitated.
—They only said one sentence.
—What sentence?
He lowered his voice.
—”The founder no longer wants to continue working with people who don’t know how to value her.”
The office became silent.
Luc Chinh stood there.
For some reason…
His heart suddenly tightened.
—Founder?
He repeated the word.
Tieu Vu opened the document on his tablet.
—Yes.
—Niem Chi Vi’s founder.
—The information was released this morning.
Luc Chinh took the tablet.
At first, he didn’t understand.
Then he saw the name.
Founder and CEO: To Niem.
His fingers froze.
The company that he had always considered a small bakery.
The place where his colleagues laughed.
“The wife who sells bread.”
“The woman who earns six thousand yuan.”
The brand that now had more than 1,200 stores nationwide.
The brand valuation report he had never cared to read.
Was hers.
All hers.
Three years ago.
When he started his own company, he had failed.
He lost almost everything.
He still remembered that night.
He sat alone in the office.
Creditors calling.
Employees waiting for salaries.
He thought his life was over.
Then To Niem appeared.
She placed a bank card in front of him.
—Use it.
He looked at her.
—Where did you get this money?
She smiled.
—I saved it.
He refused.
His pride did not allow him.
But she only said:
—If you lose everything, I lose everything too.
At that time, he thought she was simply supporting him.
He never asked how much she had sacrificed.
Never asked where the money came from.
Because in his mind…
She was just his wife.
The woman who would always stay.
At noon, Luc Chinh searched for information about Niem Chi Vi.
The more he read…
The paler his face became.
Founder.
Major shareholder.
Strategic investor.
National expansion.
Annual revenue.
Every piece of information hit him harder than the last.
The bakery he mocked.
The apron he disliked.
The woman he thought was embarrassing him at business dinners.
Was actually the reason thousands of people had jobs.
His phone suddenly rang.
It was Tien Vi.
—Chinh, where are you?
He didn’t answer immediately.
She noticed something was wrong.
—What’s happening?
After a few seconds, he asked:
—Did you know?
—Know what?
—About Niem Chi Vi.
Silence.
Only two seconds.
But enough.
Luc Chinh’s eyes darkened.
—You knew?
Tien Vi became nervous.
—Chinh, listen to me. I didn’t think it was important.
—Not important?
His voice became colder.
—You knew my wife built that company?
Another silence.
Then she said:
—Yes.
—But so what?
Luc Chinh froze.
—What did you say?
Tien Vi sighed.
—Chinh, don’t tell me you are regretting this because of money.
—She may be successful.
—But emotionally, you two were never suitable.
Those words.
Those exact words.
He had said them himself.
Many times.
But now hearing them from someone else…
They sounded disgusting.
That evening.
Luc Chinh returned home.
The house was still empty.
But this time…
The silence felt different.
Before, he thought it was freedom.
Now it felt like punishment.
He opened the shoe cabinet.
A small envelope fell out.
He recognized the handwriting immediately.
To Niem.
His breathing stopped.
He opened it.
Only a few lines.
“Luc Chinh,
The freedom you wanted, I give back to you.
There are some things you should know.
The 800,000 yuan debt from your failed business in 2019 was paid by me.
Your mother’s hospital expenses in 2021 were paid by me.
The bonuses you received every year were money transferred by me through your company.
I never wanted you to feel inferior.
I only wanted you to stand confidently.
As for Niem Chi Vi…
You can search for the founder’s name yourself.
Don’t worry.
I don’t need anything back.
Not money.
Not gratitude.
Not regret.
Take care.
—To Niem.”
The letter fell from his hand.
For a long time.
Luc Chinh did not move.
Then suddenly…
He remembered something.
Three years ago.
During a company dinner.
Someone asked:
—Mr. Luc, your wife only runs a bakery?
He had laughed.
—Yes.
—She likes simple things.
At that moment, To Niem was sitting beside him.
Quiet.
Smiling.
He thought she didn’t care.
But now he realized.
She had heard everything.
And she still smiled.
Because she loved him.
The next morning.
Luc Chinh went to the bakery.
Not the company.
Not the office.
The small shop in the old alley.
The place he had never visited even once after marriage.
The door opened.
The smell of bread filled the air.
For a moment, he saw her.
Same apron.
Same gentle expression.
But something was different.
She was no longer waiting for him.
She was working.
Living.
Without him.
—To Niem.
She turned around.
Surprise flashed across her face.
Then disappeared.
—Mr. Luc.
That title hurt more than anything.
Before…
She always called him Chinh.
Only Chinh.
He walked closer.
—Why didn’t you tell me?
She looked confused.
—Tell you what?
—Everything.
She was silent.
Then smiled lightly.
—Would it have changed anything?
He couldn’t answer.
Because he knew.
It wouldn’t.
Three days ago, when he thought she earned six thousand yuan…
He still wanted divorce.
He didn’t lose her because he didn’t know her value.
He lost her because he only valued things after losing them.
—Niem.
His voice was hoarse.
—I was wrong.
She looked at him.
For the first time, she saw regret in his eyes.
Real regret.
But she only said:
—Luc Chinh.
—Yes?
—Do you know why I signed the divorce so easily?
He lowered his head.
She looked at the bread in her hands.
—Because I spent ten years proving I was worthy of standing beside you.
A pause.
—Then one day I realized…
—I was already standing above the place you thought I belonged.
Luc Chinh stood there.
Unable to say anything.
The woman he thought needed him…
Had never needed him.
She had simply loved him.
And now…
That love was gone.
Months later.
Niem Chi Vi continued expanding.
To Niem became one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the city.
Luc Chinh rebuilt his career slowly.
But everyone noticed one thing.
He never entered another relationship.
Someone once asked him why.
He only answered:
“Because I already met the person who loved me when I had nothing.”
“And I was foolish enough to lose her when I had everything.”
The day Luc Chinh criticized my 6,000 yuan salary…
He thought he was leaving behind a poor wife.
He never realized…
He was leaving behind the woman who built the future he wanted.
And by the time he finally understood my worth…
I had already learned something more important.
My value was never decided by the amount on my paycheck.
It was decided by the life I could create.
With or without him.
