To Kieu stood in front of me holding the cup of warm water.

Her eyes were red.

Her expression was gentle.

Exactly the kind of expression that made everyone believe she was innocent.

“Sister Lam, don’t be angry with President Co anymore.”

I looked at her quietly.

A few months ago, those words would have made my heart ache.

I would have wondered.

Why did she always appear beside my husband?

Why did he always defend her?

Why did he never see my pain?

But now…

I only felt tired.

I took the cup from her hand and placed it on the table.

“Thank you.”

To Kieu froze.

She probably expected anger.

A confrontation.

A jealous wife who would accuse her.

But I gave her nothing.

Because I had already spent all my emotions on someone who never cared to receive them.

Co Dinh Xuyen watched me from the side.

His expression became darker.

He hated this version of me.

The old Lam Tri Ha cried.

The old Lam Tri Ha explained.

The old Lam Tri Ha begged him to stay.

But this woman…

This calm woman who looked at him like a stranger…

Made him uncomfortable.

“Tri Ha.”

His voice became cold.

“What are you trying to do?”

I looked at him.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

He laughed lightly.

“You suddenly don’t care about anything.”

“You suddenly want a divorce.”

“You suddenly act like I don’t exist.”

His eyes narrowed.

“Do you think this will make me regret something?”

I didn’t answer.

Because the truth was simple.

I wasn’t trying to make him regret.

I was trying to save myself.

The doctor said my depression came from long-term emotional exhaustion.

At first, I refused to believe it.

I thought I was just too sensitive.

Too weak.

Too dependent.

But then I realized something.

I spent years trying to become the perfect wife.

The wife who never complained.

The wife who always understood.

The wife who waited.

But nobody asked me:

Who was taking care of me?

That night, after Co Dinh Xuan left the hospital again, I packed my things.

Not much.

A few clothes.

Some documents.

The old notebook where I wrote my dreams before marriage.

Three years ago, I gave up everything to follow him.

My career.

My city.

My dreams.

I thought love meant walking behind someone.

Now I understood.

A person who truly loves you will walk beside you.

Not leave you behind.

The next morning, I returned to the Co family house.

The servants were shocked when they saw my suitcase.

“Madam?”

I smiled.

“I’m leaving.”

The old housekeeper looked at me sadly.

“Did you and Mr. Co argue again?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“Not this time.”

She didn’t understand.

Because even I knew…

This wasn’t an argument.

Arguments meant two people still wanted to fix something.

This was the end.

When I entered the bedroom, I looked around.

The room where I spent four years waiting.

The room where I cried silently countless nights.

The room where I once believed I would grow old with him.

I opened the drawer.

Inside was a photo of us.

Young.

Happy.

Before everything changed.

I touched his face in the picture.

Then I put it back.

Some memories are beautiful.

But beautiful memories cannot repair painful realities.

At noon, Co Dinh Xuan returned.

When he saw my suitcase, he stopped.

“What is this?”

I looked at him.

“My things.”

“Where are you going?”

“Leaving.”

His expression changed.

“Don’t start this again.”

I smiled.

Again.

That word.

As if every time I expressed pain, it was just another performance.

“Co Dinh Xuan.”

He froze.

I rarely called him by his full name.

“I am not threatening you.”

“I’m informing you.”

His face became serious.

“Are you really planning to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Because of To Kieu?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“Because of me.”

He didn’t understand.

“I lost myself while trying to be your wife.”

“And I want to find her again.”

The room became silent.

For the first time…

Co Dinh Xuan had no argument.

No explanation.

No solution.

Because he finally realized something.

The woman who once fought for him…

Was no longer fighting.

That night, he didn’t sleep.

He sat alone in the living room.

Looking at the empty place where I always sat.

For years, he thought my silence was weakness.

He thought my patience meant I would never leave.

He was wrong.

The next morning, he went to the company.

His assistant noticed immediately.

“President Co, are you okay?”

He ignored the question.

Then he asked:

“Where is Lam Tri Ha’s previous work file?”

The assistant was confused.

“Madam’s old project?”

“Yes.”

The assistant hesitated.

“She was actually very talented.”

“Before marriage, she was one of the youngest project leaders in her field.”

Co Dinh Xuan stopped.

Before marriage.

Those words hurt.

Because he suddenly remembered.

I wasn’t always the woman waiting at home.

I was someone with my own dreams.

Someone who gave up everything for him.

And he had slowly turned that person into someone who didn’t recognize herself.

Meanwhile, I boarded the train to Yunnan.

One-way ticket.

No return date.

No husband.

No expectations.

For the first time in years…

I felt free.

My phone vibrated.

A message from Co Dinh Xuan.

“Tri Ha.”

“Can we talk?”

I looked at the screen.

Then turned it off.

Because four years ago, I always waited for his messages.

Now…

I was finally learning how to wait for myself.

And Co Dinh Xuan didn’t know.

The day I stopped chasing him…

Was the day he finally began to fear losing me.