Six years.
Six years of marriage.
Six years of waiting for a man who had already stopped choosing me.
I used to think patience could change everything.
I thought if I loved him enough, if I endured enough, if I stayed beside him no matter what…
One day, Co Canh Tham would remember the woman he once promised to protect.
I was wrong.
The man who once held my hand on our wedding day…
Was the same man who allowed me to lie bleeding in a basement.
Twenty minutes later, the iron door opened again.
Footsteps approached.
This time, they were hurried.
Tran Phong knelt beside me.
In his hand was the old red suitcase.
My mother’s suitcase.
The one I brought into the Co family on my wedding day.
He opened the hidden compartment.
Inside was a small jade pendant.
Dark green.
Cold.
With a thin crack running across the surface.
I held it tightly.
For six years, I had never understood why my mother gave it to me.
Before she died, she only said:
“If one day the Co family makes you lose your way, break this.”
I always thought she was exaggerating.
Until tonight.
My fingers could barely move.
But I still used the last bit of strength to throw the jade onto the ground.
Crack.
The sound was surprisingly clear.
Tran Phong froze.
Inside the broken jade…
There was something hidden.
A tiny memory card.
His face changed.
—Madam…
I smiled weakly.
—The reason my father never wanted me to marry Co Canh Tham.
Upstairs.
At that moment.
Co Canh Tham’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
The name displayed:
To Minh Xuan.
My brother.
The youngest president of To Group.
The man who had not contacted Co Canh Tham for six years.
Because I had begged him not to interfere.
Because I believed I could save my marriage myself.
Because I was foolish enough to think love was stronger than pride.
Co Canh Tham answered.
His voice was still cold.
—What happened?
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then my brother’s voice came through.
Calm.
Extremely calm.
Which was much more frightening than anger.
—Co Canh Tham.
The smile on his face disappeared.
—You have ten minutes.
—Tell me where my sister is.
The room became silent.
Co Canh Tham frowned.
—What are you talking about?
My brother continued.
—After ten minutes…
A pause.
—Everything you have spent six years building will disappear.
Co Canh Tham laughed coldly.
—Are you threatening me?
—No.
My brother’s voice remained emotionless.
—I’m informing you.
Then the call ended.
At that exact moment, the financial director of Co Group rushed into the room.
His face was pale.
—President Co!
Co Canh Tham looked irritated.
—What?
The director held a tablet with shaking hands.
—The To family has withdrawn all cooperation agreements.
The room froze.
—Impossible.
—It’s true.
The director swallowed.
—Three major banks have suspended our credit lines.
—The East Harbor project has been frozen.
—Several investors are requesting emergency meetings.
Co Canh Tham’s expression finally changed.
Because he understood.
This was not a warning.
This was a declaration.
Lam Tu Ngu stood beside him.
Her face became anxious.
—Brother Canh Tham…
He didn’t answer.
For the first time in six years…
His thoughts were not about her.
They were about me.
He remembered our wedding.
The woman in the white dress.
The woman who smiled at him and said:
“I don’t need anything from you.”
“I only need you to choose me.”
At that time, he held her hand.
He promised:
“Nian Van, I will protect you forever.”
But he broke that promise.
Not once.
Not twice.
Every day.
The basement door suddenly opened.
Co Canh Tham walked in.
I was still lying on the floor.
But this time…
He wasn’t looking at a troublesome wife.
He was looking at the daughter of the To family.
The woman whose family could destroy everything he had.
But strangely…
That wasn’t what frightened him most.
What frightened him was seeing how calm I was.
A person who had stopped hoping…
Was far more terrifying than an angry person.
—Nien Van.
His voice was low.
I didn’t answer.
He took a step closer.
—Let’s go to the hospital.
I opened my eyes slightly.
—Why?
He froze.
—You are injured.
I smiled.
A very weak smile.
—Six years ago, when I needed you, where were you?
His lips moved.
No answer.
I looked at Lam Tu Ngu standing behind him.
Then back at him.
—You told me she saved your life.
—But did you know?
My voice was barely audible.
—The person who saved your life six years ago…
Was not her.
The entire room went still.
Co Canh Tham’s expression changed.
—What did you say?
I looked at the broken jade pendant in Tran Phong’s hand.
—The truth is inside.
—Everything your family hid from you.
His face turned pale.
Because for the first time…
Co Canh Tham realized something.
Maybe the woman he abandoned…
Was not the woman who needed him.
Maybe he was the person who had been deceived all along.
I closed my eyes.
I no longer cared about his reaction.
Because tomorrow…
The Co family would learn the truth.
And this time…
I would not be the one begging to stay.
I would be the one deciding who was allowed to leave.
