The next morning, I woke up before sunrise.
For seven years, I had always woken up because of someone else.
Because Lam Due had an early meeting.
Because his clothes needed ironing.
Because breakfast had to be prepared before he left.
Because his parents were coming over.
Because someone needed me.
But that morning…
Nobody needed me.
And strangely, I felt lighter.
I stood in front of the mirror and looked at myself carefully.
The woman reflected there seemed unfamiliar.
Calm eyes.
Straight posture.
No tired smile.
No forced expression of patience.
I applied light makeup and put on the navy blue dress I had prepared the night before.
It was simple.
Elegant.
The kind of clothes I used to wear before becoming Mrs. Lam.
Before I slowly disappeared into the role of a wife.
The Dubai International Financial Centre was completely different from my imagination.
Glass buildings reflected the sunlight.
People walked quickly with documents in their hands.
Everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going.
Except me.
Five years ago, I had left my career behind because Lam Due said:
—A family needs someone to take care of it.
At that time, I thought he was trusting me.
Now I understood.
He was just used to having someone sacrifice.
The consultant who interviewed me was named Chu Wen.
He was younger than I expected.
When he opened my resume, his expression changed slightly.
—Ms. Tham, your Arabic level is excellent.
I smiled.
—Thank you.
—But according to the information here, you haven’t worked officially for several years.
I was silent for two seconds.
Then I answered honestly:
—I was taking care of my family.
He nodded.
He didn’t ask why.
He didn’t ask whether I regretted it.
He only looked through my documents carefully.
—During that time, did you stop learning?
I shook my head.
—No.
—Every night I translated documents and studied market reports.
—Even if nobody paid me, I didn’t want to lose my ability.
The room became quiet.
Then Chu Wen smiled.
—That’s exactly the kind of person we are looking for.
That afternoon, I received the offer.
A senior Arabic business consultant position.
The salary was more than three times what Lam Due earned when we first married.
I looked at the email for a long time.
Not because I was surprised.
Because I suddenly realized…
I had never actually lost myself.
I had only forgotten where I put myself.
Meanwhile, in Beijing.
Lam Due was standing in the middle of the wedding venue.
Purple lavender decorations covered the entire garden.
Exactly what To Uyen wanted.
The guests praised them.
—Mr. Lam really loves his wife.
—A secretary becoming the president’s wife. What a romantic story.
To Uyen smiled beside him.
She wore a custom-made wedding dress.
Everything was perfect.
Except Lam Due’s expression.
He kept looking at his phone.
No message.
No missed call.
No complaint.
Nothing.
Because for seven years, whenever he was away, I always sent him something.
“Have you eaten?”
“Don’t work too late.”
“Remember to bring an umbrella.”
Even after divorce…
he expected those messages.
But there was nothing.
For the first time, he realized the silence he once considered peaceful…
was actually terrifying.
During the wedding banquet, one of his business partners raised a glass.
—Mr. Lam, congratulations. Your old wife finally gave up.
The table became quiet.
To Uyen’s smile froze slightly.
Lam Due frowned.
—What do you mean?
The man laughed.
—I heard she left Beijing.
—Probably couldn’t accept seeing you and Ms. To together.
Someone nearby joked:
—A housewife without a career. Where could she go?
Lam Due’s expression changed.
He hated that sentence.
Not because he disagreed.
But because suddenly…
he remembered every night when I sat under the lamp.
Every document I translated.
Every time he came home late and saw me sleeping beside a pile of papers.
He used to think those things were insignificant.
Now he suddenly wanted to know.
Where did I go?
That night, after the wedding ended, Lam Due opened his phone.
His fingers stopped on my old chat window.
The last message I sent him was three months ago.
“Lam Due, I hope you find the happiness you want.”
That was all.
No anger.
No blame.
No begging.
Just goodbye.
His chest tightened.
Because he suddenly understood something.
When I loved him…
I gave him everything.
When I left…
I didn’t take anything from him.
Not even hatred.
Three days later.
Lam Due received a business invitation from Dubai.
A major investment project.
The person responsible for negotiations was a new consultant.
The name on the document was:
Tham Vy.
His hand froze.
Impossible.
There were many people with the same name.
Until he opened the attached profile.
Photo.
Education.
Experience.
Everything.
The woman standing confidently in the picture…
was the wife he thought would never leave.
The woman he thought would always wait.
The woman he believed had nothing without him.
That evening, Lam Due called my old number.
The call connected.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then his voice came.
—Vy.
I looked out at the Dubai night.
—Mr. Lam.
That unfamiliar way of addressing him made him silent.
—You really went to Dubai?
—Yes.
—Why didn’t you tell me?
I smiled faintly.
—Why would I tell you?
He couldn’t answer.
Because he finally remembered.
The day we divorced, he was the one who said:
“Since we are no longer husband and wife, don’t interfere in each other’s lives.”
Now he was the one calling.
Now he was the one unable to accept the distance.
After a long silence, he asked:
—Are you doing well?
I looked at my reflection in the window.
The woman who had once waited for him at home.
And the woman standing here now.
Two completely different people.
—I am.
A simple answer.
But it hurt him more than any accusation.
Because Lam Due finally understood.
I wasn’t trying to make him regret.
I wasn’t waiting for him to chase me.
I had simply moved on.
And the woman he lost…
was no longer waiting at the door.
