I sat inside the Civil Affairs Department waiting room.

People walked in and out.

Couples held hands.

Parents smiled while taking photos.

Everyone here came with the same purpose.

To begin a new life.

But I was sitting alone.

The strange thing was…

I didn’t feel abandoned anymore.

Three hours ago, I would have been heartbroken if Luc Vien Chu left me standing outside on our registration day.

Three hours ago, I would have chased after him.

I would have asked him to come back.

I would have begged him to choose me.

But now?

I simply looked at the empty chair beside me and felt nothing.

Because I finally understood.

The person who abandoned me was not Luc Vien Chu.

He had already done that long ago.

The only difference was that today, he finally made it visible to everyone.

The staff member called my name.

“Miss Bach Man Ha?”

I stood up.

“Yes.”

She looked behind me.

“Is the groom not here yet?”

I smiled.

“No.”

A little surprise appeared on her face.

“Should we wait?”

I shook my head.

“No need.”

I placed the documents on the table.

“Please continue.”

The staff member hesitated.

“Without the groom?”

“Yes.”

She looked confused.

But when she checked my documents, her expression slowly changed.

Because everything was already prepared.

Everything.

The marriage application.

The property agreements.

The legal documents.

The only thing missing…

Was Luc Vien Chu.

And that was exactly what I needed.

Outside, the reporters were still waiting.

They expected a dramatic scene.

They expected me to cry.

They expected me to lose my dignity.

Instead, they saw me walk out alone.

Calm.

Elegant.

Without a single tear.

The cameras immediately flashed.

“Miss Bach, where is Mr. Luc?”

“Did he really leave you on your registration day?”

“Are the rumors about another woman true?”

I stopped.

For a moment, everyone became quiet.

Then I smiled.

“Today was supposed to be my marriage registration day.”

“But unfortunately, my groom chose another place to be.”

The reporters became excited.

“And what will you do now?”

I looked directly at the cameras.

“What should I do?”

“I will continue my life.”

That sentence appeared online within minutes.

But I didn’t care.

Because I already knew something they didn’t.

My parents had been waiting.

Not for revenge.

For protection.

When I arrived home, my father was sitting in the living room.

He looked at me for a long time.

Then he asked:

“He left?”

I nodded.

My mother immediately stood.

“Man Ha…”

I shook my head.

“Don’t cry for me.”

My mother froze.

I walked over and hugged her.

“I should have listened earlier.”

My father sighed.

“Your mother and I knew.”

I looked at him.

“Knew what?”

“That Luc Vien Chu never saw you as his priority.”

Silence.

My father continued.

“Three years ago, when he brought you home and promised to marry you, we trusted him.”

“But recently, we discovered something.”

He placed a folder on the table.

I opened it.

Inside were documents.

Photos.

Records.

My expression slowly changed.

“Where did you get these?”

My father looked serious.

“Someone sent them to us.”

I looked at the first photo.

Luc Vien Chu.

To Vu Nhu.

Together.

Before he went abroad.

Before the pregnancy.

Before the wedding.

My fingers tightened.

“He knew?”

My father nodded.

“He knew about the child before proposing to you.”

The room became silent.

I looked through the documents one by one.

Messages.

Payments.

Apartment records.

Everything.

Luc Vien Chu had not been trapped.

He had not discovered the pregnancy after we were engaged.

He had known.

And he still let me prepare for a wedding.

Still let me dream about a future.

Still let me stand beside him while he planned another family.

My mother held my hand.

“Man Ha, you don’t have to fight him.”

I closed the folder.

“I know.”

“Then what will you do?”

I looked at the marriage documents on the table.

Then I smiled.

“Nothing.”

My parents looked surprised.

“Nothing?”

“Yes.”

“Because the best punishment for someone who thinks they cannot lose you…”

“Is showing them that they already did.”

Meanwhile, Luc Vien Chu arrived at To Vu Nhu’s apartment.

He expected to spend ten minutes.

Twenty at most.

Then return and register his marriage.

After all…

Bach Man Ha had waited for him for years.

She would wait another hour.

That was what he believed.

But when he arrived, he noticed something strange.

To Vu Nhu was smiling.

Too calmly.

“Vien Chu.”

He frowned.

“What?”

She handed him a document.

His expression changed immediately.

“What is this?”

“A paternity agreement.”

He stared at the paper.

“What does this mean?”

To Vu Nhu lowered her eyes.

“You should know.”

His heart sank.

“Explain.”

She smiled sadly.

“You really thought everything would continue exactly as before?”

Luc Vien Chu became silent.

For the first time that day…

He felt something he had never felt before.

Fear.

Because he suddenly remembered Bach Man Ha’s expression before he left.

She wasn’t angry.

She wasn’t crying.

She looked like someone who had already made a decision.

He grabbed his phone.

Called her.

No answer.

Again.

No answer.

Then he opened social media.

The top trending topic made his face turn completely pale.

“Bach Man Ha completes marriage registration alone after groom leaves.”

But that wasn’t the only headline.

Below it was another announcement.

From the Bach family.

A statement about the future heir of the Bach Group.

And the person named in that statement…

Was Bach Man Ha.

Luc Vien Chu stared at the screen.

Because he finally understood.

The woman he thought could never leave him…

Had never needed him at all.

And the next morning, when he returned to the Civil Affairs Department hoping to fix everything…

He discovered that the person waiting there was not Bach Man Ha.

It was her lawyer.

Holding a document that would end their relationship forever.