Pho Dich stared at me for a long time.

Perhaps he was waiting for me to lose control.

He wanted to see me cry.

He wanted to see me ask why.

Why Lam Uu could replace me.

Why my position as his wife could suddenly become negotiable.

Why the man who once promised me everything could calmly ask me to step aside.

But there was nothing left for him to see.

The woman who used to fight for him was gone.

I finished my toast slowly.

Then I looked at him.

“Three million.”

“Take it or leave it.”

Lam Uu, who had been sitting beside him, suddenly laughed softly.

“Khanh Ly, you really changed.”

Her voice sounded gentle.

But every word carried a hidden blade.

“When I first met you, you were not like this.”

“You used to be very kind.”

I looked at her.

“Yes.”

“I used to be.”

She froze.

I continued eating.

“But kindness without limits only teaches people how to take advantage of you.”

Pho Dich’s expression darkened.

“Khanh Ly.”

“What?”

“Do you really think everything can be measured by money?”

I put down my fork.

Then looked directly at him.

“No.”

His eyes relaxed slightly.

But my next words made his expression freeze.

“Some things cannot be bought.”

“My three years of waiting.”

“My trust.”

“My feelings.”

I paused.

“But since you already chose to put a price on my dignity…”

“I simply learned how to calculate.”

The room became silent.

Lam Uu lowered her eyes.

Pho Dich looked away.

Because he knew.

Every amount I asked for was not random.

Every payment was a reminder.

A reminder of every time he chose someone else over me.

That night, the charity gala was held as planned.

I didn’t attend.

Instead, I stayed home and watched the news.

The headline appeared on the screen.

“Deputy Director Pho Dich attends annual gala with mysterious female companion.”

The camera captured him standing beside Lam Uu.

She wore an expensive dress.

He looked proud.

Everyone around them smiled.

A perfect picture.

A successful man.

A beautiful woman.

A romantic story.

Except nobody knew the real story.

The woman standing beside him was there because his wife had been paid to disappear.

My phone vibrated.

A transfer notification appeared.

【Pho Dich transferred 3,000,000 yuan.】

I smiled slightly.

Another price.

Another amount added to the account.

The next morning, the news changed.

Because someone had leaked information.

Photos of Pho Dich and Lam Uu together appeared online.

Not one.

Not two.

Hundreds.

Their private dinners.

Their trips.

Their intimate moments.

The internet exploded.

The Pho family immediately called me.

His mother was the first.

“Khanh Ly, you need to help solve this.”

I looked at the phone screen.

“Why?”

Her voice became impatient.

“Because you are his wife.”

I smiled.

Interesting.

Yesterday, they wanted me to disappear.

Today, they remembered I was his wife.

“I can help.”

There was relief on the other side.

“But my price is five million.”

Silence.

Then anger.

“You are still asking for money at a time like this?”

I calmly replied:

“No.”

“I am asking for payment for a service.”

“You need me to appear beside Pho Dich and tell everyone this is a misunderstanding.”

“You need me to protect the company’s reputation.”

“You need my identity as Mrs. Pho.”

I paused.

“That’s not free.”

The call ended angrily.

But two hours later…

The money arrived.

Five million.

I looked at the notification.

Then closed my phone.

I didn’t feel happy.

I didn’t feel victorious.

Because money could recover my security.

But it could not recover my marriage.

That evening, Pho Dich returned home.

For the first time in weeks, he looked exhausted.

Not angry.

Not arrogant.

Just tired.

“Khanh Ly.”

I continued reading my documents.

“What?”

He stood in front of me.

“Are you really planning to continue like this?”

I looked up.

“Like what?”

“Turning everything between us into a transaction.”

I smiled.

“Didn’t you start it?”

His expression changed.

“When did I?”

I closed the document.

“The first time you gave me money instead of an apology.”

“The first time you bought jewelry instead of changing.”

“The first time you thought expensive gifts could erase betrayal.”

He couldn’t answer.

Because he knew.

Every time he hurt me, he didn’t fix the problem.

He paid for silence.

And I accepted.

Until one day…

I realized silence had value.

“Khanh Ly.”

His voice became softer.

“Do you hate me?”

I looked at him.

That question surprised me.

Because after everything…

he still thought this was about hatred.

“No.”

“Then why?”

I stood up.

“Because I don’t hate you anymore.”

That answer hurt him more than anger.

Hatred meant there was still emotion.

Indifference meant nothing remained.

I walked upstairs.

Behind me, he said:

“Do you remember when we had nothing?”

I stopped.

“When we lived in that small apartment?”

“When you sold your grandmother’s villa to save my company?”

My hand tightened slightly.

He remembered.

Of course he remembered.

“I remember.”

His voice cracked.

“I didn’t forget.”

I turned around.

“No.”

“You just forgot how important it was.”

The next day, I received a call from my lawyer.

“The funds from the villa investment have completed settlement.”

I looked at the number.

The original amount.

Plus years of profit.

Everything had returned.

The money I once sacrificed to save Pho Dich…

had finally come back to me.

Enough.

Enough to stand alone.

Enough to leave.

Enough to buy back the life I had almost lost.

I closed my laptop.

Then opened a new document.

The title was simple.

“Divorce Agreement.”

For years, I thought losing Pho Dich would destroy me.

I was wrong.

The person I almost lost…

was myself.

And now, I finally had enough to bring her back.