The sound of the judge’s hammer falling was dry, echoing throughout the courtroom. “You two are officially no longer husband and wife.”

Ling took a deep breath, trying to compress his chest that was about to burst. 10 years. 10 years of youth, 10 years of sacrifice, 10 years of enduring patriarchy and contempt, finally culminating in a cold decision. Their 5-year-old son, Bin, squeezed his mother’s hand. He was too young to fully understand, but he felt the tension.

Hung stood up, stretching his shoulders as if relieved of a burden. He glanced at Linh – his ex-wife – in her worn clothes, clutching her faded handbag. He had taken the house. He only has to provide you with a cheap sum. He won.

Leaving the courtroom, Hung took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped. He turned, looked Ling in the eye with disgust, and smiled. “Tell the truth,” he whispered between his teeth. “I’m happy for you too. But even thinking about it is a crime. Words like yours, old, hometown, and broken, no one would bother to look at them, even if they were standing on the street now.

One verbal slap beats more than a thousand physical slaps. Linh’s face turned pale. He quickly caught her in his arms, as if to protect her from her father’s cruel words. She said nothing, just bit her lip until it bled, and tried to walk quickly toward the courthouse gate.

Hung laughed behind her back. He put his hands in his pants pockets, whistled, enjoying his complete victory. He was free, and he was able to kick the woman he once called his wife into the mud.

Linh pushed open the heavy iron gate of the courthouse. The bright sunlight blinded her. 5 minutes. 5 minutes since he said that. For 5 minutes, she felt like she had just been through hell. She and her child stood helplessly on the side of the road, unsure of where to go.

Just then, a sleek, luxurious black Mercedes S-Class slowly approached and stopped right in front of the three men. Hung, who was about to take a taxi, had to stop as well. He narrowed his eyes. Whose car was so bad?

The back door opened. But what came out wasn’t the driver, but a man dressed in a perfectly tailored Italian suit. Combing his hair, he noticed the Patek Philippe glitter on his wrist. Hung was stunned.

It’s Quan. The general director of the corporation where Linh works as an accountant, forgetful. Your boss! “You… Brother Quan?” he stammered. “What… Why is the boss here?” Quan didn’t bother to glance at Hung. His eyes were fixed only on Linh’s mother and daughter, gentle and sad.

“Uncle Jun!” Baby Bin suddenly screamed, slipped out of his mother’s arms, and ran to hug Quan’s legs. Her son… calling the General Boss “uncle” so intimately? Quan smiled and rubbed the boy’s head. “Well, Bin, today I have a model of a battleship that I like. Let’s get in the car and wait for you for a while.”

He gestured to the driver, who turned to open the door for Bin. He happily climbed into the luxury car. After the door closed, Quan turned to Linh. She stood motionless, tears streaming down her face, her hand still clutching the handle of her bag.

And then, before Hung’s wide-eyed gaze, in front of dozens of people passing by the courthouse gate, the elegant General Director, whom Hung had never dared to speak to in his wildest dreams, performed the unthinkable.

Quan slowly knelt down on one knee. The ground was dusty, but he didn’t care. He looked at Linh, his eyes filled with respect. “Spirit,” his voice was deep and clear. “I know this is a difficult day. But you also know this is the first day you’re free.”
He took a dark blue velvet box from his vest pocket. Opening it, a brilliant diamond ring glistened in the sunlight, dazzling Hung’s eyes. “I’ve loved you for a long time,” Quan continued, ignoring the frightened ex-husband beside her. “But I respected you, so I waited. I waited for the day when you were completely on your own. Do you agree… give me the opportunity to take care of you and Binh for the rest of my life? Be your wife, Linh.”

Linh hiccupped. She covered her mouth with her hand, unable to believe her eyes. She looked into Quan’s eyes and saw complete sincerity. She nodded widely, tears of joy welling up. Quan smiled, took out the ring, and gently placed it on her ring finger.

Hung had just regained his composure. He screamed, his face turning red. “…What is this? Soul! Bastard! You… you dare to adulterate me? Both of them… you both betrayed me!”

Quan stood up. He grabbed Linh’s hand, who had just put on the ring. For the first time during their conversation, he turned to Hung. He wasn’t angry; he simply smiled, a smile casual but full of weight.

“You’re wrong,” Quan said. “I’ve been pursuing Linh for six months now, ever since I knew you had treated her badly. But she always refused, saying she had to wait until the court’s decision before starting. I respected her, so I waited.”

He opened the car door for Linh.

“Ah, and I have to thank you,” Quan said, his voice brightly smiling. “Thank you for letting her go. Thank you for insulting me, for throwing away a precious gem.

He leaned closer, patting Hung’s shoulder, his voice a whisper but loud enough for all three to hear: “Thank you for letting her go… so I can have both my wife and children.”

The luxury car closed its door and slowly pulled away, leaving Hung standing in the middle of the street with his feet pressed against it. He looked at the smoke, at his brand new suit, and then at his sarcastic remark from five minutes earlier, “Nobody wants to stand in the street.” That slap, invisible, but burning for life.