My husband told me that he was going to Da Nang for a week. He advised me to stay home, rest, that there was no need to visit his parents in the country. But that day, for some reason, my intuition told me otherwise, so I decided to take the bus and surprise my in-laws.
As soon as I crossed the fence, the first thing I saw was not my mother-in-law’s kind smile, nor the thin figure of my mother-in-law sweeping the yard. What paralyzed me was the sight of a whole row of baby diapers hanging on clotheslines and cables in the garden. Some had yellow stains, others had traces of milk.
I stood there paralyzed. My in-laws were in their 60s. It was impossible for them to have children. No relative had left them a child either. Whose diapers were these?
I entered, trembling. The house was quiet, but there was a faint smell of formula. On the table, a half-finished bottle. My heart was racing, my mind was racing.
Is my husband hiding something from me?
It could be a picture of 3 people and a washing machine
A little while later, a baby was crying from the old room that my husband and I used every time we came home. I ran there, my hands shaking as I tried to pick the lock. When I opened the door… On the bed was a newborn, its tiny arms and legs moving, while my mother-in-law hurriedly changed clothes.
When she saw me, she turned pale, as if all the blood had drained from her body. I stammered:
Mommy: Whose child is this?
She shivered, avoided looking me in the eyes, and barely managed to whisper:
“Don’t hate us… This baby is the blood of this family.
My whole body went cold. My husband’s words, his strange business trips, my mother-in-law’s avoidance… Everything was spinning like a whirlwind in my mind.
Could it be… Did my husband have a child out of wedlock?
I fell into a chair, unable to take my eyes off the child. Her face seemed so beautiful, her eyes… It was undeniable. I felt a lump in my throat, as my mother-in-law held the baby with trembling hands.
Mom, what’s going on? I asked.
Her eyes filled with tears as she whispered:
– This child… By Hùng. We won’t keep it from you forever, but her father said, “Wait for the right time.” No one thought you would come so suddenly…
My world collapsed. Those trips, those excuses… It was all a facade to cover up this terrible truth.
“And the baby’s mother?” I managed to ask in a slow voice.
My mother-in-law looked up:
She left the child and disappeared… Ai-Ai delas Alas was alone, so…
She hadn’t even finished speaking when the door opened. I heard familiar footsteps. I turned—my husband entered, dragging his suitcase, and he was surprised to see me there.
“You… What are you doing here?” He sighed and his expression changed when he saw the baby in his mother’s arms.
I suddenly stood up and my eyes lit up:
“Your so-called “business trip to Da Nang”… is it just a lie to hide that you are here to take care of your illegitimate child?
The wind became unbearable. My mother-in-law squeezed the baby, my mother-in-law froze at the door, and my husband started breaking out in a cold sweat.
I stepped forward, almost shouting:
“Say it!” This child is yours, right?!
He was silent for a long moment, until he finally nodded his head.
My heart trembled. All my love, my trust, my sacrifices… Turned to dust.
I let out a bitter and sarcastic laugh:
— So all these years, I was just a puppet, while you led a double life: husband to me, father to another woman’s child.
He ran up to me, grabbed my hand, begging:
Listen to me, this is not what you think… I was going to tell you, but—
I let go of his hand with anger in my eyes:
“Isn’t that what I think!?” Then what? Did the baby fall from the sky?
The house was left in a grave. I wanted to speak but I raised my hand to stop him. She wanted to hear the truth from her own mouth.
“How long have you been hiding this from me?” Until the child called me “Auntie”? Or until I didn’t have children, and you used that as an excuse to leave me?
She silently lowered her head. That silence was the cruelest confession of all.
I took a deep breath and stood firm, in a determined voice:
— Very well. You have a child and I have dignity. Get rid of me. I don’t want to be a poor woman that everyone looks at with pity.
She panicked:
“No! I made a mistake, but think of our family, my parents…
I looked at her coldly:
“The person who never thought of this family is you.
And with that, I turned around and walked out, leaving behind the baby’s crying, my husband’s desperate pleas, and my mother-in-law’s sobs.
But I didn’t stop. Only one thought burns in my mind:
I will start over—but never with him.