The day I signed the divorce papers, it was pouring rain in Hanoi. I – Linh , 33 years old, sat across from Hung , my ex-husband, the man of my youth and the deepest wound of my life.
He was wearing a neat suit, his face full of victory. When the lawyer read the division of assets, Hung smiled:
“I don’t want to fight, but the rules are the rules. The house, the car, and the custody of the child – I can take care of all of that better than you.”
I smiled weakly and replied:
“You win, congratulations.”
Everyone thought I was weak and cowardly, accepting defeat. No one knew that I had been calculating every step of my heart — ever since he began a secret affair with an accountant who was 8 years younger than me.
A month after the divorce, Hung officially moved in with her. They openly declared their happiness, posting pictures of their luxurious home — the home where I spent sleepless nights choosing every tile and every curtain.
But after just 30 days, she called me. Her voice was shaky:
“Linh… can you come over for a while? Something… big happened.”
I was calm:
“Tell me.”
“The house was repossessed by the bank. Remember when I mortgaged the house to invest? The company just went bankrupt… I’m about to lose everything.”
I laughed:
“Well, she’s still by your side, right?”
Hung fell silent. After a moment, his voice choked:
“She left. Can you… help me? I have nothing left.”
I just said one sentence softly, like a knife stabbing into his heart:
“Have you forgotten? That loan contract is only in your name, because I withdrew my capital from the company before you borrowed. I have nothing to do with it.”
Hung was stunned. I still remember clearly the day he signed the divorce papers, his eyes were contemptuous, thinking that he had won the whole game. But in fact, as soon as I discovered his affair, I quietly separated the shares, withdrew all the capital and moved on to opening a separate company under my sister’s name.
Now, my company had won big, and he was deep in debt.
I looked out the window, it was still raining like the day I signed the divorce papers. But the difference was, I was no longer the woman with tears in my eyes.
I lost my husband, I lost my home, but I found myself again — and that is my greatest asset.