The black night was still, the dim light in the living room seemed to be waiting for someone and remained unswitched off. The house was quiet, everything was clean, yet it was enveloped in an atmosphere of loneliness and desolation.
At eleven o'clock at night, Ngan Thu came home. She was exhausted from her work. She threw herself into it all day, indifferent to the passing of time. The bedroom door was ajar, Man Ky leaned against the window, asleep. The smell of alcohol was strong, his white shirt soaked with sweat. Turning on the light, she brought a warm towel to his side. Touching his troubled face, she gently dabbed the sweat with the soft towel.
He opened his eyes and looked at her, Ngan Thu caring for him tenderly. She took off his damp shirt, changed him into a fresh one, and helped him lie down on the bed. Man Ky remained silent, but he managed to grasp her hand, pulling her into his embrace. Ngan Thu looked into his eyes, filled with worries. She knew, it was just that she couldn't reconcile with the feelings he had for her. She owed him an apology, she responded to him with a soulless body. He gently kissed her hair, something deep within his heart stirred. A loving heart full of obsession.
"Man Ky..." She gently pushed his arms away, knowing it would hurt him. She wasn't heartless, but she was afraid of hurting him further. The moment they accidentally held hands, walking in the dawn, was no longer. Love had been given once, why still regret it?
...
"Ngan Thu, coffee?" The female colleague sat down beside her, they chatted during the break. The weather was quite nice today, the clear sunlight bathed the souls of the people in this city.
"Yesterday, I saw Man Ky talking to Mi Lac!"
Ngan Thu was calm with her cup of coffee. Her attitude wasn't very surprising.
"Hmm..."
The female colleague was very surprised, she watched Ngan Thu intently.
"Aren't you jealous?"
"I know..." Ngan Thu took a sip of coffee, looking outside. The bright sunlight was trying to warm her soul. Someone's eyes below were still watching, but her heart didn't want to reconcile anymore.
The bitter taste of coffee still lingered, the aroma remaining on her lips. Man Ky quietly closed his computer, looking at the coffee cup, his heart tightened.
A little pale sunlight for a peaceful soul.
A little love to ease the world's worries.
No matter how you put it, what happened had happened. How could she understand when his heart was laid bare?
Man Ky sighed, the watch she had just given him on his birthday six months ago. Only a short half a year, but their love was like two distant lands, lost. He wearily stood up, leaving the office. Everything was gradually going off track, when he loved too much while she avoided him as if he were a stranger.
The car rolled, passing the highway, Man Ky drove home. He really wanted to pick up his wife, but doing so would only make her unhappy.
How miserable!
Man Ky was fed up, he opened the door and rushed into the house to clean. At least she wouldn't complain or scold him. After a while, it suddenly dawned on him that if the house was so tidy, Ngan Thu would probably have nothing left to talk to him about. Man Ky pondered for a moment, then quickly went down to the kitchen and a few other places in the house to carry out a series of strange deeds.
Over eight o'clock in the evening, Ngan Thu came home. She tiredly sat down on the sofa. The chrysanthemum tea he had prepared was there, she didn't intend to drink it, but because she was too tired, she took a few sips. Ngan Thu went down to the kitchen, she wasn't very hungry. Her colleague had invited her for a meal in the afternoon, so she planned to open the refrigerator to see what was left.
Huh, why isn't the light on?
Ngan Thu stared at the refrigerator, it looked like something was broken.
"Man..." Ngan Thu hesitated, she almost called him but stopped herself. She would ask someone to fix it tomorrow.
Man Ky seemed to be asleep, she saw that the room was completely dark. The weather was strangely hot today, the air conditioner didn't seem to be working. She walked around the house, entering the bathroom... the light wasn't on!
Come on!
Ngan Thu held her head. She was trying to figure out how that guy had lived in this state of malfunctioning appliances. Tired and annoyed, Ngan Thu crept towards the bedroom. She opened the door slightly, Man Ky lay still. She really longed to rush in and yell at him, but her wounded heart stopped this anger. Ngan Thu was frustrated, she stepped into the room. It was dark, but the flashlight provided enough light, and she let herself fall onto the bed.
Fifteen minutes later...
The heat was unbearable. Man Ky tried to remain silent, he was just waiting for his wife to call out once. Time passed, Man Ky grew impatient. What on earth was she doing being so quiet?
Man Ky stealthily looked outside. He almost fell when she walked out the door with her handbag. The car rolled away, Ngan Thu drove to a hotel near their house to... sleep! She left him dejected in the empty house.
...
"Man Ky!" His mother-in-law's sudden voice was beside his ear, and he startled awake. He hadn't noticed when she had come into the house. And last night, he hadn't locked the door, it seemed.
"Mom, good evening," Man Ky said awkwardly, trying to rub his sore neck. He had spent the whole night on the sofa waiting for his wife, and he didn't know when he had fallen asleep.
"Why are you sleeping here? Where's Ngan Thu? Isn't today Sunday? Aren't you two coming over?"
"Huh..." Man Ky was stunned. Ah, his mother-in-law had said the other day that they should come over this weekend. A distant cousin was reuniting with the family after many years abroad. He confusedly scratched his head, and his mother-in-law couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'm going to the supermarket, so I stopped by to remind you two. Hurry up, everyone's waiting!"
Man Ky lowered his head and smiled, seeing her off at the door. He didn't know how angry Ngan Thu was, and he nervously picked up his phone. The waiting tone was quite long, fearing that Ngan Thu wouldn't answer. Perhaps his plan to get his wife to speak had failed. Now she was probably even angrier. Man Ky felt both sad and wronged, and he slumped down on the sofa, dejected.
Close to eleven o'clock in the morning, Man Ky panicked when his mother-in-law called repeatedly. How could he have slept so soundly with such a hungry stomach? Hurriedly changing his clothes, he quickly drove away. Waiting for his wife for too long, he wouldn't be able to live peacefully with his mother-in-law!
"Wife, where are you?"