Chapter 92 (1): Ly Returns, Huy Leaves
Summer break ended, and Huong Tra and Kieu Ly returned to Hanoi to start the new semester. As they pulled into the alley where their boarding house was, they noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces. Huong Tra turned off her motorbike and wheeled it inside, her eyes curiously scanning the crowd gathered in the yard.
It turned out the landlord was showing one of the rooms to potential renters. The room being shown was Huy's.
Shocked, Huong Tra quickly kicked down her bike stand and ran over to question the landlord:
"Uncle, why are you renting out Huy's room? Where is he?"
The landlord looked surprised too and answered:
"I thought you two were a couple. If he gave up the room, he should've told you."
"He moved out?"
"Yeah, he gave up the room. Didn't take much either. Said if the neighbors wanted anything, they could just take it."
Huong Tra felt a ringing in her ears. She rushed into Huy's old room to check. Sure enough, all of his important belongings like his laptop and a few clothes were gone, but everything else—furniture, kitchen stuff—was left behind.
She quickly took out her phone to call him, but all she heard was a recorded message saying the number was unavailable. Trembling, she opened Facebook to message him, only to find his account had been deactivated.
She sat down on the bed, stunned. Her once-sharp eyes were now empty and lifeless.
Kieu Ly, sensing something was wrong, ran over to ask Đức and Nghĩa, but they had just gotten back too and didn't know anything.
That evening, Huong Tra didn't eat or drink. She just lay there staring at the ceiling. Kieu Ly sat quietly beside her, not knowing what to say.
Around 10 PM, Huong Tra suddenly went to speak with the landlord, asking if she could rent Huy's room. Since no one had placed a deposit earlier, the landlord readily agreed.
Back in her room, she told Kieu Ly:
"I rented Huy's room to use as warehouse space. Come help me move some inventory up there. I'm going to expand my business. I'll become a rich woman."
Huong Tra hadn't cried all day, but her sudden burst of energy only made Kieu Ly more worried. Still, she nodded and got up to help her move the goods.
Seeing this, Đức and Nghĩa came over to help too. They weren't flashy or overly gallant, but they always lent a hand when needed.
Once everything was moved, Huong Tra sat on the bed, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the now full but strangely empty room. It was filled with products, but without Huy, it felt desolate.
Every corner of the room held memories of her and Huy. A love that bloomed quickly, faded even faster. She still didn't understand what she did wrong to deserve this outcome.
But maybe she hadn't done anything wrong. Life just has unexpected turns. The only way forward is to accept and move on.
After everything was cleaned up, Huong Tra went back to her room, laid out the dinner, and said:
"I'm starving. Let's eat. Gotta eat to stay strong."
Kieu Ly sat down and gently tried to console her:
"Tra... when one door closes, another opens. I've been through something like this before too. I really hope you'll get through it soon."
Huong Tra lifted a bite of food to her mouth, but tears rolled down her cheeks. She forced herself to swallow the rice, now bitter and salty from her tears:
"He said he would marry me. He never officially broke up with me. That means he hasn't left me yet. I rented the room to wait for him. He'll come back, right, Ly?"
Kieu Ly couldn't eat anymore. She quietly put down her chopsticks and reached out to wipe away her own tears.
Once again, Kieu Ly realized how fragile love could be. At least when she was dumped, she knew why. Huong Tra was left without even that.