Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out

Lâm Khả Ái struck first. At a family dinner, she brought her evidence straight to Mrs. Ngọc Lan: a few old messages between Diệu My and Thành Đạt from before the “contract” began, clearly showing how distant the two had been.

“Grandmother, I think you should know the truth,” Khả Ái said, her voice full of calculation. “Đạt and My have never really been in love. It’s all an act so he can keep his inheritance.”

A heavy silence fell over the table. Diệu My felt her whole body go stiff, with no idea how to explain. Thành Đạt stood up to speak, but Mrs. Ngọc Lan raised a hand to stop him, her eyes fixed on Diệu My.

“Is that true, dear?” she asked, her voice calm but tinged with disappointment.

Diệu My took a deep breath. She knew this was the moment she had to face the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

“It’s true that in the beginning, we came together because of an agreement,” she said slowly, her voice shaking but firm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you from the start. But I can tell you one thing for certain. What I’ve felt over these three months, the care and warmth I have for Đạt, isn’t fake anymore. I can’t be sure how he feels, but for me, this is real.”

Thành Đạt looked at her, emotion welling in his eyes that he couldn’t hide. He took Diệu My’s hand in front of everyone and said firmly, “Me too, Grandmother. It started as a deal, but now I truly love her. If you can’t accept that because of this, I’m ready to give up the inheritance, as long as I can be with My.”

Mrs. Ngọc Lan was silent for a long while. Then she suddenly laughed softly and waved for everyone to sit down. “I’m old, but I’m not blind. From the very first dinner, I could see you two were more awkward and clumsy than any real new couple. I was just waiting to see whether you’d be brave enough to admit it to yourselves.”