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Chapter 16
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Origins
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Half an hour ago, Anh Dao parked the car in front of the main gate. Hoang Kim, frantic, ran as if flying. The distance from the gate to the house, though short, felt endlessly long. The guilt of having lain with all three—mother and daughters—gnawed at his heart, causing his legs to falter until he stumbled to the ground.
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He was terrified that his mother might collapse. The empty hall threw Hoang Kim's mind into chaos. He frantically shouted loudly, but the only reply was his own voice echoing in the surrounding silence.
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Throughout his journey home, Hoang Kim blamed himself, still unaware of his mother's safety, yet he had already indulged in carnal desires with Anh Dao. He felt ashamed, fearing that his beloved mother might no longer be in this world and even wishing for her to punish him, this animalistic child.
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His legs trembled uncontrollably, and he stumbled repeatedly, but he still ran around the house like a madman. Fear-driven sweat drenched his body, mocking the face of a cursed animal screaming 'Mother' in agony.
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Hoang Kim staggered towards the adjacent room – the only place he hadn't searched yet. He couldn't believe his mother would be in her guilty son's room.
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He despairingly opened the door, and an unbelievable sight appeared before him. He froze, watching his mother sitting slumped by the window. Her left hand gently turned pages of his childhood photo album, while her right softly caressed a lock of dark hair.
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Having been away from home for many years, he never expected to meet his mother in such ironic circumstances. A joyous smile hung on the corner of his lips because his mother was still alive. If anything had truly happened to her, he could die ten thousand times and still not forgive himself. His eyes were filled with tears, his fear reaching a state of bewilderment. His eyes wept while his mouth smiled, tears streaming down his laughing face. Hoang Kim choked back a sob, calling out to his dearest person:
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- Mother!
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The tender call echoed in his mother's heart, and the photo album unconsciously slipped from her hand. Her dim, clouded eyes slowly turned toward her son. Years of hardship could not compare to the pain brought by a single night's humiliation. The monstrous sin had deeply carved every mark of aging into her pained expression. Hoang Kim collapsed onto the floor, not daring to face his mother.
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Thanh Hang had been waiting here for a long time. Moment by moment, the mother was determined to punish and curse her son. She furiously swore to heaven to abandon her loved ones, but when she saw her sin-ridden, soulless son return, her heart ached as if being cut by a knife. The mother couldn't bring herself to do it, but still had to pick up the whip to punish her son:
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- You animal! I’ll beat you to death!
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When a child is beaten, it is the mother who truly suffers the pain. She had never punished him before, and now, every rebuke and every lash made her heart bleed. Physical pain could not alleviate Hoang Kim's self-abasement. The son wanted his mother to beat him to death, but she forgave her sinful child with boundless maternal love. Heartbroken, she held him tightly in her arms.
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He wished his mother would beat him to death to atone for his sins, rather than forgiving him with love. A disgrace to the family, he felt unworthy of the unconditional forgiveness he never expected. Hoang Kim sobbed, crying like a child, wanting to embrace his mother several times, but shame and guilt made his trembling hands fall away. His mother comforted him, gently asking as she looked at his bandaged arm:
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"Are you hurt?"
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She suspected the injury was related to the incident. Hoang Kim was in turmoil, so she had to ask delicately and cautiously to avoid hurting her child further. A mother's constant worry for her child only made him more embarrassed. Hoang Kim lowered his head and began to narrate the entire story. Every word, every syllable, cut into his mother's heart like a knife.
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- This karma I created, but you children are tormented by JK! - His mother said, full of sorrow, wiping away his tears, her voice choked - I'm sorry! My son, please don't forgive me!
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Hoang Kim hugged his mother, who had suffered too much cruelty. Thanks to the recorder and hidden cameras, the sounds and images from Hoang Kim's home were transmitted in real-time to JK's room. The mother and son's weeping and lamenting bored JK to death. He was about to press a button to turn off the tear-jerking Reformed opera when he heard Thanh Hang speak the truth:
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- You... are not my biological son.
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JK's finger paused on the control button. He stared intently at the screen, his ears strained, as if confirming he hadn't misheard:
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- What did Mother just say?
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Hoang Kim couldn't believe his ears either. Thanh Hang picked up the photo album, opened it to a picture of a little boy playing football, and said, her voice choked:
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- This is Hoang Kim, my biological son! - His mother's tears streamed down, and she choked - He died twenty-eight years ago!
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JK frowned, his face full of confusion. He couldn't understand: if the Hoang Kim in the photo had died young, then who was the current Hoang Kim? The old man slowly turned his gaze towards Hoang Kim. The son falteringly asked his mother. Thanh Hang pointed to a family photo next to the boy's picture.
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Hoang Kim had seen that child's photo many times, and also a photo of himself standing between his parents when he was little. Apart from their appearance, the two children were identical, from their names to their hairstyles and even their clothes.
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It was no surprise that after grieving the untimely death of their first child, they poured all their love into the second. This love seemed meant for the first child, and the second child became a shadow that parents used to remember their lost one.
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Overwhelmed by grief, the parents couldn't help but feel guilty towards the second child. Though he sympathized with their pain, he uneasily suspected he wasn't their biological son.
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So, back then, Hoang Kim decided to undergo a genetic test. At the time, he had received satisfactory results. Even though his parents regarded him as a ghost from the past, at least he was their biological son. And the younger brother was willing to be the elder brother's shadow, thereby alleviating his parents' pain. Now, with past fears having become reality, Hoang Kim still couldn't accept it:
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- Why doesn't JK know I'm not your biological son? - Hoang Kim tried to deny - JK monitors our family; he sent people to our house to take my hair for a test.
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For thirty years, JK had been "working hard" relentlessly, monitoring his enemy's family. Stealing hair was the most convincing rebuttal.
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Thanh Hang worried that Hoang Kim would choose to run away from home upon learning the truth, so she had sworn to bury the past forever. However, now she feared her descendants would commit suicide.
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If Hoang Kim misunderstood that his mother merely saw him as the shadow of her unfortunate son, or even if her beloved child disowned her, she knew she still had no choice but to tear open the wound in her heart to prevent misfortunes from happening one after another.
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She accepted being reproached in exchange for the peace of her descendants. Although everyone was suffering in torment, she believed time would heal all wounds. This was her only choice in facing this karmic burden. Choking back bitter tears, she began to recount an ancient story:
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- Our family went bankrupt, life was miserable, and debts piled high. Your father and I had no choice but to leave home and flee to another land to escape our debts. The whole family hid in the forest. Your elder brother passed away at the age of four from malaria, and your father and I buried him deep in the dense mountain forest. During our time living in the forest, a local woman came into the forest to gather bamboo shoots with her three-year-old son. Unfortunately, she was bitten by a poisonous snake. Before she died, she told your father and me that her husband had already passed away, and she pleaded with your father and me to adopt her child. Your father and I accepted her request, and only then did she peacefully close her eyes.
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Thanh Hang wanted to use a different story to conceal the tragedy, but she knew this secret might never be kept hidden for a lifetime. She feared that Hoang Kim would never forgive her if he ever learned the truth. The mother gazed lovingly at her child, her eyes gentle, yet unable to hide her deep sorrow.
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- Lost in the forest, having lost our child, those days were like hell for your father and me. Without you, your father and I would have died with your elder brother long ago. A month later, a group of local residents entered the forest and rescued our family. After your elder brother passed away, I cut off his hair as a memento. Do you remember? Years ago, you found a brocade bag embroidered with the name 'Hoang Kim' in the cupboard and asked me why I kept your hair inside. I had to lie, saying you were so ill as a child that you almost died, so I cut your hair as a keepsake. At that time, you became suspicious and wanted to do a gene test. I was so scared, afraid you would leave me if you knew the truth, so I secretly swapped your hair sample with your elder brother’s. JK stole that brocade bag containing your elder brother's hair.
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She handed the hair in her hand to Hoang Kim and said:
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- This is Ngoc's hair from when she was born!
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The mother's eyes brimmed with tears as she choked back sobs and hugged her child, tearfully saying:
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- After your father passed away, I went to the orphanage to pick up your sister. But unfortunately, the orphanage had burned down in a big fire. I thought she had died. However, last night, I only just learned that she had fortunately escaped that calamity. Someone sent her to an orphanage in the South.
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From the past to the present, only JK had deceived the world; no one should ever dream of surpassing him. His pride was shredded by Thanh Hang's humiliation. The furious boiling blood seemed to be burning JK into a living torch. The old man shrieked, smashing everything to pieces.
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After his rage subsided, JK realized that the four individuals were not blood relatives, so the old man was no longer as worried about Ngoc and her daughters committing suicide. This good news stopped JK's impulse to smash the monitor. The old man gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the inner turmoil. JK thought to himself, Thanh Hang had better not provoke him again. If she dared to challenge him, he would destroy everything.
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Hoang Kim felt the world spinning in the cruel reality. His identity as an adopted son cleared him of the crime of incest. The truth saved him, yet cruelly pushed him into an abyss of nothingness. Hoang Kim was utterly confused, repeatedly asking himself:
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"Who am I? Are my biological parents good or bad?"
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Mental breakdown plunged him into psychological chaos. All his most paranoid thoughts about his biological parents were suppressed; he dared not imagine his kin would commit the same crime as himself. He utterly extinguished any thought of insulting or offending those who gave birth to him.
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Hoang Kim fell into a panic, desperately searching for those unanswered questions in his subconscious. He drifted aimlessly in a vast, white nothingness.
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A tragic past, a painful present, a dark future... layer upon layer... enveloped that chaotic mind consumed by an abyss of sin. Fate hadn't let him go; it continued to toy with the man who didn't even know who he was. That nameless one had to live in the identity of a dead person.
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Hoang Kim didn't exist.
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The true ‘Hoang Kim’ was nothing more than a wronged spirit from the past — a memory that never died.
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And he—the child his mother cherished more than life itself... ultimately... was merely a 'phantom' replacing the pain of loss within a family tragedy.
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The name "Hoang Kim" forever became a living tombstone.
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The national hero would never know who he truly was?
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God treated his destiny as a joke. His life was manipulated by the devil, just like a puppet. To all, he was nothing more than a clown they could toy with at will. Facing the people who loved him with all their hearts, Hoang Kim's belief began to waver—he wasn't sure whether his mother had been treating him as the deceased son's shadow.
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Doubting a mother’s love was a mistake. Yet what pained him most was the way the soul of the past emerged before his eyes.
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Illusions took the shape of two shadows—one large, one small—slowly enveloping Hoang Kim’s mind. In his haze, he saw the larger shadow gradually forming into a young woman. She buried her face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks, her cries filled with sorrow—just like a mother mourning her child in a final farewell.
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Hoang Kim didn’t see his birth mother’s face, but a powerful instinct told him: that was the woman who had given birth to him.
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Tears welled up in his reddened eyes, and he drifted into a daze of sorrow and joy. He immersed himself in imagination, lying to himself in the depths of his soul, pretending that his birth mother was gently embracing him.
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“I’m so sad...”
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Hoang Kim turned around to face the small shadow. That ill-fated older brother—who was more deserving of living with family than young brother was. But fate had played a cruel trick, tearing an innocent child away from his parents forever.
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Hoang Kim had already borne the pain of losing his past. Now, he had to endure the torment of reality. At least he had been loved by his parents. But his brother had become a ghost in the cold, unforgiving forest.
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Ashamed of having doubted his loved ones, he couldn't even bring himself to face his brother. In the blurred realm of consciousness, a sorrowful voice rang out:
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“I’m cold and sad! Cold, because I’ve never known the warmth of family. Sad, because I’m all alone!"
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Even though the shadow had no eyes, Hoang Kim could feel the resentment in his brother’s gaze.
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“Your family loves you. Mother even admitted that all of this was her fault!”
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The shadow screamed in rage:
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“You let your family suffer again. You doubted your mother’s love. And this is how you show your gratitude—making her cry like that!"
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The shadow stepped aside, allowing Hoang Kim to see the cruelty he had inflicted on his foster mother. When he encountered his loved ones within his mind, her heart twisted in pain as she saw him sit there with hollow eyes.
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She stared in panic as he hugged empty air, confused as he smiled happily. She was desperate for him to wake up, her heart trembling with fear. But all she received in return was a stream of regretful tears.
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Hoang Kim had once sworn never to make his mother cry. Yet now, she wept because of him—and had even been humiliated by their enemy. He hadn’t offered her a single word of comfort. Worse, he had doubted her love. Overwhelmed with guilt, he cursed himself and collapsed into his mother’s arms, choking through his sobs:
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“I’m sorry!”
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Thanh Hang couldn't understand her son's emotions; the one who needed to apologize was the mother, not the son. She gently patted his back, trying to calm him down.
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Family warmth melted the cold in his heart. His brother’s voice echoed in his mother’s soothing words. Hoang Kim heard the message:
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“Don’t let Mother cry again.”
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Hoang Kim smiled in quiet joy, watching the woman who had given birth to him, holding his older brother's hand as they walked into the distance together.
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One had left her child, the other had left his mother. Through countless long and dragging nights, they had endured the agony of life-and-death separation, becoming solitary souls who had died unjustly. His most beloved ones were no longer alone—his mother and brother were now reunited as a family in the eternal realm. As they ascended to the heavens, his brother gently reminded him:
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“Don’t forget—there are many who suffer more than you.”
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Hoang Kim jolted awake. His mind was in chaos, and he had forgotten that his loved ones were still trapped in humiliation. His mental state was unstable, and even his mother, overwhelmed with worry, had overlooked this critical fact.
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Together, mother and son anxiously tried to fix things, but they didn’t know Ngoc’s address or phone number. Their faces had gone deathly pale. Thanh Hang held back her fury and told her son to ask JK.
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The psychological strain had clouded his mind—he hadn’t yet realized that to save the victim, he must confront the mastermind. But the moment his mother mentioned JK, a flash of thought struck Hoang Kim—he suddenly remembered someone who might be able to help.
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He immediately searched online for Anh Dao’s information. Her background and phone number quickly appeared on the screen. Hoang Kim dialed her number in a hurry—but no one picked up.
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Pacing impatiently, he muttered under his breath:
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“Pick up… please pick up…”
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The phone rang, but a cold, robotic voice responded:
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“The number you’ve dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later.”
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Furious, Hoang Kim let out a loud roar and stormed out of the room. Thanh Hang quickly called after him:
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- Where are you going?
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- I must go to Anh Dao’s house. - Hoang Kim replied without turning back, hurrying off - Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll bring you news soon!
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He rushed to the garage, got in the car, and drove off like the wind. While driving, he dialed Anh Dao’s number again—this time, she picked up.
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Saving a life mattered more than putting out a fire. But he had been trying to reach her for so long that by the time she answered, he had lost control of his emotions. His voice came through the phone, shouting.
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Already simmering with frustration and unsure where to vent, Anh Dao was suddenly splashed with cold water—forcing her to explode:
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- Who are you yelling at?! - She screamed, voice trembling with grievance - I’m busy wiping off all that sticky mess from your kisses and licks, cleaning out the filthy stuff you left inside me, and taking emergency birth control! I don’t have time to listen to you yelling at me on the phone!
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Anh Dao hurled the phone against the wall and grabbed a glass of water—but she smashed it before it even reached her lips. Her fury hadn’t yet subsided when the landline rang. Enraged, she slammed the receiver onto the desk, refusing to hear another word from him.
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She had to get out. If she stayed in that stifling room a moment longer, she would lose her mind. As the girl reached the door, Hoang Kim stubbornly sent a message to her second smartphone. She didn’t even look at it. Instead, she shouted directly into his phone:
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- I’m not some whore you can play with and then scream at like you’re slapping me in the face…
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Anh Dao hung up the phone and turned off all her smartphones. But the last phone still managed to receive Hoang Kim’s message. Bit by bit, his patience and sincerity began to soothe the chaos in her heart. Her emotions gradually settled. She couldn’t help but wonder:
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“I don’t get it. I cursed him out so badly, and he still has the nerve to bother me?”
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She opened the message and read carefully:
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Shouldn't have raised my voice. Sorry. Worried family suicide. Got rude, not mad at you. Tell Ngoc: not blood siblings. I'm adopted. Rushed—text messy. Explain later. Ngoc’s address and phone number? Thanks, sorry again!
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Hoang Kim wrote many incomplete sentences in his message, forcing her to interpret it herself through guesswork. He didn't even address Ngoc as "elder sister," which might have been a typo, or perhaps he was too worried to finish the message properly. Or, the reason could be more subtle, known only to himself.
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But Anh Dao didn’t have time to guess what he was thinking. The one thing that mattered was that he and Ngoc weren’t siblings by blood. That fact made her happy for the mother and two daughters. Though it didn’t erase the immorality of what had happened, it lessened the guilt weighing on their hearts.
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She wanted to deliver this good news right away—but then she froze.
A “strange” thought crossed her mind—something totally out of character for a “steel-hearted” woman like her. It wasn’t a noble thought… which made the flower flush with heat. Westen girl's throat tightened slightly, her lips pressed together, her eyes glaring at every line, every word of his message.
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She had satisfied his lust. That twisted man had used every trick to tease and arouse her. And now, he didn’t even ask about her. She wasn't sure if he cared about her feelings.
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Even if it was just a one-night stand, there was lust but no love. Even if she had offered her virginity willingly, even if she was strong—she was still… a girl.
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That man—hailed as a national hero—cared deeply for others, but for her, he seemed utterly indifferent. Only in moments of passion did that pervert in bed devote his entire mind to her.
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Her grievance choked her throat. A bitter, stinging sensation surged up her nose, then directly shot into her eyes, blazing with fiery light, burning red across her flushed cheeks. This abnormal "heat" contained a peculiar sensation, making the flower awkwardly realize she couldn't swallow the other anger within her. She was the only one around, yet like a bashful cherry blossom, she drooped her petals, shrinking timidly whenever "someone" touched her.
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Love... Lust... Void... Void... Lust... Love…
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Her ringtone kept chiming, reminding her that the message remained unanswered... at this moment, it was nothing but a taunt to Anh Dao, who felt a pang of guilty conscience. The blonde girl looked up, her eyes falling on her fingertips, still poised above the keypad.
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Her lips parted slightly in a self-mocking smile. Innocent lives, harmed by her, hung by a thread, on the brink of life and death. Every minute, every second of delay held the potential to cast them into the abyss, yet here she was, sulking… all because…
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Anh Dao gently patted her forehead, then lightly slapped her cheeks, trying to drive away the monkeys leaping and horses galloping in her mind. She anxiously made call after call, but received no answer. When she tried the landline, only endless ringing followed.
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She called Zero several times, then tried JK—neither of them picked up. Anh Dao turned pale with fear. If something had happened to the mother and daughter, guilt would cling to the one who had once been "envious" for a lifetime. She quickly sent Ngoc’s address and phone number to Hoang Kim:
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I’ve been calling for a long time and no one answers. You get to their house now—I'll be there right away!
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Hoang Kim urgently turned the car around, disregarding traffic or surroundings, nearly causing an accident. The driver he almost hit immediately shouted curses.
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Hoang Kim had never driven recklessly. If today were any normal day, he would’ve stopped to apologize. But now, boiling water and burning fire were searing his heart, forcing him to focus only on his family. The fear of losing loved ones drowned out all surrounding noise.
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His dilated pupils couldn’t distinguish the scenery on the road—his mind was filled with visions of Ngoc and her daughters lying dead in pools of blood. The tragic image drove the selfish man forward at full speed—selfish not for himself, but for the ones he couldn’t afford to lose. The car raced on the road like a rocket, heedless of danger to himself or others.
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When Hoang Kim arrived, he frowned and looked ahead at a large crowd gathered around Ngoc and her daughters. The girls were crying over a man’s corpse, and Hoang Kim guessed it was Ngoc’s husband. The people he cared about were still alive, but they looked soulless—no one seemed aware of anything else around them.
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The tragedy of a shattered home replaced the torment of incest that afflicted Hoang Kim. The abysmal tragedy completely shattered his already wounded spirit. The brutal reality pressed down on every breath he took, squeezing out tears filled with grievance, sobs, and guilt.
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He pressed hard against his temples, which throbbed with agony. Hatred corroded his frenzied mind as he noticed JK driving up. The old man and Anh Dao got out and tried to comfort Ngoc and her daughter. His bloodshot eyes locked onto his enemy in a daze of fury.
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JK was consoling Ngoc and her daughters when he suddenly felt an itch on the back of his neck. He looked up towards the source of his discomfort and immediately recognized Hoang Kim.
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JK had wanted to provoke him, but feared he might cause a scene and ruin the effort to placate the mother and daughters. JK chose to ignore Hoang Kim, fully dedicating himself to his plan of winning over the victims he had once harmed.
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Hoang Kim blamed himself for having lost the qualifications to see his loved ones. Now that JK had appeared, he didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Ngoc and her daughters. He had come here to speak the truth—and Anh Dao would speak on his behalf. Hoang Kim was forced to leave that place of mourning.
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He quietly backed away, turned the car around, and drove off. With a mind cornered and nowhere left to turn, he sped off recklessly, trying to bury himself in a void and forget everything. But his unraveling mind urged him back—to kill the man who had destroyed his family. Like a beast, Hoang Kim let out a roar, his howl of hatred tearing through the skies.
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"Kill that old bastard and you'll be unleashed! Kill him! Kill that old bastard!"
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The idea of revenge pushed him to bring an end to the tragedy with blood. Murderous rage twisted his once gentle face into something more savage than a monster. He spun the wheel in fury, hatred blinding him to the roaring sound of the truck approaching behind him.
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The terrifying sound of shattering collision echoed throughout the street. Pedestrians screamed as they saw a Peugeot flung into the air and flipping over several times. That license-plate-less truck sped away from the scene without stopping.
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As the panic spread, people rushed to the scene of the car accident. The first to reach him was a young girl. Through the haze, he saw a slender figure frantically trying to pull him out. Panic-stricken, she pleaded with the crowd to help drag him from the burning car. Blood streamed down his face, soaking into his badly damaged eyes. Hoang Kim vaguely saw the girl's face and heard her anxious voice calling his name:
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- Are you Hoang Kim?
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Those who had gathered, vaguely recognizing him, gasped in astonishment:
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- That’s him! It’s Hoang Kim!
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- I saw him on TV just yesterday!
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The girl immediately pleaded with the crowd to disperse:
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- Back up! If you surround him like this, he won’t be able to breathe!
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She dialed the hospital in a panic. At that moment, Hoang Kim struggled to breathe, as if death were only moments away. Terrified, the girl knelt down and begged him:
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- The paramedics are on their way. Please—stay awake! You mustn’t lose consciousness!
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But Hoang Kim was slowly fading. He no longer wished to face this filthy world. The hero had grown weary of humiliation and hatred. Death would be his release. At the boundary between life and death, the soft glow of heaven called to him, and he slowly stepped toward a realm without pain. Yet just as he neared that perfect world, the staircase collapsed beneath his feet—hurling him mercilessly into the abyss.
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Hoang Kim didn’t care whether it was heaven or hell. He relaxed his mind and body, letting the darkness engulf him. A shadowy figure clutched his hand, holding on to life for the one who wanted to vanish from this world.
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He heard a voice pleading with him not to give up. That ringing, bell-like voice summoned his soul back from the brink of death, rekindling his will to live. Hoang Kim gradually lost consciousness in the ambulance. His hazy mind perceived the stranger's plea:
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"If you're gone, your mother will live out her days alone!"
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A stranger had saved a man who was no stranger to her at all...
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