I am a country boy, empty-handed in the city. I do all kinds of jobs from lake assistants, motorbike taxi drivers to lottery ticket sales. Life continued to pass in a struggle, until the day I met her. She was 13 years older than me, a successful, wealthy, but lonely woman

I am a country boy, empty-handed in the city with the hope of changing my life. I have no degree, no money, only hands and labor. In the early years, I did all the jobs I could to make a living: helping the lake, running a motorbike taxi, selling lottery tickets, as long as I had money to survive. Life went on and on in a struggle, until the day I met her.

She was thirteen years older than me, a successful and wealthy woman. She owns a large chain of fashion stores, rides a luxury car, lives in a luxury apartment in the heart of the city. But despite everything, she was still lonely. I met her on a rainy afternoon, when she was standing in front of a café on the side of the road, the car suddenly stopped. I ran to help, not thinking that my life would change from that moment.

She invited me into the shop and bought me a cup of coffee. We talked, she asked me about life, about the difficulties I was experiencing. For some reason, I could open my heart to her so easily. After that day, we saw each other more often. She helped me get a stable job in her company. I no longer have to brush on the street, no longer have to worry about food every day.

Then the feelings between us arose. At first, I was also skeptical, not believing that a person like her could fall in love with a poor country boy like me. But she gave me a sense of security, tender care that I had never had. She said, “Your youth is the most precious thing, and I want to live in that youth.” Outsiders look at it, they criticize and denigrate. They say I’m a “miner”, that she loves me because of my youth, and that I love her only because of money.

Ignoring the gossip, we held a wedding. The day I became her husband, I thought I had found a peaceful place, a new and better life. But what I didn’t expect happened on the wedding night.

She called me into the room and placed in front of me a set of papers: red book, pink book, car papers, company shares. She said that all of this would be mine, as long as I agreed to one condition at exactly 9 p.m.

I looked at her in amazement, my heart full of confusion. What are those conditions? I didn’t dare to ask right away, just sat there and waited for her to continue. She looked at me with serious eyes, and then said in a contemplative voice:

“I’ll have it all, but I have to agree with you one thing: At exactly 9 p.m. every day, you’re not allowed to enter the room at the end of the hallway. That’s all.”

I was surprised, but thought this was just a strange request, nothing too difficult. Anyway, I will have a fortune in return. I nodded in agreement, without the slightest hesitation.

In the days that followed, my life changed dramatically. I went from empty-handed to a rich man. I drive a luxury car, have a stake in a large company, and am respected by everyone. But every night, when the clock strikes 9 o’clock, I find myself becoming curious about that mysterious room.

I began to pay more attention. The door is always locked, no one enters or exits. Even she had never set foot in it when I was there. The questions in my mind kept increasing: What’s in that room? Why did you set such a bizarre condition?

One day, curiosity wins. I decided to break the rules.

That night, when the clock struck 9 o’clock, I quietly walked towards the room. I put my hand on the doorknob, my heart pounding. I took a deep breath, then slowly turned my grip.

The door opened, and what I saw inside stunned me.

Inside the room was a long wooden table, on which were many photos of me, from the days when I was poor to when I met her, and every moment of my marriage to her. In the corner of the room, a glass cabinet filled with memorabilia: an old shirt I used to wear when I was a motorbike taxi driver, the helmet I used when I was a helper, and a stack of lottery tickets that I used to sell. Everything was carefully guarded, as if someone had been watching me for a long time.

On the wall was a large picture of her, standing next to a man with a strangely similar face to mine. I didn’t have time to understand what was going on when her voice sounded behind me:

“I’ve broken my promise…”

I turned around and saw her standing there, her eyes full of sadness and disappointment. She walked into the room, slowly placing her hand on the photo of the other man.

“He’s my ex-husband. He died in an accident three years ago. You know, from the first time I met you, I saw that you were strangely similar to him. I think it’s an arrangement of fate, a chance for me to find something of him in me… But now, she realized she was wrong. I can’t turn you into him.”

I was stunned, not knowing what to say. A strange feeling invaded me, between sympathy, pain, and fear. I looked at her, the woman who had given me everything, but turned out to be living in the past, looking for the shadow of a person who had passed away from me.

“You can leave if you want.” She said, her voice was light. “Everything I promised is still mine. But if you stay, stay for yourself, not for him.”

I looked at her, then back at the mysterious room, knowing that this was the moment that decided my fate.

Am I going to leave, or am I going to stay, face this truth?

I took a deep breath, made my decision…