My ex-wife remarried, I came to celebrate and was shocked by the unexpected identity of the groom.

The world I thought I had in my hands was turned upside down when Ly, my ex-wife, decided to remarry. A strange feeling, both liberating and disappointing, filled my chest. I told myself this was what I had always wanted, but the truth was much more complicated.

I, Khoi, met Ly when I was 28 years old. That meeting was not fate, no lightning strike or intense emotions. It was simply a matchmaking by the family, an arrangement that both of us silently accepted. My parents were impatient to get married, and I also thought it was time to settle down. Ly, she was a woman of the standard that every family wanted: responsible, gentle, and always patient. Those qualities, I used to think, would be a solid foundation for a family.

Before getting married, I was struggling to start a business, experiencing all the flavors of failure and challenge. After the wedding, Ly did not hesitate to become my companion on that thorny path. She followed me, rolled around with me in the business world, without a word of complaint. I remember one time, my work encountered a big problem, I was on the brink of bankruptcy, my capital was exhausted. Ly, without saying a word, quietly gave me all her savings. Her eyes were determined, without hesitation, she only said one sentence: “If we lose everything, we will start over. Keep trying, I will always be by your side.” That voice, that look, was like a cool breeze soothing my soul, and I am grateful to her for that, forever.

When Ly was pregnant with her first child, my parents decided to move in together for convenience. Not long after, my older sister, Hang, divorced and also moved in together. The house, which was not very spacious, became cramped and stuffy. All the housework, from cooking, laundry to taking care of the elderly and children, fell on Ly’s shoulders. She complained many times about Hang’s laziness and the harsh words that kept lingering in the house, but I, in my busyness and carelessness, did not pay any attention.

I used to naively think that Ly was already used to the amount of housework, adding one or two more people wouldn’t make much of a difference. “The house isn’t any bigger, so there’s no more work,” I told myself. I justified my indifference with such shallow arguments. That’s why I didn’t stand by Ly, nor did I step in to resolve the simmering conflicts that were slowly eating away at my home. I just let things go on in silence, letting the small cracks gradually grow into deep cracks.

While my business was growing and achieving great success, my relationship with my family gradually became distant. Hasty meals, short phone calls, and gradually the nights I did not come home. I met Linh, a young, gentle and attentive girl. Linh was completely different from Ly – the wife I used to know, strong and silent. When I was with Linh, I felt respected and understood. Every time I confided in her, I felt strangely relieved. Just like that, I gradually sank deeper into that wrong relationship, adultery.

Ly finally found out. That fateful day, everything seemed to collapse. She cried, her cries were heartbreaking, she crazily smashed everything in the house. Ly’s eyes were red and watery, but they showed extreme hurt and disappointment. She asked for a divorce, a word that was as sharp as a knife cutting into my heart. My parents tried their best to object and hold on, but Ly was determined to take the child away, without a moment’s hesitation. I, standing there, felt helpless and guilty. I didn’t keep Ly, partly because of my guilt, partly because I thought it was the best way to end this tragedy.

Just one month after divorcing Ly, I hastily married Linh because she announced her pregnancy. I thought a new life would open up, everything would return to the peaceful orbit I had always wished for. But life is not that simple. Married life with Linh was not as rosy as I had imagined. Everything became complicated, tiring and full of conflicts.

Ly, my ex-wife, still called me often, her voice choked up, saying that her child missed me and wanted me to come visit. At first, I went to visit my child, partly because I missed him and partly because I felt guilty. But then Linh started to show her attitude. She was jealous, insinuated and scolded, and even once fought with my mother, thinking that she was deliberately defending her ex-wife. The already unstable house became even more turbulent, the constant arguments made the family atmosphere suffocating and oppressive.

Linh always suspected that I still had feelings for Ly. She found old messages, pictures of me with the kids, and every time she did, she would make a fuss. “Do you still love her? Why do you keep secretly meeting her?” Linh screamed, her eyes bloodshot. I was tired, no one believed me no matter how hard I tried, I felt trapped between two women. Finally, during an argument, Linh came up with a crazy idea: “Help her find someone to remarry, so she has a place to stay and won’t bother us anymore!” It was a strange idea, but in a deadlock, I agreed.

Tôi nghe theo lời Linh, thậm chí còn rủ Ly đi xem mắt vài lần. Tôi cố gắng thuyết phục Ly, nói rằng đây là cách tốt nhất cho cả hai. “Em nên tìm một người đàn ông tốt, Ly à, một người có thể chăm sóc em và con”, tôi nói, cố gắng che giấu cảm xúc thật của mình. Nhưng lần nào Ly cũng tìm lý do từ chối. Ánh mắt cô ấy xa xăm, không nói lên điều gì. Mỗi lần như thế, Linh lại càng nổi điên, cho rằng tôi đang cố tình kéo dài mối quan hệ với vợ cũ. Cuối cùng, cô ấy đòi ly hôn. Tôi buộc phải dừng việc giúp Ly xem mắt, vì không muốn mọi chuyện đi quá xa, không muốn đánh mất thêm một cuộc hôn nhân nữa.

Sau đó, tôi cắt đứt hoàn toàn liên lạc với Ly, không còn gặp lại cô ấy. Tôi hy vọng mọi thứ sẽ trở lại bình thường, mọi sóng gió sẽ qua đi. Ly cũng không gọi điện hay liên lạc gì nữa, dường như cô ấy chấp nhận sự thật và tự mình vượt qua. Mọi thứ tưởng chừng như lặng sóng, một sự bình yên giả tạo bao trùm lên cuộc sống của tôi. Tôi đã nghĩ rằng mình đã thoát khỏi những rắc rối, và cuộc đời sẽ trở lại đúng quỹ đạo của nó.

Tháng 12 năm ngoái, một cuộc điện thoại bất ngờ đã phá tan sự tĩnh lặng đó. Là Ly gọi. Cô ấy thông báo rằng mình sắp tái hôn. Tôi ngạc nhiên, nhưng cũng cảm thấy nhẹ nhõm, một cảm giác giải thoát xen lẫn chút tò mò. Ly mời tôi đến dự đám cưới, giọng cô ấy bình thản như không có chuyện gì xảy ra giữa chúng tôi. Tôi hỏi chú rể là ai, cô ấy chỉ nói một câu lấp lửng: “Đến rồi anh sẽ biết.” Lời nói ấy càng khiến tôi thêm tò mò, và một chút lo lắng cũng len lỏi trong lòng.

Hôm đó, tôi chuẩn bị rất kỹ lưỡng. Một phần vì tò mò không biết người đàn ông đó là ai, phần khác là muốn tỏ ra phong độ, chứng minh rằng tôi vẫn ổn sau tất cả. Tôi khoác lên mình bộ vest sang trọng nhất, cố gắng giữ vẻ tự tin, dù trong lòng không ngừng dấy lên những cảm xúc hỗn độn, khó tả. Buổi lễ diễn ra trong không khí trang trọng, và khi chú rể bước ra từ lễ đường, tôi chết lặng.

Đó là Sơn – người bạn thân chí cốt của tôi, người từng làm phù rể trong đám cưới của tôi và Ly. Người từng gọi tôi là anh em, từng ngồi chung bàn nhậu chia sẻ đủ chuyện đời, giờ lại đứng đó, nở nụ cười rạng rỡ bên cạnh Ly. Tôi không tin vào mắt mình. Tim tôi như bị ai bóp nghẹt, một cảm giác vừa đau đớn vừa phẫn nộ dâng trào. Tôi không biết nên vui hay nên giận, mọi thứ trở nên quá sức chịu đựng. Có lẽ, đây là sự trừng phạt cho những sai lầm của tôi.

Trong đầu tôi hiện lên rõ mồn một hình ảnh ngày cưới năm xưa: Sơn đứng cạnh tôi, cười nói chúc mừng, vẻ mặt hân hoan. Giờ lại khoác tay Ly bước đi giữa tiếng nhạc hôn lễ, ánh mắt tràn đầy hạnh phúc. Oái oăm thay! Một sự trớ trêu của số phận, hay là quả báo cho những gì tôi đã gây ra? Tôi cảm thấy mình thật sự ngu ngốc khi đã không nhận ra điều gì đang xảy ra ngay trước mắt mình, để rồi giờ đây phải chứng kiến cảnh tượng này.

After the wedding, I couldn’t help but text Ly. “Why him?” I wanted an explanation, a clear reason for this ironic arrangement. She only replied with a short sentence, but it was like a needle stabbing straight into my heart: “Because he still loves you, he has never changed.” A sentence like a thousand knives cutting into my heart, making me suddenly realize the cruel truth: Could it be that Son had secretly noticed Ly for a long time, and I, in my blindness, had not known? Regret surged up, swallowing me whole.

Now, my business is going downhill. Projects that were once thought to be successful are now facing all sorts of problems and losses. Linh, my current wife, doesn’t take care of the children, neglects the housework, and argues with my mother all day long. “Look at yourself, the house is in ruins!”, my mother sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. The already unstable house is now even more turbulent, the atmosphere is always tense and suffocating. My mother sighed many times, telling me to find a way to bring Ly back, but now she has her own life, a life that I have personally pushed her away from.

At this point, I know I was wrong from the beginning. I lost a wonderful woman because of my mistakes and carelessness. I traded a complete family, a sincere love, only to receive emptiness and regret. Every night, I think about my son living happily with his mother and Son. That image haunts me, making my heart ache. Perhaps, I lost the woman who had poured her heart out for me, lost a complete family, and now, I have to face the consequences of my own wrong choices. I wonder, will I ever find true peace again?