Chapter 4
Edward Quan ·
“How do you explain it?”
“I... don't remember taking this photograph...”
My mind was blank.
Yet something terribly important was trying to break out of my memory.
“You don't remember?
“All right. I'll tell you.”
Officer Trần folded his arms and spoke slowly.
“You and Dương Sâm knew each other as children.
“You grew up together. Childhood sweethearts.
“At university, you officially became a couple.
“But after graduation, your father fell deeply into debt.
“He already disliked Dương Sâm because he was an orphan.
“So he forced you to marry Đại Dũng, who was seven years older than you and financially comfortable.
“Đại Dũng paid your father's debts.
“But you ran away with Dương Sâm that night.
“On the way, you had a car accident.
“You were both injured.
“In the end, you couldn't escape.”
Fragments of memory seemed to materialize from nowhere, tearing through my mind and flooding in.
“Afterward, perhaps you accepted your fate.
“You married Đại Dũng.
“Dương Sâm left the city and went on to study psychology.
“When he returned, he found that you had a child.
“He got a job as a psychology teacher at a school and rented the apartment next door to yours.
“Later, when your daughter struggled with math, he studied mathematics too.
“Then he used his role as a math teacher to tutor her and naturally became part of your life.
“For all these years, he's stayed beside you that way.
“Then, one day, unable to bear another beating, you fought back.
“You killed Đại Dũng with an ashtray.
“Dương Sâm came, cleaned up the scene, and helped you dispose of the body.
“Am I right, Vương Hiểu Mai?”
“No.”
Tears streamed down my face.
I really had remembered a great deal.
But...
“I didn't kill him.
“And Mr. Dương... Dương Sâm couldn't have...”
“Look at this.”
Officer Trần abruptly placed an ashtray on the table.
“This came from your apartment.
“We found it at Dương Sâm's.
“Đại Dũng's blood was detected on it.”
He pointed at it.
“You used this to beat him to death.”
I sat numb in my chair, as if struck by lightning.
Just as he was about to press me further, the interview room door opened.
A young officer stood outside.
“Captain Trần.
“Dương Sâm has come to turn himself in.”
“Oh?”
His eyes brightened.
He looked at me.
“It seems he's here because of you.”
“His only request is to see Vương Hiểu Mai once.”
They brought Dương Sâm into the room.
He no longer looked polished and mild-mannered.
His hands were cuffed, his clothes disheveled, and stubble covered his face.
Yet his gaze was as gentle as ever.
When our eyes met, it felt like a reunion after years apart.
For the first time, I seemed to understand what I had never been able to read in those eyes.
“Don't worry.
“I'm here.”
He smiled at me and sat down a short distance away.
“You're clever,” Officer Trần said, watching him closely.
“Turning yourself in may reduce your punishment to some extent.
“But murder is a serious crime.
“Being clever won't spare you.”
“I came to explain the truth.”
“The truth?”
“Yes.”
Dương Sâm smiled.
“First, you've probably found evidence that Tiểu Mai and I were once in love.
“But please investigate the car accident.
“She suffered a concussion.
“Perhaps as a way of protecting itself, her mind forgot everything connected with me.
“The hospital records still exist.
“You only have to check.”
Officer Trần's expression grew grave.
He signaled to the young officer, who nodded and left.
“That's why I studied psychology.
“I wanted to help her recover her memories.
“To remember our past, little by little.
“But then I discovered that the man beside her was a devil.”
Dương Sâm's face hardened.
He slammed a hand on the table.
My tears kept falling.
“I don't understand.
“How could scum like that live so comfortably, right out in the open?
“On my advice, she went to the police.
“And then what?
“All you did was mediate.
“What good was that?
“Do you really bear no responsibility for his death?”
Officer Trần said nothing.
I lowered my head and wiped my tears.
Perhaps because he was so agitated, Dương Sâm began coughing violently.
“So I did something more final.
“I killed him.
“Then no one could bully her anymore.
“She and her daughter could leave the darkness behind and return to the light.”
“You killed Đại Dũng?”
Officer Trần stared at him.
“Yes.
“I did.
“Tiểu Mai is innocent.”
“No! I killed him!”
The words burst out of me.
“Officer Trần, you were right.
“I hit him with the ashtray and killed him.”
I pointed at it.
“That night, he came home and started beating me like a madman.
“I was used to it.
“But Lạc Lạc ran out to stop him.
“And that animal turned on her.
“I couldn't bear it.
“I grabbed the ashtray and hit him hard on the back of the head.
“I'm the murderer.
“Dương Sâm is innocent.
“I called him over only to help me deal with the body.
“I killed him.
“I'm the one who deserves to die.”
“At last, you admit it.”
Officer Trần sighed softly.
“I have to say, you were very good.
“I questioned you for so long that day, watching every reaction.
“But you gave nothing away.
“At times, I even thought I'd misjudged you.”