Whispers of a Lost Love

3

She approached the wooden chest tucked away in the corner of the room. Her hand trembled as she lifted the lid, revealing a collection of old keepsakes: a handkerchief embroidered with silver thread, a wooden comb, and finally, a small journal. Beneath the faded silk cloth lay a weathered leather-bound diary, its corners frayed and its pages yellowed with time. Her mother's name, Thái Yên Pha, was carefully inscribed on the first page, though the ink had blurred over the years.

Chương Hà opened the diary, each page breathing life into a story long forgotten. Her eyes lingered on the faded letters on the cover as if hearing her mother's voice calling from a distant past:

● "Thái Yên Pha."

She sank into a chair, the diary resting in her hands. As she flipped through the first pages, they seemed to draw her into another era.

"Day... Month... Year 1930. Saigon feels quieter tonight than usual. But my heart is restless, like waves crashing against the shore, ever since my eyes met hers... A woman with eyes as deep as the ocean, carrying countless unsaid sorrows. Âu Hương Chà-that name will follow me for the rest of my life."

Chương Hà's eyes froze on the passage. She had never heard her mother mention this name, nor had she known that her mother had once experienced a love so profound, yet so tragic. The subsequent pages unraveled her mother's world-a world far removed from the gentle, composed woman she had always known.

Her mother, Thái Yên Pha, was a daughter of the wealthy and prestigious Thái family, raised in privilege and burdened with expectations. Yet she was also a woman torn apart by a forbidden love with a lounge singer-a love that society would never accept. Her mother's tear-stained words spoke of secret meetings, fleeting yet intense moments of happiness, and farewells that were never truly uttered.

Chương Hà paused, lifting her gaze. Outside, the rain had begun to fall again, its soft patter mingling with her quiet sigh. She knew that from this moment on, she had stepped into her mother's love story-a story that perhaps no one in the grand, bustling Saigon had ever known.

"If you are reading this, I am no longer with you. But I hope that through this story, you will understand that I once lived and loved with all my heart, even if that love was incomplete in the eyes of the world."

Her hand trembled as she closed the diary, taking a deep breath. She looked out the window, where the rain continued to fall, cold but cleansing, as if washing away old sorrows. That night, she realized she was not just the daughter of Thái Yên Pha but the inheritor of a forbidden love story-a legacy of longing and remembrance. Now, it was her turn to give this story life once more.

The hour was late, and the stillness of the night seemed to envelop the grandeur of Saigon in slumber. Dim streetlights cast faint shadows on the cobblestone streets, flickering against the gentle sway of trees. Holding the aged, weathered diary in her hands, Chương Hà left her mother's old house. Every corner, every door seemed to breathe her mother's presence and memories.

The car moved slowly along the cobblestone road, its golden headlights dancing on the rain-specked windows. Inside, Chương Hà sat silently, her gaze fixed on the quiet streets while her mind drifted back to the words penned in the diary.

Her mother's writing was more than a narrative-it was a sigh carried across time. "If you are reading this, I am no longer with you..." The words cut deep, stirring questions that only the departed could answer.

The car came to a stop before the Trần family villa. Chú Tứ turned, his voice gently breaking the silence.

● "Miss, we've arrived."

Startled, Chương Hà blinked, as if awakening from a dream.

● "Yes... Thank you, Chú Tứ."

Noticing her unusual demeanor, Chú Tứ hesitated before asking,

●"Miss, are you all right? Did something happen?"

She looked at him, her lips parting as though to say something, but instead, she offered a faint smile.

● "I'm fine, Chú Tứ. Thank you. Please rest well and drive safely."

● "Of course, Miss. If you need anything, just call me," - he replied, his eyes filled with concern as he watched her step out of the car.

Her father, Trần Trí Kim, had insisted she live in a small house within the villa grounds, away from the complexities of his social and business life. The house, nestled in a quiet corner of the estate, was a sanctuary-spacious, comfortable, yet unpretentious-a reflection of the special care he had for her.

Walking along the stone-paved path leading to her home, Chương Hà paused briefly, inhaling the crisp night air. Her father, a man of many colors, had never remarried after her mother's passing. He often said that his love for her mother was irreplaceable, yet that didn't stop him from forming connections outside. To Chương Hà, he was both a loving father and a complicated man.

She knew that her presence was the only reason he hadn't remarried. Perhaps he sought to fill the void left by her mother's absence. But despite being surrounded by love and material comfort, the ache of losing her mother lingered, an emptiness that no amount of care could ever truly heal.

Chương Hà gently pushed open the door to her private residence. The space was quiet, illuminated only by the soft glow of the desk lamp on her writing table, where she often sat to write or read on sleepless nights.

She sank into the chair near the window, placing the diary on the table. Her fingers lightly traced the cover, as though caressing the past itself.

Outside the window, stars glittered in the night sky, but within her, a hazy darkness lingered, obscuring her way forward. "Who is the woman in this diary?" she wondered, her gaze drifting outward as if searching for answers in the vast expanse.

The night wind rustled through the trees in the garden, blending with the rhythmic chirping of crickets. The stillness of the moment seemed to echo the emotions of the young woman who now stood at the threshold of unraveling a mysterious past-a past where her mother, Thái Yên Pha, had left behind fragments of an incomplete story.

That night, Chương Hà did not sleep. In the quiet corner of the room, the desk lamp's light cast soft shadows across her face, creating an interplay of brightness and darkness, much like the turmoil brewing in her mind. The old diary lay motionless on the table, its worn leather cover exuding an air of timelessness, as though patiently awaiting someone to uncover the secrets it had guarded for years.

Reaching out, Chương Hà let her fingertips glide over the faded texture of the leather, tracing its faint lines. "A story from the past," she murmured, her eyes alight with a mix of curiosity and caution. Why had this diary surfaced now, at the precise moment she needed it most? Was it a fragment of fate, or merely a coincidence's whimsy?

Flipping open the first page, the soft rustle of paper broke the silence. The delicate script emerged, faded yet legible. "The Diary of Thái Yên Pha," she read silently, her gaze lingering on the author's name.

As her eyes scanned the first line, Chương Hà felt an inexplicable pull, as though she were being drawn into another world. The room with its dim desk lamp faded into the background. In its place, a vivid vision of old Saigon materialized before her-a city bathed in the golden light of bygone days. Morning sunlight streamed through wooden window panes, casting shimmering patterns on polished floors, painting a living tableau of light and shadow.

The diary spoke of a crisp morning after a night of rain, with the streets of Saigon awakening from their slumber. Distant sounds of carriages and motorbikes hummed through the air. The earthy scent of wet soil lingered, mingling with the gentle warmth of sunlight that seemed to wash away all worries.

Chương Hà could feel each detail as if she were truly there, breathing in that atmosphere, standing in that very moment. It wasn't merely words on a page-it was an invitation to step into a long-forgotten world.

------

A new world has opened, what story will be revealed?

Can anyone guess?