It was a hot afternoon in the village.
I — Hanh — was crouching down picking up dry branches to light the fire.
At the door, my ten-year-old son was watching me with his innocent eyes.

“Mom, why don’t I have a dad like my classmates?”

I couldn’t answer. Ten years have passed and I still can’t find an answer to that question.

Years of Teasing and Humiliation

When I became pregnant, rumors began to spread throughout the town:

—”What a shame! Pregnant without a husband! Dishonor to their parents!”

I gritted my teeth and endured it all.
With my belly getting bigger and bigger, I worked wherever I went: removing grass, harvesting rice, washing dishes in an inn.
Some threw garbage in front of my house, others spoke loudly when I passed by:

“The father of your child surely fled… who would want to take care of such shame?”

They didn’t know that the man I loved was overjoyed when he learned that I was expecting a child.
He told me that he would return home to talk to his parents and ask for their blessing to marry us.
I believed him, with all my heart.
But the next day, he disappeared without a trace.

Since then I have waited for him every day: no news, no messages.
Years passed, and I raised my son alone.
There were nights when I hated him because of the pain he reminded me of; others in which I cried and prayed that his father would still be alive… even if I had already forgotten.

Ten Years of Struggle

In order to send my son to school, I worked tirelessly.
I put every coin away, swallowed every tear.
When other children made fun of him for not having a father, he hugged him tightly and said:

“You have your mother, son. And that’s enough.”

But people’s words were knives that stuck into my heart again and again.
At night, while he slept, I stared at the light of the lamp and remembered the man I loved—his smile, his warm eyes—and wept silently.

The Day the Luxury Cars Stopped in Front of My House

One rainy morning, I was sewing my son’s clothes when I heard the loud roar of engines.
The neighbors came out curious.
In front of my humble house, several black, clean, shiny cars lined up, evidently from the city.

The murmurs began:

“My God! Who will own those cars? Each one costs millions!”

Trembling, I took my son’s hand and walked out.
The door of one of the cars opened and an old man with white hair, dressed in a black suit, his eyes full of tears, got out.
He stared at me, and before I could say anything, he knelt in the mud.

I froze.

“Please get up! What is he doing?”

He took my hand, his voice trembling:

—”Ten years… I have finally found you—you and my grandson.”

The whole town was paralyzed.

“Grandson…?” I whispered, barely voiceless.

She pulled out an old photograph—the face of the man I loved.
It was identical.
I couldn’t hold back my tears.

The old man told me that the day I told his son that I was pregnant, he was full of happiness and hurried out to ask his parents’ permission to plan the wedding.
But on the way back to me, he was in a car accident… and died that same day.

For ten years, his father had searched for me relentlessly.
Until, when he went through old hospital records, he found my name and traveled through several provinces until he found us there.

The Truth That Made the Whole People Cry

The old man looked at the cars; One of the drivers got out and opened a door.
On the side of the vehicle was engraved the logo of “Lâm Gia Group” – the largest corporation in the country.
Everyone was stunned.

—”My God… that child is the only grandson of President Lâm!” — murmured the neighbors.

The old man approached my son, took his hand, and with tears said:

“From today on, son, you won’t have to suffer anymore. You are the blood and flesh of the Lâm family.”

I just stood, crying, feeling the weight of all those years begin to fade.
The eyes of the neighbors who had once despised me now bowed in shame.
Some even knelt down and asked me for forgiveness.

Epilogue

When my son and I left the village, it rained again—just as it had ten years ago.
But this time, I didn’t see it as a curse anymore.
Now I know that even if the world despises you, if you remain faithful and strong, the truth will always come out.

I, the mother who was once ridiculed by everyone,
now walk with my head held high,
holding my son’s hand,
with a smile of peace on my lips.