For ten years, I raised my son without a father. The whole village mocked me—until one day, black luxury cars stopped outside my shack, and what happened next made even the cruelest hearts weep.

Epilogue

Sometimes I still wake expecting to hear the wind through the bamboo walls. Then I remember where we are—safe, loved, and free of shame.

Minh no longer asks why he doesn’t have a father. He knows.

And when I see him smile—his father’s exact smile—I know Thanh finally came home to us, in the only way he could.