All Amazing Babies

Angela headed to her shift with a light step and a sparkle in her eyes. What else could she do, since she madly loved her job? Her colleagues teased her, saying that Angela lived in the clouds. How could someone be so devoted to a profession with so much responsibility and such a poor salary? But for her, it was not just a job — it was a passion. And she had no intention of changing anything.

She loved rushing to the toughest calls, seeing glimmers of hope in the eyes of those waiting for her help, saving even those who seemed beyond rescue. She had brilliantly completed her training course, and many predicted a dazzling career for her in large clinics. However, after practicing in ambulance service, Angela realized: this was exactly where she belonged. For seven years now, she had been giving herself fully to her work.

She was so absorbed in her work that she hardly had time for a personal life. Nor did she particularly want one. Her past, connected with family, had left too much pain.
Family games

— “Angelочка, it’s time for your shift!” — The grandmothers at the entrance always greeted her warmly. She never passed by without at least nodding.

— “Hello, girls. Yes, back to work again!”

One of the old ladies shook her head. Again on the night shift.

— “Why don’t you have any men among you who could work at night? You always have to deal with sick, drunk, and even aggressive people.”

— “What difference does it make? They’re all patients. Well, I have to go. Thank you. Just take care of yourselves.”

— “Alright, run along, dear. Just take care of yourself.”

Angela headed to the bus stop, and the grandmothers began to discuss her among themselves.

 

— “Poor girl, isn’t it? Others would have long since hated doctors, but she chose this profession herself.”

— “That’s exactly why she chose it — to reduce the number of bad medics like the ones she had. Remember how her mother didn’t get help in time?”

— “Of course, we remember! That girl went through a lot of sorrow. And her father was a real monster. How did she even grow up to be such a person?”

— “Yeah, fate… Her parents died in a drunken fight. And what about him now? Do you know anything?”

— “No, where would we? Maybe he’s gone too. With a character like that…”

Angela roughly guessed what the old ladies whispered about when they saw her. That was their nature — to recall the past a little, to gossip. But they meant no harm, it was just their custom.

Angela jumped out of the minibus, waved to the driver — a young guy who always looked at her with some sadness but never dared to get acquainted. She was inside the cabin; he was behind the wheel. He smiled and waved back.

— “Angela, how great that you came early! The chief doctor was looking for you.”

— “Great, thanks. I’ll check in now.”

Stepan Vladimirovich met her with joy, like family.

— “Angela, Angelочка Vasilyevna, have a seat. I feel, Stepan Vladimirovich, you want something from me. Otherwise, why would you be so happy to see me?”

Stepan Vladimirovich always treated her almost like a grandfather to his granddaughter. Although at first they often argued — he could not accept the modern treatment methods Angela proposed.

Once a serious conflict flared between them, and Stepan Vladimirovich lost his temper:

— “Who do you think you are, little one?! Trying to teach me? Get out! You’re fired!”

His words brought Angela to tears. She went outside, and her colleagues ran after her, urging her to stay. They assured her that Stepan was not a bad man, just overly hot-tempered.

And then, as if fate decided to intervene, a terrible car accident happened right opposite the ambulance station. Two cars collided at high speed. Four people were inside, all in critical condition. Their rescue required lightning-fast action. Before loading the injured into the ambulance, it was necessary to stabilize their condition at least a little. One of them had stopped breathing.

Stepan Vladimirovich tried with all his might to revive him, but unsuccessfully. Then Angela decisively pushed him aside. He tried to interfere, saying she had no right to use such a method, that it was illegal and no one did it that way. But Angela restarted the injured man’s heart. True, she seemed to burn out inside herself.

When all the injured were delivered to the hospital, they sat outside for a long time together. Stepan Vladimirovich, who had been fighting for human lives for more than thirty years, now talked with Angela, sometimes silent, then speaking again. Since then, they became true friends. And Stepan started doing what he never had before: he began listening to Angela’s advice.

— “Angela, you are right as always. I understand, this goes against all the rules. It’s not allowed, you might not withstand it, but on the other hand, if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

— “Stepan Vladimirovich, stop beating around the bush!”

— “Angela, three of my paramedics caught a nasty flu. Tomorrow there simply won’t be anyone to work the shift. I know you’re coming off a night shift, but can you stay at least half a day longer? After lunch, Valentina Sergeevna will cover.”

— “Stepan Vladimirovich, why make it so complicated? You know I won’t refuse. There’s nothing to do at home. I didn’t even get a cat so it wouldn’t get lonely.”

— “Angela, if the shift is too hard, if you get tired, be sure to say so, okay?”

— “Alright, agreed.”

The night turned out surprisingly lively. A tramp stabbed another tramp, a wife greeted her husband with a rolling pin. Only the calculations failed — the shot hit the wrong place. By morning, there was an incident worthy of an anecdote. The husband came home not at eight, as usual, but at five in the morning. And at home, his “darling” was not alone — with her lover. The man was apparently a hunter because there was buckshot in the cartridge belt. The lovers were alive, but doctors would now have to extract the buckshot.

Just before the shift change, everything quieted down — a typical situation. People gathered to go to work, schools, kindergartens, no time to think about ailments. Those who had been out all night were already asleep, and those who woke up awaited alcohol shops to open. So in the mornings, there was usually an hour or two of relative calm. Everyone gathered at the station, drinking coffee and joking.

 

— “Brigade on a call!”

The doctors exchanged surprised looks. Who had gotten sick right now, during their rightful free time? A fresh brigade went out, including those who stayed late from the night shift. However, they returned quickly.

— “Where were you? Finished so fast?”

— “You won’t believe it, in the morgue.”

Angela choked. Now they even call there?

— “Exactly. A lady came to pick up her husband. Apparently, he was an important person or just a rich man. Paparazzi gathered near the morgue, and she needed to play her role properly.”

— “Play a role?” Angela was surprised.

— “Exactly. She’s perfectly healthy. Even her pulse is normal. But for the newspaper material, she had to fit the image.”

Angela shook her head. Times were really strange — even death was made into a show.

— “Here you are absolutely right, Angela. I think this won’t be her last call today. If journalists were at the morgue, there will definitely be some at the cemetery. If anything, I’m ready. We just need to create the appearance of work.”

— “Are you really helping her?”

— “You bet! For such a reward, I’d even dance the polka-butterfly.”

The doctor showed several large bills.

— “Oh, how cleverly she slipped them into her pocket — I didn’t even notice!”

Everyone in the break room burst out laughing.

— “Well, luck is clearly smiling on you today. By evening you’ll collect enough for a new car!”

Still laughing, they heard the dispatchers’ phones come alive. Not a quarter of an hour passed before the station emptied. Angela’s call came exactly at eleven.

— “Angela, central cemetery. The caretaker will meet and guide you there. Looks like they’re burying someone well off.”

Angela immediately recalled the morning incident with her colleagues. She was sure: it was that same woman.

— “Alright, let’s go, take a look at the grieving widow.”

The driver smirked.

— “You think it’s her?”

— “I’m sure. Such coincidences just don’t happen.”

The funeral was lavish. Angela immediately noticed the expensive coffin, many fresh flowers, a crowd of people and photographers, and the “grieving” widow who whispered too actively with a man right next to the coffin. Glancing briefly at the deceased, she turned to the woman.

— “Are you feeling unwell?”

And then the widow seemed to snap out of her role. Quickly looking at the man, she hissed:

— “Finish here quickly, time is pressing!”

After that, folding her hands, she began to sag. The man in a strict suit, probably a notary or family representative, managed to catch her and seat her on a chair. Angela grimaced — everything was exactly as she suspected. The widow felt perfectly fine. Whispering to the medics:
Family games

— “Give me a pill, and you’re free to go,”

she almost laughed.

Angela was angry. Now, while she wastes time on this farce, someone truly in need might be left without help. Throwing away the offered money, she loudly slammed her medical bag shut and prepared to leave.

But something caught her attention. Not just something — someone. The one lying in the coffin. When the man next to the widow ordered to close the coffin, two workers moved to carry out the command. But Angela couldn’t take her eyes off the deceased’s face. Something seemed strange. She carefully touched his cheek. Cold, but not the cold of death. Just cold, as when a person has not moved for a long time or has frozen.

— “Stop!” Her hand rose. The workers froze, and photographers started actively capturing what was happening.

— “What’s going on? Why are you disturbing the funeral?” The widow ran up.

Angela pretended not to hear. She took out her phone and called Stepan Vladimirovich.

— “I need urgent answers. Remember how you told me about your friend in Africa who was almost buried alive? All the signs were there then. Looks like we have a living corpse here.”

The widow recoiled and looked amazed at her companion.

— “What the hell are you standing there for? Command, bury him! I’m paying you for the job!”

The workers looked at each other.

 

— “No, boss, if the doctor says he’s alive, we won’t take the sin on our souls.”

The man tried to grab the lid himself, but then the driver ran out of the car with a crowbar in his hands. Apparently, Stepan Vladimirovich had already explained the situation to him. Journalists followed him. They formed a tight ring, not allowing the widow or her companion to come closer.

Silence. Angela carefully checked the pulse millimeter by millimeter. Impossible. It was impossible that she was wrong. There it was! It was!

— “Quick, get him into the car, quickly!”

The pulse was so weak and barely noticeable that there was almost no hope for successful rescue.

Angela addressed the journalists:

— “Please, I don’t have time. Call the police, detain them. And tell them the autopsy was not done either, though now it’s unavoidable.”

All the way to the hospital, she was in touch with Stepan Vladimirovich, who consulted with a toxin expert. Angela followed every instruction without questions. Every second counted.

When they howled up to the clinic, where medics were already waiting, the man’s pulse became noticeably stronger. Angela leaned over him, whispering:

— “Do you hear me? You just have to survive, you have to.”

Did the man’s eyelashes twitch in response? Now all that was left was to wait.

Tired, Angela later sat in Stepan Vladimirovich’s office. He placed a mug of strong tea and a huge sandwich in front of her. Noticing her surprised look, he explained:

— “Lidia stopped by and strictly ordered to feed you.”

Angela smiled. Lidia was Stepan Vladimirovich’s wife, who immediately took Angela as her own daughter.

— “Well, not really. Just the shift was special.”

— “Yeah, that’s not something you meet every day. Your ‘corpse’ has little chance. After all, a night in the fridge is no joke. Although maybe that saved him. The poison didn’t have time to fully dissolve and absorb.”

The phone on the table rang. Angela froze with the sandwich halfway to her mouth, and Stepan Vladimirovich picked up.

— “Yes? What?!” His face brightened, then broke into a wide smile. “Well, for such news, I’m ready to splurge on cognac!”

He hung up and turned to Angela. She barely held back from shouting:

— “Well?!”

— “See… Maybe you really were born under a special star? Your ‘godson’ was revived! Of course, he has a long recovery ahead, but he will not only live but be aware!”

Angela almost jumped over puddles after a short summer rain while heading to the bus stop. A minibus arrived. The young driver looked surprised — he usually didn’t drive passengers at this time. But Angela, smiling, opened the door next to him.

— “May I?”

The guy responded with a toothy smile.

— “You know you may.”

Angela sat down and turned to him.

— “My name is Angela.”

— “And mine is Viktor. Looks like I’m the happiest person today. I already thought I’d never talk to you except through the rearview mirror.”

Angela laughed. If only he knew how happy she felt at that moment.

And a year later, the entire shift gathered to see Angela off on maternity leave. Everyone’s eyes were slightly moist with joy.

Elena slowly wiped the fogged-up mirror in the bathroom and froze, staring intently at her reflection. Her once-soft facial features now seemed sharp and angular, her cheeks noticeably hollowed, and her eyes had lost their former sparkle, becoming dull and lifeless. The illness was mercilessly altering her appearance, as if erasing all traces of her former life. I need to call Katya, she repeated to herself. Her niece had to know the truth, even if it would be hard for them both.

From the living room came the muffled sound of a soccer match—Pavel was once again sprawled on the couch, legs up on the coffee table, engrossed in the game. No doubt, crumbs from his beloved TV chips were already scattered around him. Elena sighed heavily, feeling the invisible weight pressing on her shoulders, and closed her eyes, trying to detach from reality, if only for a moment.

This apartment was the symbol of her years of effort and sacrifice. She had bought it long before she met Pavel, paying off the mortgage over five long years. She worked two jobs, denied herself the bare minimum, saved on everything: ate the simplest food, avoided buying anything for her own pleasure, came home well after midnight only to leave for work again at sunrise. When she finally made the last payment, she couldn’t hold back her tears—these walls were steeped in her sleepless nights, endless labor, and sheer persistence. She knew she had earned them at the cost of her life, and this apartment was more than just a home—it was proof of her resilience.

She met Pavel by chance a few years ago, in a coffee shop line. He had won her over with his attention, easygoing manner, and caring attitude. During the first month of their relationship, he showered her with flowers, cooked romantic dinners, and showed touching concern. But then, everything changed abruptly, as if someone had switched off the light. The perfect man she thought she’d found slowly vanished, replaced by someone who no longer cared about her life—or her feelings.

 

“Lena, did you pay for the internet? It’s acting up today,” Pavel called from the living room.

“Yes, I paid on Monday,” she replied, stepping out of the bathroom. “Restart the router.”

“Too far,” he drawled lazily. “Come on, you’re closer.”

Elena didn’t argue. She silently went over to the router, blinking red, and pressed the reset button. Such little everyday irritations had long since stopped bothering her. But today, after her visit to the doctor, every detail of their shared life seemed to take on a sharper, more significant meaning.

“Stage four,” the doctor had said, avoiding her gaze. “Metastases in the liver and bones. There are treatment options, but we have to be realistic.”

Elena nodded, as if he were telling her tomorrow’s weather rather than how much time she had left. She had always been practical, and the diagnosis only reinforced her habit of solving problems step by step. In her mind, she began making a list: write a will, check the insurance, talk to Katya. Everything had to be arranged so that nothing was left to chance.

“Lena, what’s for dinner?” Pavel’s voice again.

“I didn’t cook today,” she said, sitting down in the armchair. “Order something.”

“Spend money again? You had the day off—you could’ve cooked,” he grumbled.

Elena didn’t reply. Pavel truly believed that earning money was a woman’s job. He preferred odd gigs or daydreaming about grand projects that never materialized. At first, Elena hadn’t minded—she was used to relying only on herself. But over time, it became clear: Pavel wasn’t just lazy; he genuinely believed his role was to “find himself” while she kept them afloat.

“I went to the doctor today,” Elena said, looking at his profile.

“Mm-hmm,” he murmured without looking away from the TV.

“I have cancer.”

Pavel turned to her, frowning in confusion.

“What?”

“Cancer, Pasha. Stage four,” she repeated calmly.

He set the remote aside and sat up straighter, visibly shaken.

“What does stage four mean? Can’t they treat it?”

“They can try, but chances are slim. The doctor says it’s a matter of months.”

Pavel blinked, ran a hand through his hair.

“Well… medicine’s advanced these days. Maybe there are experimental treatments? Or abroad?”

“Maybe. But it’s expensive,” Elena said, watching his face.

“You have good insurance, don’t you? And savings,” he said quickly.

There it was. Even now, his first thought was money—not how to support her, but how to handle the problem financially. And naturally, she was to bear the responsibility for her own treatment.

“Yes, I have savings,” Elena said.

“Then great,” he replied with forced optimism. “We’ll treat it. You’ll see, everything will be fine.”

He gave her a quick, awkward hug, then stepped back as if afraid of catching something.

“I need to meet with Dimon about some work stuff,” he said, grabbing his jacket. “Hang in there, okay? I won’t be long.”

The door closed before Elena could respond.

 

A week later, it was obvious: Pavel was coming home late, claiming to have work meetings despite working from home for the past two years. He smelled of unfamiliar perfume and kept his phone face-down. Elena didn’t confront him. What was the point? After the doctor’s words, such things no longer mattered—until one night, she overheard him on the balcony:

“Yeah, it’ll be over soon,” he said to someone. “The doctor says she won’t last long. Of course I’m upset, but… Well, the inheritance will be mine. We’re married—apartment, savings… all mine.”

Elena froze. So that was it—he was already planning his life without her, counting on what she had earned through years of sacrifice.

The next morning, Pavel cheerfully announced he was going to a friend’s dacha “to clear his head.” Elena only nodded. As soon as the door shut, she called Katya.

“Come over. We need to talk.”

Within an hour, Katya arrived, worried. When Elena told her the diagnosis, she cried but quickly composed herself.

“What can I do?”

“Help me make a will. I want the apartment and all my savings to go to you.”

“But… Uncle Pasha?”

“Katya, he’s already planning how to spend my money,” Elena said with a bitter smile. “While I’m under IV drips, he’s busy with his new fling.”

That same day, they went to a notary. Elena also filed for divorce—no property disputes, no drama, just ending what had long been a hollow arrangement.

For the first time in years, she felt lighter.

When Pavel returned three days later, rested and smelling of cologne, a message from the government portal informed him of the divorce filing. He thought it was a mistake. When he saw the details, panic set in—especially the note stating the property wasn’t subject to division. Half her belongings were gone; so was her presence.

When Elena came back briefly to collect the rest, he tried to block her path.

“You can’t just leave! What about treatment? Support? You’re sick!”

“Oh, now you remember the treatment?” she said coldly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself. As I always have.”

He grabbed her hand.

“I’ve spent years on you!”

“No, Pasha,” she replied, pulling free. “I spent years on you. And I won’t anymore.”

She left, locking the door behind her.

The divorce was finalized a month later. Elena didn’t attend; her lawyer handled everything. Pavel painted himself as the abandoned husband to friends, omitting his late-night calls to his mistress and inheritance plans.

That day, Elena was in the hospital, Katya holding her hand.

“You know,” Elena said softly, “I don’t regret it. Not the divorce, not ending the pretense of having a family. Better to spend what time I have with someone who truly cares.”

Katya squeezed her hand.

“We’ll get through this. Together.”

Meanwhile, Pavel was moving into a dingy rented room, the comfort he once took for granted gone. For the first time, he had to face life without someone to depend on—and the emptiness was deafening.

Anna sat on the edge of the couch as if it were a taut wire. Beneath her was the expensive upholstery she had bought for herself—upholstery that Yelena Mikhailovna had been calling “marketplace tackiness” for three months now. Vasily, on the other hand, lounged comfortably in an armchair, one leg crossed over the other, cracking sunflower seeds—despite being far past the age when that was excusable. Thirty-eight years old, a father of two, and still cracking seeds like a ninth-grader in the courtyard.

“Well, Annushka,” Yelena Mikhailovna said with a sly tone, noisily setting a pot of borscht on the table, “Vasya and I talked it over and decided: let’s sell your little car. You work nearby anyway, but Marina needs to get to the clinic somehow. She can’t exactly ride a minibus with a pregnant belly, right?”

“Talked it over,” Anna mocked silently. So I’m just the yard dog here—put on a leash and led wherever they decide.

“Did you ask me?” she replied evenly, her voice cold enough to freeze water, locking eyes with her mother-in-law.

“What’s there to ask?” the older woman sniffed, ladling herself some borscht. “In our family, if someone’s struggling, everyone helps. That’s normal. I raised my son with that principle. But you—you only ever think about yourself…”
Family games

Without looking up from his phone, Vasily mumbled,
“Anya, you know Marina’s pregnant, it’s hard for her now… It’s not forever. Once she’s back on her feet, we’ll give it back.”

“Give it back?” Anna suddenly smirked. “Will you put that in writing? Or will it be like that kitchen loan—still in your mom’s possession after five years of ‘just long-term safekeeping’?”

“What kind of person are you?” Yelena Mikhailovna flared up. “I’m not your enemy! I’m your mother! You should be offering help yourself, not sitting here looking like some sulky princess! Everything’s wrong for you, everything’s unfair!”

Anna stood up. No shouting, no drama. Just… done. She’d spent too long pretending not to notice how “lovingly” this family clipped her wings. Without a word, she walked into the bedroom. That’s when the chorus started:

“She’s mad?” her mother-in-law stage-whispered loudly, as if Anna were deaf.

“Anya, seriously?” Vasily called. “Don’t be so harsh. Mom probably didn’t mean it that way…”

“I spoke as a mother!” Yelena Mikhailovna declared. “If she doesn’t understand that, then she’s not one of us. She doesn’t fit in this family.”

A couple of minutes later, Anna came out holding the car documents. She placed them on the table.

“Here’s the deal. The car is mine, registered in my name. The apartment, by the way, I inherited from my grandmother—none of you have any claim to it. That’s my entire ‘contribution’ to your version of family.”

“You’re going to ruin everything over some piece of metal?!” Yelena Mikhailovna cried.

“No—over you,” Anna said with a nod. “Over your endless control, and over your cowardly compliance, Vasya.”

“Anya, wait,” Vasily groaned, holding his head. “We just wanted to help Marina…”

“Then sell your garage with the 2003 Lada,” Anna said with a sharp smile. “You can definitely take taxis—you won’t fall apart.”

Her mother-in-law banged her spoon against her bowl.

“You’re not a wife, you’re a businesswoman. All you think about is property and papers. No heart, no conscience.”

“And you’re nothing but love and compassion?” Anna shot back. “Funny how it’s always at my expense. Astonishing kind of charity you’ve got.”

She left for the bathroom, shutting the door to breathe. Inside, she was trembling—not from fear, but from rage.

A couple of hours later, Vasily came into the bedroom. No sunflower seeds, no phone, no pride.

“Anya… let’s talk.”

“Too late, Vasya. Too late to drink Borjomi after your mom’s sold the kidneys. You didn’t even make a peep when she was discussing how to get rid of my car. What was that?”

“I didn’t want a fight…”

“You never want anything—except peace and quiet. And that ‘quiet’ always means you stay silent while I give up my rights, my property, and my common sense.”

Vasily exhaled heavily.
“Let’s talk tomorrow. Like adults. We’ll sit down, sort it out. Don’t get heated.”

Anna looked him straight in the eye.
“Are you sure you’re still my man, Vasya? Or have you been your mother’s for a long time now?”

He said nothing.

The apartment was silent. Even the pot of borscht had gone cold.

The next morning, Anna woke earlier than usual. Sunlight streamed in through the window—brazenly, as if it knew today was a turning point. Vasily was snoring on the kitchen couch, like nothing had happened. As if he’d just won an argument about curtain colors, not sold her out to his mother.

She poured herself coffee, careful not to clink the cups—not out of respect, but out of principle. Noise was emotion. Today, she was steel.

Enough. They’d get not one more inch of her life.

Yelena Mikhailovna swept into the kitchen—didn’t enter, but flew in—wearing a robe, a hairnet, and a face full of accusations.

“Well, mistress of the apartment,” she sneered, “did you sleep well in your rightful square meters?”

Anna turned to her silently, her gaze so sharp that if Yelena Mikhailovna had been any wiser, she would’ve walked right back out. But no—fools’ bravery is the most destructive kind.

“I’ve been thinking,” the older woman continued, sitting down at the table and reaching for Anna’s cup. “Maybe you just don’t understand how a family works. Back in my day, if a man was struggling, his wife stood behind him like a rock. You’re more like a cemetery notary—counting who gets what.”
Family games

“Lovely metaphor,” Anna said calmly, taking her cup back. “Except I’m not at a cemetery—I’m in a marriage. Or I was.”

“Oh, the drama,” her mother-in-law snorted. “Like in a soap opera. Don’t you think you’re overdoing it, Annushka?”

At that moment, Vasily shuffled in, scratching his head, wearing the sweatpants Anna had wanted to throw out two years ago.

“Mom, are you starting again?” he mumbled.

“And you’re silent again?” Anna snapped, turning to him. “No, Vasya—right now. Choose. Right now.”

“Don’t dramatize,” he muttered, trying to sound wise. “We can work this out. Like adults.”

“Then act like one. I’m asking: who are you? My husband, or an extension of your mother’s kitchen?”

Yelena Mikhailovna stood, her voice icy.
“Son, tell me plainly—is she more important to you than your mother? I raised you. Fed you. Married you… to her. And this is how it is?”

Vasily stood there like a donkey at a crossroads, as if choosing between two supermarkets with only one coupon.

Anna stepped closer.
“You know what hurts the most? Not that you don’t defend me. That you defend them. And you stay silent, as if you’re not even part of it—just a spectator. As if this marriage is a TV show, not your life.”

“I didn’t want a war…” he mumbled.

“This isn’t war. It’s an escape. I’m leaving. Actually—you’re leaving.”

“We?”

Anna opened the hall closet, pulled out his bag, tossed in his shirts.
“Five minutes. Or I start throwing things out myself. What matters more—your mom, or this apartment? Leave the keys on the table. And take the borscht—it’s hers. You can taste it.”

Vasily looked at her like a cat staring at a closed fridge—hoping someone might come back and open it.

“Anya…”

“Too late, Vasily. I no longer believe you’ll ever grow up. Forty years old and still under the skirt. I don’t need a son like that. Certainly not a husband.”

Yelena Mikhailovna slammed the bedroom door, then returned with her own bag—stuffed with blood pressure, control, advice, and the eternal line: “In our house, we never did things that way.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were gone. Anna stood by the door like after a fire. It smelled of borscht, but she wanted a cigarette.

She went to the kitchen, took her wineglass from the cupboard, poured herself a drink. Looked out the window. It was raining—just like in the movies.

And suddenly, it was funny. She smiled—first with just the corner of her mouth, then out loud.

“And no—I’m not a cemetery notary. I’m the mistress of my own life. Finally.

Marina was coming home, exhausted.
It was an ordinary autumn evening—weekday, damp. In her bags: bread, milk, a pack of buckwheat, apples. In the stairwell, as always, it smelled of mildew and boiled cabbage, and the bulb above the second floor flickered in its nervous rhythm, like an alarm signal.

Climbing to the third floor, she turned toward the railing almost automatically—when she noticed that the door of her mother-in-law’s apartment, on the second floor, was ajar. In the same instant, she heard the voice of her husband, Andrey, from inside.

“Don’t worry, Mom. Everything’s already taken care of. The apartment is mine under the prenup. She won’t even realize until she’s left with nothing. The signature looks real.”

Marina froze. Her heart dropped into her shoes.

“That’s right, son,” the mother-in-law replied. “Didn’t give you an heir, so why should she get the apartment? She’s just a temporary inconvenience.”

Marina pressed herself against the wall, gripping the handles of her shopping bags as if trying to anchor herself to reality. Without making a sound, she slowly continued upstairs, like a shadow.

She shut the door behind her and slowly set the bags down on the kitchen table. One tore, the bread tilted, and the apples rolled across the floor—she didn’t even try to catch them. She just sat on the stool by the radiator, staring into emptiness.

The words from a floor below hammered in her head like a mallet striking metal.
“She won’t even realize… The signature looks real…”

 

Stupid. Did he really think she wouldn’t figure it out?

And yet, it had all started with “convenience.” Six years ago, when they were choosing a flat, Andrey spoke with confidence, insistence—like he had already made the decision.

“Mom’s apartment is just one floor down. That’s a plus! She’ll be right there to help, to keep an eye on things. We’ll pay off the mortgage faster. Makes sense, right, Marish?”

He called it “family support.”

Marina had simply nodded. She didn’t know how to argue—and didn’t want to. The important thing was to have their own place. Their own territory. Even with a mortgage, at least it wouldn’t be rented, with someone else’s rules.

They registered the apartment in both their names. Then the papers started.

“Sign this,” Andrey would leave a sheet on the kitchen table, next to her coffee cup. “Just standard stuff, the bank needs it.”
Or, “The lawyers said it’s for insurance. Pure formality.”

She signed. Not because she was stupid—because she trusted him. Who double-checks “formalities” with the person you live with, eat with, sleep with, share a bed and a loan with?

Her mother-in-law, Nadezhda Semyonovna, had never hidden her disapproval:

“You’re cold. No tenderness, no smile. Everything with you is on a schedule. Not a woman—an audit in a skirt.”

Marina never took offense—she simply stayed silent. Only when Andrey left—for work or the gym—did she let herself relax. A deep breath in, and out—like climbing a mountain.
Her mother-in-law interfered in everything: curtains, dishes, the frequency of marital “dates,” as she called them. Even soup.

“Not salty. Do you even know how to cook?”

Marina didn’t know how to snap back. She just did her part—laundry, bills, Saturday cleaning, sorting laundry by color.
She lived by the rules—what she thought were shared rules. Turned out, they were someone else’s.

And now all the “technicalities,” the little things she signed without thinking, had suddenly become a weapon. Against her. With her own signature.

She stared at an apple that had rolled under the fridge and thought, for the first time:
“Maybe I haven’t really been living—just existing on paper.”

She said nothing. Not that evening, not at dinner, not over coffee the next morning. Everything was the same: Andrey hurried through breakfast, complained about traffic, kissed her cheek, and slammed the door on his way out. Only now, she no longer watched him go.

When he left, Marina opened the bottom drawer of his desk. The folder with documents lay there as always—carelessly. She sifted through the papers with trembling fingers. Then—there it was: Prenuptial Agreement.

Inside—her name, his name, and the terms stating that the apartment would go to him in the event of a divorce.
Dated a month before the wedding.
Her signature. Almost.

She stared at it for a long time. It was almost her signature—but not quite. She had never written the letter “M” at that angle.

Two hours later, she sat in a café by the window, across from Sveta, her friend from law school.

“It’s a forgery,” Sveta said, after skimming the scans. “We’ll need handwriting analysis. In the meantime—silence. Don’t let him suspect.”

That evening, Marina placed a small voice recorder in the hallway—under the dresser. She photographed the signature and compared it to her passport.

The next day, she recorded Andrey in the bathroom telling his mother:

“Relax, Mom. She hasn’t noticed a thing.”

Three days passed. Marina kept up the routine—laundry, mopping, stacking groceries on shelves. But now she counted Andrey’s steps, listened to his tone, and asked herself over and over: How can he sit next to me and lie so calmly?

On Saturday, she made borscht—his favorite, with garlic and fried onions. She baked an apple pie. Andrey came home cheerful, snapping his fingers to the music on his phone.

“Smells amazing! I’m dead tired today. Let’s eat?”

They ate in silence. Marina was calm—almost icy. When he finished his second bowl, she dried her hands on a towel and looked him straight in the eye.

“I heard your conversation with your mom. And I found the ‘contract.’ You didn’t even bother to forge my signature properly.”

Andrey froze. Then smirked sharply.

“What nonsense? As usual, you’re making things up.”

Marina took the copy of the document from the drawer and laid it in front of him. Then she played the recording, his voice clearly saying:
“The apartment is mine under the prenup.”

 

Andrey went pale, then flushed.

“Everything depends on me! You’re nothing! You can’t prove a thing. It’s already done. You make trouble—you’ll be out of here in your slippers.”

Marina stood up calmly.

“Thank you, Andrey. You’ve just helped me win the case.”

The next day, she filed the papers. Sveta handled everything—divorce petition, motion to declare the prenup invalid, request for handwriting analysis.

The experts confirmed: the handwriting wasn’t hers. The slant, the pressure, even the curve of the letter “r”—all wrong. Plus, the audio recordings. In them, Andrey freely discussed with his mother how to leave his wife with nothing. Sveta smiled:

“It’s clean. The scheme he was so proud of is now working against him.”

In court, Andrey sat sullen, lips pressed in a thin line. His mother sat behind him, clutching her purse to her chest. Her expression wasn’t shame—it was disappointment: he hadn’t pulled it off.

The judge didn’t waste time.

“Signature forged. Contract invalid. Audio confirms intent. The apartment remains with the wife. The defendant will pay compensation.”

After the hearing, Marina stood at the courthouse entrance, clutching a copy of the decision. The paper rustled as if it were breathing.

Andrey walked past without meeting her eyes. His mother beside him.

“You shouldn’t have eavesdropped,” he muttered. “You ruined everything.”

Marina didn’t answer. She simply turned away and walked to the bus stop. Steady. Straight.

When Andrey finally moved out—over two nights, without farewells—the apartment became quiet. Strangely so. No sound of his footsteps, no mother-in-law’s voice on the phone, no slamming door in the mornings.

A week later, Nadezhda Semyonovna rang the doorbell. Marina opened without checking the peephole.

“Let’s not be enemies? We’re still family,” the mother-in-law murmured, clutching a container of pies.
Family games

Marina shut the door without a word. Not harshly—calmly.

That same day, she took down the dark curtains and threw out the wedding china set. Bought a new kettle, painted the kitchen walls a light color. Laid a rug she had always wanted, but which “didn’t match the sofa.”

For the first time, she moved the bed—not according to her mother-in-law’s feng shui, but for her own comfort.
A bright potted plant appeared on the windowsill.

Marina made tea, opened the window, and sat at the table.
This was her place. At last.

A year passed. Marina was now a senior analyst at the same company. Recently she’d been offered a managerial position, and for the first time she didn’t doubt—Yes, I can handle it.

She lived alone. Peacefully. With trips, unhurried weekends, and Saturday pottery classes.

That’s where she met Egor—a widowed instructor, slightly balding, with a quiet voice and warm hands. He didn’t laugh loudly, but his laughter was contagious.

“You’ve got the hands of someone who’s done this before,” he told her once, watching her shape a vase.

They began seeing each other more often. No promises—just warmth.

One evening, sitting in her newly bright kitchen, Marina held a cup of tea and smiled.

“Now I know—whatever they’re saying through the wall, the most important thing is that your own life carries your own voice.”

Natalya was awakened by the persistent ringing of her mobile phone. It was still dark outside; the alarm clock showed it was just eight minutes into August — Monday morning. Next to her, Vitaly groaned in annoyance and yanked the pillow over his head, trying to muffle the irritating sound.

“Hello?..” Natalya’s voice trembled, groggy and hoarse.

“Natalya, it’s Valentina Ivanovna, your mother’s neighbor,” came the anxious voice of an elderly woman. “Dear, brace yourself… your mother… Her heart gave out last night. We called an ambulance, but… they didn’t make it in time.”

The phone slipped from her fingers. The room spun. Mom… she was gone. Just three weeks ago they had spoken—Yelena Pavlovna had complained about the heat, told her about the apple trees and the garden harvest…

“What happened?” Vitaly muttered, eyes still closed.

“My mom died,” Natalya breathed. The words sounded foreign, like they didn’t belong to her.

Her husband propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a brief glance. No pain, no sympathy—just mild irritation.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. My condolences,” he muttered, then turned back to the wall.

Natalya stood up slowly. Her legs felt like jelly, but she had to act. The funeral, paperwork, packing… Her head spun with thoughts. She opened the closet, pulled out a travel bag, and began packing: a black dress, shoes, her passport.

Vitaly sat up in bed, picked up his phone, and casually opened the news feed.

“Where are you going?” he asked indifferently, eyes still glued to the screen.

“To the village. For the funeral.”

“What village? That godforsaken place 300 kilometers away?”

“Vitaly, my mother died. Don’t you understand?”

He winced like he’d heard something unpleasant.

“Look, I have an important presentation this week. Management’s coming from Moscow. I can’t just drop everything and drag myself out to that hole.”

Natalya froze, holding a shirt in her hands, and turned slowly.

“I’m not asking you to drop everything. But this is my mother’s funeral.”

“So what? The dead don’t care who shows up. I have to think about my career. We have a mortgage, remember?”

She continued packing in silence. After fifteen years of marriage, Natalya had endured his temper, stinginess, and indifference to domestic life. But something inside her broke. The last thread holding them together snapped.

“How long are you staying?” Vitaly asked, heading to the kitchen.

“Three or four days. I need to organize everything, do the paperwork.”

“Just don’t spend too much. We already have enough expenses.”

Natalya clenched her jaw. What expenses was he talking about? His new smartphone that cost 80,000 rubles? His endless fishing trips?

Two hours later, she stood at the bus station with her bag. Vitaly hadn’t even offered to drive her—said he was “going the other way.” No hug, no words of support.

“Let the locals dig the grave,” he’d said in parting. “I’m not dragging myself out to that dump.”

On the bus, Natalya sat by the window. Fields rushed past, golden stubble under the August sun. Her mother had loved this time of year. She used to say August was the most generous month, when the earth gives back for all the labor.

A plump woman with a kind face sitting next to her asked gently:

“Going on vacation?”

“For a funeral. My mother died.”

“God rest her soul… Burying a parent is the hardest thing.”

Natalya nodded. She didn’t feel like talking. Vitaly’s words echoed in her mind: “not dragging myself.” How could someone be so indifferent? Yelena Pavlovna had always treated him kindly—sending homemade preserves, knitting socks, taking care of him when he broke his leg. She looked after him for a whole month.

The village greeted her with quiet and the scent of freshly cut grass. The house at the edge of town—whitewashed, with blue shutters. Her mother refreshed the whitewash every year: “A home should be beautiful, like a holiday.”

Valentina Ivanovna met her at the gate.

 

“Natalya, my dear… Yelena Pavlovna didn’t complain at all, she was working in the garden, seemed cheerful…”

“Where is she?”

“In the house. We prepared her with the neighbors. In the blue dress—her favorite. The coffin was made by Petrovich, he’s our local craftsman.”

Natalya entered the living room. The coffin rested on a table covered with a white cloth. Her mother lay peacefully, as if asleep. Her face looked smoother, younger. Natalya fell to her knees and wept for the first time that day.

The funeral was set for the next day. Natalya called her relatives—her cousin, her nephew. Everyone promised to come.

That evening, Alexander Petrovich—the head of the village council—came by. Gray-haired, bearded, he knew everyone in the village.

“Natalya Sergeyevna, please accept my deepest condolences. Yelena Pavlovna was a rare soul. Everyone here respected her.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m here on official business. Your mother came to me a year ago—asked to notarize a copy of her savings book. The deposit was in your name.”

Natalya took the document in surprise. Her mother had never mentioned it. She lived modestly, saved on everything.

“It’s a decent amount—about 800,000 rubles,” the chairman continued. “She saved for years, and with interest it added up.”

Natalya’s heart clenched. Eight hundred thousand—it could change their lives. Pay off part of the mortgage, buy a car, renovate the apartment…

“And she left you the house too. The will is with the notary in the district center. She thought of everything, smart woman.”

After Alexander Petrovich left, Natalya sat on the porch. The sky burned with pink hues. Cows mooed in the distance, returning from pasture. Her mother loved these evenings—sitting with a cup of tea, watching the sunset.

Her phone was silent. Vitaly hadn’t called. Not once all day. Natalya dialed him herself.

“Yes?” His voice was irritated.

“The funeral is tomorrow. At two o’clock.”

“So what? I told you—I’m not going.”

“That’s not why I’m calling. Mom left a deposit. In my name. Eight hundred thousand.”

Silence. Then a light cough.

“Eight hundred? Are you serious?”

“Yes. And she left me the house too.”

“That’s… that’s great!” His voice suddenly turned warm. “Listen, maybe I should come after all? Help with the paperwork?”

“No need. I can manage.”

“Natalya, come on. I’m your husband. I should be there for you.”

She smiled bitterly. When she grieved—he turned his back. When he heard “money”—he remembered his duty.

“Come if you want,” she said quietly. “If not—stay where you are.”

Vitaly didn’t come. Only relatives and neighbors attended the funeral. Yelena Pavlovna was laid to rest with dignity—quiet memorial speeches, kind memories, genuine tears from those who knew her as a kind, hardworking woman who devoted her life to her children and her land.

Four days later, Natalya returned to the city. The key barely turned in the lock—Vitaly had again forgotten to oil it. His dirty sneakers were in the hallway, his jacket thrown carelessly on the rack. The living room looked like a storm had passed through—beer cans on the table, pillows on the floor, an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts. The kitchen was worse: a mountain of dirty dishes, hardened food scraps, the trash bin overflowing. Just four days—and the apartment looked like it belonged to someone who didn’t care.

In the bedroom, Vitaly lay in a wrinkled t-shirt, staring at his tablet. Hearing her steps, he looked up but didn’t get up.

“So, you’re back? I’m hungry.”

Natalya stood in the doorway, looking at him—his unshaven face, greasy hair, a posture more lazy than tired. Fifteen years with this man… How had it come to this?

“Did you even wash the dishes once while I was gone?”

“No time. Work.”

“Today is Sunday.”

“So what? I need rest too.”

She walked into the kitchen in silence and began cleaning. Her hands moved automatically, but her mind was far away. Thinking of her mother, who had saved every ruble for years so her daughter could have a better life. Of the man who couldn’t even take out the trash while his wife buried her mother. Of a life that was supposed to get easier—but had turned into a burden.

That evening, something unexpected happened. Vitaly came home with a huge bouquet of red roses and a bag from the bakery—her favorite eclairs.

“Sweetheart, I’ve been thinking… I behaved terribly. Your mom died, and I didn’t support you, didn’t go… That was so wrong of me.”

He placed the flowers in a vase, neatly arranged the pastries on a plate, brewed tea. His face was tense, like he was forcing remorse.

“Forgive me, Natalya. I should’ve been there. Remember how we met? At that fair, where you were selling cucumbers and zucchini. Your mom smiled at me like I was family.”
Family games

Natalya nodded. Yes, she remembered. Back then, Vitaly was different—alive, attentive, caring. Where had that man gone?

“I was thinking,” he continued, “about the money… We need to handle it right. I can take a day off, go with you to the bank, to the notary. There are so many scammers now… I just want to protect you.”

“Thanks, but I can handle it myself.”

“But we’re a family! We should decide together how to invest the money. I know a guy—he’s into investments, he can help.”

“Vitaly, it’s my mother’s inheritance. I’ll make the decisions myself.”

He frowned but quickly composed himself.

“Of course, dear. But you understand—in a family, everything is shared. We’ve been together for years, paying the mortgage together…”

“That you took out in your name,” Natalya reminded him quietly but firmly.

“That’s just a formality! The apartment is ours, you’re registered there…”

“Registration doesn’t mean ownership. And inheritance is not marital property.”

Vitaly stood up abruptly. The mask of the repentant husband slipped.

“What are you saying? That you won’t share?”

“I’m saying I won’t rush into anything. My mother died a week ago. I need time.”

“Time?” His voice sharpened. “When I needed a car, you didn’t ask for time! You just said we had no money!”

“Because we didn’t. We were barely scraping by.”

“But now we do! Eight hundred thousand! We can buy a decent car, go to Europe—not that shabby spa you dragged me to!”

“That ‘shabby spa’ was the only one we could afford. I saved for it for six months.”

“Enough!” Vitaly slammed the table. The vase with roses shook. “I’m your husband! I have a right to half!”

“No, you don’t. The law clearly states: inheritance is separate property.”

“How do you know that?”

“I read it. On the bus. And I also found out I can file for divorce without your consent.”

Vitaly froze. Then slowly sank into a chair.

“You want a divorce?”

“I’m considering it. Vitaly, face the truth. You didn’t come to my mother’s funeral because you didn’t care. And now you suddenly ‘care’—only after hearing about the money.”

“I truly regret it! It’s just… work, stress…”

“Don’t lie. You don’t care that I lost my mother. You care about the bank account.”

“How dare you! I’ve worked for us for fifteen years!”

“Worked? When’s the last time you cooked dinner? Did the laundry? Asked how I was? I work just as much, but I run this house alone!”

“That’s a woman’s job!”

“And a man’s job is what? Being rude, demanding, doing nothing? Where were you when I needed support?”

 

Vitaly grabbed the vase and hurled it at the wall. The roses scattered, glass shattered on the floor.

“You ungrateful wench! I pulled you out of that village and gave you a decent life!”

“From the village? I graduated from university, got a job, earned my own money! You just showed up later and took credit!”

The argument hit its peak. Vitaly shouted, flailed his arms, spit flying. Natalya looked at him and, for the first time in years, saw—not a husband, but a stranger. Aggressive. Greedy. How had she excused him for so long? Told herself, “He’s just tired,” “He means well,” “He’ll change with time”?

“You know what?” she said quietly, standing up. “Get out.”

“What? This is my apartment!”

“This is a mortgage apartment, and I pay half. But if you want, I’ll call the police. Tell them how you’re breaking things.”

She took his keys off the hook and handed them to him.

“I’ll pack your things and leave them in the hallway. Take them and go.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

But at that moment, the door across the hall opened. Nina Vasilievna, the neighbor, stepped out, drawn by the noise.

“Everything’s fine, Nina Vasilievna,” Natalya said calmly. “Vitaly was just leaving.”

The woman glanced at his distorted face, then at Natalya—tired but resolute. She nodded.

“If you need anything—call me. Petrovich will help.”

Vitaly realized he had lost. With a witness present, he didn’t dare cause more trouble. He grabbed his jacket and stormed out.

“You’ll regret this!” came his shout from the stairwell.

Natalya shut the door and leaned against it. Her hands were trembling. But inside—there was no emptiness, no fear, only a strange, unexpected relief. As if after years of captivity, she was suddenly free.

The next day, she packed his things into boxes, left them in the hallway, changed the locks, and notified the concierge.

A week later, she filed for divorce. No children, no property disputes. In court, Vitaly tried to claim half the deposit, but the judge clearly explained: inheritance is personal property.

A month later, everything was finalized. The 800,000 rubles were in her account. The house in the village was officially hers. Natalya took a vacation and went there—to sort through her mother’s belongings, clean up, breathe the air of her childhood home.

Standing on the porch, she watched the sunset. The warm wind smelled of apples and hay. Somewhere in the distance, children laughed, cows mooed. Peace. For the first time in years—true peace.

Her phone rang. Vitaly’s number. Natalya calmly declined the call and blocked the contact.

The past was behind her. Ahead lay a new life. Without humiliation. Without pretending. Without having to endure a stranger beside her.

Her mother had been right: happiness isn’t about money. Happiness is having the right to choose how to live.

And now, Natalya had that choice.

Elena raised a glass of champagne, smiling at her friend Olga. The birthday party was a success—about twenty people had gathered at the café, laughter never stopped, and for the first time in months she felt like just a woman, not only the mother of one-year-old Yulia.

— To your happiness! — she said, just as her phone rang sharply.

— Elena, where are you?! — Mikhail’s voice was clearly irritated. — Our daughter’s been screaming for an hour and a half!

— Mikhail, I told you I’d be late. Olga only celebrates once a year. We agreed…

— You promised to be back in two hours! It’s already been three!

Elena stepped away from the table so she wouldn’t disturb the others.

— Try giving her a bottle of water. Maybe she’s just hot.

— I’ve tried everything! Yulia’s sick, she needs her mother!

— Misha, calm down. Check her diaper—maybe it’s rubbing. I’ll be there in an hour.

— No! Come home right now! — Mikhail was almost shouting. — Or do you not care about your own daughter?

— Fine, I’ll get there ten minutes early.

— Elena, you… — Busy tone. He hung up.

Elena returned to the table, but the mood was ruined. Her friends gathered around her with concern.

— What happened? — Olga asked gently.

— Yulia’s crying and Misha can’t calm her down. Says she’s sick.

— Good grief, he’s a man! — Tatyana cut in. — My Igor panicked at first too. Thought the baby would break if he touched her.

— And my husband still can’t figure out why our daughter cries — Marina laughed. — He calls me for every little thing.

— Girls, maybe I should go after all? — Elena wavered.

— This is your first time out in three months! — Olga said firmly. — He can wait an hour. Let him learn to be a father.

Elena tried to rejoin the conversation when Mikhail burst into the café holding a whimpering Yulia.

— There she is! — he bellowed across the room. — Mother of the year! While her daughter is dying, she’s out having fun!

All conversation stopped. People turned to stare, and Elena flushed.

— Misha, what are you doing? — she said quietly.

— Doing what I should have done an hour ago! — Mikhail rocked the sniveling child theatrically. — Bringing our dying daughter to her irresponsible mother!

— Stop making a scene, — Olga stood up. — It’s inappropriate, and the child, I might remind you, is yours too.

— Stay out of it! — he snapped. — You’re the one who tore her away from Yulia. Look — he pointed at the child’s wet eyes.

— Keep your voice down, young man, — a gray-haired man at the next table addressed him. — People are trying to eat.

— None of your business! — Mikhail barked. — My wife abandoned a sick child!

— Misha, please, — Elena stood, took her daughter. Yulia calmed almost immediately in her arms.

— Olya, I’m sorry, — she said to her friend. — I need to go.

— Of course you do! — Mikhail smirked nastily. — Finally remembered your motherly duties!

— Don’t apologize, — Olga hugged her. — This isn’t your fault.

— Go to hell! — Tatyana couldn’t hold back. — Normal men don’t behave like this!

Mikhail started to retort, but the café manager strode firmly up to their table.

— I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. You’re disturbing the other guests.

At home, Elena took off her daughter’s top and found a tag sticking out on the inside of the collar that had left a red mark on the delicate skin.

— So that’s the big illness, — she showed her husband. — The tag was chafing.

— How was I supposed to know? — he shrugged, settling onto the couch.

— How? By undressing her and looking!

— Listen, I didn’t sign up to be a nanny. That’s women’s work.

Elena turned to him.

— What did you just say?

— Exactly what I said. I work, I provide for the family. Kids are your responsibility.

— Misha, you humiliated me in front of everyone over a clothing tag!

— At least now you know a mother belongs at home, not in a café with her girlfriends.

— Are you serious? — Elena couldn’t believe it. — Misha, I work remotely, I’m running three projects at once, I take care of the baby, I cook, I clean… When am I supposed to rest?

— Rest? — Mikhail snorted. — Staying home with a child is rest. Try grinding away in an office for ten hours!

— Try not sleeping at night with a screaming baby! — Elena flared.

— Oh, come on, how hard can it be? Feed her, change the diaper…

— Exactly! How hard can it be? Yet somehow you couldn’t even find a tag!

Mikhail grabbed his car keys.

— That’s it, I’m tired. I’m going to Sergey’s to get a break from all this family bliss.

— Run along, — his wife said softly. — Like you always do.

Elena looked at the closed door, her calm daughter in her arms. She quickly packed the baby’s things into a bag, dressed Yulia, and left the apartment.

Half an hour later she was standing at her mother-in-law’s door with a suitcase and a stroller.

— Elena? — Anna Petrovna was surprised. — What happened?

— I’m leaving Mikhail. Can we stay with you for a few days?

— Of course, come in. Tell me what that fool’s done this time.

— He made a scene in a café in front of everyone, — Elena sat on the sofa, rocking Yulia. — Shouted that I’m a horrible mother, that our daughter was dying… And it turned out the tag on her clothes was rubbing. He didn’t even really try to figure it out.

— Lord, what a disgrace, — her mother-in-law shook her head. — And then?

— Then he said children are exclusively women’s business. That he’s not a nanny.

— I see, — Anna Petrovna said dryly. — So Yulia isn’t his daughter, then?

— Exactly. And you know what infuriates me most? He thinks staying home with a child is a vacation.

— I was a fool, — the older woman sighed. — I spoiled the boy. Thought marriage would straighten him out. He’s only gotten worse.

The next day Mikhail showed up at his mother’s, angry.

— Mom, where’s my wife? She has to come home!

— She’s not going anywhere, — Anna Petrovna replied calmly. — But you explain why you put on a circus in the café?

— What circus? I was defending my daughter’s interests!

— From a clothing tag? — his mother asked coolly. — Elena told me everything.

— Don’t listen to her, Mom! She’s exaggerating! — Mikhail paced nervously. — Kick her out of here, she needs to go home!

— Mikhail, sit down, — Anna Petrovna said sternly. — We’re going to have a proper talk.

— About what? A wife belongs at home!

— Elena has more right to live in that apartment as the mother of my granddaughter. And you… you’ve disappointed me.

— Mom, I’m the one bringing in money!

— And Elena works too. From home, online, but she works. Plus she’s raising the child, plus she handles the whole household. And what do you do?

— I provide for the family!

— Then provide quietly. Remember how hard it was for me to raise you alone after your father died? I thought you’d understand what responsibility is.

— Oh, come on, that’s not the same. My job is hard, stressful…

— And hers is easy, right? — his mother said with sarcasm. — Mikhail, when was the last time you got up with the baby at night?

— Why would I? She’s got milk!

— When was the last time you played with your daughter? Took her for a walk? Gave her a bath?

Mikhail was silent, realizing he had no answer.

— Mom, I get tired at work…

— So does she! But she doesn’t throw tantrums in public places!

Mikhail’s eyes flashed with anger.

— Fine! I’ll find another woman and marry her! Let this one sit alone with the child!

— Try it, — his mother replied evenly. — But first, pay your child support on time. I’ll make sure of it.

— Mom, whose mother are you? Mine or hers?

— I’m the mother of a grown man who should take responsibility for his actions. Right now all I see is an infantile egoist.

A month later the divorce was finalized. Mikhail was triumphant—finally, freedom! He even brought home a new acquaintance, Svetlana, a blonde from the neighboring department.

— Misha, your apartment is so beautiful! — she admired, looking around.

— That’s nothing, — Mikhail smirked. — I’ll redo the place soon, buy new furniture. Now that I’ve gotten rid of the family ballast, I can live for myself.

— And your ex-wife? — Svetlana asked.

— What about her? She’s living at my mother’s with the kid. Let her sit there and parent.

— And alimony?

— What alimony? — Mikhail waved it off. — My mother’s well-off, they won’t starve.

They were sitting in the kitchen when the door opened with a key. In walked Anna Petrovna, followed by Elena with Yulia.

— Why did you bring her here? — Mikhail asked his mother in alarm when he saw his ex-wife with the child.

— I’m returning the rightful owners, — Anna Petrovna announced. — The apartment now belongs to my granddaughter Yulia. And you, young lady, are free to go.

— Mom, what are you doing? — Mikhail shouted.

— What I should’ve done earlier. Pack your things, you’re coming to live with me.

— Misha, what’s going on? — Svetlana asked, bewildered.

— Nothing special, — Anna Petrovna said coolly. — My son forgot to mention that the apartment was transferred to my granddaughter six months ago. I foresaw this turn of events.

— Mom, you can’t do this! — Mikhail pleaded.

— I can. And I will. Elena, make yourself at home.

Svetlana grabbed her purse and ran out without saying goodbye.

— Sveta, wait! — Mikhail shouted after her, but the door had already slammed.

Two years passed. Mikhail realized his friends were avoiding him—tired of the constant whining. His mother spoke to him coldly, and she categorically forbade him to live with a new woman in her apartment.

He dialed Elena’s number.

— Lenochka, let’s talk. Maybe we can get back together?

— There’s nothing to go back to, Misha. I’m already home.

— But we’re a family! Yulia needs her father!

— You can be a father after divorce, too. No one’s stopping you from seeing your daughter.

— Listen, maybe I can help with renovating the nursery?

— Thanks, it’s already done. Viktor helped.

— What? Who’s Viktor? — Mikhail tensed.

— A colleague. A very good man. By the way, he’s asked me to a café tomorrow.

— Are you going?

— I think so. It’s time to start living without you.

— Who even is this guy? Some random man?

— Not random. He’s been helping me for three months. Plays with Yulia, does the grocery run when I’m sick.

— Does he give you money too? — Mikhail asked acidly.

— No, Misha. He helps because he wants to. Without tantrums and reproaches.

Mikhail sat in his mother’s room staring at the ceiling. Everything had collapsed because of a stupid clothing tag. No—because of his inability to simply undress his child and see what was bothering her.

The phone rang. Elena.

— Misha, I wasn’t sure whether to tell you, but you should probably know. Viktor proposed.

— What?! — Mikhail yelled. — And what did you say?

— I’ll think about it. But, you know… he doesn’t cause scenes in public. And he loves spending time with Yulia. I haven’t decided yet, but…

— Lenochka, wait… You can’t be serious! We lived together five years!

— So what? Do those five years give you the right to scream at me in public?

— I didn’t mean to! You just drive me crazy with your “rightness” sometimes!

— You see? Even now you can’t talk normally.

— Lena, let’s try again!

— No, Misha. Viktor has shown me how a man can treat a woman. He reads Yulia bedtime stories, and he doesn’t consider it beneath him.

— I can read those stupid stories too!

— Not stupid—important to our daughter. But you don’t get that.

— I do! I was just tired of working for you two!

— Exactly. “For us.” Viktor says “for us,” not “on us.” See the difference?

— Lenochka, wait…

— It’s decided. I’m sorry, but the family we tried to build ended that day in the café. Forever.

Busy tone. Mikhail slowly set the phone down and realized he had gotten exactly what he claimed to want—complete freedom from family obligations. Only somehow it brought no joy at all.

In the next room he heard his mother’s voice on the phone:

— Of course, Lenochka, I’ll be at your wedding. It’s your choice, and my granddaughter…

Mikhail burst out of the room.

— Mom! What are you doing?

— Talking to Elena. She invited me to the wedding.

— You can’t go! I’m your son!

— And? Does that give you the right to ruin a good girl’s life?

— A good girl? She dumped me!

— She did the right thing. In her place I’d have left much earlier.

— Thanks for the support, Mother!

— Support is for when you deserve it. Right now you deserve only the truth.

— What truth?

— That you’re an egoist, Misha. You think only of yourself.

— I worked! I brought money home!

— And thought that was enough. While your wife was supposed to keep quiet and endure your outbursts.

— What outbursts? I didn’t drink, I didn’t cheat!

— But you shouted all the time. Belittled her. Were ashamed of your own daughter.

— I wasn’t ashamed! I just didn’t know what to do with her!

— You should have loved her, Misha. Just loved her.

A week later Mikhail met Elena outside the kindergarten. She was picking up Yulia, and a tall man in glasses stood beside her.

— Lena!

She turned. Her face grew wary.

— Hi, Misha.

— Is that him? — Mikhail nodded at the man.

— Viktor, this is Mikhail, Yulia’s father.

Viktor held out his hand.

— Pleasure to meet you.

— Can’t say the same, — Mikhail muttered, not taking the hand.

— Misha, don’t start, — Elena warned.

— Don’t start what? She’s my daughter!

— No one’s arguing. You can see her on weekends.

— Under his supervision, right?

— Of course not. But if you want to take her for the weekend, tell me in advance.

— Oh, so now I have to ask permission?

— Not just have to—you’re obliged. I’m her legal guardian, and you’re just her father… her biological father.

— Daddy! — Yulia shouted, running out of the kindergarten.

The girl threw herself into her father’s arms. Mikhail lifted her up.

— Hi, sweetheart. I missed you.

— I missed you too! And Uncle Vitya said we’re going to the zoo!

— Uncle Vitya? — Mikhail winced at the words.

— Uh-huh! He’s really kind. He buys ice cream and reads books!

— I see. Bought my daughter with ice cream. How dare you! You’re meddling in my life!

— Not in yours— in theirs, — Viktor explained. — And you walked out of their life yourself.

— I didn’t walk out! I was thrown out!

— Yulia, let’s go, — Elena stepped in. — It’s time to head home.

— Lena, wait! — Mikhail called. — Don’t go!

— Why should I stay? So you can stage another scene?

— I don’t make scenes!

— You do, Daddy, — Yulia said quietly. — You always shout at Mom.

Mikhail froze. His three-year-old daughter’s words were harsher than any reproach.

— Yulia, I…

— I’m scared when you shout.

— That’s enough, — Elena said. — Yulia, let’s go.

They left. Mikhail stood alone outside the kindergarten, realizing he had lost not only his wife but maybe his daughter too. And he had no one to blame but himself.

— Well, did you eat that up? — Vlad barged into the kitchen, swinging his car keys like a scepter. — The deal is closed. I told you I’d crush them.

 Anya slowly lifted her gaze from the laptop screen. His flushed, triumphant face was mirrored on the glossy surface.

She silently closed the lid. The banking app still lingered on the darkened screen, showing a seven-figure sum.

— I’m glad it worked out for you, — she replied evenly.

Vlad snorted and opened the fridge with the authority of an inspector.

— Worked out? Anya, this isn’t “worked out.” This is the natural result. The result of brains, grit, and hard work — not staring at silly pictures on the internet.

He was talking about her blog. The one he’d spent the past five years calling “nonsense” and a “waste of time.” She never argued. Why bother?

Anya stood and walked to the window. Evening lights shimmered in the rain-streaked glass like a blurred watercolor.

 

Five years of humiliation, mockery, and dismissal. Five years she’d poured into her blog about rare, nearly vanished crafts, collecting stories from old masters piece by piece.

— Speaking of your little pictures, — Vlad continued, pulling a bottle of expensive sparkling wine from the fridge. — It’s about time you quit that. We’ll need more money soon. I’ve picked out a new country house. And your hobby only puts us in the red.

He said “we,” but she clearly heard “me.” That was always the way. His victories were his alone, but financial burdens were shared.

— Do you even realize the level we’re at? — Vlad approached, popping the cork with a loud bang. Foam sprayed across the windowsill. — I’m the man who gets things done. And you… who are you?

He poured himself a full glass, ignoring her.

Anya looked at his reflection in the dark glass — the smug grin, the expensive suit he thought made him untouchable.

Inside her, there was no anger, no bitterness. Just a strange, ringing calm. As though she were watching a scene from a bad movie.

 

— You’re broke, and I’m successful! — he laughed, as if it were an undeniable fact of the universe. — You should remember who carries the weight of this family.
Family games

He drank, waiting for her reaction. Tears? A breakdown? Silent submission?

Anya slowly turned to him. She looked him straight in the eyes — not defiantly, but with faint curiosity.

The way one looks at a book long read and grown dull.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

A message from a buyer. A major international media network had purchased her “useless” blog to turn it into a global project. They wrote they were deeply impressed with her work.

— You know, Vlad, — she began quietly, her voice steady, — you’re right. It really is time to change something.

 

She picked up her laptop from the table.

— I think I’ll go. Book myself a hotel room. You celebrate. You’ve earned it.

He froze, glass in hand, his face stretching in shock. He hadn’t expected this. He thought he was in control.

Anya was already in the hallway, slipping on her coat.

— Where are you going? — he shouted, bewildered. — What, are you upset? Anya!

But she was already opening the front door. On the threshold, she turned back with the same calm smile.

 

— Don’t worry. I’ll pay for the hotel myself.

The door of the presidential suite closed softly behind the porter. Anya stood alone in the vast living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Below, the night city glittered — the same one that had seemed cold and distant just an hour ago.

She slipped off her shoes and walked barefoot across the plush carpet. The sensation was incredible. This wasn’t just freedom. It was coming back to herself.

Her phone buzzed insistently. Ten missed calls from Vlad. Then texts. First angry, then anxious, and finally almost pathetic. “Anya, I’m worried. Please pick up.”

She silenced it. Not now.

In the morning, she woke to sunlight flooding the room. For the first time in years, she had slept deeply. No nightmares, no heaviness in her chest.

She ordered breakfast in — the kind Vlad called “a waste of money” — and, wrapped in a silk robe by the window, opened her laptop.

An email awaited her from Eleonora Van der Meer, head of the European division of the media group. They invited her to Brussels. Tomorrow.

Anya smiled. Everything was happening so fast, but she wasn’t afraid. Only exhilarated.

Meanwhile, Vlad was unraveling.

He called all their mutual friends, her few girlfriends, even her mother, painting the picture as if Anya had had a nervous breakdown from his “overwhelming success.”

— She’s always been fragile with that blog, — he sighed into the phone. — So delicate. I’m afraid she might do something stupid.

By noon, he realized his story wasn’t working. Nobody believed Anya was crazy. But everyone heard the thinly veiled panic in his voice.

The last straw was a call from his business partner.

— Vlad, did you see the news? Some handicraft blog got sold for eight million euros! Can you imagine? Threads of Time, it’s called. Isn’t that your wife’s hobby?

Vlad froze. He remembered the name. She had mentioned it when asking for money to visit some embroiderer in a remote village. He’d laughed at her.

Frantically, he searched online. Forbes article. Anya’s photograph.

Smiling. Confident. And the sum of the deal — not just big. Massive. More than he had ever earned in his life.

Vlad’s world — where he was king and god — collapsed in an instant. His face twisted with rage mixed with primal fear. Now he understood her calmness. Her departure. Her final words.

He quickly found out which hotel she was in. Less than an hour.

Anya had just finished a video call with Eleonora, discussing contract details and future strategy.

She felt weightless. Not just a content creator now — they offered her to lead an entire division, overseeing projects worldwide.

A sharp, demanding knock rattled the door. Anya frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone.

She peeked through the peephole — and recoiled. Vlad stood there. His face pale, eyes burning with a cruel fire. He looked like a man stripped of everything.

She opened the door.

— We need to talk, — he hissed, pushing past her into the suite. His lips curled in a bitter sneer as he scanned the luxury. — Nice setup. On my money?

Anya closed the door behind him, leaning back against it. She had expected this line. She was ready.

— Yours? — she asked calmly. — Vlad, all the money you ever gave me for “pins and needles” wouldn’t cover a single night here. So no. Not yours.

He spun around, caught off guard. His plan — storm in, scare her, dominate — was crumbling.

— It’s our money, Anya! — he tried a different tactic, adopting a pleading tone. — We’re a family. What’s yours is mine. I supported you. I inspired you! Without me, you’d still be nowhere!
Family games

— Inspired me? — she allowed herself a faint smile. — By calling my work “nonsense”? By telling me to “get a real job”? Or by declaring me broke just yesterday? Which of those was the inspiration, exactly?

Each word hit him like a blow. He flinched.

 

— You don’t understand big money! — he shouted, snapping back into aggression. — They’ll trick you! Those corporate sharks will devour you! You need me. I know how to handle assets. We can multiply it all. Build an empire!

He stepped toward her, hand outstretched, as if inviting her into his grand vision.

— Your empire collapsed last night, Vlad, — Anya cut him off. — About the time you popped your champagne. And you know what? I don’t want an empire. I want my life. The one I’ll build myself.

She picked up her phone and quickly typed something.

— What are you doing? — he asked, real fear creeping into his voice now. The fear of losing not a wife, but a resource.

— Calling security. Our conversation is over.

— No! — he lunged toward her. — Anya, wait! Please! I see it now! I was wrong!

It was a pitiful sight. The mighty Vlad, feared and respected, now begging the woman he had treated as property just yesterday.

— No, Vlad, you don’t see anything, — she replied, steady as ever. — You just saw numbers on someone else’s bank account. My lawyer will contact you about the divorce.

And about that house you picked out — forget it. Your last deal won’t even cover the down payment.

She pressed the call button.

Two burly guards arrived within minutes. Efficient. Professional.

— Please escort this gentleman out, — Anya said, pointing at the stunned Vlad. — He’s mistaken the room number.

Vlad didn’t resist. He just stared at her with hollow eyes as they led him away. No rage left. Only emptiness.

When the door closed behind him, Anya exhaled slowly. She walked to the vast window.

The city below pulsed with life, and for the first time, she felt part of it.

Free. Strong. And endlessly happy.

Tomorrow, her flight to Brussels awaited. Tomorrow, her real life would begin.

A heavy, suffocating silence wrapped around the apartment, steeped in the scent of incense and wilting lilies. Marina sat hunched on the edge of the couch, as if crushed by an invisible weight. The black dress clung to her body, itching—reminding her of the cause of this dead stillness: today she had buried her grandmother, Eiroïda Anatolyevna—the last family she had left in the world.

Across from her, sprawled in an armchair, was her husband Andrey. His presence felt like mockery—for tomorrow they were to file for divorce. He had not spoken a single word of sympathy, only watching her in silence, barely concealing his irritation, as though impatient for this tedious play to end.

Marina fixed her gaze on the faded carpet pattern, feeling the last sparks of hope for reconciliation slowly extinguish, leaving only an icy void behind.

“Well then, my condolences,” Andrey finally broke the silence, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Now you’re quite the lady of means. An heiress! I suppose your granny left you a fortune? Oh, right, I forgot—the greatest inheritance of all: an old, stinking ZiL fridge. Congratulations, what a luxury.”

His words cut sharper than any blade. Memories rose: endless quarrels, shouting, tears. Her grandmother, with the rare name Eiroïda, had hated her son-in-law from the start. “He’s a swindler, Marina,” she would warn sternly. “Empty as a barrel. Watch out—he’ll strip you bare and leave you.” Andrey would only curl his lip and sneer, calling her “the old witch.” Marina had stood between them countless times, desperately trying to smooth things over, shedding tears in the belief she could mend it all. Now she understood: her grandmother had seen the truth from the very beginning.

“And speaking of your ‘brilliant’ future,” Andrey continued cruelly, adjusting his expensive jacket, “don’t bother coming to work tomorrow. You’re fired. The order was signed this morning. So, darling, soon even your ZiL will feel like a luxury. You’ll be scavenging scraps from dumpsters, and you’ll thank me for it.”

That was the end. Not just of their marriage—the end of the entire life she had built around this man. The last hope that he might show a shred of humanity was gone. In its place, cold, pure hatred began to take root.

Marina lifted her empty eyes to him but said nothing. What was the point? Everything had been said already. Silently, she rose, walked into the bedroom, and picked up the bag she had packed in advance. Ignoring his jeers and laughter, she gripped the key to her grandmother’s old, long-abandoned apartment and walked out without a backward glance.

 

The street greeted her with a chill evening wind. She paused beneath a dim streetlamp, setting down two heavy bags. Before her loomed a gray nine-story building—the home of her childhood and youth, where her parents had once lived.

She hadn’t been here in years. After the car crash that killed her mother and father, her grandmother had sold her own apartment and moved here to raise her granddaughter. These walls held too much pain, and once Marina married Andrey, she avoided the place, meeting her grandmother anywhere but here.

Now it was her only refuge. Bitterness twisted in her chest as she remembered Eiroïda Anatolyevna—her support, her mother, father, and friend all in one. Yet in recent years Marina had visited so rarely, consumed by work at her husband’s firm and her futile attempts to save their crumbling marriage. Guilt pierced her heart. At last the tears she had held back all day burst forth. She stood trembling with soundless sobs, small and lost in the vast, indifferent city.

“Auntie, need help?” came a thin, hoarse voice nearby. Marina started. A boy of about ten stood before her, wearing a jacket far too big and worn sneakers. Dirt streaked his cheeks, but his gaze was clear, almost adult. He nodded toward her bags. “Heavy, huh?”

Marina hastily wiped her tears. His straightforwardness caught her off guard.

“No, I’ll manage…” she began, but her voice broke.

He studied her intently.

“Why are you crying?” he asked—not with childish curiosity but with a sober, adult tone. “Happy people don’t stand in the street with suitcases, crying.”

Those simple words made her see him differently. His eyes held no pity, no mockery—only understanding.

“My name’s Seryozha,” he said.

“Marina,” she exhaled, tension easing a little. “All right, Seryozha. Help me.”

She nodded at one of the bags. He grunted, lifted it, and together they entered the dark, damp stairwell smelling of mold and cats.

The apartment door creaked open, releasing silence and dust. White sheets covered the furniture, curtains drawn tight, with only faint streetlight catching the drifting motes. The air smelled of old books and sadness—an abandoned home. Seryozha set down the bag, glanced around like a seasoned cleaner, and pronounced:

“Yeah… this’ll take a week, at least, if we work together.”

Marina managed a weak smile. His practicality brought a spark of life into the gloom. She looked at him—thin, small, yet so serious. She knew that once he finished helping, he would return to the cold and danger of the streets.

“Listen, Seryozha,” she said firmly. “It’s late. Stay here tonight. It’s too cold outside.”

He looked up in surprise. For a moment his eyes flashed with doubt, but then he simply nodded.

That evening, after a modest meal of bread and cheese from the corner shop, they sat in the kitchen. Clean and warm, Seryozha looked almost like any ordinary child. He told his story—without self-pity or tears. His parents drank. A fire in their shack. They died. He survived. They sent him to an orphanage, but he escaped.
Kitchen supplies

“I won’t go back,” he said, staring into his empty cup. “They say from the orphanage it’s straight to prison. Like a ticket to misery. Better the street—at least you fend for yourself.”

“That’s not true,” Marina said softly, her own grief fading before his. “Neither an orphanage nor the street decide who you become. Only you. It’s all up to you.”

He looked at her thoughtfully. And in that moment, a fragile but unbreakable thread of trust stretched between their two lonely souls.

Later, Marina made up a bed on the old couch, found clean linens scented with mothballs. Seryozha curled up and drifted off almost instantly—the first time in ages in a real, warm bed. Watching his peaceful face, Marina felt: maybe her life wasn’t over after all.

The next morning, gray light slipped through the curtains. Marina tiptoed to the kitchen, scribbled a note: “I’ll be back soon. There’s milk and bread in the fridge. Don’t go anywhere.” Then she left.

Today was divorce day.

The court hearing was even more humiliating than she had feared. Andrey showered her with insults, painting her as a lazy, ungrateful parasite. Marina kept silent, feeling hollow and filthy. When the session ended and she walked out with the divorce decree in hand, she felt no relief—only emptiness and bitterness.

As she wandered the city aimlessly, his jeering words about the fridge returned to her mind.

That clunky ZiL, dented and scratched, stood in the kitchen like a relic from another era. Marina regarded it with new eyes. Seryozha, too, came over, running his hands along its enamel, tapping thoughtfully.

“Whoa, that’s ancient!” he whistled. “Even the one in our shack was newer. Does it even work?”

“No,” Marina sighed, sinking onto a chair. “Silent for years. Just a keepsake.”

The next day they tackled a full cleaning spree. With rags, brushes, and buckets, they stripped peeling wallpaper, scrubbed grime, shook dust from old things. Conversation, laughter, pauses, then more work—hours passed, and to Marina’s surprise, each one made her feel lighter. The boy’s chatter and the physical labor washed the ashes of the past from her soul.

“When I grow up, I’ll be a train driver,” Seryozha declared dreamily, scrubbing a windowsill. “I’ll drive trains far, to places I’ve never been.”

“That’s a wonderful dream,” Marina smiled. “But to make it happen, you need to study well. That means going back to school.”

He nodded gravely. “If it’s necessary, I’ll do it.”

Yet his curiosity kept returning to the fridge. He circled it like a mystery, peered inside, tapped, listened. Something about the old ZiL unsettled him.

“Look, something’s off,” he finally said, calling Marina over. “Here, the wall’s thin, normal. But this side—it’s thick, solid. Doesn’t feel right.”

Marina ran her hand along it—indeed, one side felt denser. They inspected carefully and soon noticed a faint seam along the inner panel. With a knife, she pried it open, revealing a hidden cavity.

 

Inside lay neat bundles of dollars and euros. Beside them, in velvet cases, gleamed antique jewels: an emerald ring, a pearl necklace, diamond earrings. They froze, afraid to break the fragile silence of the miracle.

“Wow…” they breathed together.

Marina sank to the floor, everything clicking into place. Her grandmother’s words—“Don’t throw out old junk, Marina, it’s worth more than your flashy fop”—her insistence that Marina take this very fridge. Eiroïda Anatolyevna, who had lived through repression, war, and currency collapse, had trusted no banks. She hid everything—her past, her hope, her future—in what she thought the safest place: the wall of a refrigerator.

It wasn’t just treasure. It was a survival plan. Grandmother had known Andrey would leave Marina with nothing, and left her a chance—a chance to begin anew.

Tears poured again, but now of gratitude, relief, love. Marina turned to Seryozha, still spellbound by the find, and hugged him tight.

“Seryozha,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Now everything will be fine. I can adopt you. We’ll buy a home, you’ll go to the best school. You’ll have everything you deserve.”

The boy turned slowly, his eyes filled with a deep, aching hope that made her heart ache.

“Really?” he asked softly. “You really want to be my mom?”

“Really,” she said firmly. “More than anything.”

Years flew like a breath. Marina officially adopted Sergei. With part of the treasure, they bought a bright, spacious apartment in a good neighborhood.

Sergei proved exceptionally gifted. He studied voraciously, caught up on lost years, skipped grades, and earned a scholarship to a prestigious economics university.

Marina too rebuilt her life: earning another degree, founding a small but thriving consulting agency. What once seemed destroyed regained shape, meaning, warmth.

Nearly ten years later, a tall, confident young man adjusted his tie in the mirror. Sergei, now grown, was graduating at the top of his class.

“Mama, how do I look?” he turned to Marina.

“As always—perfect,” she smiled proudly. “Just don’t get cocky.”

“I’m not cocky, I’m stating facts,” he winked. “By the way, Professor Lev called again. Why did you turn him down? He’s a good man. You like him.”

Lev Igorevich—their neighbor, a kind, intelligent professor—had long courted Marina shyly.

“Today something more important,” she waved him off. “My son is graduating. Let’s go, we’ll be late.”

The auditorium was packed—parents, professors, and company representatives scouting talent. Marina sat in the fifth row, her heart swelling with pride.

Then her gaze froze. Among the employers on stage, she recognized Andrey. Older, heavier, but the smug smirk was the same. Her heart skipped—then steadied. There was no fear, only a cold, clinical curiosity.

When Andrey took the podium as the head of a flourishing finance firm, he spoke pompously of careers, money, prestige.

“We seek only the best!” he declared. “We will open every door!”

Then the best graduate was called—Sergei. Calm and confident, he took the stage. The hall fell silent.

“Honored professors, friends, guests,” he began clearly. “Today we step into a new life. And I want to tell a story. About how I came to stand here. Once, I was a homeless boy on the street.”

A whisper rippled through the audience. Marina held her breath. She hadn’t known what he would say.

He continued, voice like steel. He told of a woman, cast out by her husband that very day—penniless, jobless, hopeless—who found him, dirty and starving. He spared no names, but his eyes stayed locked on a pale Andrey.

“That man told her she would scavenge in garbage,” Sergei said sharply. “In a sense, he was right. Because in the world’s garbage, she found me. And today, I want to thank him. Thank you, Mr. Andreyev, for your cruelty. Thank you for throwing your wife into the street. If not for you, my mother and I would never have met. And I would never have become who I am.”

The hall froze. Then erupted like an explosion. All eyes turned to Andrey, red with rage and shame.

“That is why,” Sergei concluded, “I state publicly: I will never work for a man of such morals. And I advise my peers to think carefully before tying their fate to his company. Thank you.”

He stepped down to thunderous applause—first hesitant, then roaring. Andrey’s reputation, built on showy wealth, collapsed in minutes. Sergei embraced Marina—teary, glowing with pride—and together they walked out, never looking back.

“Mama,” he said in the cloakroom, handing her coat. “Call Lev Igorevich.”

Marina looked at her son—grown, strong, kind. In his eyes shone love, gratitude, and confidence. For the first time in years, she felt truly happy.

She pulled out her phone and smiled:

“All right. I’ll say yes to dinner.”

Olesya frowned at the phone screen. A message from Vadim was short: “Filed for divorce. Take the kids and move out by Friday.”

“What? Divorce?” She almost dropped her cup of tea.

The phone rang immediately. Her mother-in-law’s name lit up on the screen.

“Hello, Tamara Petrovna?”
“Olesya, you already know, right?” The voice sounded almost cheerful. “Vadik’s made his decision. The apartment is ours, you understand, we bought it before you got married. He re-registered the car to himself last week too.”

Olesya sat on the edge of the chair. One thought spun in her head: “Last week? He planned all this in advance?”

“And the kids? Where will we go?”

“That’s your problem,” her mother-in-law snapped. “Vadik said he’ll pay child support. Minimum, of course. And not right now—when the court orders it.”

“But I—”

“Oh, I have another call. Bye!” Tamara Petrovna hung up.

Olesya glanced at the clock—soon Danila and Katya would be back from school. What would she tell them? How to explain that they had to pack up and leave the apartment where they’d lived for the last seven years?

 

The phone buzzed again. A text from her sister-in-law: “Long overdue. You never appreciated Vadik. Always walking around dissatisfied.”

“I’m dissatisfied?” Olesya almost threw the phone. “I worked two jobs while your brother was ‘finding himself’?”

They packed within a day. Olesya found a room in a communal apartment on the outskirts. The landlady, a plump woman with tired eyes, just looked at the kids and waved her hand:

“Move in. First and last month up front.”

The children were silent the whole way to their new place. Katya, nine, held her brother’s hand. Danila, twelve, carried his backpack, frowning like an adult.

“Mom, does Dad know where we’re going?” he asked when they stood together in the tiny room with peeling wallpaper.

“No. And he won’t know unless he asks.”

“And Grandma?” Katya squeaked softly.

“We won’t call Grandma either.”

That evening, after putting the kids on the fold-out couch, Olesya sat by the window. A neighbor snored loudly through the wall. Somewhere below, a drunken company was arguing in the yard.

“And now what?” she asked the darkness.

At work, they didn’t keep Olesya. “Staff reductions,” her boss explained dryly, avoiding her eyes. She knew—Vadim had pulled strings. He had connections in town.

A week after moving, her mother-in-law called.

“Olesya, how are you there? I’m worried about the grandkids.”

“Wonderful, Tamara Petrovna. Just fantastic.”

“Do you have money? Maybe…” Tamara paused, “maybe call Vadik? Make up? Why put the kids through this?”

“Thanks, no need. We’ll manage.”

“Oh, don’t be proud! How long will you last without us? A month? Two? Vadik says you can’t even hammer a nail in a wall.”

Olesya closed her eyes. How many times in ten years of marriage had she heard those phrases? “Without us you’re nothing.” “We dragged you out of the mud.” “Say thanks Vadik married you.”

“You know, Tamara Petrovna, your son is right. I don’t know a lot. But I’ll learn.”

That evening, after the kids fell asleep, there was a quiet knock at the door.

“Neighbor!” An elderly woman from the next floor stood on the threshold. “I’m Nina Vasilievna. Heard you have troubles. Want to have some tea?”

Over tea, Nina Vasilievna told her about the benefits Olesya could apply for. About free activities at the community center. About where to look for side jobs.

“My daughter went through the same. She managed. And you will too.”

That night Olesya didn’t sleep. She wrote ads: “Apartment cleaning.” “Dog walking.” “Minor clothing repairs.” The phone was silent. Her husband’s family didn’t call. But she no longer waited for their calls.

Three days later, Olesya’s phone rang. First order—cleaning a two-bedroom apartment across town.

“Two hours of work,” the woman on the line said. “Five hundred rubles.”

“Too little,” Olesya surprised herself with her boldness. “Seven hundred.”

“Six hundred. Not a ruble more.”

On the way home, Olesya bought bread, pasta, and some minced meat.

“Dan, Katya, come here,” she called as she entered the room. “We’re going to learn to cook.”

“Dad said you cook badly,” Danila muttered, stirring the pasta.

“Dad said a lot of things,” Olesya ruffled her son’s hair. “Now we’ll all learn new things together.”

Nina Vasilievna helped her file for benefits and suggested where to enroll the kids in free clubs.

“Dance and chess at the community center,” she said. “Katya’s flexible, and Dan’s smart. Let them join, you can work during that time.”

In the evenings, Olesya sewed. She dragged an old sewing machine from the dumpster and fixed it. Her first orders were curtains for neighbors.

“You’ve got golden hands,” Nina Vasilievna praised. “Just make sure you charge enough. Don’t undersell yourself.”

Meanwhile, at her ex-husband’s house, conversations were buzzing.

“She’ll last a month at best,” Tamara Petrovna declared, pouring tea for her daughter and Vadim. “Where can she go with two kids? No skills, no decent education.”

“Think she’ll crawl back?” Vadim’s sister Lena snorted.

“Where else? Besides…” the mother-in-law looked meaningfully at her son, “you’re not rushing with child support.”

“We’re not officially divorced yet,” Vadim grumbled. “And things are tough for me too. Katya’s leaving the salon, the business is shaky.”

“Your mistress?” Lena sneered. “The one you wrecked the family for?”

“I didn’t wreck it, I freed myself,” Vadim snapped. “Enough about Olesya. Finish your tea, let’s go to the new restaurant.”

On Saturday at the town market, Olesya sold her first handmade items—aprons and potholders. The kids helped. Katya carefully arranged the goods, Danila called out to customers.

“What a lovely family,” a well-groomed woman in her forties stopped at the stall. “And what’s this work?”

“Mine,” Olesya smiled shyly. “I sew in the evenings.”

“Very neat. Are you a professional seamstress?”

“No, self-taught.”

“Interesting…” The woman thoughtfully examined the aprons. “I’m Marina, the director of the sports school’s wife. We need someone with your skills. Come by Monday, let’s talk.”

At home, Olesya couldn’t sit still.

“Mom, why are you pacing?” Danila asked.

“I got offered a job! A real one!”

“Hooray!” Katya jumped. “Then we can buy new pencils?”

“And move out of here,” Olesya nodded. “If it works out.”

At the sports school, Olesya was welcomed warmly. The director, a tall man with a military bearing, explained:

 

“We need someone for two roles—cleaner and seamstress. To mend sports uniforms, sew numbers, sometimes costumes for performances.”

“I can handle it,” Olesya said firmly.

“I believe you,” Marina smiled. “Start next week.”

That evening Olesya cried for the first time in a long time. Not from grief—from relief.

“Nina Vasilievna, I’m doing it,” she whispered in her neighbor’s kitchen. “It’s really working!”

“What did you expect?” the elderly woman nodded. “You just weren’t given a chance before. Now fly, little bird!”

Her first paycheck came in cash—a clean fifteen thousand rubles. For her, it was a fortune.

“Let’s count,” she told the kids that evening, pouring the bills on the table. “How much for rent, how much for food, how much to save.”

“Can I get new sneakers?” Danila asked quietly. “My toe’s sticking out of the old ones.”

“Of course, son. And sandals for Katya. And also…” Olesya paused, “let’s look for an apartment? Tiny, but our own.”

A new apartment was found a week later—a one-bedroom on the fifth floor of a panel house. No renovation, peeling wallpaper, but theirs.

“Eight thousand a month,” the landlord rasped. “Plus utilities.”

“I’ll take it,” Olesya didn’t even haggle.

Nina Vasilievna helped with the move. Dragged over an old couch and two stools.

“My dowry for you,” she laughed. “You’ll settle in gradually.”

Things at the sports school went well. Olesya came early, cleaned classrooms and halls, then sat at the sewing machine. Uniforms, patches, small repairs. The director praised her work.

“You’re a real find, Olesya Igorevna,” he said. “Might even give you a bonus at the end of the quarter.”

One day, sorting through old performance costumes, Olesya suggested:

“Can I try a new design? I have ideas.”

Marina, the director’s wife, was intrigued:

“Show me sketches.”

That night, after putting the kids to bed, Olesya drew late into the night. In the morning, she brought Marina five designs.

“This is amazing!” Marina exclaimed. “Yury Mikhailovich, look what our seamstress came up with!”

Two weeks later, the school allocated funds for new costumes. Olesya was officially named a designer. Her salary increased by five thousand.

And in town, rumors spread.

“Did you hear, Vadik’s ex got the kids into the fancy sports school?” women whispered in the supermarket line.

“And she works there too. They say the director values her.”

“And how do they live?”

“Rent an apartment. A normal one, not some hole.”

The gossip reached Vadim and his family. At Sunday lunch, the topic came up unexpectedly.
Family games

“Heard your ex has settled well,” Tamara Petrovna drawled, serving salad to her son. “Works at the sports school, kids go there too.”

“No way,” Vadim grimaced. “Probably just mops floors.”

“Not only that,” Lena interjected. “My friend saw her at a parent meeting. Olesya sews school uniforms to order. Says there’s a line for her.”

“What line?” Vadim stopped chewing. “She didn’t know anything!”

“Then she learned,” Lena shrugged. “And the kids look good—clean, neat. You wouldn’t say their mom’s raising them alone.”

“And she’s not even asking for money?” Tamara pursed her lips.

“Imagine that, no,” Lena smirked. “Maybe she wasn’t as useless as you said.”

Vadim shoved his plate away with a clatter.

“I gotta go. Business.”

 

At home, Vadim couldn’t sit still. His sister’s words kept spinning in his head: “Not as useless.” And he really had thought that. Ten years considering his wife a loser, a burden. And she went and made it. Without him.

His phone was ringing off the hook—his ex-mother-in-law:

“Vadim, when will you send child support? Have some conscience!”

She used to stay silent. But now she exploded. Apparently, Olesya had shared her successes.

By evening, he couldn’t stand it and dialed his ex-wife’s number.

“Hello?” Olesya’s voice was calm.

“Hi. How are the kids?”

“Fine. Danila has a competition soon. Katya’s doing dance.”

“I heard you… settled well,” the words were hard to force out.

“Yes, thanks,” a hint of irony slipped into Olesya’s voice. “We’re managing.”

“Maybe I could come by? See the kids?”

Pause. Long.

“No, Vadim. Not now.”

“But I’m their father!” he burst out.

“The one who didn’t care how they lived for two months,” Olesya cut him off. “Sorry, I have to go. We have costume fittings.”

Three months after the move, Olesya’s life stabilized. She was officially promoted to fashion designer at the sports school. In her spare time, she sewed school uniforms on commission. Her clientele grew steadily.

“Mom, maybe you need an assistant?” Danila asked once, eyeing the pile of patterns. “You can’t keep up.”

“I’ll manage,” Olesya ruffled his hair. “But we’ll go to a holiday resort for New Year’s. I’ve already looked at tickets.”

“Really?” Katya clapped. “Will there be snow?”

“There will. And sleds, and an ice rink.”

That evening her mother-in-law called.

“Olesya, how are you?” Her voice sounded unusually gentle.

“Fine, Tamara Petrovna.”

“Listen… New Year’s is soon. Maybe let the kids visit us? Grandpa and I miss them.”

Olesya smirked. Three months ago this woman threw them out. Now she “misses” them.

“Sorry, we already have plans. We’re going away.”

“Where?” the mother-in-law was surprised.

“To a resort. Skiing and skating.”

Pause.

“Olesya, maybe make peace? Vadik says he overreacted. Maybe give it another try?”

“No, Tamara Petrovna. That’s in the past.”

“But how? Kids without a father…”

“And where was this father when they had nothing to eat?” Olesya gripped the phone. “When we slept on the floor in a communal flat?”

“Well, everyone makes mistakes…”

“I agree. My mistake was letting you treat me as worthless. I won’t repeat it.”

The next day by the school, Olesya got a surprise—Vadim with a huge bouquet.

“Can we talk?” he held out the roses.

“Why?” Olesya didn’t take the bouquet.

“I realized everything. I was wrong. Maybe we can start over?”

“Vadim,” Olesya looked him straight in the eye, “when you kicked us out, I thought I’d die of grief and fear. But then I realized—it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“What?”

“For ten years you convinced me I was worthless. That I’d be lost without you. And you know what I’ve realized these past months? I can do anything. Work, raise kids, make plans. And I don’t need someone next to me who doesn’t value that.”

Vadim lowered the bouquet awkwardly.

“And the kids? They need a father…”

“They need a reliable father. You want to help—pay child support on time. You want to see them—we’ll set a schedule. But we can’t go back.”

At home, the kids had a surprise waiting—a new laptop.

“This is for your studies,” Olesya said. “And I’ve enrolled in fashion design courses. We’ll keep moving forward.”

“Mom, are you really never going back to Dad?” Katya asked that evening. “Grandma called, said Dad misses you.”

“No, sweetie. We’ll live our own life. Dad can visit if he wants.”

“I’m glad,” Danila suddenly said. “I mean… before, there was always yelling at home. Now it’s good. Peaceful.”

Olesya hugged her son.

“And it’ll get even better. I promise.”

In spring, Olesya opened a small atelier. Took a loan, bought equipment. Nina Vasilievna helped with the kids when Olesya stayed late.

“You’re amazing, girl,” the neighbor said. “You climbed out of such a pit.”

“You know, Nina Vasilievna,” Olesya smiled, locking up after work, “sometimes you have to lose everything to understand what you’re capable of.”

That evening, walking home, she thought about the upcoming recital at the sports school. Her costume designs had won an award at the regional contest. The director talked about expanding their collaboration.

At home, kids, homework, and an unfinished dress for Katya were waiting. An ordinary evening of an ordinary family. But now Olesya knew for sure—they would make it. Together.

Because sometimes the end of an old life is just the beginning of a new one. A better one.

“Who is this?” Sergey Alexandrovich asked, voice cold as steel, the moment Anna stepped over the threshold with a newborn bundled against her chest. There was no gladness, no wonder—only a flint of irritation. “Do you honestly expect me to accept this?”

He had come home from yet another weeks-long business trip: contracts, meetings, flights—his whole life a conveyor belt of departure lounges and conference tables. Anna had known it before the wedding and took it as part of the bargain.

They met when she was nineteen, a first-year medical student, and he was already the sort of man she had once scrawled into her school-girl diary: established, confident, unshakeable. A rock to shelter behind. With him, she had believed, she would be safe.

So when the evening meant to be among her brightest curdled into nightmare, she felt something inside her fracture. Sergey looked at the child, and his face went foreign. He hesitated—then his voice came down like a blade.

“Look at him—nothing of me. Not a single feature. This is not my son, do you hear? Do you take me for a fool? What game are you playing—trying to hang noodles on my ears?”

The words slashed. Anna stood rooted, heart hammering in her throat, head ringing with fear. The man she had trusted with everything was accusing her of treachery. She had loved him wholly; she had given up her plans, her ambitions, her old life to become his wife, to give him a child, to build a home. And now he spoke to her like an enemy at the gate.

 

Her mother had warned her.

“What do you see in him, Anyuta?” Marina Petrovna would say. “He’s nearly twice your age. He already has a child. Why volunteer to be a stepmother? Find an equal, someone who will be your partner.”

But Anna, glowing with first love, hadn’t listened. Sergey, to her, was not simply a man—he was fate itself, the protective presence she had craved since childhood. Having grown up without a father, she had longed for a strong, reliable husband, the keeper of a family she could finally call her own.
Family games

Marina’s caution was perhaps inevitable; to a woman of Sergey’s years, he looked a peer, not a match for her daughter. Still, Anna was happy. She moved into his spacious, well-appointed house and began to dream.

For a while, life did look perfect. Anna kept at her medical studies, living out, in part, her mother’s unrealized wish—Marina had once wanted to be a doctor, but an early pregnancy and a vanishing man had ended that dream. She raised Anna alone. The absence of a father left a hollow that made her daughter lean toward the promise of a “real” man.

Sergey filled that space. Anna imagined a son, a complete family. Two years after the wedding, she learned she was pregnant. The news flooded her like spring light.

Her mother worried. “Anna, what about your degree? You won’t throw it all away? You’ve worked so hard!”

The fear was reasonable—medicine demanded sacrifices: exams, rotations, pressure without relief. But none of it mattered in the face of what grew within her. A child felt like the meaning of everything.

“I’ll go back after maternity leave,” she said gently. “I want more than one—two, maybe three. I’ll need time.”

Those words triggered every alarm in Marina’s heart. She knew what it meant to raise a child alone; hard years had taught her prudence. “Have only as many children,” she liked to say, “as you can raise if your husband walks.” And now her worst thought stood on the doorstep.

When Sergey threw Anna out as if she were a nuisance, something in Marina broke. She gathered her daughter and grandson close, fury trembling in her voice.

“Has he lost his mind? How could he? Where is his conscience? I know you—you would never betray.”

But warnings and years of quiet advice had collided with Anna’s stubborn belief in love. All Marina could say now was bitter and simple: “I told you who he was. You didn’t want to see.”

Anna had no strength for reproach. The storm inside her left only pain. She had pictured a different homecoming: Sergey taking the baby, thanking her, embracing her—three of them welded into a real family. Instead: coldness, rage, accusation.

“Get out, you traitor!” he shouted, his decency shredding. “Who was it? You think I don’t know? I gave you everything! Without me you’d be crammed in a dorm, barely scraping through med school, slaving in some forgotten clinic. You can’t do anything else. And you bring another man’s child into my house? Am I supposed to swallow that?”

Shaking, Anna tried to reach him. She pleaded, told him he was wrong, begged him to think.

“Seryozha, remember your daughter when you brought her home? She didn’t look like you straight away. Babies change; features emerge with time—eyes, nose, gestures. You’re a grown man. How can you not understand?”

“Not true!” he snapped. “My daughter looked exactly like me from the start. This boy isn’t mine. Pack your things. And don’t count on a single kopeck!”

“Please,” Anna whispered through tears. “He’s your son. Do a DNA test—it will prove it. I’ve never lied to you. Please… believe me, if only a little.”

“Go to laboratories and humiliate myself?” he barked. “You think I’m that gullible? Enough. We’re finished.”

He burrowed deeper into his certainty. No plea, no logic, no memory of love could pierce it.

Anna packed in silence. She lifted her child, took one last look at the house she had wanted to make a hearth, and stepped into the unknown.

There was nowhere else to go but home. As soon as she crossed her mother’s threshold, the tears came.

“Mama… I was so foolish. So naive. Forgive me.”

Marina did not cry. “Enough. You’ve given birth—we’ll raise him. Your life is beginning, do you hear? You’re not alone. Pull yourself together. You are not quitting your studies. I’ll help. We will manage. That’s what mothers are for.”

Words failed Anna; gratitude flooded her in place of speech. Without Marina’s steady hands, she would have shattered. Her mother fed and rocked the baby, shouldered the night shifts, and guarded Anna’s unbroken line back to school and forward to a new life. She didn’t complain, didn’t scold, didn’t stop fighting.

Sergey disappeared. No alimony, no calls, no interest. He slipped away as if their years together had been a fever dream.

But Anna remained—no longer alone. She had her son. She had her mother. In that small, real world, she found a deeper love than the one she had chased.

The divorce felt like a building collapsing inside her. How could a future so carefully imagined turn to ash overnight? Sergey had always had a difficult temperament—jealous, possessive, a man who mistook suspicion for vigilance. He had explained his first divorce as a “financial disagreement.” Anna had believed it. She hadn’t understood how easily he erupted, how swiftly he lost control over the smallest, most innocent things.

In the beginning he had been tenderness itself—attentive, generous, solicitous. Flowers for no reason, questions about her day, little surprises. She thought she’d found her forever.

Then Igor was born, and she poured herself into motherhood. As he grew, she recognized a duty to herself too. She went back to university, determined to be not just a graduate but a true professional. Marina backed her in every way—childcare, money when it was tight, encouragement when it wasn’t.

Her first work contract felt like a flag planted on new ground. From then on she supported the family herself—modestly, yes, but with pride.

The chief physician at the clinic saw something immediately—focus, stamina, a hunger to learn. A seasoned woman with clear eyes, Tatiana Stepanovna took Anna under her wing.

“Becoming a mother early isn’t a tragedy,” she told her gently. “It’s strength. Your career is ahead of you. You’re young. What matters is that you have a spine.”

Those words were a pilot light. Anna kept going. When Igor turned six, a senior nurse at his grandmother’s hospital reminded her, not unkindly, that school was coming fast and the boy wasn’t quite ready. Anna didn’t panic; she acted. Tutors, routines, a small desk by the window—she built the scaffolding for his first steps into study.

“You’ve earned a promotion,” Tatiana said later, “but you know how it is—no one advances here without the numbers behind them. Still… you have a gift. Real medical instinct.”

“I know,” Anna answered, calm and grateful. “And I’m not arguing. Thank you—for everything. Not only for me. For Igor.”

“Oh, enough,” Tatiana waved, embarrassed. “Just justify the trust.”

Anna did. Her reputation grew quickly—colleagues respected her, patients felt safe in her care. The compliments piled up; even Tatiana wondered aloud if there were too many.

And then, one afternoon, the past stepped into Anna’s office.

“Good afternoon,” she said evenly. “Come in. Tell me what brings you.”

Sergey Alexandrovich had followed a recommendation to the best surgeon in the city and had assumed the shared initials were coincidence. The second he saw her, doubt ended.

“Hello, Anna,” he said, quietly, a tremor under the words.

His daughter, Olga, had been sick for a year with something no one could name. Tests inconclusive, specialists baffled. The child was fading.

Anna listened without interruption. When he finished, she spoke with clinical clarity.

“I’m sorry you’re going through this. It’s unbearable when a child suffers. But we can’t afford delays. We need a complete workup—now. Time is not on our side.”

 

He nodded. For once, he did not argue.

“Why are you alone?” she asked. “Where is Olga?”

“She’s very weak,” he whispered. “Too tired to sit up.”

He tried for composure, but Anna heard the storm beneath his restraint. As always, he moved as if money could batter down fate.

“Help her,” he said at last. “Please. Whatever it costs.”

Igor’s name never surfaced. Once, that would have split Anna open. Now she filed it away—an old wound that had scarred over.

Professional duty steadied her. Patients are not divided into “ours” and “theirs.” Still, she wanted him to understand: she wasn’t a miracle worker.

A week later, after exhaustive testing, she called. “I’ll operate,” she said. Her certainty steadied him even as fear shook him.

“What if… what if she doesn’t make it?”

“If we wait, we sign a sentence,” Anna replied. “We try.”

On the day of surgery, he hovered at the clinic, unable to leave, as if presence were prayer. When Anna finally came out to him, he rushed forward.

“Can I see her? Just a minute—just say a word—”

“You’re speaking like a child,” she said, more gently than the words. “She’s waking from anesthesia. She needs hours of rest. The operation went well—no complications. Tomorrow.”

He did not explode. He didn’t insist that he was the father and the rules didn’t apply. He only nodded and walked into the night.

He went home a broken figure, slept not at all, and returned before dawn. The city was fog and empty streets; he noticed none of it. Olga was awake now, fragile but improved. When she saw him at such an hour, she smiled faintly.

“Dad? You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted. “I had to see you breathing.”

For the first time, Sergey felt what fatherhood truly was. How little of real family he had, and how much of it he had ruined—twice—by will and by weakness.

When day thinned the windows, he stepped into the corridor—spent but oddly lighter—and nearly collided with Anna.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, edged with irritation. “I made the rules clear—no visits outside hours. Who let you in?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, eyes lowered. “No one. I asked the guard. I just needed to be sure she was all right.”

“The same old story, then,” Anna exhaled. “You thought money would open the door. Fine. You’ve seen her. Consider the mission accomplished.”

She passed him and slipped into Olga’s room. He waited in the hall, unwilling to walk away.

Later, he came to her office with a spring-scented bouquet and a neat envelope tucked under his jacket—gratitude, not only in words.

“I need to speak with you,” he said, steady now.

“Briefly,” she replied. “Time is scarce.”

She held the door open. He hesitated, searching for a beginning—and fate cut the knot.

The door burst inward and an eleven-year-old boy marched in, all indignation and energy.

“Mom! I’ve been standing out there forever,” he said, scowling. “I called you—why didn’t you answer?”

That day had been marked for him—no emergencies, no operations. Work had a way of devouring promises; guilt flickered across Anna’s face.

Sergey froze. The boy stood before him like a living echo.

“My son,” he managed. “My little boy.”

“Mom, who is this?” Igor asked, frowning. “Has he lost it? He’s talking to himself.”

Anna went rigid. This was the man who had called her a liar, abandoned them, sliced them out of his life as if erasing a line of text.

But she said nothing. Pain surged; behind it, something else smoldered—small but unmistakably alive.

Sergey was drowning in remorse and a fear that he did not deserve a second chance. He didn’t understand why this door had opened to him at all. He only knew he was grateful—for the dawn after a night of prayers, for a child breathing, for a woman who had once loved him and now, despite everything, had saved his daughter’s life.