When Natasha got married, she had no idea that along with the husband she loved, she would also be getting his ex-wife as part of the package. Igor had divorced her two years before meeting Natasha. He never hid the fact that he had a failed marriage behind him and a young son.
When Natasha asked, “Why did you break up?” more out of habit than from any real desire to uncover some juicy details, he answered very simply:
“We just weren’t compatible.”
Natasha was perfectly satisfied with that answer. In fact, she was even pleased that Igor didn’t badmouth his ex-wife, accuse her of every possible sin, or try to make himself look innocent. He only added that they had separated on civilized terms and stayed in touch solely for the sake of their son.
At the time, Natasha didn’t pay much attention to that “revelation.”
As it turned out, she should have.
At first, everything was fine. Then it started.
His ex-wife called at any hour of the day or night, completely ignoring the fact that Igor now had a new family and another woman in his life. Apparently, she didn’t care at all. Without the slightest embarrassment, she involved her ex-husband in solving every little problem she had. Sometimes she needed a faucet fixed, sometimes a nail hammered into the wall, sometimes their child picked up from kindergarten.
She would simply call and give him instructions. Not once did she ask whether Igor had other plans. He was simply expected to do whatever she asked.
On top of that, Igor’s son spent every weekend with his father, starting Friday evening. Igor would pick the boy up from kindergarten and take him back to his mother only late Sunday afternoon.
It never even occurred to Igor that Natasha might object to this arrangement. He was convinced his wife understood everything, so he didn’t consider it necessary to ask her opinion about his son regularly staying at their home.
Natasha, however, disliked the situation immensely. She could see that his ex-wife was manipulating Igor, and he would rush to her the moment she demanded something.
One evening, after yet another call from the ex-wife—who, as it turned out, urgently needed Igor to pick her and the child up from someone’s house because it was raining and she didn’t have an umbrella—Natasha finally lost patience.
“Igor, are you seriously going?”
“Of course,” her husband replied without hesitation.
“Does it not matter that we were planning to have a romantic evening? That I made dinner? That we’ve barely seen each other all week because you’ve been overwhelmed at work?”
“I’ll be quick. We can reheat dinner…”
“Maybe she could take a taxi? Or does she not know that such a form of transportation exists?”
“Natasha, stop acting childish. You’re not a little girl. You should understand.”
“Understand what? That your ex-wife is taking full advantage of you? That her interests are more important to you than our family?”
“My son is there,” Igor snapped irritably. “My son!”
“And your wife is here! Your wife! At least for now…”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that if you walk out that door now, I’m leaving too.”
“Interesting.” Igor, who had already reached for his jacket, looked at Natasha in confusion. “And do you even have somewhere to go?”
“I’ll find somewhere.”
“Then go. I’m not stopping you.”
“So that’s how it is?” Natasha could barely keep herself from bursting into tears. “You’re willing to risk our marriage just to satisfy your ex-wife’s whim?”
Igor said nothing.
As soon as he left, Natasha, crying from hurt and humiliation, threw enough clothes for a few days into a bag and left too.
When she arrived at her sister’s apartment, she announced from the doorway:
“That’s it. I’m leaving Igor.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Olga, who was about five years older, stared at her. “What about the baby?”
“I haven’t told him. I wanted to surprise him today, but… as usual, his ex called. She’s more important to him.”
“Natasha, don’t be ridiculous. The second he finds out you’re pregnant, he’ll forget all about her.”
“I’m not so sure. But I am sure about something else: he’ll walk all over me and my child if that’s what it takes to please her. So my decision is made. As long as it was only about me, I tolerated it. Today, my patience ran out.”
“But you love him!”
“I don’t know anymore. I’m not sure. Especially after what happened today. A man who truly loves you doesn’t behave like that.”
“Still, I think you’re jumping to conclusions.”
“We’ll see. I don’t think he’ll even bother looking for me. Tomorrow is Friday. He’ll pick up his son for three days. He won’t have time to think about me…”
Natasha turned out to be absolutely right.
When Igor came home and discovered that his wife was gone, he didn’t even call her.
“She’ll calm down and come back,” he thought. “She has nowhere else to go.”
Then the weekend came, and his son stayed with him.
Natasha hadn’t cooked anything?
So what?
They could order pizza or go to a café.
Then Monday came, and it was back to work.
A week passed.
Natasha didn’t return.
“Well, well,” Igor thought. “She’s trying to show me she has a backbone. Waste of time. I’m not giving in. She needs to understand that I’ll always do what I believe is right. Always.”
Of course he missed her. But he couldn’t—and didn’t want to—accept the possibility that he had hurt his wife.
And he certainly wasn’t planning to apologize.
He waited.
He was convinced that she loved him and wouldn’t last long. She would come back on her own.
She would probably even apologize to him…
He waited in vain.
Natasha filed for divorce.
When Igor received the court summons, he burst into hysterical laughter.
And once again, he didn’t call her. He didn’t try to meet her, explain himself, or save the marriage.
Their divorce was finalized quickly and almost routinely. There wasn’t much to divide; they hadn’t lived together for very long.
Natasha never told Igor about the pregnancy.
A couple of months later, he happened to run into her by chance. Seeing her rounded belly, Igor was completely stunned.
“What is that?” he asked, looking rather foolish.
“This?” Natasha laughed. “It’s a belly, Igor. And inside it is your child. Or rather, mine. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask for child support. I remember you already have one child to support.”
“How could you?”
“How could I what?”
“Hide this from me?”
“Very easily. The day I planned to tell you about the baby, you chose to rescue your ex-wife from the rain instead. By the way, I hope she didn’t catch a cold that night?”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No. I’m actually grateful to you. In one second, you destroyed both our marriage and all the illusions I had been living with. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. I promise I won’t bother you the way your first ex-wife does. And nobody intends to take their father away from your son. Live peacefully.”
“Are you even sure the baby is mine?”
Igor himself didn’t understand how the question had slipped out.
Natasha wasn’t surprised. She had clearly expected it.
“Think whatever you want, Igor. Goodbye. I just hope my daughter doesn’t take after you…”
With those words, Natasha turned around and walked away.
“Daughter…”
The word echoed inside Igor’s head.
He stood there for a long time, trying to process what he had just learned.
Several years passed.
Igor returned to his first wife. In the end, she got exactly what she wanted. Their son was already in school.
Natasha still hadn’t remarried. Although she had a man in her life who was very serious about her, she was in no hurry to tie herself down with marriage again.
She built her entire life around her daughter, who would soon turn four.
Just as she had promised, Natasha never bothered Igor.
Quite the opposite—now she didn’t know how to get him to leave her alone.
He regularly showed up, offered money and help, and tried to build a relationship with his daughter.
Igor had no doubt whatsoever that the girl was his. She had inherited practically every little feature from her father.
One day, Natasha’s sister asked her:
“Do you ever regret leaving Igor back then?”
“No, I don’t. Look at him now—he doesn’t know what else he can do to please me. If I had stayed, I would have been the one desperately trying to please him instead. No. Everything happened exactly the way it should have.
To each their own.”