Tatyana and Volodya had been married for three years. He worked in the police force, but Tatyana never really delved into the specifics of his job. At first, everything seemed perfect—like a fairy tale. But as time went on, the passion began to fade. Tatyana noticed that her husband was spending more time at work, coming home exhausted and silent. When she asked him about his day, he would give short responses, mentioning that he had a lot of complicated cases to deal with.
And yet, he was constantly glued to his phone, texting someone.
One evening, Tatyana couldn’t take it anymore.
“Volodya, why can’t we talk like we used to? You’ve become so distant from me lately,” she said.
He sighed heavily.
“Tanya, stop overthinking. It’s just that work’s been tough lately. You know how it is.”
“Yeah, but before, you would make time for me, no matter what. And now, even on weekends, you’re glued to your phone,” Tatyana said, her voice quivering.
“I’m sorry, I’ll try to pay more attention,” he responded, waving it off.
But nothing changed. Tatyana’s suspicions grew. Could he be having an affair? The thought terrified her, but everything seemed fine with their children and home life.
Yet, her doubts wouldn’t go away. One day, when Volodya was in the shower, Tatyana tried to check his phone, but the screen was locked, and she didn’t know the password. That only made her suspicions worse. They never had secrets before.
Tatyana confided in her friend Svetlana. After listening, Svetlana gave her advice:
“Why don’t you just watch him? Set up a hidden camera while he’s away. You’ll know exactly what he’s up to when you’re not around.”
Tatyana was taken aback.
“Are you out of your mind? How can I secretly record my husband? That’s crazy!”
“And living with doubts is any better?” Svetlana retorted. “If everything is fine, you’ll relax. But if not, better to know the truth.”
Tatyana hesitated for days but finally gave in. She bought a small camera, simple but effective for her purpose.
It looked like an ordinary charger. All she needed to do was set it up, hide it among the wires on her nightstand, and that was it. Then, her work offered a perfect opportunity—her boss asked her to go on a week-long business trip to another city.
Normally, Tatyana would have turned down such trips—she didn’t want to leave her children behind. But this time, she agreed without hesitation. She casually mentioned it to Volodya that evening, making sure he knew she would be gone.
“Volodya, I’m going on a business trip next week. For seven days.”
“Really?” Volodya replied, surprised. “Well, I’ll manage without you.”
“Maybe you can take the kids to your mom’s? You’ve been wanting to,” Tatyana suggested, hoping that would ease her mind.
“No, I can’t. Too much work,” he grumbled.
“Okay, as you wish,” Tatyana sighed, feeling conflicted.
She didn’t want to stir up trouble, but it seemed like she had no choice.
While Volodya was in the shower, Tatyana quickly set up the camera in their bedroom, hiding it among the wires on the nightstand. Her heart was racing with anxiety. What if he noticed? But everything went smoothly.
“I’m off now. Don’t miss me too much,” she said as she kissed him goodbye.
“Good luck on your trip,” he smiled, waving her off. “Call me if you need anything.”
On the way to the airport, Tatyana felt uneasy. Was she doing the right thing? What if Volodya found the camera? What if, worse yet, she saw something she didn’t want to know?
In the airplane, she managed to calm herself. Well, it was done now. Seven days would pass quickly, and then she would see what happened. The first few days of her trip passed peacefully. She was busy with work and meetings, and she didn’t check the camera. Either she didn’t have the time or she was afraid of what she might find.
But on the fourth day, curiosity finally got the better of her. That evening, back at the hotel, she logged into the camera feed.
At first, there was nothing of note—just an empty bedroom. Occasionally, Volodya came in to change clothes or find something.
Just as Tatyana was about to close the app, something caught her eye—a woman.
A young blonde woman in a short dress. Tatyana’s heart sank. So this is what was going on! Her husband was indeed cheating on her. She almost threw her phone against the wall, but then something unexpected happened.
The blonde calmly walked around the room, opened the closet, and started rummaging through the clothes. She picked up a jewelry box, examined it, and put it back. Then she moved to the dresser and started pulling out drawers one by one.
“Who the hell is she?” Tatyana whispered.
Just then, Volodya entered the room. The blonde jumped back from the dresser.
“Oh, I… I was looking for a towel,” she stammered.
“Sure, in the drawers with the linens,” Volodya smirked. “Hands behind your back!”
He swiftly restrained the blonde and cuffed her.
“Got you, sweetheart. We’ve been after your gang for a while.”
Tatyana watched in stunned silence. What on earth was happening in her bedroom?
Moments later, two other men rushed into the room.
“Major, the perimeter’s clear. We can take the suspect away.”
“Good job, guys. Take her out, I’ll be right there,” Volodya commanded.
As they left, he sank onto the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Tatyana turned off the live stream, still unable to process what she had just seen. Her mind was spinning with one question—what had just happened?!
The rest of her business trip passed in a blur. Tatyana kept replaying the scene in her head. Why had Volodya staged an arrest in their own home? Who was that blonde? And most importantly, why hadn’t he told her anything? When it was finally time to return home, Tatyana was nervous all the way, not knowing how to approach her husband. Should she admit she had set up the camera? Or pretend she didn’t know anything?
Volodya greeted her with a bouquet of flowers.
“Welcome back, darling! How was your trip?”
“It was fine,” Tatyana muttered. “And how about you? How was everything?”
“Same as usual,” Volodya shrugged. “Work, home, work again.”
“And that’s it?” Tatyana couldn’t hold back anymore. “Don’t you have anything else to tell me?”
Volodya looked at her closely.
“Tanya, what’s going on?”
“Volodya, I’m sorry, but I have to tell you…”
Tatyana explained everything. About the camera, and what she had seen. Her husband frowned but didn’t seem angry, at least not yet.
“Alright,” he sighed. “If it’s that important to you…”
They sat down on the couch, and Volodya began to explain.
“Remember I said we had an important case? Well, we were tracking a group of burglars. They were very clever, we just couldn’t catch them. So we decided to go undercover.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
He sighed again.
“I didn’t want to worry you. Plus, the operation was classified. We figured out they were using one of their tactics—getting close to men and then robbing them. That’s how I met her. We set up the trap. And then we caught her. Looks like you saw the whole thing yourself.”
Tatyana listened, dumbfounded. So, she had made up all those scenarios in her head! She sighed deeply.
“I thought you were cheating on me, that’s why I set up the camera.”
“I should be angry with you right now,” Volodya chuckled. “But I’m just relieved we’ve finally sorted this out. We’ll put pressure on this girl and she’ll give up all her partners.”
“I’m so sorry,” Tatyana apologized.
“It’s fine,” Volodya smiled. “What matters is that everything’s clear now.”
They sat in silence for a while. Then Volodya said:
“Hey, how about we have a romantic dinner? Let’s celebrate the success of the operation and your return.”
“Sure,” Tatyana smiled back. “And no more secrets, okay?”
“Deal!” Volodya laughed and pulled her close.