Evgenia and her friend Inna sat in the corner of a cozy cafe, sipping their second cups of coffee and anxiously watching the glass door. The pastries were long gone, and so was any pretense of casual conversation. Inna was the first to break the silence.
“Let’s give it ten more minutes,” she said, eyes glued to the entrance of the office building across the street. “They’ll show up. I’ve seen him with her three times already—he’s definitely cheating.”
Evgenia scoffed and pulled her coat tighter. “Come on, Inna. Artem’s difficult, sure, but he’s not that kind of man. We’ve been together half our lives. This is ridiculous. Let’s go—people are starting to stare.”
But before Inna could reply, the door across the street swung open. Artem emerged with a stunning young woman, his hand resting on her back like it belonged there. He opened the car door for her, kissed her cheek, and helped her in with a smile so genuine it felt like a slap.
Evgenia’s heart dropped. She let out a soft, involuntary cry, and Inna reached for a napkin.
“Gen, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you, but you had to know.”
Evgenia blinked back tears. “Maybe she’s just a colleague,” she said weakly. “Or a client. That doesn’t mean anything. I should get home before Artem does, dinner isn’t ready.”
Inna rolled her eyes. “Still clinging to illusions? Fine. But if you really want answers, there’s a fortune teller just a block away. She’s helped a bunch of our friends. Doesn’t even charge. You just leave what you want.”
Evgenia laughed bitterly. “What are we, schoolgirls? But fine—let’s go. This whole day’s been surreal anyway.”
To her surprise, the fortune teller wasn’t draped in shawls or sitting by candlelight. She was a plump, smiling elderly woman who ushered them into a modest kitchen. Without asking a single question, she took Evgenia’s hand and ran a finger over the lines.
“Your path has been painful,” she murmured. “But you’re strong. Don’t waste your sorrow on your husband. He is not your future. Today, a stranger will enter your life. Let him in. He is your destiny.”
Evgenia left laughing, brushing off the prediction as vague and meaningless. That evening, as the rain poured and loneliness pressed in, she saw a drenched man sitting outside on a bench. Something pulled at her heart.
She ran out, umbrella in hand. “Sir, come in for tea—just until the storm passes.”
He hesitated, then stepped inside. When he removed his hood, Evgenia gasped. “Matvey? Matvey Petrov? It’s me—Zhenya Usova! From school!”
But he only blinked. “Zhenya? I… I don’t remember. I was attacked, woke up in a shelter. I don’t even know who I am.”
Suddenly, the front door slammed open. Artem stood soaked and furious. “Really? This is what you’re doing now? With this… tramp?”
“Artem, this is my classmate. He’s in trouble—”
“Save it! I’m done. I want a divorce.”
Before Evgenia could react, he stormed out. Furious and heartbroken, she turned on Matvey. “Why did I let you in? You ruined everything! Get out!”
But he didn’t move. He sat in the rain, shivering. Hours later, she looked out the window and saw him still there, soaked and slumped. Her anger melted.
She brought him back in. “I’m sorry. You’re not to blame. I couldn’t let you freeze.”
But as she spoke, he collapsed. His fever was raging. Evgenia and Inna spent sleepless nights nursing him back to health, risking everything for a man who barely remembered who he was.
When Matvey finally opened his eyes, recognition flickered. He whispered, “Zhenya?”
She beamed. “You’re back. You remember me?”
He nodded slowly. “I remember everything. I run a transport business. I picked up a couple—they attacked me, stole my car. I was left for dead. But you saved me. Again.”
Later, he said quietly, “I never married. I loved you, even back then. I was too afraid to say it.”
Evgenia was stunned. “I had no idea.”
When he stood to leave, he turned with a shy smile. “Now that you’re free, I’m not missing this chance. I’m going to win your heart.”
Time passed. Matvey rebuilt his life. Evgenia finalized the divorce. Artem tried to come back, but she shut the door for good. She moved in with Matvey, took a job at his company, and found peace.
Then came a surprise. After years of believing she was barren, Evgenia became pregnant. The pregnancy was high-risk, the birth premature, but their son, Bogdan, arrived safely. They named him “God’s gift.”
One afternoon, Evgenia visited the fortune teller again. “You said a stranger would change my life. You were right. How did you know?”
The woman smiled. “I didn’t. I just saw your eyes—full of fear, ready for change. I gave you permission to believe in something different. You did the rest.”
As Matvey and Evgenia walked hand in hand through the park, their son asleep in the stroller, she smiled at her husband.
“Sometimes, the heart sees what the eyes are afraid to. And sometimes, a stranger isn’t a stranger at all—just a piece of our soul we’d forgotten.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “Or maybe fate just needed a little rain to wash away the past.”
They walked on, the world fresh and new around them.