Sergiy’s words hit like thunder out of a clear sky. “I can’t live like this anymore.” Nastya froze, holding a half-washed dish in her hands, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Ten years of marriage crumbled like a house of cards with those few words.
“What do you mean, you can’t?” Her voice trembled, even though she was trying with all her might to stay calm. The water kept flowing from the faucet, creating a strange background noise to the unfolding drama.
Sergiy stood in the kitchen doorway, avoiding eye contact. His fingers nervously twirled the strap of his wristwatch—a gift from Nastya on his last birthday.
“I met someone else. Her name is Olga. She… she understands me better.”
Nastya felt as if the ground was slipping from under her feet. A ringing filled her ears, and a lump rose in her throat.
“Understands better? What about the ten years we’ve spent together? What about our plans, our dreams, our future?”
“Sorry. I’ve already packed my things,” Sergiy said quietly, as if apologizing, but there was no real regret in his voice.
The first impulse was to scream, to smash that damned plate, to have a hysterical outburst. But Nastya only slowly wiped her hands with a towel and turned to face her husband. “How long have you been seeing her?”
“Three months. Nastya, I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Of course, you didn’t want to. You just decided to have an affair behind my back and then drop it on me,” she said bitterly, her words sharper than any knife.
The next day, her mother-in-law called. Nastya naively hoped to hear words of support—after all, Lidiya Pavlovna had called her “daughter” for so many years.
“Nastya, I know everything,” her mother-in-law’s voice sounded strangely formal. “Sergiy told me everything. You know, things happen in life. If he left, it must have been for a reason.”
Nastya felt another layer of poison added to the bitterness of her husband’s betrayal.
“Lidiya Pavlovna, are you serious? Your son has been cheating on me for three months!”
“My dear, men don’t just leave. You must have done something wrong. Maybe your borscht wasn’t good? Or you didn’t give him enough attention?”
Nastya gasped in outrage. So, if he betrayed the family, it’s somehow her fault?
“Why dramatize it? Olga is a good girl, from a respectable family. And younger than you, by the way. Sergiy will be better with her.”
“You have no idea how disappointed I am in you,” Nastya said, for the first time in her life hanging up on her mother-in-law without saying goodbye.
That evening, she sat alone in the empty apartment, flipping through the family album. There they were, Sergiy and she, on their wedding day, so happy. Their vacation in Turkey. The New Year’s corporate party. The photos blurred before her eyes, turning into splotches from her tears.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, closing the album. “I’ll be fine. I have to be fine.”
The first weeks after Sergiy’s departure were a nightmare.
Nastya mechanically went to work, cooked food she couldn’t eat, and stared out the window for hours at night. The apartment, once cozy, now felt vast and empty.
“Maybe I should call them?” A treacherous thought occasionally crossed her mind. But every time she passed by the building where her mother-in-law lived, Nastya remembered her words about the “wrong borscht” and stubbornly pressed her lips together.
Change came unexpectedly. One rainy Tuesday, her boss called her into his office.
“Nastya Vladimirovna, we’re starting a new project. We need a capable department head. I thought of you.”
Nastya blinked in confusion. “But I have no experience.”
“You have brains and character. I’ve been watching you for a while. Especially the last few months—many would have broken down, but you’ve kept it together.”
A week later, she overheard two neighbors talking in the supermarket: “Did you hear? Sergiy’s in trouble! That young beauty he was with—she’s seeing some businessman. I heard he caught them together recently.”
Time passed, and Nastya’s life was indeed changing.
“You’ve really transformed,” one of her colleagues remarked. “I’ve never seen you so energetic.”
And then something unexpected happened.
Late one evening, the doorbell rang. On the doorstep stood a tearful Lidiya Pavlovna.
“Nastya, forgive this old fool,” she sniffled. “Sergiy is really lost now. That Olga… she kicked him out. Turns out she was having an affair with some rich man. Now my son is drinking, he has problems at work…”
Nastya silently looked at the once powerful mother-in-law, now reduced to a pitiful old woman.
“He keeps talking about you. He says he was such a fool. Maybe… maybe you’ll forgive him? You’ve been together for so many years.”
“Come in,” Nastya stepped aside. “Would you like some tea?”
While drinking tea, Lidiya Pavlovna continued to cry: “He’s become such a different person. He’s renting an apartment in a poor neighborhood, he doesn’t have enough money. And you… you’ve blossomed. I keep thinking, how could I have taken his side?”
Nastya stirred sugar in her cup, watching the spoon create a small whirlpool. Exactly the same whirlpool of emotions raged inside her.
The next day, Nastya couldn’t sleep for a long time. Her mother-in-law’s words echoed in her head, making her replay the events of the last few months. She turned on the nightlight and approached the window. The city shimmered with lights, indifferent to her torment.
The doorbell rang. On the doorstep stood Sergiy—disheveled, with red eyes.
“Can I come in?” His voice was hoarse.
Nastya silently stepped aside. Sergiy walked into the hallway, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot.
“You’ve changed,” he finally said.
“And you haven’t,” she replied calmly.
“Nastya, I was an idiot. A complete fool. Olga… she just used me. All this time she had a rich lover. And I…”
“And you thought you found something better?” Nastya smiled bitterly. “You know what’s the funniest part? I should thank you.”
Sergiy looked at her in confusion.
“If it weren’t for your betrayal, I would never have understood my worth. I wouldn’t have started growing, wouldn’t have gotten promoted. I wouldn’t be the person I am now.”
“I’ve realized everything, Nastya. Let’s start over. I swear, I’ll never…”
“No, Sergiy,” she shook her head. “You know what I’ve learned in these months? Love isn’t just about feelings. It’s about respect, loyalty, support. All the things you trampled on.”
“But we were together for so many years.”
“We were. Now I’ve learned how to be happy on my own. And you know what? I like this new me.”
Sergiy sank onto the couch, holding his head in his hands.
“What should I do, Nastya? I’ve lost everything. My job, you, the respect of my parents…”
“Start by stopping feeling sorry for yourself,” she smiled for the first time that evening. “You made a choice. Now live with it.”
When the door closed behind Sergiy, Nastya felt an extraordinary lightness. As if the last thread connecting her to the past had finally snapped.
The next day, she signed the contract to buy a new apartment.
In the same building where Lidiya Pavlovna lived, one floor above. The realtor raised an eyebrow in surprise when Nastya insisted on this option.
“Are you sure? There are similar apartments in other neighborhoods.”
“Absolutely sure,” Nastya signed the contract boldly. “Sometimes you have to face your fears. Every day.”
That evening, she received a message from her mother: “Honey, maybe you should give Sergiy another chance? He’s really sorry…”
Nastya typed her response: “Mom, I’ve finally understood something important. You shouldn’t let others determine your worth. And you know what? I’m worth much more than just being someone’s second choice.”
The move to the new apartment coincided with a major career milestone for Nastya.
On the day of her presentation, she wore that red dress. Passing by Lidiya Pavlovna’s building, she noticed how the woman looked away.
“Good morning,” Nastya said loudly on purpose.
Her mother-in-law flinched but nodded stiffly.
At the office, there was tension in the air. Colleagues whispered, discussing the upcoming meeting. The investor, Andrei Mikhailovich Severov, was known for his strict evaluations.
“Ready?” the boss asked, peeking into the meeting room.
Nastya straightened her shoulders.
“More than ready.”
The presentation went smoothly. Nastya felt an unprecedented confidence, answering every question clearly and to the point. Severov listened carefully, taking notes.
“I’m impressed,” he said after the meeting. “Especially the risk analysis. How long have you been in the business?”
“To be honest, this is my first project as a department head.”
“Even more interesting. Let’s discuss the details over lunch.”
At the restaurant, the conversation unexpectedly shifted from business to personal. Andrei turned out to be a fascinating conversationalist with a great sense of humor.
“You know,” he confessed, “I rarely meet people with such a combination of professionalism and sincerity.”
Nastya blushed.
“I just do what I think is right.”
“That’s exactly what’s so appealing.”
On her way home, she bumped into Sergiy at the entrance. He looked even more disheveled than before.
“You live here now?” he asked quietly.
“Yes. Any problems?”
“Why? Are you trying to finish me off completely?”
“No, Sergiy. I want to remind myself every day that I will never let anyone treat me as second-rate.”
In his eyes, there was a flicker of understanding.
“You really have changed.”
“And you’re still clinging to the past,” she took out her keys. “Goodbye, Sergiy.”
As she rode the elevator, Nastya thought about how strangely life works. Sometimes you have to lose everything to find the real you.
Six months passed in the blink of an eye.
The project was a huge success, and her business tone with Severov had turned into dates. Andrei turned out to be completely different from Sergiy.
One evening, while returning from dinner, they bumped into Lidiya Pavlovna in the hallway. She gave them a long look.
“Nastya, can I talk to you for a minute?” her mother-in-law’s voice was unusually soft.
“I’ll wait in the car,” Andrei said tactfully.
They went up to Lidiya Pavlovna’s apartment.
“I need to apologize,” she began