I’m not here to argue. I just want to talk,” Vadim said quietly.
Tanya looked at him, barely recognizing the man standing before her.
Once, he had left her for another woman, confident and unshaken in his choices. Now, he stood hunched over, weighed down by years of mistakes and regrets. His wrinkled jacket, anxious eyes, and thick stubble revealed a man worn by life, forced to rethink everything. The fiery determination she once knew in his gaze was replaced by confusion and a fragile hope directed at her.
“Speak,” Tanya replied calmly, opening the door just slightly—she wasn’t inviting him in.
Nervously running his fingers through his hair, Vadim sighed deeply. He seemed unsure how to begin.
“I was a fool, Tanya. I see that now. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
Tanya gave a short, weary smile—no bitterness, just fatigue.
“And what exactly have you realized?” she asked, folding her arms.
“That I made a terrible mistake. That you were the best thing I ever had. That I traded my family for… for a fantasy. You understand?”
“A fantasy?” Tanya echoed, staring straight into his eyes.
“You were so sure of your choice. Certain I was unworthy of you. That I was dull, that I had nothing to offer.”
Vadim dropped his gaze.
“I was an idiot. I thought happiness was about glamor and ease, not about support, loyalty, and the warmth you gave…”
“And now that the glamor is gone, you remember me?”
“The one who never had time for manicures or perfect hair? The one you left with debts and empty walls?”
“Tanya, I…”
“You made your choice back then. Now it’s my turn.”
She smiled faintly. “And you know what, Vadim? I don’t believe you anymore.”
She looked at him silently. These words would once have stirred a storm in her heart, but now, standing before her was not the ‘best man in her life,’ just someone who had once shattered it.
“So what do you want?” she asked after a pause.
Vadim stepped forward, but she didn’t move. He noticed and stopped.
“I want to make things right. To come back, if you’ll let me. I’m ready for anything. Just give me a chance.”
Tanya lowered her eyes, then slowly raised them again.
How many nights had she dreamed of hearing those words? Imagined him begging for forgiveness? But now that moment was here, and she felt no joy or satisfaction—only a gentle sadness.
“Come back? Where? To the empty apartment you abandoned, convinced I couldn’t manage without you?” Her voice stayed calm, but Vadim flinched.
“To the woman you humiliated with your leaving and your comparisons to another?”
“Do you really want to come back to me? Or is it just because you have nowhere else to go?”
Vadim looked away, as if the answer was obvious, but swallowed it, unwilling to admit.
“You’re misunderstanding everything… I was a fool. I thought I needed a different life, that love was supposed to be easy. But Tanya, I was wrong. I realized you were my anchor, my family.”
Tanya smiled bitterly.
“An anchor? A family? Funny. When you left, did you even think about me? About our son? Or was the house never on your mind?”
“I was blind…” Vadim ran his hand over his face. “I ruined everything. But I want to fix it.”
“Oksana threw me out.”
“Fix it?” her voice hardened. “What if Oksana hadn’t kicked you out? If she hadn’t found someone else? Would you even be here now? Would you have remembered us?”
Vadim fell silent, unable to find words. He wanted to say yes, but knew it would be a lie.
“Oksana really kicked you out?” Tanya pressed.
He nodded silently.
“She found someone else?” she asked again, almost certain.
“Maybe,” he muttered.
“Of course,” she scoffed. “Men like you are so predictable.”
He flinched.
“That’s not true… I truly believed she was the one. I was wrong.”
“Wrong?” Tanya raised an eyebrow. “You left with your head held high, sure I couldn’t live without you. Now you stand here, lost, because you can’t manage without me?”
Vadim clenched his fists but stayed silent. He knew no excuse would change the past.
“I thought you were happy. That you had real love.”
“Love…” he gave a bitter laugh. “It turned out differently.”
“When I lost everything, I realized what I should have never lost was you.”
Tanya shook her head.
“It’s too late, Vadim. I’m not a backup plan.”
She smiled, so predictably.
“You know what’s ironic, Vadim?” she continued.
“I forgive you. Honestly. I bear no grudges, seek no revenge, and don’t curse you in the dark. I’m not hurting anymore.”
He looked at her, confused.
“But I’m not waiting for you. Didn’t wait all these months. And I’m not waiting now.”
“I won’t live under the same roof as you.”
Vadim clenched his fists.
“But you loved me…”
“I did,” she agreed calmly. “Then I survived. Now I live on—without you.”
He lowered his eyes. The cold autumn wind tugged at his jacket as if nature itself reminded him: the past can’t be undone.
“Tanya…”
“You were right about one thing: love fades. Sometimes only a warm light remains, sometimes just emptiness. We have little left between us, Vadim.”
“And that’s not enough to start over.”
He stared at her silently. He probably expected her to hug him, to burst into tears, to say she’d waited all along. But none of that happened.
“So, you won’t forgive me?” he croaked.
Tanya shook her head.
“I forgive you. But I won’t let you back in.”
She closed the door gently.
Outside, the chilly wind blew through the autumn night. Vadim lingered by the door a moment longer, then quietly turned away.
He knew—it was over.
Tanya stepped away from the door and slowly brushed her fingers across her face. Her heart beat steadily.
She did not cry. She wasn’t angry. She had no doubts.
Suddenly, her four-year-old son Sasha ran into the hallway.
“Mom, who was that?” he asked.
Tanya smiled and bent down to hug him.
“Just someone from the past, Sasha.”
The boy hugged her neck and rested his head on her shoulder.
“That’s okay. Let’s go play.”
“Alright, but first brush your teeth, okay?” she said softly.
Sasha pouted but nodded and scampered off to the bathroom.
Tanya leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Inside, there was quiet. Peace.
She walked to the kitchen, boiled the kettle, and looked at her reflection in the window.
The woman staring back was strong. She had endured pain, betrayal, and disappointment but had not broken. Three years ago, her husband had left her with a one-year-old son for another woman.
She survived. She grew stronger. She felt pity for Vadim, but the love had long since died after his betrayal.
Now a new life awaited her. A life with no place for the past. She lived for herself and her son.
And Vadim? He would survive. Just as she once did.