“If you touch it again, I swear I’ll break your fingers! Never—do you hear me? Never touch my phone again!”
Vadim’s voice was filled with fury as he yanked the phone from his wife’s hands.
Katya froze. Her heart pounded in her chest. In six months of marriage, she had never seen him like this.
What could he possibly be hiding?
“I… I wasn’t doing anything,” she stammered, curling up on the couch. “I just wanted to look at the photos.”
Her mind raced. An affair? No, that was impossible. They had just gotten married. Everything had been perfect.
She stared blankly at a decorative candle, trying to rationalize his reaction. Maybe he’s just sensitive about privacy. Maybe I’m overthinking it.
Just then, Vadim reappeared, his entire demeanor transformed. He smiled warmly, placing a tray of cherries on the table as if nothing had happened.
“Darling, I picked the biggest ones just for you,” he said cheerfully. “So, what are our plans for tomorrow? My friends invited us over. You always say I never introduce you to anyone. Let’s fix that. Shall we go?”
Katya hesitated but forced a smile. “Yes, of course, love. I’d love that.”
She decided to move past the strange incident. But deep down, a nagging feeling refused to fade.
A Perfect Illusion
The next evening, they arrived at a beautifully decorated apartment. A couple, Ilya and Dasha, welcomed them warmly.
“Vadim hardly told us anything about you!” Dasha said with a smile.
“I work in cinema,” Katya replied casually, sipping her wine.
“Not like your old job at the salon, huh?” Ilya joked, nudging Vadim.
Everyone laughed. The night was filled with toasts and stories.
Vadim spoke fondly about their first meeting. “She was the only woman in the café with a book in her hands. I fell for her instantly.”
Dasha glanced at Katya. “And why didn’t you have a wedding? Just a simple registration?”
“My mom is recovering from surgery. We’ll celebrate later,” Vadim responded smoothly, taking Katya’s hand.
The evening ended on a high note. But as they drove home, Katya stared out the window, deep in thought.
“I know I’ve seen that apartment before…”
The Truth Begins to Unravel
A month passed, and the memory of the phone incident faded. Vadim was the perfect husband, their love blossoming along with the spring flowers.
Then, one morning, Katya received a set of locations for an upcoming film shoot. As she scrolled through the options, she stopped, her breath catching.
The apartment.
The same one where Ilya and Dasha hosted us last month.
Determined to get answers, Katya personally visited the owner.
“Excuse me, Yelena Pavlovna, but a month ago I was here with my husband, visiting a couple named Ilya and Dasha. Do you know them?”
The woman frowned. “I don’t know anyone by those names. This apartment is a short-term rental. I’ve owned it for ten years.”
Katya’s stomach dropped.
“Wait… A man did rent the apartment last month for a single day. I remember him—tall, well-dressed. His name was Vadim, I think.”
Katya’s world spun.
Her husband had rented the apartment. The “friends” were actors. Everything was staged.
That night, Katya lay in bed beside Vadim, replaying everything in her mind.
What don’t I know about my husband?
The Stranger Who Knew Too Much
A few weeks later, while shopping, a loud voice called out from behind.
“Seryoga?! Is that you?”
Vadim stiffened.
Katya turned to see a man staring at her husband in disbelief.
“It’s really you! Long hair, different nose, but I know it’s you!” The man stepped closer, eyes full of shock. “But… you’re supposed to be dead.”
Vadim’s grip on Katya tightened.
“Sir, you’ve got the wrong person,” he said coldly. Without another word, he pulled Katya away, quickening his pace.
The man didn’t give up. “I was at your funeral, Seryoga! You didn’t die… What the hell is going on?!”
Katya’s pulse pounded in her ears.
As they reached their car, she turned to Vadim. “Who was that?”
“No one,” he replied, brushing it off. “Just a case of mistaken identity.”
But Katya knew better.
A Secret Worth Killing For
That night, she waited for Vadim to fall asleep before unlocking his phone.
What she found made her blood run cold.
In his messages, she discovered a conversation where Vadim—no, Sergey—had hired the couple to play his friends. Every detail of their meeting had been scripted, down to the fake photos in the apartment.
Then she found the old pictures.
A different man stared back at her. Same eyes. Different face.
It was Vadim. Or rather, Sergey.
Her husband had changed his identity. But why?
The Final Revelation
The next day, Katya asked to meet Vadim in a public café.
She had her documents and savings with her—just in case.
Vadim arrived, pale and tense. He sat beside her, clutching his side.
“Give me your thumb,” he muttered. Before she could react, he pressed her finger to his phone, unlocking it. Then, he slid it into her hands.
“Keep it safe,” he whispered. “That phone is worth more than our lives.”
“Vadim, what’s going on?”
He exhaled sharply. “That man in the mall recognized me. And now, they know I’m alive.”
“Who?!”
“The people I was hiding from.” He clenched his jaw. “I worked undercover in a powerful criminal organization. When they found out, I had to disappear. I changed my face, my name—everything.”
Katya’s hands shook.
“I also took something from them. A billion rubles. Hidden in cryptocurrency, stored in that phone. I planned to take you and disappear. But now, I don’t think I’ll make it.”
“You will,” she whispered. “You have to. Because I’m pregnant.”
Vadim’s face went pale. “You… what?”
“I just found out.”
He opened his mouth, but then his body sagged forward. His shirt was soaked with blood.
“You’re hurt! Why didn’t you tell me?” Katya gasped, realizing he had been bleeding the entire time.
“They found me this morning,” he murmured. “But I got away… barely.”
Katya’s mind raced. She needed help. Fast.
There was only one person she could call.
Her father.
For the first time in five years, she dialed his number.
“Dad,” she said, her voice trembling. “I need you to save my husband’s life. And your grandchild’s.”
There was silence. Then, a deep sigh.
“Tell me where you are,” he said.
Katya exhaled in relief.
Everything was about to change.
But at least, for the first time, she knew the truth.
And she was ready to fight for the man she loved.