Natalia stared at the phone screen, unable to move. The red call-end button remained lit, and from the speaker came the muffled sound of a woman’s laughter. So young, carefree… nothing like her tired voice after a twelve-hour shift at the hospital.
— Andrei, stop! — whispered an unfamiliar voice playfully. — We really need to get to work…
Natalia’s fingers turned cold. Fifteen years of marriage flashed before her eyes like frames from an old film: their first meeting in the university library, their modest wedding, the birth of Mashenka, sleepless nights by the crib… All this time, she thought she knew her husband.
— I told you I’d be late tonight, — Andrei’s voice sounded unusually soft. — Important project…
Natalia bitterly smiled. Important project. Of course. For the past six months, he had talked only about work, the new young team, and modern approaches to business. And she had been proud of his success, proud of him.
The woman’s voice laughed again, now quieter, more intimate. Finally, Natalia found the strength to press the red button. The apartment fell into dead silence, broken only by the ticking of the wall clock—the wedding gift from his parents.
She slowly sank into a kitchen chair. On the fridge still hung their last family photo from vacation: tanned, happy faces, Mashenka between them, holding both of their hands. Natalia remembered how long they had debated over the location for the trip, how Andrei had insisted on this particular resort…
Her phone vibrated—a message from him: «Sorry, I’m late. The important meeting ran long. Don’t wait for dinner.»
Natalia looked at the set table, at his favorite dish she had prepared all evening after her shift. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She had to decide what to do next. Mashenka would be back from practice soon, and her daughter couldn’t see her like this.
Rising from the table, she walked to the window. The rain had started outside, drops slowly running down the glass, blurring the lights of the evening city. Natalia took out her phone and opened her contacts. Her finger hovered over her lawyer’s name—an old friend who had offered help several times, noticing Andrei’s strange behavior recently.
— Mom, I’m home! — Mashenka’s bright voice rang out from the hallway.
Natalia took a deep breath, tucked the phone into her pocket, and forced a smile. She had time to think about what to do. For now, she had to be strong—for her daughter, for herself. Life didn’t end with betrayal, even if it seemed that way right now.
— How was practice, sweetheart? — Natalia asked, stepping into the hallway and helping her daughter take off her backpack.
— Great! The coach said I’m ready for the competition. Is dad coming to the performance?
Natalia froze for a moment but quickly composed herself:
— Of course, darling. He’ll definitely come.
— Where is he now? — Mashenka looked around the empty kitchen. — Is he at work again?
— Yes, he has… an important meeting, — Natalia turned towards the stove. — Are you going to eat?
— Mmm, it smells delicious! — the girl sat down at the table. — Can I call dad? I want to tell him about practice!
— Let’s do it later, sweetheart, — Natalia replied softly, setting the plates. — He’s very busy right now.
Mashenka shrugged and started eating, while Natalia watched her and thought about how much she would have to explain. And how much she would have to hide to protect her daughter’s innocent heart from the harsh truth of adult life.
When her daughter went to do her homework, Natalia took out her phone and dialed her mother-in-law’s number.
— Hello, Vera Nikolaevna? Good evening.
— Natasha, is something wrong? — Vera Nikolaevna’s voice held concern. — You usually don’t call this late.
Natalia took a deep breath:
— Tell me… Has Andrei said anything to you lately… about me? About our relationship?
There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line.
— Natasha… — Vera Nikolaevna’s voice trembled. — Did you find out something?
Natalia’s heart stopped. So, her mother-in-law knew. She knew and stayed silent.
— Why didn’t you tell me? — she whispered.
— I was hoping he would come to his senses, — Vera Nikolaevna replied quietly. — She’s just a girl, his new assistant. I thought it was just a midlife crisis…
Natalia abruptly ended the call. The ringing in her ears was deafening. Assistant. Of course. The «promising employee» he had been talking about at dinner all the time. How could she have been so blind?
The phone vibrated again—it was Andrei calling. Natalia stared at the screen, where their shared photo smiled back at her, and thought about how strange life was: years spent with someone, trusting them with all her secrets, building plans for the future… And then, in a moment, realizing that even his smile in the photo now seemed foreign and unfamiliar.
The call ended, and within seconds, a message appeared: «I’ll be home soon. We need to talk.»
Natalia went upstairs to check Mashenka’s homework quickly.
— Sweetheart, it’s already late. Time for bed.
— And dad? — her daughter sleepily asked, snuggling under the covers.
— Dad is staying late. I’ll tell him you were waiting.
After kissing her daughter, Natalia went down to the kitchen. She heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. She stayed at the table, staring at the cold dinner.
Andrei entered hesitantly, as though he were in a stranger’s house. He smelled of expensive perfume—not the one she had given him for their anniversary.
— Natasha… — he began, but she interrupted.
— How old is she? — Her voice sounded surprisingly calm.
Andrei froze in the doorway.
– What?
– Your assistant. How old is she?
– How do you… – he stopped himself, noticing her gaze. – Twenty-six.
Natalya bitterly smiled.
– Fourteen years younger than me. Almost the same age gap as between me and Masha.
– Natasha, listen…
– No, you listen, – she finally lifted her eyes to him. – I know everything. I know about the late-night meetings, about «important projects.» Today you forgot to hang up the phone after our conversation.
Andrey turned pale and sank heavily into a chair.
– I didn’t want you to find out like this.
– How did you want me to find out? – Natalya felt her voice betray her with a tremor. – After you’ve decided that a young lover is better than an old wife?
– Don’t say that, – he tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. – You don’t understand. Everything has changed at work, new opportunities, young team…
– And a young lover to go with it? – Natalya stood up from the table. – Do you know what’s the scariest part? It’s not that you betrayed me. It’s that you betrayed Masha. She asked today if you were coming to her competition.
– Of course, I’ll come! – Andrey exclaimed. – I’m her father!
– Really? I thought you were now a manager dealing with young talent.
Andrey jumped up from his chair.
– Stop it! You don’t understand how hard it is for me right now!
– It’s hard for you? – Natalya lowered her voice to a whisper, not wanting to wake Masha. – How do you think it feels for me? How do you think it will feel for Masha when she finds out that her dad…
– I’m leaving you, – Andrey suddenly said quietly.
Those words hung in the air like a thunderclap. Natalya felt the ground slip away from under her feet.
– Just like that? – She sank back into her chair. – Fifteen years of marriage, and that’s it?
– Katya is pregnant, – he looked away.
Natalya covered her face with her hands. So that’s her name. Katya. And she’s already carrying his child.
– Mom? Dad? – Masha’s sleepy voice made them both flinch. – What’s going on?
They turned. Their daughter stood in the kitchen doorway, her confused eyes shifting from one parent to the other.
– Why are you shouting?
– Masha, sweetie, go back to bed, – Natalya tried to smile. – We’re just having a talk.
– You’re fighting, – Masha frowned. – It’s about that lady from work, right? I heard grandma talking on the phone…
Andrey turned pale:
– What did you hear?
– That some Katya took you away from the family, – the girl’s voice trembled. – Dad, is it true? You still love us, right?
Natalya watched as her now ex-husband helplessly opened and closed his mouth, unable to find the words. Fifteen years she loved this man, trusted him, built a family with him. And now he couldn’t even find the words to explain to their daughter why he was destroying her world.
– Dad loves us very much, – Natalya said firmly, walking over to her daughter. – Sometimes grown-ups… get confused. Come on, I’ll tuck you in.
– I’m not going anywhere! – Masha shook her head stubbornly. – I want to know the truth!
Andrey took a step toward his daughter:
– Masha, honey…
– Don’t come near me! – the girl screamed and ran out of the kitchen.
In the ensuing silence, they could hear the door to her room slam shut and the key turn in the lock.
– I’ll talk to her, – Andrey moved toward the exit of the kitchen.
– No, – Natalya blocked his way. – You’ve done enough. Pack your things and leave.
– This is my home too!
– It was, until you decided to start a new family, – she looked him straight in the eyes. – I’ll send you my lawyer’s contact in the morning. And don’t even think about fighting for custody – you saw how Masha reacted.
Andrey slumped his shoulders.
– I really didn’t want it to turn out like this.
– But it did, – Natalya felt a cold resolve growing inside her. – You have an hour to pack what you need. You can come back for the rest later.
While her ex-husband packed his things in the bedroom, she went upstairs to her daughter. She knocked on the door:
– Masha, it’s mom. Can I come in?
The sound of the lock clicking. Natalya entered the room. Her daughter was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees.
– I don’t want to see him, – she said in a muffled voice.
– You don’t have to, – Natalya sat down beside her and hugged her daughter’s shoulders. – Today, dad will leave. But you need to know – he loves you. Sometimes… grown-ups make mistakes.
– Big mistakes, – Masha sniffled. – You know, Lenka from the parallel class is crying because of the same thing. Her dad also got a new family.
Natalya squeezed her daughter tighter. Downstairs, the front door slammed – Andrey had left.
– Mom, – Masha whispered later, as they walked home. – Can I… can I call dad? I want to tell him about the new moves I learned.
Natalya felt her heart tighten. – Of course, sweetie. That’s your decision.
In the evening, after putting her daughter to bed, she sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea, flipping through photos from the competition. The phone quietly dinged – a message from a colleague at the hospital, Mikhail. He had been persistently inviting her for coffee for the past two months.
«I saw the photos from the performance. Masha is a real champion! Maybe we could celebrate her victory with dinner? I know a great family restaurant…»
Natalya smiled, looking at the screen. Maybe it was time for her to take a step forward. Life doesn’t end with betrayal – she had told herself that on that awful night. And now, six months later, she truly believed it for the first time.
