Stop saying nonsense! What do you mean, you won’t let me back in? Me!” Vitaliy stood in the doorway of his former apartment, looking surprised.
“You’re the one talking nonsense now. What’s this, showing up here? Where is it written in any law that any immoral… individuals, who’ve had their fill with someone else, should have any right to return to their ex-wives?” Liliyana was astonished.
“Lily, don’t be silly. Let me back in, and you won’t regret it!” insisted Vitaliy. “Have you already forgotten everything?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten anything. I remember perfectly well how you ran off with some young, mindless beauty, forgetting everything else,” said his ex-wife with a haughty smile.
“And why are you labeling her like that? What’s so mindless about her?” Vitaliy said, getting offended, briefly forgetting why he was there.
“Because she is, that’s why! Found someone to be jealous of, you little fool. She’s got all the happiness she could ever want. But, I see, she quickly came to her senses, since you’re back here again.”
“Don’t start with me!” Vitaliy stood straighter. “I’m your lawful husband…”
“Was!” Liliyana cried joyfully.
“Well, that’s easily fixed. I’ll say it again—I’m your husband, the one you’ve lived with for almost twenty years. We have two children—this is something you can’t just erase from our lives. So, stop messing around and start setting the table. We’ll celebrate my return.”
Vitaliy dragged a large suitcase and sports bag into the apartment, ignoring Liliyana’s protests.
“Don’t start, don’t start! Did you forget whose apartment this is?” Vitaliy asked critically, eyeing himself in the hallway mirror.
“No, why would I forget? It’s our joint apartment, which I’m currently trying to sell so we can split the money. You wanted that too, remember, when you left,” Liliyana reminded her ex-husband. “You demanded, shouted, insisted that it be sold quickly.”
“Well, it hasn’t been sold yet. Thank God! Now we don’t need to sell it. And this apartment is mine, do you understand?” Vitaliy said confidently.
“Our apartment.”
“No, mine! And you know that perfectly well, dear, so you have no right to keep me out of here.”
“We bought it together, in our marriage,” Liliyana was surprised, already having forgotten how arrogant her ex-husband was.
“Don’t tell me you also contributed to the purchase,” he said with a cynical smile. “You gave up your measly salary, didn’t you? Don’t make me laugh! Without me, you wouldn’t have been able to buy even a doghouse with your salary as a regular accountant. I was already in a good position at our factory back then. And I always brought in decent money for you. So, we decided to move from your tiny room in the communal apartment to a real one. We bought this one. Have you forgotten?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten. My memory’s fine. But the money from renting out and then selling my room went into this apartment. So, don’t lecture me about our salary difference. I know how to count too, not any dumber than you, Mr. Smart.”
“Look at you! You’ve gotten bold without me, talking back,” Vitaliy said disapprovingly, frowning.
“Listen, if you have nowhere to live, rent a room or go to a hotel, since you’re so proud of your income. I’ll sell the apartment, and that’s it. We’re no longer connected. Living together is ridiculous!” Liliyana said angrily, looking at Vitaliy with confusion and even disdain.
“Oh, we will! Don’t argue. And our children will thank us for it later,” Vitaliy said proudly, putting Liliyana on the spot.
“They won’t thank you. They’re on my side. They don’t even want to talk to you,” Liliyana said with pleasure.
“I see… You’ve turned them against me, against their own father! You’ve completely lost control here without me. Well, I’ll fix that quickly,” the ex-husband threatened.
“Doubtful,” Liliyana reassured him. “You’ve made a mistake, Vitaliy. If Masha kicked you out, nothing will come of it here either. I’m not planning to forgive you, and I’m not living with you again. It’s absurd. We’re divorced, and I already have a new life.”
“What? You have a new life? Don’t make me laugh! Have you looked in the mirror lately? Lily, you weren’t beautiful when you were young, and I’m putting it mildly. And now, in your forties, definitely not! You should thank me for being with such a worthy man in your old age,” Vitaliy said, with all his usual cynicism.
“Nevertheless, I insist I have a personal life, and it has nothing to do with you anymore,” Liliyana replied calmly.
“What personal life? What are you talking about? I married you out of pity twenty years ago. I felt sorry for you, a fool. I thought, who else would want someone like you? I made you happy, you could say. And you’re ungrateful—never even said thank you. You’d still be sitting here alone, if not for me,” Vitaliy continued, humiliating his ex-wife.
“Oh, of course! Back to your favorite role—worldwide benefactor, protector, and do-gooder! You’ve jumped back into your favorite topic. I almost forgot how you love to praise yourself,” Liliyana replied, rolling her eyes.
“Lily, come on, enough! Relax and start celebrating that your husband’s come back. That means you’re not all bad. You’re a good wife—that’s what this means!” Vitaliy said, grinning broadly at her, adjusting his thick, curly hair.
Liliyana burst out laughing at that moment, looking at him.
“Your charms don’t work on me, master of seduction! That’s it, you can relax and stop wasting your energy and time.”
“Do you really think you’ll live the rest of your life alone? But we’re still so young and could have a good second half of our lives together. We could travel, for example. How about it? Go to the sea, or somewhere far, once or even twice a year. Our kids are already grown up, I’m doing well at work, so we can afford it. Your friends will envy you. Or we could buy a house in the countryside. We’ll sell this apartment and buy one. Lily, how does that sound? Children, grandkids when they come—everyone will visit us. Think about it, what are you turning down?”
“That’s not a great idea. Although, you could do all that without me, with some other woman.”
“I don’t need any other woman. I’ve got a wife, a lawful one,” Vitaliy insisted.
“I’m not your wife! Leave me alone, for God’s sake! Stop bothering me,” Liliyana snapped.
“I’m hungry,” the man said shamelessly, heading into the kitchen. “Feed me, and stop playing hard to get. I’ve already assessed the extent of your anger, but there’s a limit, you know! Enough!”
Vitaliy even took a look at what Liliyana had in her pots. But just then, her phone rang.
“Yes,” she answered with a smile. “I’m glad to hear from you. Of course, come over! I just have to warn you—there’s a little unexpected situation here. Yes, it’s him. Just as you guessed.”
“Who’s calling you?” Vitaliy asked jealously.
“It’s my beloved man,” Liliyana replied calmly.
“Oh, don’t even start! Don’t make me laugh! Who would want you, an old, ugly woman? Maybe some scoundrel who’s after the apartment. But he better know—this apartment is mine!” Vitaliy shouted.
“My God, how ridiculous you are! A rich man with half of a two-room apartment. As for who wants me, you’ll find out soon. He’s coming here now, to me.”
“Stop this circus, Lily. You’ve already worn me out, really! Probably one of your friends is calling, and you’re lying to me about some man. Nobody wants you!” Vitaliy looked at the smiling woman arrogantly.
“Well, well… Keep entertaining your illusions. Overconfident turkey.”
“I’ll show you!” Vitaliy threatened, wagging his finger.
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll open it myself! This is my apartment!” Vitaliy yelled, rushing to the hallway.
His surprise was immense when he saw his direct boss, the deputy director of the factory where Vitaliy had worked for many years as a lead engineer, standing at the door.
“Oh, Dmitry Ivanovich! What a pleasant surprise! Come in, come in! I’m glad to see you. What brings you to my home? Are you offering me a new position, perhaps?” Vitaliy asked with a broad smile. “This is the kind of respect I get from my boss! Coming home to talk about work.”
“I’m not here to see you. And, as far as I know, you, Vitaliy, haven’t lived here for a year. So, move aside and let me in.”
“Not here to see me?” Vitaliy’s face changed. “Are you joking, Dmitry Ivanovich? Who else could you be here for, if not me, the lead engineer? Not her, right—just a regular accountant from the office?”
Vitaliy looked at his ex-wife in confusion.
“Yes, I came to see my beloved woman. Hello, Lilenka,” Dmitry Ivanovich said, hugging his ex-wife and even kissing her on the cheek.
“To her?” Vitaliy stared in shock, seeing his boss cozying up to his ex-wife.
“Yes, to her. I proposed to her, and Liliyana agreed, for which I’m forever grateful.”
Dmitry Ivanovich and Liliyana looked at each other with loving eyes.
“You can’t be serious! Are you messing with me?” Vitaliy couldn’t believe what was happening.
“No, not at all. I’m a widower, it’s been three years. And Liliyana’s divorced. I’ve been noticing your wife for a long time and always admired her. When I found out you, idiot, left her, I didn’t hesitate. Now we’re together.”
“It can’t be!” Vitaliy said, stunned.
“It can, it can. And you better show some respect. Don’t forget you’re in the presence of your direct boss and his future wife. So, take your bags and get out.”
“Wha…?” Vitaliy tried to say something.
“And if you keep complaining, I’ll fire you. Yes, that’s right. I’ll find a reason, believe me.”
“What about… the apartment? Mine… ours?”
“Liliyana will sell the apartment, we won’t need it. We’ll live in my house. She’ll give you the money from the sale, just like you agreed during the divorce. But right now, Vitaliy, you have absolutely no business here. So, don’t make a scene, you know it will only make things worse for you. Oh, and forget about the new position. You don’t deserve it. You can fail at any moment.”
Vitaliy left with his bag and suitcase from his former building and went to find a place to stay. He still didn’t know where to go. His mind was a mess, unable to believe what had just happened.
In his mind, there was only one thought—his wife, his Lilenka, had found a man who was better than him, someone who saw her as more than the ugly, aging woman he thought she was meant to be, waiting for him to come back.
