— Daughter, don’t worry about me. Right now, you must not quarrel with your father. Please, don’t try to defend me.”
Julia remembered these words from her mother forever. She was only fourteen then, and in her young heart, it felt as if the world had collapsed overnight. Her mother’s words sounded like a warning, like a farewell to what used to be called home — a place that should be warm, cozy, and safe. But now that home had become a battlefield, and love had turned into a cold war.
Mother had fallen in love with another man. It was an act that turned the whole family upside down. Father, always so calm and composed like a tank, suddenly became a stranger, almost frightening. Before, Julia dreamed he would at least show some emotion — smile, get angry, hug. But now she regretted ever wanting that. He lost control: shouting, insults, accusations. All of this became part of their daily life.
Every day started with a new quarrel. Father accused mother of infidelity, treachery, destroying the family. And once it even escalated to physical violence. Julia remembered that moment as if it happened in slow motion: how father pushed mother so hard that she hit her head on the edge of the coffee table. Blood flowed on the floor, mother collapsed motionless. Julia screamed, trembling hands dialed the police number, unable to understand if the person who gave birth to her was alive. She was sure — she had lost her forever.
After that incident, father started looking at his daughter differently — as an enemy, a traitor. Once he said to her:
“People like your mother live a long time. But husbands, they drive to heart attacks.”
His words were cruel, but Julia felt that behind them was not only anger — but also fear. Fear of losing control, fear of being exposed, fear of being alone.
But what struck her most was that before that terrible day, mother had found out she was pregnant. That child was supposed to be a chance for something new, for hope. But instead, it became the last straw. Mother often repeated:
“Where else can I go? I have no profession, almost no money…” Your mother said this again and again because she heard it many times from father. And it was true.
Parents married when mother was nineteen and father was thirty-nine. A young girl from an orphanage who never knew a mother’s affection met a well-off athlete from a wealthy family. At first glance, it might have seemed like a fairy tale. But inside that story, there was no happiness.
“When I met him, I thought he was my salvation,” mother said. “As if someone finally took my hand, gave me a roof over my head, said kind words. I was too young and inexperienced to realize that behind beautiful promises could be emptiness. Later I understood: he never loved me. To him, I was just a beautiful thing you could buy and keep nearby. And when I got pregnant with you, it was already too late.”
Julia often thought about this. So if she hadn’t been born, mother might have left father much earlier? Not tied her life to someone for whom she meant nothing?
One evening, mother was about to leave. She tried to explain to her daughter:
“Yulia, I have an apartment — the state helped. I can draw, cook, find a job. I’ll manage somehow. Just promise me one thing — pretend you love father much more than me. That won’t hurt me. Dad loves you.”
“But mom… You’re expecting a child! It will be my little brother or sister. Why are you leaving us? Why are you going?”
The girl cried and threw herself into her mother’s arms. Mother held her tightly and stood like that for an eternity, saying nothing.
“Yulia, you don’t understand much yet. Father will never acknowledge this child. I just have no other choice. But you — you’re different. When you were born, he at least valued me a little. You are the light in his window.”
Mother said she had secretly helped her friends from the orphanage for many years by giving them money that father gave her. That was why she didn’t dare to leave earlier. Most of all, she hoped to hold on until Julia reached adulthood — until her daughter could make decisions for herself.
But the miracle did not happen. The conflict broke out with such force that there was no turning back.
“And the child’s father… Won’t he help?” Julia asked cautiously.
“Let’s not talk about that for now. When you grow up, we’ll discuss everything. I want you to know: I would never have left you willingly. But father made it clear — if I leave, he will cut all ties with us. Don’t believe that I don’t love you and ran away to a lover.”
Mother cried again. Tears ran down her cheeks, and Julia realized for the first time that adults could also be helpless.
The next day was her birthday — fourteen years old. Julia woke early, put on a dress, and went to her mother’s bedroom. She wanted to try to persuade her to leave together. But there was no one in the room. Only Nina Ivanovna, the housekeeper, was tidying gloomily.
“Sorry, dear, mother couldn’t say goodbye. Father already took her away.”
The woman’s voice trembled, though she tried to stay stern. It was clear she felt incredibly sorry for Julia.
“Nina Ivanovna, please tell me what you know!” Julia begged, kneeling before her.
She only pointed to the surveillance cameras in the corner and sighed deeply:
“Sorry, my dear. You understand — I have one grandson, Vadik. His health is poor. I can’t lose this job.”
Nina Ivanovna turned away to hide her tears. Julia knew Vadik — they were the same age. After an accident that killed his parents, he couldn’t walk. Except for his grandmother, he had no one. Father allowed them to live in the annex, and the housekeeper rented the apartment.
“Sorry, Nina Ivanovna. I won’t ask anything else,” Julia said quietly, looking straight at the camera.
In the evening, father returned home.
“Don’t ask about mother anymore. She betrayed us. Here’s a gift.”
He handed her an expensive gold ornament and a receipt — as usual, in case she didn’t like something.
“Thank you, dad. Very nice gift,” Julia kissed his cheek coldly.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror and thought, “How bad it is to look like him — tall, green-eyed, with dark hair. I wish I were a little blonde with blue eyes. Then I could see in the mirror the one I loved most in the world.”
It was impossible to explain why she couldn’t love father. Mother was a living person, full of love and warmth. And dad — like a wall behind which there was nothing but cold.
A couple of months later, Julia sold the gold ornament. The money was needed for Vadik — he required urgent surgery.
“How can you? I can’t take such money! You could buy a car with that! And what if father finds out?”
“And if no one tells him — how will he know?” Julia reassured.
Gradually, father became a stranger. No, not just a stranger — dangerous. Julia began to understand she needed to run away as soon as she became an adult. Four years left until then. Four long years of patience, playing the loving daughter, begging for money for gifts, penny by penny, to then start a new life — maybe even find her mother.
The operation helped Vadik. The blond, gray-eyed boy was overjoyed when he could stand on his feet for the first time in many years.
“Yul, I don’t even know how to thank you. You just saved me. Now I’ll wait a bit, grow up, and support grandma. I can’t watch her work herself to exhaustion because of me.”
“It’s nothing,” Julia replied. “Just marry me and love me all your life. I don’t ask for much.”
She wanted to lighten the mood, but Vadik suddenly blushed, broke out in spots, and couldn’t say a word for about twenty minutes.
“Hey, what’s wrong? It’s a joke!”
“Did grandma tell you that?” he finally managed.
“What exactly?”
“Don’t pretend. I knew she read my diary and found out — I’m head over heels for you.”
Julia was confused. He was a close friend with whom she could talk about anything. But she didn’t have romantic feelings for him. What to say now? She had to blurt out such nonsense!
“Vadik, sorry. Grandma really isn’t to blame. Honestly. It’s just… I’ve liked you for a long time but was too shy to admit it. So I decided to check if you could love me back.”
Julia didn’t know why she lied. Maybe because Vadik was a kind, good person, and she sincerely felt sorry for him. Maybe she thought teenage crushes pass quickly, and meanwhile, they could hold hands and feel needed, even if temporarily.
Vadim was stunned. He stood, looking at Julia with wide-open eyes, unable to say a word. His face flushed, then suddenly he kissed her on the cheek and ran away at lightning speed.
“How sweet. Not like those snobs in class who think they’re a gift to any girl,” Julia thought, watching Vadim disappear around the corner.
She suddenly realized she didn’t regret that impulsive confession. Yes, she exaggerated her feelings a bit, but she really liked Vadim. Not just as a friend, but as a person who caused a warm thrill inside, a feeling of hope and safety.
They dated under the moonlight for three months, held hands, whispered about the future, dreamed about a family. Vadik was surprisingly innocent and touchingly shy. With him, Julia felt calm, as if there would always be someone nearby to protect, support, and understand without words.
But one day everything changed. Vadik had a rich aunt abroad. She decided to take Nina Ivanovna and her nephew to start a new life. Before leaving, Vadim promised:
“I’ll write, call. And when we grow up — we’ll definitely get married.”
“Promise?” Julia asked, already feeling her heart tighten with the premonition of parting.
“Of course. I swear — I’ll never forget you and never trade you for anyone.”
Until that moment, Julia had held herself confidently but felt something change inside. She wasn’t just attached to him — she truly loved him. And she didn’t want to lose that feeling, didn’t want it to pass like childish infatuation.
Although they kept writing, only Julia and her father remained in the house — that cold, almost alien man who, as it turned out, not only didn’t love mother but repeatedly cheated on her.
When Julia turned twenty-four, she made a decision: if by her twenty-fifth birthday she hadn’t found her mother — she would stop searching. It was too painful to face the thought every day that she wasn’t near.
To find traces of mother, Julia asked to work as her father’s legal assistant, hoping to get information through databases. She also contacted a private detective agency. But all searches ended in nothing.
“Julia, it’s unpleasant to say this, but we agreed to forget about the traitors,” father once said, hinting he knew about her attempts.
“Dad, but mom didn’t commit a crime. Why do you hate her so much? What if she needs help?”
“We’ve already discussed everything. Don’t go back to this.”
Over the years, Julia learned a lot about her father. It turned out he was a womanizer, constantly involved in affairs, often seeing several women at once. One of his former lovers confessed that their relationship began when he was still married to mother.
Julia couldn’t understand: if he himself had a guilty conscience, why did he fiercely condemn mother? Why forbid even communication with his own daughter?
Her twenty-fifth birthday was approaching. Julia was ready to put an end to her search. Father even hinted that mother had “settled” with a rich man and simply didn’t want to see the old family.
“After all, no one is perfect. Maybe mother isn’t that good, and dad isn’t that bad,” she thought, trying to convince herself.
One of the first winter evenings, when the first snow began to fall outside, Julia decided to take a walk near the office. One more month — and birthday. She used to look forward to it eagerly. Vadim was born on the same day — seemed like a sign of fate. Mother always gave presents to both her and Vadik early in the morning.
Then everything disappeared. First mother, then Vadim. And with them — the joyful anticipation of a celebration, surrounded by people who care about you.
Father instructed the secretary to buy a gift — her birthday was in his diary. But what’s the point if the celebration is fake and there’s emptiness around?
“Yul! Is it true? Did you really find her?”
A blond young man with gray eyes looked at her — Vadim. The same one.
“Vad’ka! How did you get here?”
“Father wrote that you got married. Even sent photos… I believed it. Well-edited photos.”
Vadim showed correspondence with father. Julia began to understand why the computer needed to be changed and programs reinstalled then. Father didn’t want them to communicate.
“But why? Did aunt become a successful woman? What’s the problem?”
“Because of grandma. She threatened father she would tell you the truth about your mother.”
They went to a cafe and spent two hours there, not noticing how time flew.
It turned out Nina Ivanovna all this time knew where mother and Lyuda were, helped them with money. She was the one who gave money from selling that very gold ornament.
“I was lucky — the surgery was done at the state’s expense, although doctors said there was no hope,” Vadim admitted.
“And you knew?!” Julia looked reproachfully.
“No, of course not! I couldn’t keep silent. Seriously. Grandma told only a year ago, before her death. Asked me to take care of Vera and Lyudochka.”
“So I have a sister!” Julia rejoiced.
“Yes, she’s nine now. But…” Vadim lowered his eyes and blushed. “Sorry, I failed. After grandma’s death, I didn’t contact Vera for six months. Thought I gave enough money. And when I realized, I learned mother…” his voice trembled, “drowned during a water tour. Don’t know why she went there — very strange. Found out from the news.”
“What happened to mother?! How come?!”
“And Lyuda was sent to an orphanage.”
“But you can adopt her! We’ll go now!”
“Sorry, but she ran away. Didn’t get along with the caregivers. They filed a missing person report.”
Vadim looked depressed. Julia couldn’t stand it — slapped him.
“How could you?! Come here to torment my soul? Say everything could have been, and now nothing!”
“But we still have each other,” he said quietly.
“No ‘we’ anymore! And good that father lied! And you know, I never loved you, and then just lied!”
Julia herself didn’t understand why she said that. Vadim wasn’t to blame for what happened. He was the only one she would have agreed to marry.
“Forgive me. I’ll try to find out something and call. Just don’t tell father about our meeting.”
Vadim paid the bill and left. Julia watched him go, seeing his pale lips, trembling hands, and red spots on his face. She felt deep shame. She had driven away the only person who cared about her.
Her twenty-fifth birthday passed alone. She invited no one. Father went away with another lover, leaving only an expensive gift and a large sum of money.
She ordered pizza, let the housekeeper go with a day off and a bonus. She didn’t feel like celebrating, so she didn’t even dress up — there was no one.
Searching for Lyuda gave no results. Julia thought: “Somewhere my sister is freezing now, and I’m lying here eating pizza.”
She received a message from father: he’d be back in a few days, wished happiness and long life. Julia didn’t answer. Let him think everything is going according to plan. Tomorrow she would leave this house forever. Father should live on his own. She would have nothing more to do with him. The money gift would come in handy for a new life.
“Julia Ivanovna, are you sure you won’t need me?” housekeeper Marina asked shyly.
The young mother of three couldn’t believe her employer was really letting her go with gifts and money.
“No, not mistaken. Let someone be happy at least.”
When Marina left, the doorbell rang. Julia didn’t want to open — no one was home, no need to answer.
A rosy-cheeked man stood at the door. His eyelashes were frosted — apparently stood outside for a long time. The car was covered in snow.
“Yul, did you say that just out of confusion — that you never loved me?” Vadim blurted out.
Julia hugged him and cried:
“Of course! It just became bitter. You dumped everything on me at once.”
So they stood hugging, forgetting to close the door, until they heard a child’s voice:
“Uncle Vadik! Happy birthday! Look what I bought!”
Before them stood a blue-eyed girl with a rosy face. Poorly dressed but holding out a dozen chocolates tied with a gold ribbon.
“Oh, you didn’t get lost! I almost went crazy! Asked you to wait in the clothing store, but you ran off and bought everything with the money you had!”
Vadim spun the girl in his arms, then winked at Julia:
“This is Lyuda. You don’t mind if she stays at our birthday party?”
Julia’s heart beat like a young woman’s. The little girl was a copy of their mother. And, apparently, she didn’t yet know she was standing before her own sister.
“Of course! Although I’m a bad hostess — I only have pizza.”
“But there’s a lot of it! And I love pizza very much. When mom was still alive, she made very tasty chicken pizza.”
“Me too,” Julia said quietly.
She thought: “There couldn’t be a better birthday gift.”
That same evening Julia packed her things and moved to the apartment where mother and sister had been living all that time. They decided to marry as soon as possible and officially adopt Lyuda.
The little sister was happy to learn she had a real sister and didn’t want to return to the orphanage.
Julia no longer communicated with father. Not because he was involved in mother’s death (this was revealed later), but simply because she didn’t want to visit in prison a man who had tortured everyone all his life, loving and hating the same woman.
As they say, if such people are treated — it’s not in this life.
From mother’s diary found in the apartment, Julia learned the whole truth: Lyuda was not her father’s biological daughter. Julia herself was adopted because her parents couldn’t have children. Father personally chose a child who resembled mother in appearance and character but could not love her. Then, when mother became pregnant, he suggested giving Julia back. Then Vera lied that she had cheated. She left to protect her daughter. And father, to torment her, kept his favorite person — Julia — under control.
“But why didn’t mother take me with her?” Julia asked her husband.
“Because father is a dangerous man. Who knows what could have happened to you. She wanted to protect you. Now you must understand.”
Vadim gently stroked his wife’s belly — they were expecting a son.
“Looks like the daughter is growing honest, brave, stubborn, and loves us madly,” Julia said.
“And I almost died when she ran away right under my nose then. You know how to drive someone crazy!” Vadim joked.
“Well, will you stop reminding me all my life?” Julia asked and kissed him.
“So you loved me even then, when we were kids?” he asked seriously.
“Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!”
Julia didn’t specify that at that moment she didn’t realize those feelings herself. Vadim was quite the bore and would start asking for details.
But isn’t it enough that they are happy?
