You don’t even realize how much your mediocrity and dullness irritate me now,» Andrei said, his eyes flashing. «I don’t need a gray mouse; I deserve more!»
«Do you really think money makes you better?» Olga replied, her voice full of pain, trying to hold back tears.
The evening light cozily illuminated the kitchen where Olga was cooking dinner. The smell of freshly cooked borscht and fresh pies filled the air.
Andrei burst through the door, waving an envelope and smiling ear to ear.
«Olya! Olya! You won’t believe it!» he shouted, not even taking off his shoes. «I got a letter about an inheritance from some distant relative! Now I’m rich!»
Olga turned around, wiping her hands on her apron.
«That’s great, Andryush,» she calmly replied. «But who is this relative? We didn’t know anyone…»
«Who cares!» Andrei laughed and approached her, kissing her on the cheek. «Now we can afford everything we want!»
Olga raised her eyebrows in surprise but didn’t have time to say anything as Andrei began talking about future plans, waving his hands and dreaming of luxury purchases.
However, the next day, apparently after a sleepless night as a future millionaire, Andrei turned into a completely different person.
He looked at Olga with disdain, began to command and demand attention only to himself. All his talks were about how rich he now was and how successful. It was as if the letter he received was not about an inheritance, but about being awarded the Nobel Prize.
«You know, Olya,» he said at breakfast, not looking at her, «now that I’m rich, I think we need to reconsider our relationship.»
Olga shuddered and stared at him in disbelief.
«What do you mean?» she asked, trying to hold back tears.
«Well, you understand, I’m now on a completely different level,» he said, biting into a sandwich.
«Other people? What are you even talking about, Andrei?»
«About how I’m now rich,» he repeated, as if that explained everything. «And you… you’re too ordinary.»
Olga was in shock. She called her best friends—Katya and Lena—to meet at a cafe and tell them what happened.
«Girls, you won’t believe it!» she began as soon as they sat down at the table. «Andrei received some inheritance and now thinks I’m not his match!»
Katya snorted.
«Well, that’s news. Who is this relative who fell out of the sky?»
Lena frowned, listening intently to Olga.
«And what are you going to do?» she asked.
«I don’t know,» Olga sighed. «Andrei has become so… so disgusting!»
Katya shook her head.
«Olya, are you sure this isn’t some mistake? Maybe he’s just gone a bit mad?»
«I don’t know,» repeated Olga. «But this isn’t like him.»
Lena, frowning even more, pondered.
That’s how the evening ended. Olga returned home, where Andrei was already immersed in looking at catalogs of luxury cars. Anxiety settled in her soul, but the hope of help from her loyal friends kept her spirits up.
Days passed, and Andrei became increasingly unbearable. Although he had not yet received the money from the inheritance, his behavior changed. He walked with his head held high as if he were already a millionaire, and treated Olga with arrogance and disdain.
«Olya, where is my suit?» he yelled one morning. «I have an important meeting today!»
Olga found the suit and neatly hung it on the bedroom door.
«Andrei, can we talk?» she timidly asked, approaching him.
«Not now,» he dismissed her. «I don’t have time for trifles.»
Olga felt her eyes filling with tears. She didn’t understand what was happening and why the man she loved had turned into this alien, cold man. She decided it was time to talk to her friends again.
In the evening, Olga met with Katya and Lena at a small cafe on the corner. They sat at a cozy table by the window, ordered coffee, and began discussing what was happening.
«Girls, I can’t live like this anymore,» Olga began, barely holding back tears. «Andrei has become simply unbearable. He treats me like a servant and says he needs other people around.»
Katya snorted, pushing her coffee cup aside.
«What a scoundrel! Olya, you need to put him in his place. He hasn’t even received the money yet, and he’s already turning up his nose.»
Lena frowned, listening attentively to Olga.
«Ol, we’re always with you. Don’t worry, everything will work out.»
Lena, looking away, thoughtfully said:
«Olya, you need to stay strong. Katya and I won’t let him hurt you,» Lena confidently said, stroking Olga’s hand.
«Thank you, girls. I couldn’t have coped without you,» Olga quietly replied, trying to calm down.
Days went by, and Andrei’s behavior became more and more unbearable.
He continued to belittle and insult Olga, accusing her of being mercenary and supposedly only waiting for money from his inheritance.
«Olya, you understand that I’m a completely different person now,» Andrei said, returning home in the evening. «You’ve always been a gray mouse, but now I see right through you. You’re just waiting for me to get rich so you can feast at my expense.»
Olga looked at him with horror and pain.
«Andrei, how can you say that? We’ve been together for so many years, I’ve always supported you!»
«Yes, yes, supported,» he sneered. «But now it’s clear to me that you only care about money.»
Olga felt her heart breaking. She couldn’t understand why Andrei had become so cruel. All this time, she had tried to be patient and understanding, but his words were like a knife in her heart.
«Andrei, let’s discuss everything, talk,» Olga firmly said.
«About what? About how you’re waiting for my money?» he sarcastically asked.
«No, about what’s happening to you. I want to understand why you’ve changed so much.»
Andrei looked at her with contempt.
«You wouldn’t understand. You’re too simple for this level of life.»
These words were the last straw for Olga. She decided she would not endure this any longer.
The next day, she met with her friends. They sat in the same cafe, and Olga felt the girls’ support with their presence.
«Olga, we need to tell you the truth,» Katya began, looking at Lena.
Lena nodded and added:
«Sorry, Ol, we wanted to joke, but it got out of control.»
Olga looked at them anxiously.
«What do you want to say?»
Katya sighed and said:
«The letter about the inheritance… It’s fake. Lena and I orchestrated this to show you what a person can become if they have money.»
Olga froze, not believing her ears.
«You mean it was all a lie?» she whispered.
Lena took her hand.
«Olga, we did this because we saw how Andrei was treating you. We wanted to show you who he really is. And it turns out he’s really a terrible person.»
Olga felt her eyes fill with tears. She didn’t know what to feel—anger, disappointment, or relief.
«How could you do this?» she asked, not hiding her tears. «Did you think this would help?»
Katya looked at her with regret.
«We thought it would help you see the truth. We didn’t expect him to become like this…»
Olga was silent for a long time, processing what she heard. Finally, she spoke.
«I don’t understand why you did this. But it was too cruel. Now I know that Andrei is not who I thought he was. And my friends are not who I thought they were.»
When Andrei returned home, he found Olga in the living room. She sat on the sofa with a determined look, her eyes blazing with resolution.
«Olga, what’s this important conversation again?» Andrei asked irritably, taking off his jacket.
«Sit down, Andrei,» she calmly said. «We need to discuss a lot.»
Andrei sat down, grumbling unhappily.
«Again these talks? I’m tired of them.»
Olga sighed, gathering all her strength.
«Andrei, I know the truth about the letter. It’s fake. My friends did it to show me who you really are.»
Andrei turned pale. A mix of surprise and anger flashed across his face.
«What? Fake? Are you serious?»
«Yes, Andrei. You acted as if you really became rich. You became arrogant and cruel. You humiliated me and insulted me, thinking that money gave you the right to behave like that.»
Andrei jumped from his chair, his face turning red with rage.
«This is ridiculous! You believe your friends more than me? They’re just jealous of our happiness!»
Olga calmly stood up from the sofa, looking him straight in the eye.
«No, Andrei. They helped me see the truth. You don’t deserve me and our love. You showed your true face when you thought you became rich.»
Andrei breathed heavily, his eyes blazing with fury. He realized he had lost.
«That’s your choice, Olga. You’re destroying our family yourself. I’m leaving.»
Olga watched as he packed his things. Her heart ached, but she knew it was the right decision. Andrei was not the man she loved. He had changed, and his new appearance was alien and repugnant to her.
When the door slammed shut behind Andrei, Olga felt a mix of pain and relief. She knew a new stage of life awaited her, but she was ready for it.
Katya and Lena arrived almost immediately after Andrei left. They found Olga on the sofa, still shaken but determined. The friends sat next to her, expressing their support and care.
«Olga, how are you?» Katya asked cautiously, holding her hand.
«It was hard,» Olga admitted, wiping away tears. «But I know it was the right thing.»
Lena, seeing that Olga had calmed down a bit, asked:
«Olga, we told you the whole truth about the fake letter, but we didn’t explain why we did it. Do you want to know?»
Olga nodded, looking at them with interest and anxiety.
«Of course, I want to understand why you decided to arrange all this…»
Katya sighed and began explaining:
«The thing is, three weeks ago a lawyer from Switzerland contacted me. He said he had been trying to contact you, but you’re a bit paranoid, all social media is closed. I don’t know how he managed to find me, but he left his number, asking me to pass it to you. There’s a real case about an inheritance, he didn’t tell me the details, of course, because of confidentiality.»
Olga stared at her friends in astonishment.
«What? A real inheritance? From which relative? You weren’t joking?»
Lena continued:
«This lawyer left a number you should call. Katya and I thought, since it’s Switzerland, there must be a lot of money involved. We decided to test Andrei first before telling you about the real inheritance. We wanted to make sure it wouldn’t ruin your marriage and that he wouldn’t hurt you.»
Olga sat in silence, digesting what she heard. She couldn’t believe that all this time they were testing her husband, and it turned out he was indeed insincere with her.
«So, this was all for my benefit?» she finally asked.
Katya nodded.
«Yes, Olga. We wanted to make sure you saw his true face before you received the inheritance. We knew he might not be who he seemed.»
Olga cried again, but this time they were tears of relief and gratitude.
«Thank you, girls. I don’t know what I would do without you.»
Lena hugged her tighter.
«We’re always here, Olga. Now you need to call this lawyer and find out all the details about the inheritance.»
Olga took the phone and dialed the number her friends had given her. After a short conversation with the lawyer, her face lit up with joy.
«He confirmed everything. I indeed received a large inheritance from a distant relative,» she said, not believing her luck.
Katya and Lena clapped their hands, rejoicing with their friend.
«Olga, you’re now rich!» exclaimed Katya.
«And most importantly, you’re free from Andrei and his manipulations,» added Lena.
Olga smiled through tears. She felt her heart fill with joy and hope for the future.
Now she had the opportunity to start a new life, free from lies and humiliations. And she knew her friends would always be there, supporting her every step of the way.
They raised glasses of champagne, which Katya had brought just in case.
«To a new life, full of happiness and freedom!» proclaimed Katya.
«To true friends and a better future!» added Lena.
Olga raised her glass, feeling her soul filled with warmth and gratitude.
«To you, girls. Thank you for everything.»
They drank, laughing and hugging, happy that their friend was now free and wealthy.
Olga knew that new challenges awaited her, but now she was ready for anything, knowing she had loyal friends and a new life full of opportunities.
