Are you not coming back?» my voice trembled, though I tried my hardest to hold myself together. Heavy breathing came through the phone, followed by a brief silence. At that moment, I understood: everything that had been built over the years was collapsing in a single second.
«No, Tanya, I am not coming back,» finally came the voice from the other end. It was Sergey, my husband, the man I had lived with for ten years. The man who was my world, my support, and my only refuge. We were on the brink of divorce, and he confirmed it with those very words that I always thought impossible. I frantically tried to understand what exactly went wrong, where we had lost each other. Just a few months ago, everything was normal: we were making plans for the future together, discussing how we would spend our vacation, choosing furniture for our new apartment. But something changed—and now it was obvious.
Sergey was silent. His voice sounded detached, as if he had made his decision long ago and was just waiting for the moment to voice it. «And what about the kids? How will we tell them about this?» My voice broke, I started to cry, unable to hold back any longer.
«We will tell them together,» his words were full of the calm I couldn’t accept. «But we can’t be together anymore. It will be better for all of us.»
These words hung in the air. I always thought that family difficulties were solved together, that conflicts were temporary storms that could be weathered. But now the question stood before me: what do you do when the person with whom you’ve shared your life decides to leave?
Several weeks passed since that conversation, and our lives changed beyond recognition. Sergey packed his things and left. The kids and I remained in our big, now empty house. I tried to maintain a normal routine for the kids, but everything was different. Every evening at dinner, I sat down with my daughter and son, and every time I heard their questions: «When will dad come back? Why isn’t he with us?» These questions tore me apart, because I myself didn’t know what to tell them.
But the worst part was that Sergey was in no hurry to discuss the details of the divorce. He avoided conversations, avoided meetings, saying he needed time to think. It dragged on, and every day I lived in a state of uncertainty. I tried to find the strength to move on, but without his participation in our lives, it was impossible.
One day I decided to talk to his sister, Marina. We had always had a good relationship, and I hoped she would help me understand what was happening. I invited her for a cup of tea, and Marina agreed to come.
When she arrived, I immediately noticed she looked tired and tense, as if she herself was going through something difficult. She sat at the table and was silent for a long time, as if hesitating to start the conversation.
«Marina, do you know what’s going on with Sergey?» I asked, unable to bear the pause.
She sighed and finally looked up at me.
«Tanya, I don’t know how to tell you this,» she began, nervously adjusting her hair. «But perhaps it’s better you hear it from me than from him.»
My heart raced. I was bracing myself to hear something that would break my heart even more.
«He has another woman,» Marina finally said. «And, as I understand, they’ve been together for several months.»
These words struck me like lightning. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
«Another woman?» my voice trembled. «But he said he just needed time to figure himself out…»
«Yes, that’s what he says,» Marina continued. «But the truth is, he made his decision long ago. And I think he just doesn’t know how to tell you directly.»
The world around me began to collapse. All the uncertainty I had lived with over the past few months suddenly became clear. He wasn’t searching for himself. He was just preparing to leave our lives for good.
The next day I decided to meet Sergey in person. I could no longer endure the silence, I couldn’t live in uncertainty knowing he was already living with another woman. I called him and demanded that he come talk to me.
When he entered our home, I couldn’t recognize him. This was the same man I had loved, but he seemed so foreign. His eyes no longer shone with the warmth that was always there when he looked at me. We sat on the sofa, and I immediately began to speak.
«I know about your other woman,» I said directly. «Marina told me everything.»
He lowered his head, his shoulders slumped as if the entire burden had finally fallen on him.
«Forgive me, Tanya,» he said, his voice was soft. «I didn’t want it to end like this. But I got confused. We had drifted apart a long time ago, and I didn’t know how to fix it.»
«And you decided another woman would fix everything?» I asked, feeling a wave of anger rising within me. «How could you betray us? How could you betray our children?»
He was silent. His face was full of guilt, but his silence said more than any words.
«I want a divorce,» he finally said, and those words sounded like a sentence.
I looked at him for a long time, trying to understand that this was the end. That everything we built no longer mattered.
Several months have passed since the day we divorced. Sergey moved in with his new woman, and I stayed with the kids. It was hard to accept the new reality, but eventually, I began to find the strength within myself. Life continued, and I needed to keep living for the kids.
I realized that life is never simple, that it’s full of unexpected twists and blows that can knock you off your feet. But even in the hardest moments, you can find the strength to stand up and move forward. We, the kids and I, began to build a new life. I no longer waited for Sergey’s return, and that gave me freedom. Freedom to move forward and build my life the way I wanted.
Now I knew one thing: even when it seems that all is lost, there is always a path to a new life, to new hopes and dreams.