Dear, unfortunately, we have to cancel our dinner at the restaurant,» Ivan said sadly, looking at his wife with regret.
«Why?» Kira asked disappointedly. «Saturday is our wedding anniversary. We’ve been waiting for this day for so long. What happened this time?»
«I know you’re upset. Believe me, it’s hard for me too, but the boss asked me to work on the weekend again. I couldn’t say no because I’m counting on a promotion. If I had said ‘no,’ I could forget about the chance of taking a managerial position. We have an important project, and the whole team is in such a mode. I promise we’ll make up for it. Don’t be sad.»
Ivan leaned in to hug Kira, and at that moment, she caught a faint scent of women’s perfume. This scent was familiar to her — she had noticed it on his shirts before. Kira nodded silently, not wanting to argue, though she understood that her husband was blatantly lying to her.
She knew perfectly well what was meant by his «work.» Ivan was not planning to spend the weekend at the office — his thoughts were occupied with something else entirely. The resentment toward her loved one constricted her throat. She no longer had any doubts: Ivan had another woman, one with whom he preferred to spend time, forgetting about his family.
Tears welled up in Kira’s eyes. She tried her best to hold them back, to not cry in front of Ivan and maintain her composure. She had married Vanya five years ago, driven by strong love. Back then, it seemed to her that she had found her soulmate, someone she would spend her whole life with. But all her hopes and dreams were shattered by Ivan’s betrayal.
A few weeks ago, Kira first began to suspect that her husband was cheating on her. Lately, he had been coming home later, and often disappeared on weekends, citing work and a perpetually dissatisfied boss.
Once, while doing laundry, Kira noticed a long blonde hair on Ivan’s shirt. She tried to convince herself it was a coincidence since there were many women in his team. But the doubts had already begun to creep in. A few days later, she noticed that after another «emergency» at work, Ivan came home in different underwear. Kira was sure he had changed them. But where and why? The answers seemed obvious, and they caused her unbearable pain. Ivan had a mistress.
Kira’s heart was torn by the realization that her marriage, which she considered strong and happy, turned out to be an illusion.
With the help of a close friend, Kira found out who was the cause of her husband’s infidelity. His mistress turned out to be the wife of the deputy director of the company where he worked. This discovery shocked her. Kira tormented herself with questions: Where did she go wrong? What did she do wrong? But she found no answers. It was hard to know that Ivan had another, and yet pretend that everything was okay…
Kira sat at home with her six-month-old daughter in her arms. Before maternity leave, she worked as a nanny in a kindergarten, earning very little. She did not have her own housing, nor relatives who could support her in a difficult moment. She tried to imagine making a scene and leaving her husband. But quickly realized that she would end up in a hopeless situation.
She would be left alone with an infant, without a roof over her head and a decent income. Renting an apartment and living on child support would be impossible. Kira understood this too well. Therefore, she decided not to give in to her emotions but to carefully consider her steps. Divorce would not solve her problems, only exacerbate them.
Secretly from Ivan, Kira gradually started saving money. She had a habit of transferring 10% of any income to a card on deposit. She saved on everything, denying herself many things. Over several years, she managed to save a decent amount, but it still wouldn’t be enough for a peaceful life with a child. Kira pondered how to get out of this situation with the least loss.
And then it dawned on her. Why not punish her husband for his betrayal? Why not teach him a lesson he would remember for the rest of his life? Kira shared her thoughts with her friend. She looked at her in astonishment and said…
«You’re a scary woman, Kira. Honestly, I didn’t expect this from you. How did you even come up with this? You should be feared!»
«Well, I once read in a book how a scorned wife punished her husband. Why not repeat it? I think it’s fair. Isn’t it? I don’t know what else will come to my husband’s mind. What if he kicks us out with our daughter onto the street. Where will we go? What will we live on?»
Kira planned to blackmail her husband and extort money from him. She wanted Ivan to pay for her silence. For this, she needed explicit photos of Ivan with his mistress. Meeting with the deputy director’s wife, Ivan seriously risked his career. Kira knew that making him pay would not be difficult. He could not refuse because otherwise, he would lose too much.
Polina, Kira’s friend, agreed to help. She was on vacation and bored with idleness, so she gladly took on the task of watching Ivan. Soon, she noticed that Kira’s husband was very cautious. He met with his mistress in an old, unremarkable district, in a dreary five-story building that hid his secrets. This was where he went every time he arrived with his mistress.
Polina was beginning to lose hope of making compromising photos, but fate unexpectedly smiled at her. Late one evening, Ivan left the building with his boss’s wife. Polina managed to capture their brief kiss before parting. Both faces were clearly visible. Polina was pleased with her work. Now she had a powerful weapon against the betrayer. Ivan would answer for his lies and infidelity.
The next morning, Ivan received an anonymous message. It stated that his secret affair with the deputy director’s wife was known, and to keep this information secret, he needed to pay 500,000 rubles. The money was to be placed in a trash bin in the park at a specified time. A photo confirming his affair with the mistress was attached to the message.
Ivan was shocked. For two days he walked around depressed, gloomy, and irritable. He hardly spoke to his wife, citing chronic fatigue and problems at work. However, Kira knew perfectly well what really bothered him. She eagerly awaited when her husband would fulfill the demand. The friends took care of their safety: the SIM card purchased specifically for the blackmail was immediately destroyed.
Ivan, though reluctantly, fulfilled the requirement. He left the package with money at the specified place and left. As soon as he did, Kira called him. Her persistent call forced him to answer.
«Dear, come home quickly. I slipped in the bathtub and hurt my leg. I can’t walk, it hurts a lot. I can’t cope alone with the baby. Where are you?»
«Understood. I’ll be there soon. Just got delayed at work. I’m on my way. Hang in there.»
Two weeks later, Ivan received another anonymous message. This time, he was demanded 1 million rubles. Ivan had the money — he had been saving for his dream car, and Kira knew about it. The message also stated that if he refused, the compromising photos would be published online. Ivan was trapped again…
Ivan had to part with his savings. He understood that he would lose even more if he refused to pay. His career was at stake, and his relationship with his wife no longer concerned him. He was sure that Kira depended on him, that she had nowhere to go, and was unlikely to risk a divorce to destroy their marriage.
Thus Ivan lost the money he had saved for years. Kira, having gotten everything she wanted, packed her bags and left her husband with their daughter. Before that, she made a grand scene, claiming that she had received an anonymous message, in which someone told her about her husband’s infidelity. She bitterly cried, called Ivan a vile betrayer and a liar.
«What you did is unforgivable. You trampled on my love. You destroyed our family,» Kira said as she left. «Why did you do this to me? I thought you loved me, but it turned out you only love yourself. I’m filing for divorce. This is the end.»
«Well, sorry. Why leave right away? Yes, I made a mistake. I confess. Let’s start over. I’ll make amends, I promise. Everyone makes mistakes. Don’t be so categorical. Besides, you have nowhere to go. Where will you live with our daughter? You have no money and no housing. Really think about it. It would be more beneficial for you to forget what happened.»
Kira was amazed. Ivan, despite everything, remained confident. He didn’t feel guilty. He wasn’t concerned that his wife was leaving. What worried him more was his career, which could suffer due to his recklessness.
Kira temporarily moved in with her friend and began looking for a small house in the countryside. That was the only housing she could afford. She was ready for an old house in the backwoods, just to start a new life — without deception and betrayal.
When her daughter grew up, Kira planned to enroll her in a daycare and find a new job. She was ready to work tirelessly to eventually move into her own apartment. But most importantly — she now had her own roof over her head and didn’t need to spend money on rent. Polina long persuaded her friend to post the compromising photos of her ex-husband online, but Kira refused.
«If I do that, Vanya will lose his job. Then he won’t be able to financially help our daughter. It’s hard to raise a child alone nowadays. I’ve come to terms with the fact that Vanya is no longer in my life. I’ve let him go, but I want him to work and earn well for the future of our daughter. He has already paid for what he did. That’s enough.»
Ivan thought that Kira was renting an old house in the countryside, and didn’t even suspect that the house had been bought with his own money. He diligently paid alimony and actively participated in his daughter’s life. Kira didn’t know if Ivan continued to meet with his mistress, but it no longer concerned her.
After saving up some money, Kira bought rabbits, chickens, and ducks, and also got a job at a local farm, where they paid decently. She sent her daughter to a village kindergarten and worked peacefully, continuing to save money for the future.
Kira no longer dreamed of an apartment in the city. She liked life in the countryside — away from the hustle and bustle. She wanted her daughter to grow up in the fresh air, eat natural foods, and feel connected to nature. Now her dream was to build a new, modern, and cozy house on the site of the old one. Kira believed that she would succeed. The main thing was to not give up and keep moving forward, no matter what
