Marinka, have we run out of normal food? Why did you heat up yesterday’s chicken for me?» Maxim yelled from the kitchen, dissatisfied.
«And am I supposed to just flush it down the toilet? You’re forever unhappy about everything; how much longer can this go on? Maybe you should get a job? Starting tomorrow, you won’t get a single bite from me,» Marina defended herself, tired of her husband’s complaints.
The girl didn’t understand what had changed in their relationship: her cooking hadn’t gotten worse, but she hadn’t come up with new dishes either. After work, she only had time for simple recipes that were hardly masterpieces. When Maxim lost his job, everything started going downhill: the attraction, heartfelt conversations, and weekend walks together. He became increasingly upset, nervous, and irritated by every little thing. He rejected her support, and when Marina tried to coax him, he responded coldly and rudely:
«Don’t touch me, I’m not in the mood today.» «You’re never in the mood, I live like a widow!» Marina exploded and went to sleep in the living room. She turned on the TV and quietly cried into the pillow, so no one would hear.
The situation was complicated by Marina’s fleeting affair at work. When her husband once again stopped paying attention to her, she responded to the advances of her colleague, Valentin.
«What’s the big deal? We went to the movies a couple of times and had coffee at lunch! I didn’t sleep with him!» the girl justified herself, but Maxim was as if deaf.
«All you want is to fool around with other men, and then you say you have no time! You’d better have cooked some borscht or made some pies!» Every argument inevitably came back to food, as if nothing else mattered to her husband. After another fight over the leftover chicken, Marina couldn’t hold back and sent Valentin a message: «I can’t take it anymore, I need someone to talk to.»
To avoid any suspicions, the colleagues decided to meet at a small restaurant near work, where Marina told the smiling Valentin everything:
«It turned out that I paid off the mortgage on the apartment by myself, in essence, the apartment is mine. But in a divorce, he’ll snatch half. I can’t stand that brazen animal anymore.»
Marina covered her face with her hands so Valentin wouldn’t see her eyes full of tears, and immediately felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Maxim had long stopped reacting to her tears.
«Crying again?» the husband muttered nastily. «Not a woman, but a bundle of nerves.»
Every phrase from her husband wounded her heart. The wounds didn’t have time to heal, and not a single evening passed peacefully.
«So, you want him to leave your apartment, agree to a divorce without a court, and not claim any property?» Valentin clarified.
It sounded unfeasible, but that was exactly what Marina wanted.
«We initially agreed that the apartment would be mine, so he shouldn’t claim it, Maxim himself said so. And now he screams that he’ll sue for property division in a divorce! Can you imagine the audacity?» the girl raged.
«Quiet, Marinka, think for yourself, who believes people’s words? Everything should be backed by documents. If you had made a prenup, there would be no problems. Now, whether you like it or not, you’ll have to share,» Valentin laid out the situation clearly.
Marina spent the entire evening blaming herself for her youth, infatuation, and stupidity. And why did she fall for Maxim’s compliments? And those burning eyes of his when he devoured her cooking in the dorm and praised her, sparing no words about Marina’s golden hands? And why did the proposal on the Lover’s Bridge then seem insanely romantic?
«I thought everything was fine between you and Maxim,» Antonina Gennadyevna, her mother, was surprised to hear her daughter’s story.
«Mom, I want a different life. And Maxim got to me with his nitpicking and laziness. He’s either at the computer or the TV: he’s gotten fat, is constantly rude, and doesn’t touch me at all,» Marina complained.
«Well, I don’t need to know that. You’re a grown girl and should manage your intimate life yourself. You adored him, didn’t you? Wanted children that looked like Maxik,» the mother teased. «Did you fall in love with someone else?»
«What are you starting? I’m not in love with anyone,» Marina lied and hurried to say goodbye.
She was ashamed to admit that she and Valentin had been having lunch together for several weeks. He clearly had feelings for her, but never crossed the line. «Probably waiting for me to get divorced,» Marina decided and tried to figure out how to talk to her husband and remind him of his promise to leave the apartment to her.
It didn’t take long to hide her communication with Valentin, Maxim found out everything and threw a fit—as usual, about the food and Marina’s carelessness.
«You stopped sleeping with me, I don’t feel like a woman!» Marina expressed. «You feed me like a dog. You deserve your fate!» Maxim responded and patted his stomach.
«Let’s talk like adults. It’s not about the food, you just find it convenient to live at my expense,» the girl tried to expose her husband.
«Oh, my friend spends more on dog food than you do on me. Consider me your unfortunate house pet!» the man lamented.
«Ah, you know what, that’s enough, I’m filing for divorce,» Marina decided.
«How many times have you already threatened me? I’ll take half of the apartment, and you won’t escape,» the husband gloated.
«And what, I earned it myself? Remember, you promised you wouldn’t claim it in case of anything?» the girl reminded.
«What was, was past. I have no job, nowhere to go, and you’ve left me no options.»
Marina firmly decided to see it through. She moved into the living room, but her husband, as if to spite her, constantly lingered nearby: he’d come to drink tea in the kitchen when Marina was having dinner, or he’d throw his legs onto the sofa next to his wife, accidentally touching her.
Turning into a gallant gentleman looked ridiculous and implausible.
«Marinka, I went a bit overboard, it happens to everyone, don’t be mad. Remember, on the bridge, you promised you’d forgive me everything?» Maxim ingratiated himself.
«You promised me a lot too,» the wife countered.
«Yes, I’ll keep my promises, I said it out of anger,» Maxim confessed.
«And you’ll write a statement renouncing your share of the property?» seizing the opportunity, Marina asked.
«I’ll sign whatever you want. You know how I really feel about you.»
In the morning, Marina woke up in bed with her husband and regretted that she melted and allowed him such manipulations. The story needed to end, so she filed for divorce.
Having woken up in bed with Maxim several more times, the girl despised herself. She understood why this was happening but couldn’t help herself. Starving for male affection, Marina allowed her husband everything, but it had to end.
«By the way, I looked in your cycle calendar and noticed a small deviation,» the husband announced cheerfully.
Indeed, there had been a delay for several weeks. And why?
«Don’t get your hopes up, we took precautions, and I’ve already filed for divorce, you know that. My decision won’t change. And, by the way, I’m going to my mom’s to stop falling for your provocations,» Marina explained her plans and went to pack her bag under her husband’s displeased gaze.
Antonina Gennadyevna lived far from the city, so the girl had to wait for a vacation to leave her husband and go to her mother to sort out her feelings.
«Don’t worry so much,» the mother said gently. «Let him choke on his apartment, we’ll think of something. You won’t live in a two-room apartment, but in a one-room, but peacefully.»
«Mom, I won’t, I’m pregnant by Max,» the daughter announced unexpected news. «Well, hello there, he doesn’t touch her! I wish they wouldn’t touch me like that,» the mother was horrified.
«Mom, no, I don’t want to think about it!» Marina snapped back. Understandable—hormones.
«And what have you decided? Will you go back?» Antonina Gennadyevna asked understandingly.
«No. I’ll get divorced, I’ll raise it alone,» the daughter stood her ground.
«It will be difficult, it’s always harder alone, think about it.»
Marina had thought too much already. At night, she was overcome by real panic: her mother didn’t support her, Maxim needed not her but a housekeeper, not a soul around who could understand her!
The girl dialed Valentin’s number. His surprisingly quick response both surprised and pleased her.
«Valya, aren’t you sleeping?» Marina inquired.
«Do you call all your acquaintances with such questions?» the colleague joked.
«Valya, I think I’ve gone mad. I’m pregnant! I’m such a fool! He spun tales, and I believed him. Several times,» the girl sobbed into the phone.
«I don’t want to know how many times you believed him, but I’m very happy about the pregnancy, congratulations!» Valentin sincerely spoke.
«You don’t understand, I’ve filed for divorce. I can’t do this anymore, and I don’t want to deceive you, forgive me!»
Valentin comforted the girl all night, telling her that not everything was so terrible, citing similar cases with happy women in the leading role. During the vacation, the colleague visited several times on weekends, met Antonina Gennadyevna, and she really liked him.
«Where were your eyes? Such a man slipped through your fingers, and he was always under your nose since you work together! Now you’ll be alone forever, phooey,» the mother expressed instead of a kind instruction before her daughter’s departure.
The divorce was nervy and long, Maxim did not want to sign the documents, and Marina’s nerves constantly gave out. If not for Valentin’s support, she definitely wouldn’t have coped. The man constantly reminded her that she shouldn’t worry, that she was carrying a whole life under her heart.
Later, Marina learned that Valentin couldn’t have children—the doctors had given a disheartening diagnosis several years ago.
The man constantly came to Marina’s rented apartment, which he helped pay for and helped around the house: brought groceries, washed floors, and talked with the girl until late at night. He didn’t stay the night, only hugged gently at goodbye and kissed her cheek.
When Marina gave birth, Maxim didn’t come to meet her. Later, he even confessed that he had deliberately orchestrated her pregnancy. He hadn’t used protection and wanted to punish his wife in this way, but ultimately he punished himself. Marina filed for child support, and Valentin proposed to her.
«Why only now? I thought you didn’t like me!» Marina was surprised.
«I didn’t want hormones to influence your decision. We both needed time to figure out our true desires. I realized I want to be with you and Sonya.»
Sonya—that’s what they named Marina’s daughter. The apartment had to be sold, and the husband got part of the money. The court divorced Marina and Maxim by the girl’s written consent.
The ex-husband decided to multiply his capital and invested in a dubious company promising fast-growing income but lost all his money within a few months.
He tried to return to his wife, covering up with a suddenly emerged love for the child, but faced a categorical refusal from both his ex-wife and her new husband. In the end, Maxim moved back to his native mother in the hinterlands.
Valentin took Marina and her daughter to live with him, and he advised investing the money at interest.
