— What did you say? — Anna froze, feeling an icy numbness deep within her.
Sergey stood at the door, tightly gripping a bunch of keys. His usually lively face was now set in a mask of irritation.
«— I can’t live like this any longer,» he repeated in a tone devoid of emotion. «Neither I nor your mother. Gather the children and move to Lipovka. Grandma’s house is still standing, the roof intact. You’ll somehow manage.»
Anna looked at him as if he were a stranger. Ten years of marriage, three children—and this was his verdict. A dying village with only a few houses left, no shops, and not even proper roads.
«— Why…» she began, but was interrupted.
«— Because I’m tired,» Sergey looked away. «Tired of the constant reproaches, the endless whining, of you doing nothing but sitting around with the kids. Your mother is right: you’ve become overprotective. I no longer recognize the woman I once married.»
Tears welled up in her throat, but Anna held them back. Behind the wall the children slept—Masha and Alyosha, and the eldest, Kirill, had surely heard everything.
«— Where will I work? What will we live on?» her voice was barely audible.
Sergey tossed an envelope onto the table.
«— There’s money for the initial period. And the house documents—it’s long been in your name. If you’re so independent, prove it with your actions.»
He turned and, without another word, left the room. A minute later the front door slammed shut.
Anna slowly sank into a chair. One meaningless memory spun in her head: “I baked his favorite apple pie. For breakfast.”
The house greeted them with a musty cold. Anna entered, cradling a sleepy Masha in her arms, and felt her heart contract. This was where she’d spent her childhood—summer trips to grandma’s, the smell of fresh bread, grass in the attic, apples in the cellar. Now—dust, cobwebs, and the taste of abandonment.
Kirill, unusually serious for his age, went inside and flung open the shutters. Rays of April sunlight broke through the grimy windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air.
«— It’s cold here,» Alyosha complained, wrapping his arms around himself.
«— We’ll light the stove now, and it’ll warm up,» Anna said, striving for a confident tone. «Kirill, will you help your mom?»
The boy nodded without looking at her. He had been silent all the way since he overheard the parents’ last conversation.
Fortunately, the old stove still worked. As the flame began to lick the birch logs and the room filled with warmth, Anna felt a slight easing of tension.
«— Mom, are we staying here for a long time?» asked Alyosha, eyeing old photographs on the wall.
«— I don’t know, little one,» she answered honestly. «First, we’ll settle in, then we’ll decide.»
They spent the first night all together on grandma’s wide bed. The children quickly fell asleep, exhausted by the move. Meanwhile, Anna lay awake, staring at the ceiling and wondering what had led her to this fate.
In the morning, after freeing herself from the embrace of sleeping children, she stepped into the yard. The plot was overrun with weeds. The apple trees that once bore abundant fruit now stood gnarled, with broken branches. The old shed was leaning, and the well was covered in moss.
Anna surveyed her new domain and, unexpectedly, burst into bitter, desperate laughter. This was her inheritance. Her new beginning.
The first days in the village felt like an endless nightmare. Every morning she woke hoping to be in an apartment, to hear the hum of a coffee machine and Sergey’s voice.
«— Mom, when is dad coming for us?» Masha asked, accustomed to Sunday walks with her father.
«— Soon, darling,» Anna replied, unsure how to explain what she herself did not understand.
The phone was silent. Sergey ignored her calls. One day a short message arrived: “You have everything you need. Give me time.”
Time. What was he waiting for? For her to realize how miserable he was without the family? Or, on the contrary, to completely erase them from his life?
By the end of the first week, it became clear that the money Sergey had left wouldn’t last long. The stove needed repair, the roof needed fixing, groceries had to be bought. But the worst discovery was that there was simply no work in the village.
«— Maybe we should go back to the city?» suggested Polina Ivanovna, one of the few neighbors in Lipovka.
Anna shook her head:
«— There’s nowhere to return to. And here, at least, we have a roof over our heads.»
That day she decided to clear the garden. The land, abandoned for years, was overgrown with weeds, but Anna remembered how bountiful grandma’s garden beds used to be.
«— Kirill, can you help?» she asked the eldest. The boy only nodded, as silent and detached as before.
They worked together, pulling up weed roots and breaking apart heavy clumps of earth. Hands used to light domestic chores and typing at a computer soon became calloused. By evening, their backs ached and their shoulders felt as if in cramp, yet they managed to clear only a small patch of land.
«— Mom,» Kirill suddenly said, breaking a multi-day silence. «— Why are we doing this?»
«— To plant vegetables: potatoes, carrots, tomatoes,» Anna began to explain.
«— No, I mean something else,» her son interrupted. «Why are we even here? Why don’t we go back home? What happened between you and dad?»
Anna straightened up, wiping sweat from the back of her hand. How could she explain the truth to a child? Admit that his father had abandoned them? Reveal the long-held resentments of Sergey’s mother, who always considered her unworthy of her son? Or confess that perhaps there was another woman?
«— We need time to think everything over,» she replied cautiously. «Sometimes adults need to be apart to understand…»
«— To understand if they still love each other,» Kirill finished for her. In his voice there was a mature bitterness that tightened Anna’s heart. «— It’s because of that aunt, isn’t it? The one who was at our celebration?»
Anna froze. Valeria—the tall, elegant companion of Sergey. «Just a colleague,» he had said whenever she suspected him of late returns.
«— Perhaps,» she admitted honestly. «But remember: dad loves the three of you. And I… I will do everything possible to make sure you’re well, even here.»
Kirill looked at her intently, then suddenly stepped forward and embraced her. His hug was strong, almost manly.
«— We’ll manage, mom,» he said confidently. «You and me. And we’ll definitely raise the little ones.»
That night, after the children had fallen asleep, Anna sat for a long time by the window, gazing at the stars—large, bright, completely unlike the city ones. For the first time since moving to Lipovka, she felt not despair but a strange inner calm. As if the land beneath the old house was giving her strength.
From then on, every day she worked in the garden, now together with Alyosha and Masha. The children, who had once been fussy, suddenly caught the idea of creating a “special harvest.” Masha even drafted a plan for the future garden, where between the rows vegetables would grow flowers—“so it’s as beautiful as a park.”
One day, the shovel suddenly struck something hard, emitting a metallic sound.
«— A root?» guessed Alyosha as he came closer.
Anna carefully cleared the soil with her hands and froze. In her palm glistened a round object the size of a coin, but heftier and clearly ancient. She wiped it on her jeans to remove the dirt and saw the profile of a man—possibly a tsar.
«— Mom, is this treasure?» Masha whispered in awe, peeking over her shoulder.
«— I don’t think so,» Anna smiled. «Just an old coin. Maybe grandma accidentally lost it once.»
But her inner voice whispered that grandma Vera was too meticulous to lose coins in the garden.
The coin went into her pocket, and the work continued. Half an hour later the shovel clinked against something hard again. This time they found three coins, similar to the first one.
By evening, their collection had grown to twelve finds scattered over the cleared plot.
After the children had slept, Anna took out the coins and laid them on the table. Under the lamp’s light she examined the dates—1897, 1899. The imperial era, she deduced. A golden imperial coin? She vaguely recalled her grandfather’s tales of these rare coins.
She spent a sleepless night pondering the find. If it really was gold, how much could it be worth? Where did it come from? And most importantly—were there more?
The next morning she called the only person who could help—Uncle Viktor, her father’s brother, who lived in the neighboring district center.
«— Uncle Vitya,» she began hesitantly. «I found some old coins on grandma Vera’s plot. They’re yellow, heavy, with a profile…»
«— Golden emperors?» he interrupted, his voice growing excited. «Anyuta, is it definitely them?»
«I’m not sure, Uncle Vitya,» she replied. «But they seem golden…»
«— Sit at home,» he said sternly. «Not a word to anyone. I’ll be there in three hours.»
He arrived right on time, driving up in an old Lada Niva. Bearded, in a worn jacket but with lively eyes. Anna hadn’t seen him for three years, ever since they buried Aunt Lena.
Uncle Viktor took one coin, turned it in his hand, and even tested it with his tooth.
«— Gold,» he stated. «And not just gold, but a genuine collectible. Anyuta, do you realize what you’ve found?»
She shook her head.
«— It’s a treasure, a real treasure,» he declared as he sat down. «Each coin is worth a lot of money. And if there are more…»
«— Where did they come from?» Anna wondered. «Grandma never had any gold.»
Viktor smiled.
«— You don’t know? How could you… Your grandma Vera married a local man, Ivan Krasnov. But before that she belonged to another family—the Levitskys. Before the revolution they were wealthy, owning a mill and a large estate. When the Bolsheviks came, they say that Grandfather Levitsky buried all his savings somewhere on his land. And then he was shot like a kulak. They spared his only daughter—your great-grandmother—only because she was a child.»
«— And no one ever looked for this gold?» Anna asked in astonishment.
«— Of course they did,» Uncle Viktor answered. «There were legends about the Levitsky treasure. But no one knew the exact location. There was so much land.»
Anna frowned.
«— But why did grandma Vera end up with this land?»
«— After the war, when the collectives were being created, the land was redistributed. Vera, as the direct descendant of the Levitskys, was allotted this plot—the very one we’re on now. Perhaps someone on the village council knew the family history.»
At that moment, the noise of playing children in the yard rose. Kirill was digging near an old apple tree, and from Masha’s excited cries it was clear—they had made a new discovery.
By evening, there were twenty-eight gold coins on the table, a massive church cross, and three elegant golden pendants with precious stones.
«— What do we do now?» Anna asked thoughtfully as she gazed at the treasures.
Uncle Viktor stroked his stubble.
«— By law, you must report the find to the state. You’re entitled to a reward—up to half its value. But…»
«— But?» she repeated.
«— Judging by the scattered coins, the treasure is extensive. Archaeologists might come and dig everything up, and the compensation will be paid out over a long time. And there’s no guarantee they’ll appraise it correctly.»
Anna looked at the gold shimmering under the lamp. Each coin carried a history that had survived revolution, war, and the Soviet era. This treasure could completely change her life and the children’s lives.
«— I need to think,» she whispered.
Uncle Viktor left, promising to keep the secret until she made her decision. Before departing, he put her in touch with an antique dealer from the regional center, who could confidentially assess the find.
«— Alexander Petrovich is reliable,» he assured her. «He won’t ask too many questions.»
Two days later, Anna found herself in a small office at the antique shop, watching an elderly man scrutinize one of the coins under a magnifying glass.
«— A golden imperial from 1897, excellent condition,» he murmured. «On the market now… well, at least three hundred thousand per piece. And considering its collectible value…»
Anna’s head spun. Three hundred thousand for one coin? And she already had more than thirty—and that was only the beginning.
«— For the entire set you’ve shown me, I’m ready to offer ten million,» the antique dealer said, putting down the magnifying glass. «In cash. Right now.»
Ten million. An amount capable of solving all problems. It could buy a house in a cozy town, secure the children’s education, and cover financial needs for years to come.
«— I need to think,» she replied, though her inner voice screamed, «Agree!»
On her way back to Lipovka, she couldn’t stop thinking about the antique dealer’s offer. Was it legal? Did ethics allow it? And what if there were even more treasures hidden on the plot?
That evening, Sergey called—the first call in almost two weeks.
«— How are you there?» he asked coldly, without his former warmth.
«— Fine,» she replied, striving to sound calm. «The children miss you.»
A pause.
«— I miss them too. Maybe I’ll take them for the weekend?»
«— Without me?»
«— Anna,» his voice sharpened with irritation, «don’t start. I want to see my children. It’s non-negotiable.»
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
«— Fine. When are you coming?»
«— Friday after work.»
After a brief conversation with the children—Masha cried upon hearing their father, Alyosha chattered about the garden, and Kirill remained laconic—Sergey spoke to her again:
«— Listen, your mom wants to sell the country house. She’s offering for you to move there. Closer to the city, to civilization…»
Anna felt a boiling anger inside.
«— So first you kicked us out of the apartment, and now you’re offering charity from your mother?» she asked quietly. «Thanks, but we’re comfortable here.»
«— What do you mean ‘comfortable’?» Sergey was astonished. «You’re in an abandoned village with three kids, no job, no future…»
«— I have a future,» she replied. «And I will find work. Don’t worry.»
She didn’t understand herself why she had lied. Perhaps her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit that he was right. Or maybe the golden coins, hidden in a tin can, gave her confidence.
«— Fine, decide for yourself,» Sergey said after a pause. «But think of the children. They need a normal life, a school, friends…»
«— And don’t they need a father?» she couldn’t hold back. «Or is your new woman so perfect that she’s ready to replace their mother?»
Sergey sighed:
«— So Kirill told…»
«Anna, this is a complicated situation. Valeria has nothing to do with it. We’re just different people. I’m moving forward, and you…»
«— And what about me?» she interrupted. «Did I become a housewife because you insisted on a third child? Give up my career because your mother thought the wife of a successful businessman shouldn’t work? Or because my salary as a literature teacher seemed laughable compared to your income?»
«— Let’s not do this,» Sergey said wearily. «I’ll be here for the children on Friday at six.»
After the conversation, Anna sat on the porch for a long time, staring at the stars. She no longer felt the pain that had tormented her in the early days of their separation. Instead, a firm resolve grew inside her.
In the morning she picked up the shovel again. By evening, they found five more coins. And then, while digging a spot for the compost heap, Kirill stumbled upon a metallic object.
It was an old safe—rusty but still sturdy. The four of them—Anna, Kirill, and two neighbors invited to help—managed with great effort to pull it out of the ground.
«— Such safes were used in shops before,» noted Uncle Kolya, a former blacksmith. «A reliable piece, of German manufacture.»
The lock didn’t yield immediately. They had to call Uncle Kolya again, this time with an angle grinder. When the massive door finally opened, Anna asked the neighbors to leave, lying that there might be dangerous items inside—like weapons or ammunition from the war.
Inside were cloth bags. Dozens of small bundles the size of a fist. The first one she untied with trembling hands was filled with gold coins. The second contained the same. The third—jewelry with precious stones.
«— Mom, are we rich now?» Alyosha asked in wonder, his eyes wide as he examined the shiny objects.
«— I don’t know,» she replied honestly. «But now we definitely have opportunities.»
That night she couldn’t sleep, weighing her options. Sell everything quietly through the antique dealer? Report the find to the state and receive the legal share? Or was there a third way?
In the morning she called Uncle Viktor again.
«— I found a safe,» she began without preamble. «Inside… an incredible number of valuables. But I don’t want to sell everything at once. And I don’t want to break the law.»
«— What are you proposing?» Uncle Viktor asked cautiously.
«— I want to open a small museum here, in Lipovka. A museum of the Levitsky family history, with some exhibits from the treasure.»
There was a long pause on the other end.
«— Are you serious?» he finally said. «Anyuta, that treasure is worth millions! Maybe even tens of millions!»
«I know,» she agreed, though he couldn’t see her. «And I’ll officially report the find. I’ll get my share—it’ll be enough for a lifetime and the children’s education. And the rest… The rest must remain here. In this land. Perhaps it will attract tourists and help revive Lipovka.»
«— You’re crazy,» Uncle Viktor sighed. «But damn, you’re a brave crazy.»
On Friday evening, precisely at six o’clock, Sergey’s black SUV pulled up in front of the house. The children, already gathered and excited, ran out to meet him.
Sergey looked tired and lost. He hugged the children, kissed Masha, ruffled Alyosha’s hair. Meanwhile, Kirill greeted him coldly, defiantly meeting his father’s eyes.
«— Hello,» Sergey nodded to Anna as she came onto the porch. His gaze fell on the house. «Have you done some repairs?»
Anna followed his gaze. Indeed, in the past few days the old house had transformed: new shutters made by Uncle Kolya, a freshly painted porch, cleaned pathways, neat garden beds in the yard with the first sprouts.
«— A little,» she shrugged. «One has to live somehow.»
Sergey shifted from one foot to the other, clearly embarrassed by the changes.
«— Mom, can we show dad our treasure?» Alyosha suddenly suggested, and Anna tensed, casting her son a cautionary look.
«— What treasure?» Sergey asked in surprise.
«— Just a children’s one,» she quickly improvised. «We found an old little box in the shed. It had Soviet badges, old coins. It’s a treasure for them.»
Kirill looked at his mother intently, then shifted his gaze to his father:
«— Dad, is it time to go? You probably have plans.»
Something in his son’s voice made Sergey pause. He looked around at the yard, the old house, the face of his ex-wife—and suddenly said:
«— You… have made a nice home here. May I come in for a minute? Have some tea?»
Anna hesitated for only a second:
«— Come in. I just baked an apple pie.»
On Sunday evening, when Sergey returned the children, he seemed even more confused. The children, on the contrary, glowed with happiness—the two days in the city with their father, filled with fun and gifts, had restored their carefree spirit.
«— May I speak with you for a minute?» he asked when the children had gone inside to show grandma Polina the new toys.
They moved to the old apple tree—the very one under which the safe had been found, now safely hidden in the basement.
«— Anna, I…» Sergey began, faltering. «During these days I’ve thought a lot. About us, about the children. About what happened.»
She said nothing, gazing somewhere beyond him.
«— Valeria… We’re separated,» he suddenly blurted out. «It was a mistake from the start. I felt like I was suffocating in our marriage, that I needed something new, something bright. But when I saw you here, I realized I’d lost the most important thing.»
«— And what is that?» she asked quietly.
«— Family. A home. You,» he said, looking her straight in the eyes. «I want everything back. For you to return to the city. To our apartment.»
Anna looked at the husband she had loved for ten years. Handsome, successful, confident. Now he looked so lost. Once she would have given anything to hear those words. But now…
«— Sergey,» she said calmly. «We’re not going back to the city. At least, not for now.»
«— What? Why?» he seemed genuinely stunned. «But here it’s empty! The village is slowly dying, the school is ten kilometers away, there’s no work…»
«— Everything will change soon,» Anna replied with a slight smile. «I’m creating a museum. A small, private one. And I’ve been offered the chance to restore the local library. Perhaps I’ll even start teaching again—lead a literary club for children from neighboring villages.»
«— But… where will you get the funds? How will you organize all this?» His voice sounded bewildered.
Anna looked at the dark, fertile earth beneath her feet, holding its secrets.
«— You once told me I should be independent,» she reminded him gently. «So here I am, being independent. I have… opportunities. More than you think.»
Sergey was silent, clearly not understanding what was happening.
«— I’m not saying ‘never’,» she added, softening her tone. «I’m saying ‘for now.’ The children are doing well here. They’re in the fresh air, learning to work, seeing the results of their efforts. Kirill has smiled for the first time in a long while. Alyosha is no longer afraid of nature. And Masha… haven’t you noticed how her curls dance in the sunlight?»
«— And what do you propose?» His tone carried hurt. «That I move here? To the middle of nowhere?»
«— Why?» she asked in surprise. «Your business is in the city. But you can come on weekends. Continue being a part of their lives. A part of our lives. And then we’ll decide together.»
He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. Before him stood not the woman he once knew—soft, submissive, and constantly doubtful. She had become different: confident, calm, with an inner light he couldn’t explain.
«— You’ve changed,» he finally admitted.
«— Yes,» she nodded. «Perhaps that was meant to be.»
A year later
Anna stood at the entrance of the new museum, welcoming another group of tourists. «The History of the Levitsky Family» read the sign above the restored old log house, rebuilt according to archival plans.
«— Welcome to Lipovka,» she greeted warmly guests from the capital. «Our museum tells the story of how treasures can be hidden not only in the earth but in the roots of a family…»
Over the past year, Lipovka had transformed. Where abandoned plots once lay, new houses had sprung up. The restored old mill, thanks to a grant obtained through a history professor from the regional university, now operated as part of a museum complex. In Anna’s house, a cozy café-library opened, where locals gathered in the evenings for readings and discussions.
Officially, she reported the treasure a month after the first coin was found. An archaeological expedition, which arrived in Lipovka, discovered not only the safe but also other valuables hidden by the Levitsky family to hide them from the Bolsheviks. Half of the treasure, by law, went to the state, and the other half went to Anna as the landowner.
The money from the sale of part of the gold was invested in the development of the village. Together with like-minded people, she created a fund for the restoration of historical heritage. Interest in the Levitsky story attracted tourists, and later investors.
«— And here is the main exhibit of our museum,» she said, pointing to a glass display case where lay a worn diary. «This is Alexander Levitsky’s notebook, found along with the treasure. He wrote: ‘My wealth will not bring joy to one who seeks only material gain. But it will change the life of one who sees in it a chance to build a future.'»
The tourists examined the exhibits closely. From a neighboring room, the voice of thirteen-year-old Kirill could be heard—a young man who had become a true expert on Lipovka’s history, now guiding tours for groups of children.
Sergey’s black SUV appeared on the road at exactly three in the afternoon, as always. Now he arrived every Friday after lunch and left late on Sunday. Although Anna offered him a room at the house, he preferred a room at Polina Ivanovna’s: «We have to take it one step at a time.»
Their relationship was gradually healing—through conversations, joint walks, work on the land, family evenings. Sergey, who had once been embarrassed by the simplicity of village life, discovered a new passion within himself: building things, working with his hands, spending time with the children away from the city’s hustle.
«— Hello,» he smiled as he approached the museum. «How’s my favorite director doing?»
«— Excellent,» she replied, extending her hand, which he cautiously squeezed. «Today we received a letter from the Ministry of Culture. They’ve included us in the ‘Golden Ring of Small Towns’ route.»
«— Congratulations!» he beamed. «That’s great news! By the way, remember the eco-tourism project? The investors agreed. We’ll build a glamping site by the lake.»
They walked along the village street, now paved with cobblestones and lined with young linden trees. They talked about business, the children, future plans. Like old friends. Like partners. And perhaps, as people ready to start anew.
«— Sergey, do you ever regret it?» she suddenly asked, stopping by the old apple tree, under which their new journey once began. «Regret that everything turned out this way?»
He paused, looking at the blooming branches.
«— I regret the pain I caused,» he admitted honestly. «I regret my blindness and selfishness. But I do not regret that we ended up here. Sometimes you have to lose something to realize how valuable it is.»
Anna smiled as she looked at the ground beneath the apple tree. This land had given her not only material wealth, but something far more important—a strength, confidence, a new beginning.
«— Mom! Dad!» the children’s voices called. «Hurry, come! Uncle Viktor brought new saplings for our garden!»
Anna and Sergey exchanged glances and, as if by an unseen signal, took each other’s hands.
Beneath their feet the earth still held many secrets. But the most precious gold was not what remained in the basement. The truest treasure was the new life—for them, for the children, for the whole revived village.
The old apple tree, bearing witness to generations of the family, rustled its leaves softly, as if approving with a nod. Their choice had been right.
