Taya came to her sister not without a reason — she needed to look after Vladik, a smart and lively second-grader, while Albina went to an important corporate event. The very thought of spending the evening alone with a child felt unfamiliar to Taya, but she couldn’t refuse. Her sister’s boss, a strict and uncompromising man, made it clear: those absent would face extra workload. The team was supposed to work united, not hide in corners. Communication, he said, was the foundation of everything.
«Are you sure you can handle it?» Albina worried repeatedly, casting anxious glances at her pale son who lazily flipped through something on his phone.
Yes, Taya had no children of her own. Yes, she had never before taken care of a child on such a level. And of course, she felt a little awkward that her sister was burdening her with such responsibility, but there were no other options. Their mother was resting at a sanatorium, and warm relations with distant relatives had long since faded.
«Of course I can handle it!» Taya answered confidently, trying to ease her sister’s worries. «He’s already big — a second-grader! What could be difficult? Vladik, how about we watch some anime?»
The boy just clicked his tongue and buried himself deeper in the smartphone screen, ignoring the offer. Taya shrugged and smiled — she knew everything would be fine. After all, Albina was leaving for only a couple of hours, yet she worried as if she was going away for a whole week.
«Don’t worry,» she added, «we’ll find something to do. If not anime — then something else. At worst, I’ll just sit quietly and not bother him. He has his own interests, his own life.»
After much persuasion and a few reminders that she was running late, Albina finally slipped out the door, leaving Taya alone with her nephew. The woman wanted to text her husband to say everything was fine and that dinner was in the oven, but suddenly realized — her sister had hurriedly taken her phone. Instead of her own smartphone, Taya had a stranger’s, filled with unknown stories, photos, and messages.
«What a scatterbrain,» Taya smiled, remembering how often Albina forgot and lost things.
She again suggested to Vladik that they do something together, but the boy, not looking up from the screen, firmly said he wasn’t interested in anime today. He wanted to play. Only play. And not be disturbed in his inner world.
Taya didn’t insist. Settling comfortably into a chair, she decided it was time to entertain herself — to take her sister’s phone and look for something to read. She remembered buying a book recently but hadn’t finished it. However, the search proved harder than she thought. Where Albina kept her downloads remained a mystery.
While scrolling through files, Taya came across photos. Old, warm, full of memories. Little Vladik, smiling broadly, with chubby cheeks and innocent eyes — like a doll you want to hug. She looked at her nephew: how much he had grown. Now he no longer ran into her arms, no longer asked for a bedtime story. Time flies fast, too fast.
For a moment, Taya’s thoughts drifted to the future. She imagined herself becoming a mother. She and her husband were in no hurry — they wanted to settle their life first, strengthen their household, before having children. Albina had given birth at nineteen and never regretted it, but Taya saw it differently. She didn’t want to live in constant thrift, denying herself and a child. She was only twenty-three and believed all her life was still ahead. Yet deep inside, she dreamed of hearing the word «mom» from small lips. A smile touched her lips.
But her finger didn’t stop on memories. It kept scrolling. And suddenly — a sharp stop. Her heart froze.
In the photo, young Albina, happy and smiling, was hugging… Ignat. Her husband. The very one she lived with. The very one she was building a family with. He pressed his head to her temple, lips barely touching her cheek. The picture was so close, so personal, that Taya felt a chill inside.
Had they… been involved? Before her? And if so, could Vladik… be Ignat’s son?
Her thoughts whirled. Taya remembered how Ignat always treated Vladik especially — gave expensive gifts, said he wanted a son. Then she was happy, thinking it was kindness and care. Now every memory was tainted with suspicion.
Her heart ached. Tears welled up. Why had they kept silent? Why hide it? Why never say? Even if they were just old friends, why keep such a photo? Why transfer it from one phone to another?
Taya recalled every meeting of Ignat and Albina. Now their looks, their smiles, their jokes — everything seemed different. Like a mask hiding the truth. Or maybe not the truth, but just suspicion born from fear and pain?
But if they had been involved… if Vladik was his son… what did that mean for her? For their family? For everything they had built together?
Taya looked at the boy. His eyes seemed similar. And the nose. And the shape of the chin. No! She must not panic. She needed to figure things out. Talk to Albina first. Ask. Learn. Only then could she draw conclusions.
She was about to put down the phone, get up, walk around the room, calm down — but suddenly a notification sounded. A message from Ignat.
«How are you there?»
Taya froze. He was texting Albina too? She started scrolling through messages but found nothing — no chats with Ignat. Not one. As if her sister erased everything to avoid being caught.
The next message:
«They kept me late at work today. Want me to come over?»
Taya gripped the phone so hard she heard the plastic creak. Inside, everything boiled. She didn’t know what to do. Get up and scream? Hide tears? Run? Stay?
Her mind held no answers. Only questions. Many questions. And none she wanted to hear the truth about.
Despite the storm of emotions inside, Taya decided — she wouldn’t cause a scandal in front of the child. No, it was better to talk to her husband alone, calmly, in the warm atmosphere of the kitchen where every word could be heard, eyes looked into, and she could understand if what she suspected was true. To not frighten Vladik or disturb the fragile peace at home, she quickly texted Ignat:
«Come over.»
She had planned to tell her husband she went to her sister’s, but because of the mixed-up phones, she hadn’t had time. Now, holding a stranger’s smartphone filled with foreign messages, it was clear — maybe it was for the best. Surely Ignat would have texted that he’d be late or couldn’t come at all. And she would have believed it. As always. As usual. Because he often did that — replied with short phrases, promised to come, then disappeared for hours, for eternity.
She set the phone aside, closed her eyes, and took a deep, forceful breath. Her head was splitting, everything inside tightened with tension. She wanted to dunk her face in ice water and forget everything, but it was impossible. No respite.
«Vlad, does Ignat often come to visit you?» she asked unexpectedly.
The boy looked up from the screen, thought as if counting in his head, then shrugged:
«I don’t pay attention to who comes over. Don’t know — rarely or often.»
And again buried himself in the phone, as if the conversation with his aunt was indifferent. Taya sat feeling the tension growing inside. Soon Ignat would come. Soon she would look him in the eyes. And he would understand — this wasn’t the woman he had waited for. This wasn’t Albina. This was his wife.
Forty minutes after the message, Ignat entered the apartment. He carried a bouquet of spray roses — fresh, fragrant, with a slight shine on the petals from drops of water. But Taya wasn’t looking at the flowers. She was watching his face, every expression, every feature, trying to find traces of lies.
Why wasn’t he surprised that she opened the door? Why didn’t he ask why she was there? Why wasn’t he surprised Albina wasn’t home?
«Did you know I’d be here?» she asked sharply. «Or did you buy the flowers for Albina?»
Ignat’s face twitched. He frowned, stepped forward, closed the door, and gently touched his wife’s forehead with his palm, as if checking her temperature.
«I thought you were sick and feeling worse. You told me to come.»
«I told you?» Taya repeated sarcastically.
«You replied to my message. I asked if I should come, and you said — come. Or was that not you?»
«But you messaged my sister’s phone,» Taya calmly replied, feeling everything inside boiling.
Ignat rolled his eyes, sighed heavily, trying to look irritated, but something else flickered in his gaze — awkwardness? Fear? Guilt?
«Of course I messaged your sister’s phone. She told me she took yours. What was I supposed to do? Stand and wait till you came back?»
Taya pressed her lips. It all sounded logical, but the voice of suspicion didn’t quiet in her head.
«I’ll go give the gift to Vladik,» Ignat said, trying to lighten the mood. «And you make some tea. I hope there’s something to snack on? I haven’t eaten all day.»
Taya silently went to the kitchen. Put the roses in a vase, brewed tea, cut sandwiches. Even Vladik agreed to join. But she couldn’t swallow a bite. She watched every movement of her husband, every look at her nephew, every word. Trying to find a trick that might exist only in her imagination.
Albina returned soon. She was home earlier than planned — the corporate event was canceled; the boss admitted he was joking. Albina thanked her sister, sent Vladik to wash up and get ready for bed. Only then, seeing Ignat and the flowers, did she smile:
«You’re such a romantic, Ignat. Can’t live without Taya?»
But Taya didn’t delay the pause. She put her sister’s phone on the table, opened the photo — the very one where Ignat was hugging Albina as if they were a couple. Both men froze. Albina almost choked on her water.
«It’s not what you think,» she hurried to say. «It was a long time ago. Back in university.»
«But you never said you were that close,» Taya said quietly.
Ignat smirked, stood up, approached his wife, and hugged her.
«Because we weren’t that close. It’s just a photo. Albina, explain,» he nodded to his sister.
And Albina spoke. She told how she was in love with a guy named Viktor, how she tried to get his attention, how he ignored her. Then, at a party, they suddenly got close. She was happy. But the next day, Viktor pretended nothing happened. He offered to date secretly, hiding the relationship, and she agreed because she loved him. But when she found out she was pregnant, she tried to contact him and heard him laughing with friends, saying he’d never date her.
«I wanted to make him jealous,» Albina confessed. «On Valentine’s Day, there was a couples contest. I persuaded Ignat to take a photo with me. We won. He agreed for the promised lunch at the café. That’s all. Nothing ever happened between us. I didn’t even like him. The photo just came out nice, and I kept it for my avatar.»
Taya remembered — yes, her sister really called Ignat then, asked for the photo, promised a tasty lunch. He was a student then, without money or a girlfriend. He agreed.
«So, Vladik is Viktor’s son?» Taya whispered.
«Not mine,» Ignat pouted.
Albina showed a photo of that very Viktor. And indeed, Vladik was his spitting image. Taya’s heart clenched with pity for her sister. And shame for her suspicions overwhelmed her.
Albina admitted she tried to find Viktor but learned he hadn’t gotten his life together, drank a lot, lost himself. What kind of father would that be for a child? Better he thinks his father is a loving and caring man, even if he isn’t.
Taya apologized. To her husband. To her sister. For not believing. For suspecting. They promised to be honest with each other. Ignat was a little hurt but didn’t spoil their relationship. Only later, jokingly, he often reminded his wife:
«Wow, you have an imagination, Taya. Just like a writer.»
