— Dasha? What are you doing here? — Svetlana was so shocked she could hardly speak.
Her thoughts were tangled, and jealousy and resentment bubbled up inside her. Why were they treating her like this? Hadn’t she loved her husband? Was she a bad wife and mother to their son?
But what happened next was beyond any comprehension.
Svetlana was sure that she and her husband had been sent to each other by fate. And the fact that they had been happily married for over ten years seemed natural to her.
Today, she was returning home from a business trip that she had left for two days ago. Recently, her boss had called her and said that no one else could handle the problems in one of the branches.
— There’s only about three days’ worth of work, nothing more. Get ready, Svetlana, and don’t even think about making up an excuse. Go there tomorrow, — he said to the slightly upset woman.
Svetlana had her own plans for the next few days, and going on a business trip to another city was not one of them. But you can’t argue with the boss. And you can’t even use the argument that only the younger staff goes on business trips in their company. The boss himself had set this principle. And she had already done her fair share of traveling. Now, after thirty-five years, she expected a more relaxed and stable schedule.
— Kostya, I’m leaving for work. I think for about three days. Make sure Dima works with his tutor, he’s been avoiding lessons lately. I’m paying for it, and it’s not cheap. And make sure he eats properly. Not chips and crackers, but soup and cutlets, which I’ll leave for you both in the fridge.
— Okay, I’ll make sure, don’t worry, — her husband muttered indifferently, not looking away from his smartphone screen.
— Is that it? — Svetlana was surprised. — So, the fact that I’m leaving doesn’t upset you at all? Listen, can you tear yourself away from your phone?
— Well, you’re not going for a month. You’ll be back in three days. You said so yourself. And we’ll survive without you for three days, me and Dima.
At these words, Konstantin finally looked up at his wife and even smiled.
— What is it that’s sending you away again? I thought you’d done your share of traveling? — he asked.
— They need an experienced specialist there. That’s what the boss himself said. Experienced and strict, with character! — Svetlana said with pride, knowing how much she was valued at work.
While on her business trip, she decided to push herself to return home from the distant, unfriendly city a bit earlier. Even if it was only by one day. She could spend that day peacefully at home, giving it to herself.
The train Svetlana was on was already approaching the outskirts of her hometown. She was in a good mood. She happily thought about how she would return to her empty apartment. She anticipated a sense of freedom. Her husband would be at work, and her ten-year-old Dima would still be at school. And Svetlana would be left to herself.
First, she would run a bath with fragrant bubbles. Then, she would do a face mask and a hand mask. She might even take a nap — she hadn’t allowed herself that luxury in a long time. By then, Dima would be home from school. She would need to feed him and help him with his homework. With all this work, she had forgotten the last time she had spent time with her child. Even when on maternity leave, she hadn’t really rested — she ran off to work, leaving ten-month-old Dima in the care of her pensioner aunt.
She hadn’t told her husband she was returning — either she forgot or did it on purpose. At this point, it didn’t matter. Let it be a surprise for him. He would come home in the evening, and there would be his beloved wife, a hot dinner, and all of Dima’s lessons already done. Pure bliss!
Feeling emotional about how they had met and so suddenly married, Svetlana stopped by a store on her way home, where she bought a bottle of dry wine and Kostya’s favorite cake. Let tonight be romantic. She really wanted it. Lately, she and her husband had drifted apart — she was all about work, home was filled with tasks and worries, and Kostya was always on his phone, so they hardly had anything to talk about. They felt like strangers to each other, honestly!
When Svetlana opened the door to the apartment, she didn’t immediately realize that someone was inside. It wasn’t until she turned on the light in the hallway and saw unfamiliar women’s boots that she froze. Then her gaze fell on a light, pale fur coat hanging in the wardrobe. It smelled so sharply of some sweet, cloying perfume that it made her feel nauseous.
Or maybe it wasn’t the perfume of the other woman that made her feel sick, but the realization that she was about to face something very unpleasant. This was supposed to be a relaxing evening with a bath, masks, and a nice dinner with white wine, but now none of that would happen. Maybe Svetlana wouldn’t even have a family anymore. She had no intention of forgiving betrayal. She simply couldn’t.
She braced herself. She had to pull herself together to avoid looking ridiculous and pathetic in front of her betraying husband and the unknown woman who dared come into her home to entertain herself with someone else’s husband—and to destroy her happiness.
Svetlana heard laughter and a quiet conversation from her marital bedroom. She looked around for something she could grab to strike both lovebirds with.
“My God, how did I end up like this? Why didn’t I see it, feel it—Kostya had distanced himself so much from me that he got a mistress? And that wasn’t enough—he brought her into our bed!” Svetlana spoke quietly to herself, trying to calm down. Knowing her fiery temper, she seriously feared that she might kill one of the two right now. And that would mean prison. So, she absolutely had to control herself.
Finally, unable to hold her emotions any longer, she walked toward the bedroom door, which was tightly closed.
On her way, she tripped over the cord of a tall floor lamp, which had been pulled almost to the middle of the room, closer to the coffee table. It seemed that, before getting to the more interesting part of their meeting, the lovers had been drinking and snacking. A bottle of champagne and some fruit were on the table.
The crash of the lamp falling in the silence of the apartment drew the attention of those in the bedroom.
The door opened instantly, and wrapped in a sheet, Dasha appeared before Svetlana.
“Dasha?” she exclaimed in surprise. “You? Oh my God! I was wondering why this awful perfume smelled so familiar!” Svetlana laughed hysterically, recognizing her acquaintance, someone she had once been very close with. “How could you? You’re a bitch! So, it’s you!”
“Svetlana?” Dasha was also surprised. “What are you doing here? Sorry, but I was sure you were away on a business trip.”
“He probably didn’t expect me to return so soon either,” Svetlana said, referring to her husband hiding in the bedroom. “Dear, come out! Don’t hide in there! It turns out we’re all family here.”
“Svetochka, you’re very mistaken. Please, calm down. You’ve misunderstood everything,” Dasha began to stammer, standing sheepishly by the bedroom door.
“Oh no! Those aren’t your words. This is what my husband should be saying to me right now—how I misunderstood everything. Come out, Kostya! It’s time for you to face the consequences. I caught you in the act. And thank God, it will be a divorce, not a murder. Come out already!”
“Svetlana, please listen to me and calm down!” Dasha continued anxiously.
“Move away from the door! I want to look this bastard in the eyes!” Svetlana screamed, now desperate to confront her husband. “Move, or I can’t guarantee my behavior. Get out of the way, this won’t help him anyway.”
“Svetlana, Svetlana, forgive us and calm down!” Dasha pleaded.
“Will you move or not? Let Kostya come out! Enough hiding! This won’t help you, Kostya! Come out, look me in the eye!”
“No, it’s not Kostya in there!” Dasha suddenly blurted out.
“What? Don’t make up a comedy! Let him come out! Can you hear me, darling, be a man, come out to us!”
Then, Svetlana suddenly hesitated, looking carefully into Dasha’s eyes.
“Not Kostya, you say… Who is it then?” she asked quietly.
For a moment, she believed it wasn’t her husband. And then everything would stay as it was. She would find out that he hadn’t cheated, and their family would stay intact, and little Dimka wouldn’t cry after their divorce. My God! What is happening?
“Who’s in there? Answer me!” Svetlana shouted, almost losing her patience.
“It’s Roman,” Dasha lowered her eyes and replied.
“Roman?” Svetlana asked in disbelief.
Then she pushed her former friend aside and burst into the bedroom.
And it was Roman. Kostya’s brother was sitting on the bed, already dressed. He turned his back to Svetlana, staring out the window, looking guilty.
“Roman, what’s going on here? Are you out of your mind? What have you done here? Dimka is about to come home from school, and you’re running a brothel in our apartment!”
Svetlana couldn’t control her emotions. How could this have happened? She knew Roman as a serious man, and she had always considered their family with Marina ideal.
They were all sitting at the kitchen table now. Svetlana demanded an explanation. Her conversation with Kostya would come later, and it would be very serious. She would give him a puzzle to solve. But right now, she needed to understand how this had happened with people she trusted. And she feared this wouldn’t happen again in her family.
“We met Dasha a year ago at Kostya’s birthday. Remember, you took us all out into nature? It was a lot of fun,” Roman explained. “Then I ran into her in the city. I had a fight with Marina. She accused me again of not earning enough, not striving for anything. She really hurt me. So, I decided to get back at her. Dasha caught my eye right away, and then we met… Well, I couldn’t resist.”
“Well, I understand you now. You’re a divorced woman with a kid, so it doesn’t matter who you sleep with,” Svetlana said, looking at Dasha with disapproval. “But you, Roman, how could you? I always held your family up as an example for Kostya!”
“Well, it turns out I’m not perfect. What now?”
“And why are you meeting here? There are hotels, hourly rentals! What nonsense to barge into someone’s apartment and bed?” Svetlana fumed, imagining the scandal she would cause her husband for such a service to his brother.
“It’s a small town, and almost everyone knows me. I work at the administration,” Roman explained. “So, we decided to hide here. Svetlana, don’t think, this is our first time here. And anyway… Dasha and I don’t meet often. Just a few times.”
“Oh no! Spare me the details! What a disgrace… And Dasha, I hope you realize we’re no longer friends? How do I look Marina in the eye now, I have no idea!”
After kicking the uninvited guests out of her apartment, Svetlana, instead of enjoying the relaxation and spa treatments she had planned, began a full cleanup at home. While cleaning, she thought a lot about how she and Kostya lived. What needed to change in their family life so that this wouldn’t happen again. Of course, she needed to take more interest in her husband’s life, his problems, and talk with him more often. And, of course, not criticize him—though that was very hard.
Svetlana also decided to teach Kostya a lesson so that he never even thought about giving the keys to their apartment to anyone, even his brother.
“Darling, I just got back from my business trip, and look what happened!” she shouted into the phone when she called her husband.
“You’re already home?” Kostya’s voice sounded scared.
“Yes! I decided to come home early. And there are burglars in our apartment!” Svetlana continued her act. “But don’t worry. I’ve already called the police. I locked them outside with our second lock, the one that doesn’t open from the inside. They won’t get away, they’ve walked into a trap! I’m just waiting for the law enforcement to arrive.”
“Don’t, Svetlana! Please cancel the police, I’ll come home and handle it!” Kostya shouted into the phone.
“No, no way! The police must come. These are criminals, they must answer to the law for breaking into someone’s home,” Svetlana continued with a smile.
“Svetlana, I’m coming! I’m rushing home!” Kostya understood that he needed to get home quickly and intervene in a conflict that could damage his brother’s reputation.
He hurried home, scared to imagine what was going on there. When he arrived, he was surprised to see his wife’s calm and smiling face.
“So, it’s all settled?” he cautiously asked.
“Kostya, your brother sends his regards, but never do that again. Otherwise, you’ll go live with him or someone else. But I really don’t want that, because I love my clueless husband. Please, no more of these stupid mistakes. Remember—our apartment is our fortress. It’s sacred. Understood?”
“Understood,” Kostya replied with relief.
“And now we’re having a romantic dinner.”
“Really?” he was even more surprised.
“Yes. And then you’ll tell me what you dream about. But honestly, okay? And I’ll also share my dreams and plans with you.”
“Svetka, you’re amazing! Aren’t you going to tell Marina anything?”
“Do I need to? Let them figure it out for themselves.”
“You’re wise! And beautiful. Let me kiss you.”
“You’re crazy, Dimka’s at home,” she smiled, relieved to think about how lucky she was that her husband had been at work today instead of at home.