Anya sighed as she exited the office building. Today was nothing but stress. Did he really need those reports right now? She could have gotten everything done tomorrow. The day at work had been stressful, so she decided to stop by her usual café. She was already looking forward to having a Greek salad and a cup of coffee, and then life would momentarily shine in a different light.
When she entered, the café was almost empty. Just as she was about to sit at her usual table and finally order her salad, she suddenly saw a familiar face. Her husband, Sergey. And he wasn’t alone, but sitting with some dolled-up woman.
Anya froze, as if drenched in cold water. The stranger looked like she stepped off a fashion magazine cover. A platinum blonde in a tight dress, nearly sparkling with expensive jewelry. Her makeup—flawless. She and Sergey were having an animated conversation. He was telling her something, and the woman laughed, flirtatiously touching his hand.
Everything inside Anya turned upside down. “So, this is how it is?” she almost jumped up. Her first reaction was to approach their table and find out everything right there and then. Loudly, dramatically, like in a movie. But then she held back. No, it would be too easy.
She decisively stepped back, contemplating a plan. She would give him a real game to play.
Anya chose a table in another corner of the café, positioned so she could still see them both well. She ordered a Greek salad and coffee but wasn’t in a rush to eat. She took out her phone and dialed Sergey. His phone rang on the table. He glanced at the screen and then hurriedly muted it. Anya smirked. So, he doesn’t want to answer? What could be so important about their conversation?
She kept her eyes on them, noticing every movement. Sergey leaned towards the blonde, whispering something in her ear. She burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. A hefty diamond ring sparkled on her finger.
Anya’s heart clenched. She looked away, trying to compose herself. “Okay, calm down, Anya, calm down. It’s not time to panic,” she told herself, nervously fiddling with a napkin.
Fragments of memories flashed through her mind. Their first meeting, awkward dates, declarations of love. Was it all a lie? Was he now playing on two fronts? Anya gritted her teeth but decided to continue observing. She wished to believe he was just a colleague. Yes, too well-groomed and sitting too close.
Holding her phone tighter, Anya continued to watch the couple. But then her gaze landed on a man walking past her table. Tall, attractive, with a light stubble. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a commercial. Then it hit her. She boldly waved her hand.
“Excuse me,” Anya called the man. He paused, turned his head, and approached.
“Yes?” he asked, sizing her up.
“Listen, I have a silly request…” Anya paused, thinking about how to explain the situation, “to play out a scene. Nothing complicated. You see, over there,” she nodded towards Sergey, “my husband. And, apparently,” she bitterly smirked, “he’s cheating on me. Could you play along? I want him to feel the same as I do.”
The man thought for a moment, then broadly smiled.
“Alright, why not?” he stepped forward and sat across from Anya.
“I’m Anya,” she smiled.
“I’m Igor,” the man smiled back.
Anya smiled, trying to stay calm, but her heart was racing. She glanced at Sergey. He noticed. Confusion flashed in his eyes.
He clearly didn’t expect to see his wife here. And especially not with another man. Sergey froze for a second, then turned back to his companion. He tried to act as if nothing was amiss. But Anya noticed how his hand tensed.
Anya sat up straight. She pretended to be fully engaged in conversation with Igor. She leaned in closer, as if she was sharing something very captivating. Igor caught her vibe and played along. He nodded, laughing at the right moments.
Anya glanced at Sergey and his blonde companion. Now Sergey was clearly nervous. He began tapping his fingers on the table. He kept glancing at Anya and Igor.
The blonde said something to him, but his responses were not as lively as before. Anya decided to take the next step. She boldly took Igor’s hand. The man, understanding her plan, slightly squeezed her fingers and smiled. Sergey looked at them again, this time for longer. He said something to his companion, and she stopped laughing. Anya was curious to see how far she could go in this “game.”
“Igor, you’re a great actor,” she said.
“See how tense he is?” Igor whispered. “Just look at his face. Do you think we’ve marinated him enough?”
“Let’s walk by them,” Anya suggested. “Let’s see what he does.”
Igor nodded, and they both stood up. Anya took his arm, and they slowly headed towards the exit, passing by Sergey and the blonde’s table. As they passed, Anya decided to play her last card. She turned to Sergey with the most innocent look and said:
“Oh, hello, dear! What a pleasant surprise to see you here. And who is this friend of yours?”
Sergey was clearly flustered. The blonde looked at him, expecting an explanation.
“This is…” Sergey stumbled, searching for words. His gaze darted between his wife and the blonde, “a work colleague.”
The blonde frowned, casting a suspicious glance at Sergey.
“Oh, a colleague?” Anya raised an eyebrow. “How interesting! And here I thought you had client meetings today.”
Sergey clenched his teeth.
“Anya, what is this circus?” He stepped towards her, clearly losing patience. “Who is this guy? What do you think you’re doing?”
“And you? What would your ‘colleague’ say? Maybe she’s not aware of your marital status?”
The blonde tensed.
“You’re married?” she asked coldly, not taking her eyes off Sergey.
The blonde quickly turned around and left the café.
“Great,” he threw back at his wife. “Are you satisfied? Why did you do all this? She was an important client. She was eyeing a deal. This meeting was a business maneuver, not what you’ve concocted!”
“Maybe you’d better explain who this guy is with you?” Sergey glanced at Igor.
“And what about it?” Anya crossed her arms. “You can have fun on the side, and I can’t?”
“So, you were cheating on me?” Sergey gritted his teeth.
“Yes,” Anya lifted her chin, wanting to hurt Sergey.
“Listen, I think you two can figure this out without me,” Igor awkwardly smiled and tried to quickly disappear from the café.
“Well, you’re really something, Anya,” Sergey threw a few bills on the table and left the café.
Anya felt like exploding. She couldn’t believe all this had happened. She didn’t even know how she would return to work now. She called a colleague, asking her to cover for her with the boss, and then she went home. When she opened the door, there was Sergey sitting on the couch. He looked surprisingly calm.
“Anya,” he looked at his wife with pain in his eyes. “Did you really cheat on me?”
His look was so sincere that Anya decided to sit next to him and sighed:
“No. I met that man for the first time today. I saw you, and I just wanted to hurt you. I couldn’t believe you were cheating on me.”
Sergey ran his hand through his hair.
“Listen, this is all so stupid. I now realize I acted like an idiot. Please forgive me. I should have told you about all this. I know I’m to blame. I was a fool to even agree to that meeting. But you have to believe me, there was nothing between us.”
Anya was silent for a moment, then buried her head in his shoulder. She was still angry with him but was also glad to hear his words.
“Promise me you won’t deceive me anymore.”
“I promise,” Sergey gently kissed her on the crown of her head. “Forgive me, my fool.”
He hugged her tighter, and Anya felt the tension of the past hours gradually releasing. She was still upset remembering the blonde. But she saw that her husband was repentant. What mattered was that in the end, everything turned out well.