“Marina Ivanovna, how can you say such things? Smelov and I have our wedding tomorrow!” Renata was shocked to hear the accusations from her mother-in-law, who suddenly showed up at her workplace.
Colleagues froze in confusion, watching the scene unfold before them. It felt as if a play was being acted out right in the office — and no tickets were needed. The gossipers were ready to retell the news with commentary. Renata realized she needed to get the woman away from prying eyes and talk privately.
“Let’s go outside. There are too many ears here,” she gently suggested.
“And why should I care about them? Let everyone know who you really are!”
Renata didn’t understand why she was suddenly overwhelmed by such a flood of negativity. Everything had been going well before; they had been peacefully discussing the upcoming wedding, and now this.
“Explain what this is about? Why are you insulting me?”
The young woman understood that if people learned only part of the truth, they would fill in the rest themselves, and then her reputation would be irreparably damaged.
“I’ll explain everything, down to the smallest detail. When my son asked for money for your wedding and promised to pay it back later, I thought you had nothing at all. But you?! How could you buy such an expensive dress? When I found out the price, I almost fainted! If you have the money, return it to me now!”
So, the whole scandal was about the wedding dress? The colleagues, realizing there was no more juicy drama to hear, began to disperse. It remained to be hoped that the story wouldn’t turn into a grand scandal. Renata always tried to be a model employee, but now it was too late to change anything. Probably, she shouldn’t have told Marina Ivanovna her work address and asked the security to let her in. Who would have known the woman would come not with congratulations, but accusations?
Since Renata’s day was short and work was almost finished, she turned off the computer, looked at her mother-in-law, and sighed heavily. If Marina Ivanovna was already showing such pettiness now, what would happen next? Could she be trusted? Did she need to constantly be wary of tricks? Yes, she was marrying Semyon, but his mother was unavoidable. She would have to deal with her, but how if problems weren’t resolved here and now?
“Maybe we could take a walk? Go to a café, have some ice cream?”
Renata knew Marina Ivanovna couldn’t refuse — it was her weakness. She wanted to somehow ease the tension, but the woman snorted and grimaced:
“Don’t try to distract me with nonsense. Sell the dress and return the money!”
Renata decided not to respond while still in the office. Saying goodbye to her colleagues, she finally went outside. The heat made her head spin, and the atmosphere grew even tenser.
She called Semyon, hoping for support, but he immediately sided with his mother. He didn’t even let his fiancée properly explain, only expressing his indignation:
“If you had told me you had money, I never would have taken money from mom. Did you deceive me? Just wanted to show off in an expensive dress? All for pretty photos? I’m in a ten-thousand-ruble suit, and you’re in a dress worth hundreds?”
“Where did you get that it’s so expensive?” Renata couldn’t hold back tears.
“Did you even look at the price tag? Mom saw it. I just can’t understand how you could spend so much. We didn’t even spend that much on lunch!”
“Fifteen thousand — is that a lot? It’s one of the most budget-friendly dresses in the salon!”
“Fifteen? One hundred fifty, I’m telling you!” Marina Ivanovna raised her voice.
Renata hung up. She didn’t want to talk anymore. Neither with her fiancé nor with his mother. She didn’t even want to get married.
“Have you really seen such a price tag? Let’s go to the salon, I’ll prove it to you!”
She had nothing to lose. She decided to figure everything out, although her mood for the wedding had quickly evaporated. And so had her trust. How could Semyon so abruptly turn against her? Did he really not believe her at all?
Marina Ivanovna agreed to go to the salon, though clearly she didn’t want to waste time. Inside, Renata found the saleswoman who had helped her before. She wasn’t working that day, but she still should have known the price.
“One hundred fifty thousand? But I paid fifteen…”
“Sorry, but this is the new collection. Even with maximum discounts, you couldn’t have bought it that cheaply.”
Another girl came running — the same one who helped Renata. She asked the colleague to leave, offered everyone coffee, and admitted:
“There was indeed a big promotion that day.”
But Renata wasn’t satisfied:
“She says such discounts don’t happen… What’s going on? Am I supposed to think the dress was stolen?”
The saleswoman hesitated, but then explained: the salon owner noticed how admiringly Renata looked at the model and decided to give her a gift. He personally approved the huge discount and covered the rest of the cost himself.
“A gift? Did I ask anyone to give me a dress?” Renata was surprised.
Marina Ivanovna calmed down a bit and even smiled. So the daughter-in-law wasn’t so extravagant after all. But the thought that someone had generously gifted Renata troubled her.
“I’d like to meet the salon owner. Is that possible?”
“Unfortunately, he didn’t come today and probably won’t appear. I can give him your number — if he wants to contact you, he’ll call.”
“No, I’ll wait here. I want to know why he decided to give me such an expensive gift,” Renata replied and sat on the soft client couch.
Meanwhile, Marina Ivanovna quickly said goodbye to Renata without apologizing for the scandal she caused right in Renata’s office. She was more worried about how soon to tell her son that his fiancée was receiving generous gifts from strange men.
Renata stayed in the salon until closing, but the owner never showed up. She had to leave empty-handed and go home. At the entrance, Semyon was already waiting. He sharply grabbed her hand and pulled her close:
“I didn’t expect this from you! So you’re going to marry me, but you accept gifts from others? What did you give him in return? Don’t tell me it was free!”
Renata hit him hard in the face, broke free, and stepped back. A complete stranger stood before her. She had never seen this Semyon — rude, suspicious, and foolish. She didn’t want to explain herself: he didn’t deserve her words. She knew nothing about the gift, and if she had, she would never have agreed to accept it. Maybe Marina Ivanovna deliberately hid this detail? In any case, Renata felt exhausted. And the wedding hadn’t even happened yet…
“It’s over,” she said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Semyon’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I’m not going to the altar with you. Cancel the café reservation. My parents and my friend were supposed to come — I’ll tell them there’s no wedding. And deal with your family yourselves.”
“You can’t just throw everything away! I put so much money into this!”
“Not just you,” Renata answered calmly. Inside, she felt empty. Betrayal hurts most when you haven’t even had a chance to defend yourself. Semyon accused her twice without proof, calling her a frivolous woman. She couldn’t forgive that. Let him think or do whatever he wants.
Removing the ring from her finger, Renata handed it back. Better to refuse now than endure such a marriage. It was even good that it all happened before the wedding. She wouldn’t have to wear a dress that now only reminded her of pain.
She told her family she had canceled the wedding without going into details. The feeling of all plans falling apart was unbearable. Semyon kept calling, even Marina Ivanovna came demanding she “come to her senses,” but the decision was final. The fiancé and his mother showed their true faces — and maybe that was for the best.
The next morning, Renata took the dress off the hanger and went to the salon to return it.
“Why have you decided to return the purchase? Today was supposed to be your wedding,” the saleswoman was surprised.
“It doesn’t matter… I’m returning it. Tell the owner his gift was very generous, but it helped me understand one important thing — the person beside me was not the right one.”
As Renata was about to leave, a man entered the salon whom she did not expect to see. Her first love. The guy she never confessed her feelings to in her youth. She was afraid of rejection back then and just disappeared. Now they met again — in this very bridal salon. Her attempt to pretend she didn’t recognize him failed. It turned out that this man was the salon owner. He was the one who gave her the gift, not knowing how it would all turn out.
“Sorry,” he said. “I just wanted you to be the most beautiful bride. Even if you walk down the aisle not with me.”
“What did you say?” Renata was stunned.
“I was in love with you but didn’t manage to tell you. And when we met again, you were already engaged. I could only accept it.”
Now she understood: she had run away from possible happiness, mistakenly believing she would be rejected. After a short conversation, they exchanged numbers and agreed to meet again once Renata calmed down.
Meanwhile, Semyon and his mother continued to harass her at her home, demanding compensation. But Renata didn’t feel guilty.
“Go ahead and sue. If you prove I owe you something, I’ll pay. The café, the cars — you ordered all that for your guests. I don’t need it.”
Several months passed. They were difficult — Marina Ivanovna didn’t give up and tried to make Renata’s life miserable but failed. Even Semyon gave up, though his mother still wouldn’t drop the matter.
From time to time, Renata met with Igor — yes, that was the salon owner’s name. Now they allowed themselves to be together openly. Those feelings hadn’t faded but grew deeper. Rediscovering each other, they fell in love again and again. At some point, they realized they didn’t want to hide their hearts anymore. They decided to be together. Though Renata’s wedding was recently broken off, she regretted nothing — now she would be the wife of the one she was truly meant to be with.
Thus, a simple gift became a turning point in the lives of two people, helping them find each other, overcoming misunderstandings and past mistakes, and leaving behind those who were not worthy of their love.