Kristina, I can’t believe it! Am I really getting married tomorrow? This is incredible!”
“Yes, it’s incredible,” Kristina laughed, responding to her friend. “Who was it in school who said she’d never get married? Wasn’t it you? And now you’re almost the first among us to do it. That’s what love does to us.”
The girls hugged and burst into laughter, intoxicated by youth, the joy to come, and the feeling that only happiness lay ahead—huge, like planet Earth…
Kristina had arrived the day before the wonderful event to help Eleanor. The girls had been inseparable since school and now, with the final preparations for the celebration underway, she wanted to assist her friend.
The dress, freshly tailored to fit Ellie, had just been delivered from the salon and was magical. Kristina looked on with envy at its beauty, feeling a bit jealous of her friend.
And there was much to envy. Eleanor, despite her young age (she had just turned 19), was marrying a very handsome and mature man. He wasn’t some boy without a profession, money, or home.
Vadim was already thirty-five, and this marriage was not his first. But nothing stopped Eleanor. Her future husband reminded everyone who saw him of some foreign actor, like James Bond. Tall, muscular, with an even dark tan and an open white-toothed smile, Vadim was universally admired.
And Kristina was also envious that, unlike her friend, she would never have such a lavish wedding. Or such a dress. She came from a family of ordinary workers.
Eleanor’s parents owned a thriving hotel business, with hotels and inns located almost throughout the country.
According to Eleanor, Vadim was also a businessman but far more modest than her parents. Now, by marrying into her wealthy family empire, he was gaining a lot.
But the girl never entertained the thought that he might be marrying her for her money.
They had discussed it once. Eleanor was offended and said to her friend, “Am I not worthy of being loved just for me, without any ulterior motives? Am I not beautiful, smart, well-bred? Can’t I love my husband devotedly and with all my heart?”
Kristina had other thoughts on this matter. She didn’t tell Eleanor about the many fraudsters around. It didn’t matter whether you were beautiful or smart; what mattered was having money, and lots of it. She hoped she was wrong about Vadim. After all, she loved her friend very much and didn’t want such a fate for her.
Eleanor took one last look at her gorgeous wedding dress and reluctantly stored it in the closet. The groom must not see such beauty too soon. Vadim was due to arrive any minute to finalize the last formalities.
Looking out the window, she saw the groom’s car entering the courtyard of their huge country house. Eleanor couldn’t wait to hug and kiss her future husband. She had missed him all day!
“Sit here, I’ll be right back,” she told Kristina and ran off.
Light as a feather, she hurried down the stairs and out through the side door leading to the garden. She wanted to surprise her beloved. To jump out from behind the bushes and throw herself into his arms.
Vadim sat in the car, talking on the phone. Of course, he didn’t see her, as she hid behind a sprawling thuja.
She heard him speaking nervously, whispering, rushing.
“Weird,” she thought and started to listen more intently.
“Why are you talking like that? You know very well. It’s a forced measure. We’ve discussed this a long time ago. Why bring it up again? Yes, it’s hard for you, I understand. But what can we do? We have no other choice. No. We looked.”
Vadim fell silent for a few minutes, likely listening to the person on the other end. Eleanor stood there, frozen with a foolish smile on her face. She still believed he was discussing some work matter. But the more she listened, the clearer Vadim’s words became.
Holding the phone to his ear, he got out of the car and moved closer to the corner, so he couldn’t be seen from the house. Eleanor darted into the bushes. He almost saw her!
“I love you too, very much, Varenka! And I love our daughter Katyusha. By the way, say a big hello to her from me and tell her that daddy will visit soon. You are my happiness. The only one. I don’t need any other! Hold on, we’ll be together again soon!”
Unaware of what she was doing, shocked by what she had heard, Eleanor ran back into the house. Bursting into her room, she threw herself into Kristina’s arms and burst into tears.
“What happened, Elly?” her friend was bewildered. “Who hurt you?”
But she said nothing, just cried bitterly.
Then she suddenly fell silent, wiped her tears, and said something that surprised Kristina no less than the sudden outburst of crying.
“Well, we’ll see whose street the festival will be on. Go home, Kristinka. You’ll find out everything tomorrow.”
Vadim was very concerned to see his bride crying.
“It’s okay, brides often cry before the wedding,” his future mother-in-law told him. Oddly, she wasn’t bothered by this at all.
In the evening, Eleanor went down to her father’s office and asked under what circumstances her husband would get nothing in a divorce.
“Daughter, what’s the matter? Are you having doubts? Let’s call the whole thing off. Though… So many people are invited, millions spent on all this fuss.”
“Let’s not cancel anything. Just tell me, what does the prenup say?”
“Well, for your husband to claim a part of the marital property, you must be married for at least two years. But I’ve already promised Vadim to help with investments soon. That was our agreement. His business is struggling. Needs a substantial financial injection. Well, I told him we’d revisit this after the wedding.”
“I understand, dad. I don’t need anything else.”
Eleanor had a surprise for the traitor. She was devastated, the pain of betrayal burning her heart. But she was her father’s daughter. No one would hurt her without consequence. No one!
The wedding was in full swing. The numerous guests were having a great time, celebrating the young couple. “What a beautiful couple!” was the sentiment heard from all sides.
The bride was strangely pale and sad. All day, she hadn’t said two words to Vadim. He was puzzled but chalked it up to nerves and fatigue. After all, a wedding is such an event!
Then the groom’s surprise was announced. Vadim had prepared a performance by her favorite singer as a gift for his bride, now wife.
He invited Eleanor to dance. They danced silently, listening to the wonderful song.
“What’s wrong, dear? Are you tired? I don’t even recognize you. Should we just run away from here?”
Eleanor just looked at him coldly and said nothing.
When the surprise for the groom from the bride was announced, Eleanor didn’t move. Only her cheeks flushed with feverish fire.
“Attention to the screen, please,” the master of ceremonies announced.
What happened next would be long remembered by everyone at the wedding!
The screen showed a series of very warm and tender photos of Vadim’s former family. Eleanor had downloaded them all night from every social network she could access.
Poignant music played. Here was Vadim with Varenka in their wedding waltz. Then the three of them with their daughter. A happy family in the park, amidst flowers and greenery. All of them together on a seaside vacation. A close-up of two lovers looking at each other. Their eyes filled with the light of love…
The frame froze. The music stopped. Vadim’s voice from yesterday, recorded by one of the cameras along the house, played.
“I love you too, very much, Varenka! And our daughter Katyusha. By the way, say a big hello to her from me and tell her that daddy will visit soon. You are my happiness. The only one. I don’t need any other! Hold on, we’ll be together again soon!”
The screen went dark. A funereal silence fell over the hall filled with thousands of invited guests.
Eleanor took the microphone.
“No amount of money is worth destroying a family. Betraying and deceiving loved ones. None! Go back to them, Vadim. Now you’ll truly be with them very soon. With your real family. And our marriage—I annul it!”
“And I will find my true one. Not a fake. I don’t need a surrogate!”