Anton had always been convinced he ran his own destiny. Even back in college he managed to hustle so cleverly that his classmates could only shake their heads in disbelief. While others crammed for exams, Anton was already deep in “business”: flipping cars one month, building custom computers the next.
That was when he met Albina. She was a quiet straight-A student from the foreign languages department—nothing like the bold, flashy girls Anton usually surrounded himself with. Still, something about her drew him in.
He courted her with flair. Albina melted under the attention of the campus star. Before long, they were dating.
“You’re gorgeous,” Anton would tell her. “Why do you need all this studying? Marry me. I’ll provide for you.”
Albina would blush and smile.
“I want to be a translator. I want to talk to people from all over the world.”
Anton waved it off.
“Oh, you’ll get plenty of ‘talking’ with my business partners.”
In the end, he talked her into it. They married. Money seemed sufficient. Soon their first child was born—little Dima. Albina threw herself into motherhood. A couple of years later they welcomed a daughter, Lenochka. Caring for two small children consumed all her time and energy.
Albina wanted to hire a nanny—just so she could keep working a little. They could afford it. But Anton refused. In his mind, children needed their mother, not hired help.
So Albina spun like a hamster in a wheel. And yet she and the kids didn’t live lavishly at all. Anton claimed he poured everything into “growing the business.” But he somehow always had money for himself: a giant new television, another car upgrade, spontaneous trips with friends. When Albina asked for a new hair dryer, he scoffed that her old one was “perfectly fine.”
Years went by. The kids grew up and started school. Albina began to feel painfully alone. She barely saw her husband. And when he was home, he was glued to his phone. If she suggested going out together, Anton answered that he was busy. Funny—he was never too busy to meet friends.
But Albina never imagined things could go as far as they did.
One day Anton just blurted it out:
“We’re better off splitting up. I’m tired of this whole family act. I have my own life—and I want freedom.”
“Splitting up?” Albina froze. “What about the children? What about me?”
“You’ll figure something out,” Anton shrugged. “You’re a mother, aren’t you? You’ll manage.”
Overnight, Albina was alone with two kids and no means to survive. Anton moved out that same evening, taking all his things. He didn’t even have the decency to leave them the apartment.
At first Albina couldn’t accept that her comfortable life had collapsed in an instant. She raced around the city looking for work, leaving the kids with a neighbor. Thankfully, the neighbor didn’t mind—Katya had a child of her own and still helped when she could.
But wherever Albina went, she was turned away. When she applied for jobs in her field, they rejected her for lack of experience. Eventually she managed to get hired as a cleaner at a shopping center.
It wasn’t the life she had dreamed of. But money was desperate. She started taking night shifts too. The children were often left on their own—sometimes with neighbors, sometimes with friends, sometimes with their grandmother when she could come. Albina tore herself between work and home, and every evening she collapsed from exhaustion.
“Mommy, why are you always at work?” little Lena asked one day. “I miss you so much.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Albina sighed. “I have to earn money so we can buy food and clothes.”
“And Dad? He makes a lot. Why doesn’t he help us?”
Albina didn’t know what to say. Anton had vanished from their lives as if he’d evaporated. Child support came rarely and in tiny amounts. He didn’t answer calls.
Albina was barely keeping her head above water when another tragedy struck. Her mother called and told her Grandpa had died. Albina couldn’t believe it. Grief slammed into her like a wave, and she held herself together only because she needed to support her mom.
Then a notary called.
It turned out Grandpa had left a will.
Albina was stunned—what could Grandpa possibly leave? Everyone thought he had nothing but an old house in a village. But the notary insisted she come in.
She begged time off work and went to the office. And there, she got the shock of her life: Grandpa had quietly been buying shares in different companies for years. And he’d left everything to his beloved granddaughter.
Albina could barely process it. The amount sounded unreal—enough money to live comfortably for several years. She remembered Grandpa always saying, “Save every little coin, sweetheart. One day it will save you.” Now those words finally made sense.
Albina quit the crushing job. She began spending real time with her children again. Dima and Lenochka were overjoyed.
She decided to use the inheritance wisely.
She signed up for professional refresher courses to return to her career. And she invested part of the money into a small business: a café in their neighborhood.
Things took off fast. The café became popular almost immediately. Albina hired staff, but she often worked behind the counter herself. She liked it.
Days passed. The café flourished, regular customers multiplied, and Albina finally felt she was standing on her own two feet. One day, when a waitress called in sick, Albina stepped in. She enjoyed being out on the floor sometimes—it helped her feel the mood of the place and connect with guests.
The bell above the entrance chimed.
Albina turned automatically to greet the newcomers—and went completely still.
Anton.
Next to him stood a young, glamorous blonde. Albina’s heart skipped. She hadn’t seen her ex-husband in over three years. And now he was in her café, with a new woman on his arm.
She forced herself to breathe, walked to the table they chose, and said evenly, “Good afternoon. What can I get you?”
Anton lifted his eyes from the menu and stared.
“Albina? So you’re waiting tables now?” His voice dripped with barely disguised satisfaction.
“Yes, I work here,” she replied calmly. “What would you like?”
“Two cappuccinos and croissants,” Anton said carelessly. “Well, look at you—how far you’ve fallen. I thought you’d still be scrubbing floors as a cleaner. But hey… I guess this is a promotion, huh?” He smirked.
The blonde giggled, clearly pleased by his little joke.
Albina held back the sharp words that rose to her tongue. She was above that.
“Your order will be ready in a few minutes,” she said and walked back to the counter.
While she waited, she watched them from the corner of her eye. Anton and his companion laughed. At first Albina felt awkward, but then, unexpectedly, she almost wanted to laugh too. He looked so small. So ridiculous. How had she ever missed it?
When Albina brought the drinks and pastries, Anton couldn’t resist one more jab.
“You’re pretty good at this,” he said. “Maybe serving coffee is your true calling.”
Albina didn’t answer.
A little later the bell chimed again. Two men in expensive suits walked in.
“Albina!” one of them called out brightly. “How are you? So—are we going to discuss our proposal? Are you free right now?”
Albina smiled.
“As you can see, I’m ‘moonlighting’ a bit.”
The second man laughed.
“That’s so you. Anyone else in your position would be sitting in an office—but you’re out here with the people.”
Albina glanced at Anton, who looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.
“Enjoy your meal,” she said politely.
Anton sat with his mouth half open.
“So you’re the owner?” he finally managed.
Albina smiled again—calm, effortless.
“Yes. This is my place. Enjoy. And excuse me—I have an important meeting. If you need anything, ask our waitress Lena—the dark-haired one over there.”
And Albina walked into her office. She could feel Anton’s stunned gaze burning into her back. Inside, she felt light—like a door had finally closed. In the office, she discussed expansion plans with her partners.
When she came back out, Anton and his blonde companion were gone.
Albina went to clear their table. On a napkin, she found a phone number scribbled in a hurry.
She smirked, tossed it into the trash, and kept walking.
That life was over. She had a new one now—stronger, brighter, and better than anything she’d had before.