At a party with mutual friends, Vladimir and Elena met for the first time. They felt an instant connection and started living together after just six months. However, Elena was troubled by one thing: Vladimir had a longtime female friend. He explained that he had known Nastya since childhood and that their relationship was strictly platonic.
Elena tried to ignore Vladimir’s friendship with Nastya, but she couldn’t shake a feeling of insecurity. She noticed how often he texted his friend and how his face lit up whenever he mentioned her name.
One evening, Vladimir’s phone quietly pinged. “Who’s that?” Elena asked nonchalantly. “It’s Nastya,” Vladimir replied indifferently. “She’s suggesting we all meet at a cafe tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Elena felt a tightness inside her. “You know, I think I’ll pass,” she said, trying to keep her composure. “I have important things to do tomorrow.” “Don’t be like that,” Vladimir pulled her close. “Nastya is a great girl, you’ll definitely get along.”
The next day, Elena couldn’t focus. She imagined Vladimir and Nastya sitting in a cozy cafe, creating their own little world while she remained outside it. Eventually, her patience snapped, and she decided to check out the meeting in person.
She quickly located the cafe. Peering through the window, she saw Vladimir and Nastya laughing and occasionally touching each other, and at one point, Nastya put her hand on Vladimir’s, which he didn’t pull away.
Elena briskly approached their table. “Having fun, aren’t you?” her voice sounded cold. Vladimir flinched and quickly withdrew his hand. “Lena? What are you doing here?” “I decided to see how your meeting was going. And it seems my fears were not unfounded.” “Lena, you’re mistaken,” Vladimir began, but Elena cut him off: “Am I? It looks quite different.”
Nastya tried to intervene: “Lena, what are you talking about? We’re just friends.” “Of course,” Elena scoffed bitterly. “Such close friends that you can’t keep your hands off each other.”
Vladimir stood up: “Let’s go outside and talk.” “I see no point in talking,” Elena snapped. “I’ve understood everything. Have fun.”
Outside, he caught up with her and grabbed her hand. “Lena, why are you reacting like this? There’s nothing between me and Nastya!” “Sure,” Elena tried to pull away, but he held on tightly. “Then why did you act like there’s something more?”
“Because we really are close friends! We’ve known each other since childhood, but it’s just friendship, nothing more!” “Yeah, right…”
“Listen to me,” Vladimir looked into her eyes. “I love you. Only you. Nastya is just a friend, nothing more. Trust me.”
Elena searched his face for any hint of a lie but saw only sincerity. “Sorry… I guess I’m just too suspicious,” her voice trembled. “It’s okay. The important thing is that we figured it out,” Vladimir hugged her. “Let’s go home. There’s no fun left here.”
Life went on. Elena no longer felt jealousy towards Nastya, fully trusting Vladimir’s words. They even sometimes met together. But one thing still irritated her: Nastya constantly borrowed money. Vladimir gave it to her without hesitation, while the friend was not eager to return it. Elena also found herself having to lend money when Nastya asked persistently.
It annoyed Elena that Nastya couldn’t solve her problems on her own. She would start working periodically but quickly quit, preferring to get money from other sources. Elena adamantly refused to become Nastya’s source of funding.
“I think we need to talk about the situation with Nastya,” she finally decided to bring up the issue with her husband. “What happened?” Vladimir was surprised. “She constantly takes money from us and ignores the repayment. It’s becoming a serious problem.”
Vladimir frowned: “Lena, you know she’s going through a tough time. How can I not help my longtime friend?” “Volodya, but we’re not a bottomless pit! We have our own plans and expenses.” “Come on, we can afford it.” Elena felt her patience running out: “Why can’t this friend take care of herself? Why must we support her?”
“Don’t exaggerate,” Vladimir dismissed her. “We can help a friend sometimes.” “Sometimes? Have you checked how much money we’ve already given?” “Stop counting pennies,” he snorted. “Pennies?” Elena raised her voice. “With that money, we could have…”
“Enough!” Vladimir interrupted her. “I will help Nastya, whether you like it or not. She’s my friend.”
Left alone, Elena couldn’t understand her husband’s motivation. They were saving up to buy an apartment and couldn’t afford such expenses.
One morning, Elena came home from work but didn’t find Vladimir. Worried, she was about to start calling hospitals when she received a message from the State Services: “Your spouse has filed for divorce.” Her heart stopped. Attempts to reach her husband were futile—his phone was unavailable. And when she checked their joint bank account, she found that all the savings had disappeared.
Days passed as Elena tried to contact Vladimir and Nastya, but to no avail. Mutual friends knew nothing. The situation seemed like a nightmare.
A week later, checking social networks, Elena accidentally stumbled upon a photo. Vladimir and Nastya stood against a sea backdrop, hugging and smiling at the camera. The caption read: “The love of my life!” She was shocked to realize that he had been lying all this time. She scrolled further and found many photos of expensive trips and restaurants—all paid for with their joint money. In anger, she threw her phone on the bed.
Months later, life began to normalize. Her husband’s betrayal was painful, but she couldn’t let it destroy her future. Two years later, she met Andrey—a successful businessman. Over seven years, they built their own business, opened an agency, and had a daughter. Life got back on track.
Meanwhile, Vladimir’s life was quite different. One day, stopped at a traffic light, he noticed Elena on the sidewalk. She had changed significantly—confident, stylish, happy. A tall man walked beside her, carrying a little girl. They laughed and talked. Vladimir felt a sharp pain, realizing how he had erred in destroying their relationship. He had never truly loved Elena, just used her for Nastya’s sake. But when the money ran out, Nastya quickly found a new wealthy protector, leaving Vladimir alone.
The traffic light turned green, but he continued to watch Elena’s family. The sound of car horns brought him back to reality. Parking the car, he took out his phone and opened Elena’s social media profile. Photos of a happy family, posts about business achievements… His finger hovered over the “Message” button, but he changed his mind. Returning home to his small rented apartment, he reflected on why her life had transformed so beautifully, while his own had become empty and joyless.