Alina was calmly having breakfast when her phone suddenly rang. An unknown number appeared on the screen. She usually ignored such calls, assuming they were advertisements or loan offers. But something made her answer.
“Hello, good day,” she picked up the phone.
“Good day, Alina Sergeyevna,” began a male voice, sounding professional and confident. “This is Ivan Smirnov, an employee of Grant Bank. We are calling regarding a recent transaction from your account.”
Alina frowned.
“Transaction? What transaction?”
“We noticed that yesterday all the funds were withdrawn from your account. Can you confirm if everything was satisfactory? Perhaps our service can offer you more favorable conditions if something was unsatisfactory.”
The bank employee’s words hung in the air. Alina paused for a second, trying to understand what she had just heard.
“Sorry, did I hear you correctly? Are you saying that all the money has been withdrawn from the account?” she said, her voice becoming tense.
“Yes, that’s correct,” the employee replied. “We wanted to check if perhaps you are planning to close the account? Or was it related to any inconvenience in service?”
Alina barely heard him.
“Wait, there must be some mistake,” she interrupted sharply. “I did not withdraw the money.”
There was no surprise or concern in the employee’s voice. He continued in the same even, slightly mechanical tone:
“Perhaps the transaction was made by an authorized person if you have a power of attorney? Or would you like us to start investigating this issue through our security service?”
Alina mechanically ran her hand across her forehead.
“Sorry, I don’t understand what you are talking about,” she tried to gather herself. “Please clarify, exactly what money was withdrawn?”
“The entire amount in your main account,” the employee specified. “The balance is now zero.”
These words sounded like a sentence.
“I…,” Alina’s voice trembled. “I didn’t do this.”
“We understand your concern,” the employee replied calmly. “If you wish, we can record this as a disputed transaction and start an investigation.”
But Alina wasn’t listening anymore. Fear gripped her. The money she had been saving for several years was gone.
“Thank you for the information,” she managed to say and quickly ended the conversation.
The phone slipped from her hands and fell onto the table. She frantically searched for an explanation. How could this have happened? She had never faced anything like this, and suddenly all her usual calm crumbled.
The first thought that came to her mind was that she had been deceived by fraudsters. Of course, it was fraud! In recent years, there were so many stories about criminals accessing people’s accounts, hacking apps, or cunningly extracting data.
Her gaze darted around the kitchen, as if the solution to the problem might be nearby. “It can’t be true,” she thought. The hope that there had been a mistake did not allow her to completely despair.
“It must be some mix-up,” she said aloud, trying to calm herself. “They probably confused me with someone else.”
Alina had a common surname and name. “Surely, in their database, there is another client, and the money was withdrawn from her account,” Alina tried to convince herself.
With these thoughts, she hurried to open the bank app on her phone. She placed her finger on the scanner, and after a moment, her account appeared on the screen. However, the hope for an error melted away as soon as she saw the numbers.
“Balance: 0 rubles.”
Alina’s breath caught. This no longer seemed like a mistake or confusion. The money was really gone.
The only person who could legally withdraw money from the account was Stas. A few years ago, she had made him her general attorney. At that time, it seemed like a logical step.
“But why?” she whispered quietly.
She frantically began to recall if there were any signs of strange behavior from her husband. Why hadn’t he told her anything? Could something serious have happened that forced him to take such money without warning? Or had he gotten into trouble?
She tried to call him. Stas’s phone rang for a long time, but there was no answer. Alina dialed the number again, then once more. Futile.
Each unsuccessful connection intensified her anxiety. Now, one question echoed in Alina’s mind: “What happened to my money, and why is Stas silent?”
Her imagination immediately painted dozens of frightening scenarios. Maybe someone close to him had problems? What if he had gotten into some trouble he was even afraid to tell her about?
She sent him several messages: “Stas, call back, it’s urgent!” and “I’m worried, where are you?”
Silence.
She walked back and forth in the apartment, wrapping her arms around herself, as if trying to find some inner support. Her thoughts raced.
“If something had happened, he would have told me. Stas never keeps quiet if it’s about family.”
She started thinking about what could have happened over the last few days. Maybe he said something strange? Did he look worried? But she couldn’t recall anything like that.
The only thing she knew for sure—Stas was a man of duty. Sometimes even too much so. For him, family always came first, including his ex-wife and their common children.
As Alina tried to cope with her mounting anxiety, a memory surfaced that had particularly affected her at that moment. It was a year ago when a fairly large sum of cash suddenly disappeared from the house. She kept the money in a dresser drawer, thinking it was temporary and safe.
That day she discovered that the money was gone. At first, she thought she might have moved it somewhere herself, but her thorough searches led to nothing. She searched all the cabinets, drawers, even checked the jackets in the hallway, but there were no bills anywhere.
Her first thought was that perhaps they had been stolen. Then she cautiously asked Stas: had he seen the money. In response, he first frowned, then sighed and admitted:
“I took them.”
“What do you mean ‘took’? Why didn’t you tell me?” her voice trembled with a mix of surprise and indignation.
Stas explained that he used the money to take his ex-wife to a restaurant. It was her birthday, and he felt it was his duty to do something nice for her.
“She’s the mother of my children, Alina. Isn’t that obvious?” he had said then.
That time, she tried not to make a scene. She understood that Stas cared about his children and tried to maintain normal relations with their mother, but it still hurt her. She felt that her opinion as his current wife was secondary.
Now, sitting in an empty apartment, Alina realized that this memory was haunting her. If he could do that then without warning her, perhaps his current action was related to his ex-wife.
When Alina tried to reach Stas again and heard the dial tone once more, her patience snapped. She decided to call his mother. Usually, she avoided such conversations, but now she had no choice. If anyone knew where he was and what was happening, it was her.
“Hello, Marina Petrovna? This is Alina. Do you know where Stas is? I can’t get through to him,” Alina’s voice revealed her anxiety.
“Hello, Alina,” replied Marina Petrovna, “Stas? Yes, he came by today, but he was a bit strange. Said he was busy with important matters, didn’t even have tea with me.”
“Strange? In what way?” Alina nearly shrieked.
“Well… he seemed distracted. I thought something was bothering him, but he didn’t say anything. Just added that everything was fine and he had a plan.”
“Plan?” Alina didn’t know how to react. She thanked Marina Petrovna and quickly hung up the phone.
The conversation with Stas’s mother not only failed to clarify the situation but also intensified her anxiety. Stas clearly had something in mind, but what exactly? Why hadn’t he shared it with her?
When Stas finally returned home, Alina confronted him at the door. Her face showed everything: anxiety, anger, disappointment.
“Stas, can you explain what’s happening? Why aren’t you answering your calls?” she began right from the threshold.
Stas looked tired, as if the day had drained all his energy. He sighed heavily but didn’t evade.
“Alina, I know you were worried. Let’s sit down, I’ll explain everything,” he walked into the living room and sat on the couch.
Alina sat across from him, crossing her arms.
“Stas, why did you withdraw all the money from my account?” Alina asked her husband the question that had been bothering her all day.
Stas ran his hand over his face, as if trying to gather his thoughts.
“I traded Lena’s car,” he finally said.
“What?” Alina froze.
“The old car was on its last legs. She drives the kids to school, to clubs, to doctors… I found an option to trade her car for a new one, with a small additional payment.”
Alina stared at him, disbelieving her ears.
“You withdrew ALL the money to buy a new car for Lena?” her voice turned cold.
“Yes. But I paid the difference from my own money,” he clarified, as if that was supposed to smooth things over.
“You withdrew ALL MY money! Without warning, without discussion! Do you realize what you did? Our savings!” Alina was almost shouting.
Stas met her gaze.
“Alina, I am financially responsible for my children. Lena is their mother, and her safety is the safety of our children.”
For Stas, this seemed logical, but for Alina, it was a blow to trust. She felt everything inside her boiling.
“You didn’t even think to ask me? How am I supposed to feel after that?” her voice trembled, and she stood up from the couch.
Stas was silent. He clearly didn’t want to argue, but she didn’t hear any apologies either. “I did the right thing,” his eyes seemed to say.
Alina walked into the bedroom, slamming the door. She needed time to think it all over.
The next morning, Alina woke up with a heavy feeling of emptiness. The conversation with Stas was still ringing in her head. They had hardly spoken after his confession, and the night passed in complete silence. She was not only angry but also hurt.
When Stas entered the kitchen, Alina immediately started the conversation:
“Stas, I can’t just let this go. How could you make such an important decision without my knowledge? It’s our money, our family, and you acted as if I’m nobody here.”
Stas, with a cup of coffee in his hands, sat at the table and looked at Alina.
“Alina, I understand that you’re angry. But it was the right thing to do. The car she was driving could break down at any moment. This is the safety of our sons, and it’s more important to me than anything.”
Alina barely held back from screaming.
“But you could have talked to me! It’s joint money, Stas! We have our own plans, our own expenses. I should have known about it.”
“Alina, let’s be honest. You’ll be able to earn more money. But my duty is to take care of my children, even if it’s inconvenient for you.”
“You don’t even think it’s necessary to apologize?” her voice trembled with emotion.
“Alina,” Stas replied calmly but firmly, “If the situation were to repeat, I would do the same.”
She realized that further conversation was pointless. They were speaking different languages. Alina closed off, feeling their marriage cracking.
In the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Alina, still bewildered and hurt after the morning conversation, opened the door and saw Marina Petrovna on the doorstep.
“Hello, Alinochka. May I come in?”
Alina silently stepped aside, letting her mother-in-law in. She looked as always—composed, restrained, but now there was determination in her gaze.
“I know you and Stas had a conversation,” began Marina Petrovna, sitting down in a chair.
“Yes, and I still can’t believe he did that,” Alina replied dryly, sitting opposite.
Marina Petrovna sighed.
“His children are part of our family. And Lena, no matter how you feel about her, too.”
Alina tensed, feeling a wave of indignation rising inside.
“Part of your family? But I thought I was now his family.”
“It’s not mutually exclusive,” her mother-in-law said softly but firmly. “Stas will always be the father of his children. And Lena is their mother. Whether you like it or not, they will forever be part of his life.”
Alina didn’t know what to reply. Her mother-in-law’s words made sense, but they didn’t lessen her hurt.
Marina Petrovna took out an envelope and placed it on the table.
“Here’s your money. I returned the amount that Stas used. He didn’t mean to hurt you; he just made a decision he thought was right.”
“And I’m supposed to just turn a blind eye to this?”
“Of course, a good wife should always be on her husband’s side,” Marina Petrovna replied calmly, standing up.
She left, leaving Alina alone with the envelope and her thoughts.
Alina spent the rest of the day reflecting. She understood that her mother-in-law was right: Stas’s children and Lena would forever be part of his life. But it was unbearable for her to reconcile with the fact that her opinion, her feelings were ignored.
When Stas returned in the evening, she didn’t speak to him. Instead, locked in the bedroom, she wrote a letter.
“Stas,
I’ve thought long and hard about what happened. And I’ve realized that we’re too different. You made a decision that completely ignores me and my feelings. I can’t live with someone who thinks my opinion doesn’t matter.
You’re a good father, and I hope you’ll take care of your children. But I can’t tolerate such treatment towards me.
Goodbye. Alina.”
She left the letter on the kitchen table, packed her things, and left the house without looking back.