Svetka, you look absolutely stunning in that dress!” exclaimed her friend, admiring the bride. “Once we do your hair, you’ll look like a real princess!”
Svetlana thoughtfully ran her hand through her hair, looking at herself in the mirror.
“Maybe I should dye my hair dark? What do you think?”
“Definitely not! Dark shades will age you right away,” Olga replied. “You look like a young, feisty girl, and with that hair, you’ll look like an aunt from the housing office!”
“Olya, I’m already twenty-nine,” Svetlana said seriously, turning to her friend.
“Really?! I wouldn’t have guessed. You look at least ten years younger. Just make sure your husband doesn’t age you by ten years after the wedding!” she laughed.
The friends chuckled, but there was a hint of truth behind the joke.
Svetlana was caught up in pre-wedding excitement — only a few small details remained, and everything would be ready for the big day. She had always dreamed of this wedding: the cozy yard of a country house, live music, many guests, open doors for everyone who wanted to share their joy. Financially, it was possible — Svetlana supported herself, and her fiancé Andrei was also well-off: the son of influential parents and a successful lawyer who had made a name for himself among major companies.
They were both tall, slim, blonde, and blue-eyed — the perfect couple, almost like twins.
There were many guests. Some they had met only once before, but they were happy to see everyone — each person added to the fun and scale of the celebration.
A stage with sound equipment was set up at the entrance to the yard. Anyone could approach the microphone to congratulate the couple or sing. A DJ was nearby, with a whole collection of instrumental tracks.
Svetlana herself loved music — she enjoyed singing and writing songs. At one point, her friends started encouraging her to go up on stage.
“Come on, Svetlana! Show the guests your talent!” they shouted from the crowd.
“She doesn’t just sing, she writes all her own songs!” added a middle-aged, full woman.
It felt awkward to refuse. Svetlana took the microphone. When her warm, mid-range voice filled the space, everyone froze. Most had never heard her sing before — and they were stunned. After the first song, they asked for a second, then a third. All the songs were her own — both the lyrics and the music. The guests were moved to the core. Some ladies’ eyes sparkled with genuine emotion.
“She’s a star!” they whispered to each other. “Well done! What a talent!”
Svetlana blushed from the attention, but her smile grew even warmer. She bowed, thanked everyone, and began to step down from the stage.
And then she noticed a child — a little girl of about six. From the first glance, it was clear that she was there by accident.
“She must be begging for money,” Svetlana thought briefly.
Stepping down, Svetlana walked to the table, grabbed a handful of sweets, and called the girl over.
“Come here, dear! Here, take this. You’re so cute! Like a little doll. How about we take a picture together?”
The little girl obediently followed her to the stage. They stood next to each other, smiled for the camera.
“Mommy… why are you dressed so beautifully today?” the little girl suddenly asked.
Svetlana was taken aback.
“I’m not your mommy, sweetie. We’re meeting for the first time, aren’t we?”
“Then does that mean we’re going to have a daddy now?” the little girl continued, as if sure of something. “How are you feeling? Has it gotten better?”
Svetlana felt a chill run down her spine.
“Sweetheart, you’re definitely mistaken. I don’t know you at all, really,” she said, trying to keep her tone friendly. “Did you get lost?”
But the child didn’t back down. She looked at Svetlana with a strange certainty. Then she named her mother’s name… and Svetlana froze. It was her name.
“It’s you… Mom Lena!” the little girl said, looking at Svetlana.
Svetlana turned pale and instinctively grabbed the microphone stand as if it were the only thing holding her up.
“What are you saying?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “What name… I don’t understand… Could it be…”
She felt her legs give way, her head light, as though it was about to detach from her body and float upwards. Amid the shocked gazes of the guests, the bride collapsed on stage and lost consciousness.
Before falling into darkness, it felt like someone was flipping through her memory like a book of recollections. Her childhood, the brightest and the scariest, flashed before her eyes.
She was seven then. Babushka Masha, their neighbor, rushed to their house and told them about a terrible car accident. Their parents were gone. But the child couldn’t fully comprehend the scale of the loss — nature protects children from such overwhelming grief.
But as the years passed, the memories became clearer. And the pain deeper. The neighbor took them in like her own. They lived together for three years until the grandmother suddenly passed away from a heart attack. After that, the girls were placed in an orphanage.
Life in the orphanage wasn’t as terrible as they had imagined. The caregivers knew their story and tried to be kinder. On holidays, they received more sweets than the other children. Svetlana cared for Lenka, especially when she cried at night, burying her face in the blanket. Then the older sister would pat her on the head and whisper:
“It will be okay. We’re together.”
Svetlana had always loved singing. She would hum lullabies that their mother once sang to them. For Lenka, those songs were a window to the past, to warmth, to family. They helped her feel connected to what had long since disappeared.
Years passed. Life in the orphanage was slow but predictable. Until one day, the orphanage director appeared in the living room with a thick black folder. This meant one thing — a new life might be beginning.
One day, wealthy people approached them. They wanted to adopt a ten- or eleven-year-old girl, blonde. Svetlana was the perfect match. But they didn’t even consider Lenka.
The director tried to negotiate, asking them to take both. But the couple was adamant:
“No, we want just one. Someone who looks like our daughter.”
He faced a tough choice: separate the sisters for a chance at a new life for one, or keep them together in the orphanage. He decided to deceive them. Svetlana and Lenka were told that the older sister would go first, and the younger one would follow a week later.
Svetlana agreed. Just so she wouldn’t upset her sister. She hugged Lenka and whispered:
“Don’t worry. When I turn eighteen, I’ll find you. I promise. We’ll be together again.”
She appeared confident, but inside, everything twisted with pain. “Don’t cry. Don’t show it,” she repeated to herself, letting go of the closest person in her life.
That’s how they parted. And no one ever came to take Lenka. Not after a week, not after a month. The director was tortured with guilt, but there was nothing he could do.
Years went by. Svetlana grew up, got an education, a career, and love. Her adoptive parents gave her everything — a roof over her head, care, warmth. But one thought wouldn’t leave her mind: where was Lenka now?
She hired private detectives, searched, called, asked around. No result. The documents were destroyed, the staff changed, the trail had gone cold.
And now, at her wedding, Svetlana heard words that drained her of strength:
“It’s you, Mom Lena!”
The little girl had said her sister’s name. Svetlana couldn’t believe her ears. Could it be a coincidence? Or something more?
Her world collapsed. She lost consciousness before she could figure anything out.
When they brought her back to consciousness, the first thing she whispered was:
“Where is she? Who is she?”
“Who?” Andrei asked, confused.
“The girl… there was a girl here!” she repeated, still in shock.
“She’s right here, standing next to you,” Andrei replied with slight irritation. “But tell me, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”
“Calm down, Andrei. I’m fine, really. I just… got a bit anxious.”
With her husband’s support, Svetlana stood up, thanked the guests for their concern, and, taking the child by the hand, led her to the side — somewhere they could talk without anyone overhearing.
“Sweetie, tell me, who’s your mom?” she asked, trying to sound calm.
“You look so much like her… I thought it was you…”
“And where is she now?” Svetlana interrupted, overwhelmed with a sense of dread.
“She’s in the hospital,” the little girl whispered. “She has something bad inside her, and she needs surgery to get rid of it.”
Svetlana froze.
“Where were you alone?” she almost whispered.
“Daddy left a long time ago. There was nothing left at home… I went outside to ask for help…” the girl’s voice trembled.
“My poor thing…” the bride’s heart squeezed with pity. She hugged the child tightly. “Don’t be afraid anymore. You’re not alone now. Do you hear me? You’re not alone. Now tell me, what’s your name?”
“Svetlana,” the little girl replied.
That name pierced Svetlana to the core. Everything was coming together too strangely, too symbolically. She realized: it couldn’t be a coincidence.
She decided to act immediately. Calling several clinics, she managed to find a match — a woman with a similar story was in one of the city’s hospitals. The last name was different, but it could have changed after marriage. This was her chance.
Without wasting a moment, Svetlana changed clothes, called a taxi, and, leaving the bewildered guests and especially Andrei behind, rushed to the hospital. Right now, something else mattered — 18 years ago, she had lost her sister, and now, perhaps, she had found her again. And she was sick. And she needed her.
It really was Lena. Her face, even gaunt, was a mirror of Svetlana’s. They looked so alike, it seemed like two drops of water.
“Lena! How long I’ve been looking for you…” Svetlana pressed her sister to her, unable to hold back tears. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you!”
Lena was weak, unable to respond with the same joy. She only smiled quietly.
“I’m on chemotherapy… And I need surgery…”
“Don’t worry about anything!” Svetlana said firmly. “I’ll organize everything. Just get better, Lena, please! I’ve been looking for you so long… I need you so much!”
They cried and embraced, until the doctor asked them to end the visit. Svetlana stepped into the hallway, sat down on a bench, and closed her eyes. She needed to gather herself. To think. To make decisions.
“Think, Svetlana. This is your last chance,” she kept repeating to herself.
Jumping to her feet, she headed to the chief doctor. With a voice full of hope and strength, she arranged for a VIP room for her sister, paid for the best medications, and the most modern surgery.
“Do everything possible and impossible,” she begged. “I’ll pay any amount of money. Just save her. I need my sister.”
The doctors shook their heads. The chances were minimal. But Svetlana didn’t give up. Every day, she sat by Lena’s bed, held her hand, and hummed the lullabies she had once sung to comfort her sister. Later, Lena admitted:
“I heard an angel singing. And I followed that voice… out of the darkness. It brought me back.”
After long months of treatment, Lena started to recover. She moved in with Svetlana and little Svetlana — the girl who had found them at the wedding. Andrei accepted his sister-in-law with open arms. The house was spacious, and the heart was fuller than ever.
Time passed. Lena met someone who wanted to be by her side. And Svetlana found out she was expecting a baby — just when the family became whole.
And if not for that accidental meeting, if not for the little girl who mistook Svetlana for her mother… they might have never found each other.