Anna placed the last blouse into a beautiful new suitcase and smiled contentedly. The long-awaited trip to Turkey was very close now—only a week left. She was already imagining the warm sea, golden sand, and cocktails at sunset. Sergey was also in high spirits, constantly studying guidebooks and making plans for each day of their two-week vacation.
“Can you imagine, finally we’ll just lie on the beach, no work, no worries,” he said dreamily, flipping through the hotel brochure. “And in the evenings, we’ll walk around the old town—you’ve always wanted to see those ancient fortresses.”
Anna nodded, feeling a warm anticipation spread through her chest. They had been saving for this vacation for so long, putting aside every penny. The last time they traveled together was three years ago, and that was nearby—in Crimea for a week. But now, a whole two weeks just for the two of them.
A knock at the door interrupted her daydreams. Sergey frowned—they weren’t expecting guests. He opened the door, and standing on the threshold was his younger sister Lena, with a huge bag slung over her shoulder and tears in her eyes.
“Seryozha,” she sobbed, throwing herself into his arms. “Can I stay with you? I have nowhere else to go.”
“What happened?” Sergey asked anxiously, hugging his sister. “Come in, tell us.”
Lena entered the apartment, dragging a large travel bag behind her. Anna rose to meet them, setting aside the travel brochures she was leafing through for the hundredth time.
“Andrey was cheating on me,” Lena said through tears. “I came home early today and caught him with Olya. My best friend! They… they were in our bed. He said it’s been going on for six months, that he loves her and only tolerated me. He kicked me out of the apartment and said she’ll live there now.”
“What a scoundrel,” Sergey said indignantly, seating his sister on the sofa. “Anna, please bring some tea.”
Anna silently went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. She felt sorry for Lena, of course, but something inside made her wary. Her husband’s sister was… special. Used to everyone revolving around her and solving her problems. At twenty-six, she still hadn’t learned to truly cope with difficulties on her own.
“Of course, stay as long as you need,” Sergey said meanwhile. “We’ll sort everything out. The main thing is to calm down.”
The following days turned into complete chaos. Lena cried from morning till night; Sergey ran around her like a whirlwind. He bought expensive pastries to cheer her up, ordered sushi, took her shopping. Anna watched as their joint savings rapidly melted away.
“Seryozha, maybe you shouldn’t spoil her so much?” she cautiously remarked one evening when her husband came home with yet more bags from boutiques. “I understand she’s having a hard time, but…”
“But what?” Sergey was surprised. “She’s my sister, she’s suffering. Don’t you understand?”
“I do, of course. It’s just that we were saving for a vacation, and here are all these expenses…”
“So what? I bought a couple of dresses so she’d feel better. Don’t be stingy, Anna.”
Anna gritted her teeth but stayed silent. Lena really was hurting, and supporting her was right. But somehow her irritation grew stronger inside.
A week before the trip, Lena announced she had found a job—as an administrator in a beauty salon. The salary was small but acceptable for a start. Anna sighed with relief—it meant her husband’s sister was standing on her own feet, would soon find a place to live, and she and Sergey could finally leave for vacation in peace.
But on the morning Anna was supposed to pick up their tickets from the travel agency, something unimaginable happened.
She came home from work in a great mood—they were flying to Antalya very soon. The suitcases were packed, the documents were on the dresser, even the cat was entrusted to the neighbor. But her husband’s expression made her uneasy.
“Anna, sit down, we need to talk,” Sergey said seriously.
“What’s wrong?” Her heart skipped a beat. “Is something wrong with the flight?”
“No, the flight is fine. It’s just… I transferred your ticket to Lena.”
Anna stared at him, unable to believe her ears.
“What did you say?”
“I transferred your ticket to my sister. She needs a vacation, and you can tan at the dacha. It’s quiet there, peaceful, fresh air…”
“You… you gave away MY ticket?” Anna’s voice trembled with indignation.
“Anna, please understand. You’ve already been to Turkey, remember? You went with your parents before our wedding more than once. But Lena has never been abroad. She needs to unwind, forget about that scoundrel. And she’ll be scared to fly alone; I’ll be there to make sure everything’s okay.”
Anna slowly sank into a chair. She couldn’t wrap her head around what was happening.
“So you’re going on vacation with HER—the vacation WE planned? With OUR money?”
“Our money is still there; I’m just flying with Lena instead of you. She’s really struggling, Anna. Last night she cried all night again, and today she barely made it to work. The doctor said she’s starting to have nervous exhaustion.”
“And what did the doctor say about my nervous exhaustion?” Anna asked coldly. “Do I not work ten hours a day? Didn’t I save for this vacation for one and a half years, denying myself everything?”
“Why go to extremes right away?” Sergey genuinely didn’t understand what the problem was. “Our dacha is wonderful, the nature there is amazing! And Turkey is hellishly hot—you said so yourself. At the dacha, you can truly relax, read the books you keep putting off, tend the garden…”
“Tend the garden?” Anna felt herself boiling inside. “You’re suggesting I weed the beds instead of sea and excursions?”
“No, not weed, just… relax in nature. Think about it: no crowds of tourists, no fuss. Quiet and peaceful. And Lena and I will fly quickly and be back.”
The very culprit appeared in the doorway. Lena looked clearly embarrassed but her eyes betrayed poorly concealed joy.
“Anna,” she began in a coaxing tone, “I know it’s not very fair, but I really need a change of scenery. The doctor said if I don’t rest, it might turn into serious depression. And you’re kind—you’ll understand…”
“I only understand one thing,” Anna said slowly, standing up. “That you both have completely lost your minds.”
“Anna!” Sergey was indignant. “How can you say that?”
“What else do you call what you did? You stole my vacation. Gave it to another woman. Even if it’s your sister.”
“I didn’t steal anything! I just rearranged things. We’re family—we have to support each other.”
“Family is you and me. She’s a guest who somehow decided she can dictate our plans.”
Lena sobbed, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes.
“I didn’t force him… Sergey offered it himself…”
“Lena, don’t interfere,” Anna said sharply. “This is a conversation between husband and wife.”
“Anna, I don’t understand what upset you so much,” Sergey shrugged. “It’s just the vacation was postponed. You’ll go next year.”
“Next year? What, this year doesn’t count? I’ll spend my vacation at the dacha with tomatoes while you sunbathe on a Turkish beach with your sister?”
The next morning Sergey and Lena flew to Antalya. Anna saw them off at the airport with a stone face, said a brief goodbye, and went home. An hour later, she was sitting in the travel agency office across from her friend Oksana.
“Are you serious?” Oksana couldn’t believe what she heard. “He gave your ticket to his sister?”
“Imagine that. And now they’re enjoying a vacation together that I paid for for one and a half years.”
“Anna, he’s completely lost it! How can someone do that?”
“I don’t know,” Anna answered wearily. “But since they treated me like that, I have the right to do as I please. Do you happen to have vacation time free?”
“I think I can take it. What are you planning?”
“We’re going to Sochi. With the savings Sergey and I made. Since he decided it’s shared money and can be used at will.”
“Won’t he kill you afterward?”
“We’ll see who kills whom.”
Two days later, they were on a plane flying to Adler. Anna took off her wedding ring and put it in her purse. She didn’t know why yet, but somehow the gesture felt right.
Sochi greeted them with bright sunshine and sea breeze. Anna booked a room in a decent hotel overlooking the sea—not five stars, but quite respectable. They planned an evening walk along the embankment and an excursion to the mountains the next day.
On the very first day, Anna realized how much she missed a real vacation—not chores at the dacha and not worrying about others’ problems, but that relaxed feeling when you can just lie on the beach with a book or leisurely stroll through an unfamiliar city.
“Anna, what are you going to tell your husband?” Oksana asked on the third day as they sunbathed on the pebble beach.
“I don’t know yet. We’ll see what he says when he comes back.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so drastic? Men can be clueless sometimes, but Sergey didn’t mean to hurt you…”
“Oksi, would you forgive him if you were me?”
Oksana thought.
“I don’t know. Probably depends on how he behaves. If he realizes what he did, apologizes properly…”
“And if not?”
“Then he can go to hell, of course.”
That very evening, fate itself gave Anna the answer. She and Oksana were dining at a seaside restaurant when a man of about forty, pleasant-looking and in an expensive suit, approached their table.
“Excuse me, ladies, I don’t mean to intrude, but I have to say—you are very beautiful,” he said to Anna. “My name is Mikhail, I own this restaurant. And the hotel too, though that sounds a bit boastful. Would you care to join me for a glass of wine?”
Normally, Anna would have declined meeting a stranger. But something nudged her to nod.
“Anna. And this is my friend Oksana.”
Mikhail turned out to be an interesting conversationalist. He talked about his business, plans for the resort’s development, and asked about them. Learning that Anna worked at an advertising agency, he perked up.
“Would you like to work for us? I’m having problems with promotion. Moscow agencies charge too much, and the local ones don’t understand the specifics.”
“I’m not from Moscow, I’m from Yekaterinburg.”
“Even better. We have weak ties with the Urals, and it’s a promising direction. What do you say?”
Anna felt something click inside her. As if a door she didn’t know existed had opened.
“What kind of cooperation do you offer?”
“We can start with remote work, and then see. If you like it, you’re welcome here. Specialists are in short supply, and besides…” He smiled. “The city is beautiful, the sea nearby, the mountains. You can live here.”
That night, Anna barely slept, standing on the balcony of her room listening to the sea’s sound. A crazy thought spun in her head: What if? What if she didn’t return to her old life? To a husband who didn’t see her as a person, to a job that no longer brought pleasure, to a home where she was always second best?
In the morning, she received a message from Sergey—a photo from the beach: he and Lena hugging, tanned and happy. “It’s great here! Lena’s cheered up, even smiling. How are you? We miss you!”
Anna looked at the photo for a long time. Miss us. Yeah, sure, probably missing it while having fun on her money.
She dialed Mikhail’s number.
“Mikhail? This is Anna. Is your job offer still open?”
The next days flew by in a blur. Anna met with Mikhail, discussed cooperation details, looked at housing options. Gradually, the crazy idea turned into a concrete plan.
Mikhail wasn’t just an attractive man—he was what Sergey never was. Attentive, respectful, valuing her opinion and professionalism. Next to him, Anna felt like not a burden to be tolerated, but an interesting woman worthy of attention.
“Are you married?” he asked one evening as they walked along the embankment.
Anna absentmindedly touched the finger where her ring usually was.
“Still married. But I don’t think for much longer.”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s okay. It’s just… sometimes life gives lessons that make you realize it’s time to change something.”
On the last day of vacation, Anna made a final decision. She wrote her resignation letter and sent it by email. She rented an apartment in Sochi for six months. And typed a message to her husband.
“Seryozha, while you entertained your sister, I wasn’t bored either. I met a wonderful man who knows how to appreciate a woman. I’m staying in Sochi. I’ll file for divorce in a week. You can run around with your Lena as much as you want. Anna.”
She stared at the text for a long time, then hit “send.”
Half an hour later, her phone exploded with calls. Sergey called incessantly, left messages in messengers, wrote long repentant letters. Anna read them with detached interest, as if it wasn’t about her.
“Anna, what are you doing? Divorce? Why? I don’t understand!”
“Forgive me, I was a fool! I didn’t realize how much I hurt you! Lena said I was wrong!”
“You can’t just leave me like this! We’ve been together for so many years! I’ll change, I swear!”
“My dear Anna, what are you doing? What man? You love me! And I love you!”
But it was too late. Something inside Anna broke the moment Sergey so casually told her his decision. Not broke—freed. Freed from illusions, from trying to justify his actions, from wanting to be convenient and non-confrontational.
Mikhail didn’t pressure her, didn’t demand immediate decisions. He was just there when she was struggling, supported her initiatives, admired her work. And somehow, naturally, they became a couple.
Anna filed for divorce, as promised. Sergey tried to meet, explain himself, begged her to come back. But she was firm.
“Anna, this is nonsense!” he shouted into the phone. “Breaking your whole life over one vacation!”
“It’s not about one vacation, Sergey,” she calmly replied. “It’s because you still don’t understand what you did wrong.”
“I do! I shouldn’t have transferred the ticket! But we can fix it, we can go wherever you want!”
“No, you can’t fix it. Because it’s not about the ticket, but about you deciding for me. Not consulting me, not asking my opinion. Just took and gave my vacation to someone else. As if I’m nothing, someone to be ignored.”
“But I didn’t mean to hurt you!”
“You know, Sergey, that’s the problem. You didn’t mean to hurt me, but you also didn’t want to please me. You didn’t think about me at all. You only thought about your sister and how to help her. And I’m just something taken for granted. Like furniture in the house.”
The divorce went quickly and without much dispute. They sold the apartment and split the money in half. Anna bought a small apartment in Sochi with a sea view on her half.
A year passed. Anna flourished—her agency successfully worked with several large hotels, and her client base grew. She and Mikhail lived in harmony, planning a wedding for the next spring.
Sergey called occasionally, especially on birthdays and holidays. He said Lena finally moved out—found a new boyfriend. That he understood his mistake, missed her, and was ready to do anything for Anna to come back.
But Anna was no longer angry with him. She was grateful for the lesson he taught her. He showed her that you can’t live in a relationship where you are not valued and not heard. That sometimes it’s worth risking everything and starting over than dragging along a failed marriage.
And the stolen vacation turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to her. Because it led her to a new life, where she was loved and respected, where she was truly happy.
Sometimes, sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine, watching the sunset over the sea, Anna remembered that old quarrel—and smiled. Thank you, Seryozha, she thought. Thank you for showing me that I deserve more.