— We’ll live together for an eternity,” Roman whispered tenderly to Maria as they filed their application at the registry office.
“Through joy and sorrow?” she asked, smiling as she looked into his eyes, bright with happiness.
“Through joy and sorrow!” he nodded confidently, pulling her even closer.
“And I won’t bore you over all that eternity?” Masha teased, tilting her head and watching him with a mischievous squint.
“How could you bore me if I love you more than life? If anything, I’m afraid you’ll get tired of me always being around,” Roman replied.
“But I want you to always be near me,” Masha confessed, kissing him. “I want to fall asleep and wake up with you, cook you breakfast, lunch, and dinner, wait for you in the evenings after work, and spend every evening with you.”
After graduating from a teacher-training college, Maria worked as an elementary school teacher. She planned to come home earlier than her husband and finish all the household chores before he returned. Roman, meanwhile, dreamed of providing them with a comfortable life.
“I’ll work a little more, open my own company, hire people,” he would say dreamily. “We’ll build houses. And for you and me I’ll build the most beautiful house! And then we’ll have children…”
“And how many children will we have?” Masha asked mysteriously.
“A lot!” he answered with certainty. “Like my grandmother. Dad had four sisters and two brothers, and they were always close. You know it yourself—they still support each other even now.”
“Yes, you have a wonderful family,” Masha agreed.
When Roman told his parents he wanted to introduce them to his fiancée, they arranged a real celebration and invited all the relatives. They welcomed Maria so warmly that she felt like part of the family.
After the wedding, the newlyweds were sent on a honeymoon, and when they returned, Roman’s aunt offered them her apartment to live in—she was leaving the city for several years. During that time Roman fulfilled his dream: he opened a construction company and started building a house. And soon Maria announced she was pregnant.
“I’ll try to finish at least the temporary house by the time the baby is born,” Roman said. “We’ll set it up, and then later move into the big house.”
“Why are you so sure it’ll be a boy?” Masha asked in surprise.
“I just feel it!” he declared proudly. “The feeling came on its own, so that’s how it will be.”
“And if it’s a girl? Will you be disappointed?”
“No, of course not! It doesn’t matter to me who’s born—son or daughter, I’ll love them the same.”
“It’s the same for me. The main thing is that the baby is healthy! We dreamed of a big family.”
The couple sat with their arms around each other, imagining how they would set up the nursery.
“First one kids’ room, and then we’ll add more,” Roman smiled. “Good thing we’ll have enough space. And I’ll build a big playground in the yard…”
But Maria’s pregnancy was far from easy. Complications appeared, and she often had to stay in the hospital, almost right up until the birth. She would be discharged only briefly, and then soon find herself back in a hospital bed again.
“You should’ve gotten rid of a child like that,” her friend Marina advised. “A ‘saved’ baby isn’t really a baby—my grandmother used to say that.”
“Marina, what are you saying?!” Maria protested. “Any child will be loved! The ultrasound results are fine.”
“Well, decide for yourself, of course. Just remember—husbands usually run from problems. Are you sure your Roma is faithful to you right now? Maybe he’s been fooling around for a while. And if the baby is born with issues or sick, he’ll definitely leave, and you’ll be left regretting everything.”
“Marina, I’m sorry, but until I give birth, I don’t want to talk to you. You weren’t this toxic before. What happened to you? Roman works day and night, building the house and supervising the workers. I’m one hundred percent sure he’s faithful to me. Otherwise I would’ve felt it.”
“Uh-huh,” her friend sneered. “If you don’t want to talk—fine.”
And she left, her heels clicking against the tiled floor.
Masha thought about it. Why was her friend so hostile? Maybe she was jealous. Marina didn’t have a husband, and the men who “lined up for her,” as she liked to say, disappeared just as quickly. Maybe it was resentment that made her badmouth Roman. He wasn’t like that—Masha was sure of it. It was obvious he was exhausted from work; he simply didn’t have the strength for an affair. Still, sometimes a little worm of doubt gnawed at her. But Masha tried to chase those thoughts away.
When it was time to give birth, Maria felt awful. The labor was difficult; the baby was born very weak and was immediately taken to intensive care with pneumonia.
Maria couldn’t find a place for herself. Roman dropped everything, paid for a private room for her, and stayed by her side all day.
They understood each other without words. Even sitting in silence together brought more comfort than being alone. But after twelve long, draining days, the doctors said the baby’s body hadn’t overcome the illness.
Maria sank into darkness with grief. She had endured so much, only for it to end so tragically. And as if that weren’t enough, the doctor stunned them with another piece of bad news.
“You see, the problem lies with you,” she told Masha. “You’d better not try to get pregnant again. Each attempt could end with the same sad outcome.”
“What will happen now?” Masha asked her husband, barely holding back tears. “Will you leave me? Why would you need a wife like me? You could find someone else…”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Roman said, hurt. “I love you, and I’ll be with you no matter what—through joy and sorrow!”
“But is it possible to feel joy without children? How can we live peacefully? I won’t be able to! Just leave now—I’ll understand. It’s better than waiting until you say it yourself.”
“I will never say that,” Roman insisted, but Masha refused to listen.
“I’m going to my parents,” Maria announced as they were returning from the cemetery after saying goodbye to the baby.
“We’re going home,” Roman answered firmly, taking her by the arm.
But from that moment on, their relationship changed. Maria closed herself off completely, and Roman insisted she quit her job. They lived in the temporary building, as planned, while he continued finishing the house. His mother, his aunts, and Maria’s parents took turns coming to help Roman and support Maria, but she refused to talk to anyone. Marina visited often too, repeating the same thing every time: she should’ve listened, and now nothing could be changed.
“Leave Roma,” Marina urged, choosing moments when no relatives were around. “Why are you ruining his life? He’s young—he’ll find another woman who’ll give him healthy children. And you’ll suffer when he admits it. He’ll choose a woman with a child, and your love will be over. Mashka, I’m worried about you. Think about your parents, about me. We love you and will never betray you, but you can’t rely on men.”
“Go away,” Maria whispered. “Don’t come back.”
When Marina left, Masha screamed so loudly that Roman heard her even from the construction site and ran in.
He held her tightly, kissed the top of her head, and she tried to push him away, shouting that she didn’t need him anymore and he should go find someone who could “give birth properly.”
“I don’t need anyone but you,” he whispered. “I can only love you. Even if we can’t have children, I’ll do everything so we can be happy. You’re just grieving the baby, but time heals. We just have to wait…”
But Masha didn’t get better. On the contrary—she got worse with every day. Roman took her to consultations, invited specialists from different clinics. All the doctors could do was shrug: physically she was healthy; the only way out seemed to be treatment with a psychotherapist. But Roman категорically refused to send his wife to a facility.
Time passed, and Masha grew weaker and weaker. Neither her husband’s persuasion nor her mother’s tears helped. She lay in bed all day staring at the ceiling and crying. The medicines prescribed by the doctor did nothing.
Roman struggled not to snap—or to start drinking like others did. He had already finished building the house and was working on the interior, telling his wife about every stage.
“I wanted to choose wallpaper for our bedroom, but I thought we should do it together,” he said, stroking her hand. “And I don’t want to pick bathroom tiles alone either. Masha, pull yourself together. Think about me. It’s hard for me too, and seeing you suffer is even harder. Let’s get through this together. We promised to support each other through joy and sorrow. Wake up!”
Maria would only close her eyes tiredly and ask to be left alone. Then she drifted into dreams where she and her husband sat on the lawn and children—boys and girls—played around them. She even smiled at those fantasies, but when she opened her eyes and faced reality again, she started crying all over.
One evening, when Maria dozed off, she heard voices beyond the door. She recognized Marina’s bright voice. Why were she and Roman raising their voices? Soon everything became clear.
“Why did you come?” Roman asked sternly.
“To put everything in its place,” Marina answered brazenly. “I won’t hide the truth anymore. I’m pregnant! And now we need to decide. Either that vegetable, or me! Choose! Who will be better for you—an egoist who doesn’t care about you, or a healthy, reasonable, beautiful woman?”
“What are you talking about?” Roman hissed, lowering his voice. “I’ll never leave Masha. I told you right away it was a momentary impulse. You agreed. What do you want now?”
“The child needs a father!” Marina declared. Masha heard footsteps and realized they had moved out the door.
Her heart hammered in her chest. Maria got up, sat on the bed, and buried her face in her hands. How could he? flashed through her mind. And how could you? another thought echoed back. She suddenly realized her friend’s predictions had come true. Marina had taken advantage of the situation and seduced Roma. But if Masha had pulled herself together, he wouldn’t have given in. Everything tangled in her head. She hadn’t thought about the consequences of her depression—she’d thought only about herself, drowning in her own suffering. But now it was too late. Marina was right: the child needed a father, and Roman had to take responsibility for his actions.
Roman was gone for a long time. Masha pictured him trying to wriggle out of it, imagining what he would say.
When he returned, his head lowered, Masha asked:
“What happened? Who came?”
Sitting down beside her, he didn’t hide the truth. He told her everything as it was.
“Your friend Marina came today…” Roman paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, then continued. “Masha, I need to tell you something. Just listen calmly, okay? You’ve completely distanced yourself. First you were on bed rest, then these six months of depression… I’m not talking about anything huge, but you don’t even want to talk to me. I felt so lonely that when Marina asked me to help install her bathtub, then invited me to dinner and started actively pursuing me, I didn’t refuse. Yes, I quickly realized my mistake, but it’s too late to change anything. I cheated on you, then I nearly lost my mind from guilt. But if this continues, I’m afraid I could break again. I haven’t stopped loving you—no, don’t think that. It’s just that anyone needs warmth and understanding. And you’ve frozen. Cold, indifferent, like a stranger…”
“Marina says she’s pregnant, but I don’t believe it. Still, even if it’s true, I won’t leave you. But it’s very hard for me to endure all this. I don’t even know how I managed not to break sooner or start drinking from loneliness.”
Maria looked at her husband with reproach and quietly began to cry.
“If you truly loved me, you never would’ve done that. Leave. Her child needs a father.”
“Ah, Masha… Masha…” Roman shook his head, standing up. “How you understood nothing… What a pity!”
He hurried out of the house, slamming the door.
The next morning Roman went to Marina’s place. She opened the door with a wide smile.
“So you finally decided to leave your—”
But he cut her off sharply:
“Get in.”
“To the registry office?” she smirked.
“To the hospital. Right now you’re going to a doctor and get proof of pregnancy.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she snapped, yanking her hand away.
“No—you are,” Roman said firmly. “Otherwise I’ll assume you made it all up.”
“Believe what you want, but I don’t need you!” Marina blurted. “I just wanted revenge on Mashka—take you away from her.”
“Revenge? For what?” Roman asked, stunned.
“Because she always got the best of everything! In school she stole my boyfriend even though she knew I liked him. The moment he asked her to the movies, she forgot all about me. Then she found you and ‘luckily’ married you. And me—do you think it’s pleasant when everyone leaves me? I hoped that if she couldn’t have children, you wouldn’t want to stay with her and you’d finally notice me. But you’re kind of dense. Why do you even need her? She’s ugly, cold…”
“Wait…” Roman thought for a moment. “So you arranged all of this? You visited us all the time when Masha was pregnant. And then you came to the hospital too, though there was no need.”
“Smart boy,” Marina smirked. “Of course I did. And I paid the doctor for a fake infertility diagnosis. What—do you like watching her happy? Do you know how many times I got rid of babies so that now I can’t get pregnant at all?”
Marina swung from shouting into hysteria. And Roman suddenly forgot everything else the moment he heard that Masha’s diagnosis had been forged.
He ran out of Marina’s apartment and rushed home, buying a bouquet of Masha’s favorite tea roses on the way.
When he burst into the house, he froze on the threshold. Masha was meeting him in a beautiful dress, her hair neatly styled, even her lashes darkened. Delicious smells drifted from the kitchen.
“Forgive me, Roma,” she threw her arms around his neck. “I thought all night and realized how wrong I was. There’s no excuse for my behavior. You’re right—I only thought about myself. Forgive me… I understand everything now, and I don’t blame you anymore. If you decide to go to Marina and her baby, I’ll understand. This happened because of me.”
Roman took out his phone and played the recording of his conversation with Marina. Masha listened, pressing her hands to her mouth. She couldn’t wrap her mind around how her friend—someone she’d trusted with her most intimate secrets—could do such a thing.
“Will you forgive me?” Roman asked timidly.
Masha nodded.
“I already have. And I want to fix everything—to bring back what we lost during this time. I even roughly know what wallpaper I want for the bedroom, and for the nursery we’ll buy…”
She began enthusiastically sharing her ideas, and Roman only smiled quietly. His Masha had come back—and now everything would be better than before