Dear, unfortunately, we’ll have to cancel our dinner at the restaurant,” Ivan said sadly, looking at his wife with regret.
“Why?” Kira asked, disappointed. “It’s our wedding anniversary on Saturday. We’ve been looking forward to this day. What happened this time?”
“I know you’re upset. Believe me, it’s hard for me too, but the boss asked me to work over the weekend again. I couldn’t say no. I’m counting on a promotion. If I had said ‘no,’ I could forget about the chance to take a managerial position. We have an important project, and the whole team is in this mode. I promise we’ll make up for it. Don’t be sad.”
Ivan leaned in to hug Kira, and at that moment she caught a faint smell of women’s perfume. She recognized that scent—she had noticed it on his shirts before. Kira silently nodded, not arguing, although she understood that her husband was blatantly lying to her.
She knew all too well what he meant by “work.” Ivan wasn’t planning to spend the weekend in the office—his thoughts were occupied elsewhere. The hurt from the betrayal of a loved one constricted her throat. She no longer had any doubts: Ivan had another woman, one with whom he preferred to spend time, forgetting about his family.
Tears welled up in Kira’s eyes. She tried her best to hold back her tears to not cry in front of Ivan and to maintain her composure. She had married Vanya five years ago, driven by strong love. At that time, it seemed to her that she had found her other half, a soul mate with whom she would go through life. But all her hopes and dreams were shattered by Ivan’s betrayal.
A few weeks ago, Kira first suspected that her husband was cheating on her. Lately, he had been coming home late, and often disappeared on weekends, citing work and an eternally dissatisfied boss.
Once, while doing laundry, Kira noticed a long blonde hair on Ivan’s shirt. She tried to convince herself it was a coincidence—after all, there were many women in his team. But doubts had already begun to creep in.
A few days later, she noticed that after another “crisis” at work, Ivan came home in different underwear. Kira was sure: he had changed them. But where and why? The answers to these questions seemed obvious, and they caused her unbearable pain. Ivan had a mistress.
Kira’s heart was torn by the realization that her marriage, which she thought was strong and happy, was an illusion.
Thanks to the help of a close friend, Kira found out who was the reason for her husband’s infidelity. His mistress turned out to be the wife of the deputy director of the company where he worked. This discovery shocked her. Kira tortured herself with questions: where did she go wrong? What did she do wrong? But she never found the answers. It was hard to know that Ivan had another woman, and yet pretend that everything was okay…
Kira sat at home with her six-month-old daughter in her arms. Before maternity leave, she worked as a nanny in a kindergarten, earning very little. She didn’t own a home, nor did she have relatives who could support her in a difficult moment. The woman tried to imagine making a scene and leaving her husband. But she quickly realized that she would end up in a hopeless situation.
She would be left alone with an infant, without a roof over her head or a decent income. Renting an apartment and living on child support would be impossible. Kira understood this all too well. Therefore, she decided not to give in to emotions, but to carefully consider her steps. After all, divorce would not solve her problems, but only exacerbate them.
Secretly from Ivan, Kira gradually saved money. She had a habit of transferring 10% of any income to a card in a deposit. She saved on everything, denying herself many things. Over several years, she managed to save a decent sum, but these funds would still not be enough for a peaceful life with a child. Kira pondered how to get out of this situation with the least loss.
And then it dawned on her. Why not punish her husband for his betrayal? Why not teach him a lesson he would remember for the rest of his life? Kira shared her thoughts with her friend. She looked at her in amazement and said…
“You’re a terrible woman, Kiryusha. Honestly, I didn’t expect this from you. How did you even come up with this? You should be feared!”
“Well, I once read in a book how a wronged wife punished her husband. Why not repeat it? I think it’s fair. Right? I don’t know what else will come into my husband’s mind. What if he kicks us out onto the street with our daughter? Where will we go? What will we live on?”
Kira planned to blackmail her husband and extort money from him. She wanted Ivan to pay for her silence. To do this, she needed compromising photos of Ivan with his mistress. Meeting the wife of the deputy director, Ivan was seriously risking his career. Kira knew that making him pay would not be difficult. He couldn’t refuse, otherwise, he would lose too much.
Polina, Kira’s friend, agreed to help. She was on vacation and bored from doing nothing, so she gladly took on the task of watching Ivan. Soon, she noticed that Kira’s husband was very cautious. He met his mistress in an old, nondescript district, in a dreary five-story building that concealed his secrets. That was where he went every time he arrived with his mistress.
Polina was beginning to lose hope of taking compromising photos, but fate unexpectedly smiled at her. Late one evening, Ivan left the house together with his boss’s wife. Polina managed to capture their brief kiss before parting. Both faces were clearly visible. Polina was pleased with her work. Now she had a powerful weapon against the traitor. Ivan would answer for his lies and infidelity.
The next morning, Ivan received an anonymous message. It stated that his secret affair with the deputy director’s wife had become known, and to keep this information secret, he needed to pay 500,000 rubles. The money had to be put into a specified trash can in the park at the designated time. A photo confirming his affair with the mistress was attached to the message.
Ivan was shocked. For two days, he walked around depressed, sullen, and irritable. He hardly spoke to his wife, citing chronic fatigue and problems at work. However, Kira knew what was really bothering him. She eagerly awaited when her husband would meet the demand. The friends took care of their safety: the SIM card, purchased specifically for blackmail, was immediately destroyed.
Ivan, albeit reluctantly, met the demand. He left the package with the money in the specified place and left. As soon as he did this, Kira called him. Her insistent call made him answer.
“Dear, come home quickly. I slipped in the bathroom and hurt my leg. I can’t walk, it’s very painful. I can’t cope alone with the baby. Where are you?”
“I understand. I’ll be there soon. Just got held up at work. I’m on my way. Hang in there.”
Two weeks later, Ivan received another anonymous message. This time they demanded 1 million rubles. Ivan had the money—he had been saving for his dream car, and Kira knew about it. The message also stated that if he refused, the compromising photos would be published online. Ivan found himself in a trap again…
Ivan had to part with his savings. He realized that he would lose even more if he refused to pay. After all, his career was at stake, and he was less concerned about his relationship with his wife. He was sure that Kira depended on him, that she had nowhere to go, and she was unlikely to file for divorce to break up their marriage.
Thus, Ivan lost the money he had been saving for years. Kira, having gotten everything she wanted, packed her bags and left her husband with their daughter. Before that, she caused a huge scandal, stating that she had received an anonymous message, in which someone told her about her husband’s infidelity. She bitterly cried, calling Ivan a vile traitor and deceiver.
“What you did is unforgivable. You trampled my love. You destroyed our family,” Kira said as she left. “Why did you do this to me? I thought you loved me, but it turned out that you only love yourself. I’m filing for divorce. This is the end.”
“Well, sorry. Why leave right away? Yes, I made a mistake. I confess. Let’s start over. I’ll make amends, I promise. Everyone makes mistakes. Don’t be so categorical. Besides, you have nowhere to go. Where will you live with our daughter? You have no money or housing. Think about it. It would be more beneficial for you to forget what happened.”
Kira was stunned. Ivan, despite everything, remained confident. He didn’t feel guilty. He wasn’t concerned about his wife leaving. His career, which could suffer due to his carelessness, worried him much more.
Kira temporarily moved in with her friend and began looking for a small house in the countryside. Only such a dwelling she could afford. She was ready for an old house in the wilderness, just to start a new life—without deception and betrayal.
When her daughter grew up, Kira planned to enroll her in a kindergarten and find a new job. She was ready to work tirelessly to eventually move into her own apartment. But most importantly—she now had her own roof over her head, and she didn’t need to spend money on renting housing. Polina long urged her friend to post the compromising photos of her ex-husband on the internet, but Kira refused.
“If I do that, Vanya will lose his job. Then he won’t be able to support our daughter financially. It’s hard to raise a child alone these days. I’ve come to terms with the fact that Vanya is no longer in my life. I’ve let him go, but I want him to work and earn well for the future of our daughter. He has already paid for what he did. That’s enough.”
Ivan thought Kira was renting an old house in the countryside, and he didn’t even suspect that the house had been bought with his money. He diligently paid alimony and actively participated in his daughter’s life. Kira didn’t know if Ivan continued to meet with his mistress, but she no longer cared.
After saving a little money, Kira bought rabbits, chickens, and ducks, and also got a job at a local farm where they paid decently. She placed her daughter in a village kindergarten and worked calmly, continuing to save money for the future.
Kira no longer dreamed of an apartment in the city. She liked living in the countryside—away from the hustle and bustle. She wanted her daughter to grow up in fresh air, eat natural products, and feel a connection with nature. Now her dream was to build a new, modern, and cozy house on the site of the old one. Kira believed that she could make it. The main thing was to not give up and keep moving forward, no matter what…