Vlad stepped out of the shower, pleased with what he saw in the mirror. At thirty-seven, he was in excellent shape. His divorce from Irina was not finalized yet, but his relationship with Masha, his new twenty-eight-year-old girlfriend, had already given him the long-awaited feeling of freedom.
“Coffee in bed again?” Masha asked with a smile when he walked into the kitchen.
“Why not?” Vlad replied with a grin.
They were living in an apartment that still carried traces of the life he once shared with Irina.
“We need to renovate,” Masha said. “I want this place to feel like it truly belongs to us.”
“Of course. As soon as the divorce papers are settled,” Vlad answered.
At that moment, the doorbell rang. Expecting anyone but her, Vlad froze. Standing on the doorstep was Irina. The woman he had spent six years with looked completely different now — no longer drained and broken, but composed, confident, and self-assured.
“Hi,” she said calmly. “I’m here to pick up my things.”
Vlad smirked, already anticipating a jealous outburst. He wanted to see her hurt.
“So you came crawling back for your junk? Go ahead, come in and see who the mistress of the house is now.”
Masha came out of the kitchen wearing his T-shirt. Irina greeted her politely and went into the bedroom to pack her suitcase. Vlad followed, trying to provoke her with mockery.
“Isn’t it a little strange to show up like this without warning?”
“I called you three times over the past week. You never answered,” Irina replied evenly as she folded her clothes.
“I see you found my replacement pretty quickly.”
“Yes, we’re very happy,” Vlad said with emphasis.
“I’m happy for you. Truly,” she answered, and the sincerity in her voice threw him off balance.
“By the way, about the divorce,” Irina said, pausing in the doorway. “Once you pay me for my half of the apartment, then you can talk about a new lady of the house. Officially, half of this place still belongs to me.”
Vlad went still. The apartment had been bought during the marriage and registered as joint property.
“What do you mean, your half?” Masha asked, stepping into the hallway after listening from a distance.
“Oh, didn’t he tell you?” Irina continued with a faint smile. “We jointly own this apartment. I hope you don’t mind living in someone else’s home.”
“What do you mean, half?” Masha turned to Vlad.
“It’s just a technicality,” he tried to explain.
“I demand that you give up your share!” Vlad snapped, blocking Irina’s way.
“On what grounds?”
“You were the one who left first!”
“I left because you cheated on me with a coworker,” Irina said, simply stating the truth.
Masha’s eyes widened.
“You told me the breakup was mutual.”
“I want my share in cash, or we can sell the apartment and divide the proceeds. Your choice,” Irina said, pulling out her phone. “And if you refuse, then I suppose the three of us will have to live here together. Or I can rent out my half.”
Vlad turned pale. He did not have the money to buy her out.
Masha, who had already changed into jeans and a sweater, crossed her arms over her chest.
“Wait a second… You told me this apartment was yours. Now it turns out half of it belongs to your ex-wife?”
Irina calmly placed the documents on the table. Masha’s patience ran out.
“I am not going to live in an apartment owned by your ex-wife. Vlad, deal with this however you want, but I’m leaving.” She turned and walked into the bedroom to pack her belongings.
“Mash, wait, this is all a misunderstanding,” Vlad whispered as he hurried after her.
“A misunderstanding? You lied to me!” Masha threw clothes into her bag. “You said the apartment was yours, you said the breakup was mutual, and now it turns out you cheated on your wife. Bringing me into an apartment that still partly belongs to her… that’s disgusting.”
She gathered her things, tossed Irina a curt, “Nice meeting you,” and left without looking back.
Vlad remained standing in the hallway.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” he hissed when Irina also headed for the door. “You wanted to destroy everything.”
“I came for my things, Vlad. And I would have warned you if you had answered your phone. As for everything falling apart — I’m not the one who cheated, and I’m not the one who lied. You have two days to settle this with the notary. Otherwise, I’ll see you in court.”
The door closed behind her. Vlad collapsed onto the couch. A morning that had started so well had turned into a nightmare. He dialed Masha’s number, but she had already blocked him. In a single moment, he lost everything — the girl, the comfortable life, and half the apartment.
As Irina stepped out of the building, she felt an incredible sense of lightness. Six months earlier, when she had discovered her husband’s affair, she thought her whole world had fallen apart. Now she understood that it had only just begun.
She took out her phone and sent a message: “I did everything the way we agreed. You were right — I already feel lighter.”
A minute later, the reply came: “Good for you. Shall we celebrate your freedom with dinner tonight?”
Irina smiled. The life that once seemed shattered was slowly being rebuilt.