— Why didn’t you bring the money today? — Igor asked his wife in surprise.
— You’ll like it, sweetheart. It’s the best transformer in the store, — came a voice from behind the shelf.
Ekaterina was placing children’s socks into her basket when she heard a familiar voice in the next aisle. Her husband’s voice. She froze, listening.
Through the rows of toys, Ekaterina saw Igor. He was holding an expensive robot — exactly the one their four-year-old Anton had been dreaming of. Next to Igor stood a woman of about thirty with a boy of roughly three years old.
— You’re so kind to us, — the woman said, gently kissing Igor on the cheek. — Thank you.
The kiss lasted far longer than a simple “thank you” warranted. It carried intimacy, familiarity, closeness.
— All for you and Dimon, — Igor replied, patting the boy on the head.
Ekaterina stepped around the corner, trying not to breathe. Last night, Igor had refused Anton the new shoes he had been asking for all month.
— Money doesn’t grow on trees, — he had told his son. — The old ones are still fine. No need to be fussy.
And now he had easily spent eight thousand on a stranger’s child. Without hesitation, with a smile.
Ekaterina quickly headed for the exit, leaving her basket of socks behind. In her pocket was an envelope with her salary — ninety thousand rubles. Seventy percent of it she would give to her husband tonight, as she had for the past four years. That’s how they had arranged it after the wedding — Igor managed the family budget and distributed expenses. “A man should be the head of the family,” he had insisted then.
Igor returned home at his usual time. He kissed Ekaterina on the forehead, played with Anton for five minutes, and settled in front of the TV.
— What’s new at work? — Ekaterina asked, taking out the envelope.
— The usual. The boss is driving me crazy with his demands, — he replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Ekaterina handed him sixty-three thousand instead of the usual sixty-five. Igor counted it and frowned.
— Two thousand are missing.
— I spent it on groceries for Anton. He needs vitamins.
— Next time, give me a heads-up, — Igor grumbled, putting the money in his wallet. — I don’t like budget surprises.
— Igor, what about Anton’s shoes? It’s already October; the rains are coming.
— I’ll buy them this weekend. Don’t worry, I’ll get them.
— And the jacket? Last year’s one is too small.
— The jacket too. Don’t worry, everything will be fine. You know I don’t make empty promises.
Ekaterina nodded. Her money had already been spent on that boy in the store. On “Dimon.”
— By the way, — Igor added casually, — the team is collecting money for a gift for Natalia Viktorovna. She’s a single mother; it’s hard for her. Her birthday is soon.
The word “Natalia” struck a painful chord in her chest. Ekaterina remembered the tender kiss from the stranger. This was nothing like collecting money for a needy colleague.
— How much is needed? — she asked in a steady voice.
— About five to seven thousand. We want to get something decent — a chain or earrings.
Seven thousand for a chain for a “colleague,” yet he begrudges two thousand for vitamins for his own son.
— Take it from the general funds, — Ekaterina said.
— Already took it yesterday. Provisional, let’s say.
All evening Ekaterina remained silent, secretly studying her husband. Igor noticed and looked up from his phone, where he was texting someone.
— You’re acting strange today, — he said, slightly irritated. — Something wrong? Trouble at work?
— Just tired. The usual autumn blues.
— Take some valerian. Or motherwort. You’re gloomier than a cloud.
— Thanks for your concern, — Ekaterina couldn’t resist a touch of sarcasm.
— No problem, darling, — Igor waved her off, burying himself in his phone again.
The next day, Ekaterina took a day off and went to her husband’s office. She sat on a bench in the park across the street and waited. At six, Igor exited the building with that very woman. They walked to a café across the street, holding hands.
Ekaterina watched through the window as they dined. Natalia touched Igor’s hand several times, and they laughed. Igor showed her something on his phone, and she clapped her hands in delight. When they left, Igor kissed her passionately on the lips right on the street.
Everything became perfectly clear.
That evening, Ekaterina took Anton to her mother, lying about urgent work.
— You’ll stay with Grandma until tomorrow, sunshine, — she told her son. — Mom has to go to Aunt Sveta for something important.
— Won’t Dad be lonely? — Anton asked.
— Dad… Dad won’t even notice, — Ekaterina answered honestly.
Svetlana opened the door with tearful eyes and disheveled hair.
— Come in quickly. I’m here sobbing over my stupid life, — she said, hugging her friend. — Looks like we both got ourselves into a mess.
— What happened with you?
— That damned Nikolai. Turns out he’s been having an affair for six months. Today he announced he’s leaving me for her. Said she understands him, while I just nag.
They sat in the kitchen, drinking strong tea with brandy. Ekaterina told her everything in detail — what she had seen in the store and near the office.
— Men are hopeless scoundrels, — Svetlana concluded, pouring more brandy. — But don’t make any rash moves, Katya. Think it through carefully. You have a child, your job isn’t that great… Maybe it’s worth trying to fix things? Talk to him?
— Why on earth should I fix what he destroyed? — Ekaterina asked. — Did I do something wrong?
— You don’t have to, of course. But consider the practical side. The apartment, the money, Anton’s future…
— What future? Watching his father spend Mom’s salary on some other woman and her child?
— Well… maybe it’s just a temporary madness? A midlife crisis?
Ekaterina looked at her friend with pity:
— Sveta… This isn’t a crisis — this is a new family.
For a month, Ekaterina observed her husband and pondered the situation. Igor had become more cautious, stayed late at work less often, but his meetings with Natalia hadn’t stopped. He had just moved them to lunch breaks. At home, he played the devoted father and husband, though he did it even worse than before.
— How’s school going? — he asked Anton one evening at dinner.
— Dad, I go to kindergarten, — the boy replied, surprised.
— Right, of course. Kindergarten. How’s it going there?
— Fine. Will you buy me a bicycle?
— In winter? What bicycle in winter? Wait until summer.
— But you promised for my birthday…
— I promised, I promised. I remember everything. We’ll definitely get it.
Ekaterina watched this exchange in silence. Anton’s birthday had been three months ago.
Their rented two-room apartment cost thirty thousand a month. After four years of marriage, they still hadn’t saved enough for a down payment on a mortgage — Igor spent everything she earned and answered her questions evasively.
— I have a plan for developing our wealth, — he used to say. — Don’t worry about it. Women don’t understand finance anyway.
Ekaterina only briefly mentioned the problems in her marriage to her mother, avoiding details.
— All married couples argue, darling, — her mother waved it off as usual. — The main thing is a woman’s wisdom. A man always cools down and comes back home.
— And what if he doesn’t cool down?
— He will. Where else would he go, from a submarine? You’re not quarrelsome, you’re a good homemaker. You just have to wait it out…
Then Svetlana called:
— Katya, I have a proposal. Marina Petrovna, Mom’s friend? She recently lost her family in an accident — her husband, her son, and her grandson. She’s alone at home, in a very bad way. She’s looking for a companion.
— Sveta, I’m not ready for that. I have enough of my own problems.
— Just talk to her. Maybe it will help both of you. And she’s willing to pay well.
— How much?
— Sixty thousand a month plus room and board in her house. Katya, this could be your way out of your situation!
A few more weeks passed. Ekaterina received her advance but didn’t give a single kopeck to Igor.
— Where’s the money? — he demanded, looking at his wife with his usual expectation of obedience.
— I’ll manage it myself, — she replied calmly, continuing to prepare dinner. — In four years, we’ve saved nothing. I spend only my own money on Anton.
— What kind of insolence is this? I pay for the apartment, utilities, groceries! — Igor roared.
Ekaterina remained silent. Discussing matters with a man who spent her money on his mistress was pointless. It was better to save her energy for more important things.
On the weekend, while taking Anton to her mother, Ekaterina met Svetlana with an elderly woman. The stranger looked elegant, but her eyes held deep sorrow.
— Katya, meet Marina Petrovna, — Svetlana introduced her friend.
— Very nice to meet you, — said Ekaterina, instinctively liking the woman.
— Likewise, — Marina Petrovna replied softly. — Svetochka has told me many good things about you.
They spoke briefly about the weather and children. Anton tugged at his mother’s hand, impatient to reach his grandmother.
— Sorry, we have to go, — Ekaterina hurried to leave, but remembered the pleasant impression from the meeting.
That evening, Svetlana called:
— Marina Petrovna liked you. She’s ready to discuss the terms.
— Terms? — Ekaterina asked, surprised.
— As a companion. She’s alone, the house is big, she lost her family, I told you. Think about it, Katya. This could be exactly what you need.
Ekaterina looked at Igor, who was watching TV and didn’t even glance up when her phone rang. As if her conversations didn’t concern him at all.
— Fine. I agree to meet her.
— Wise decision. Tomorrow at two o’clock. I’ll send the address.
Marina Petrovna’s house impressed Ekaterina with its size. A two-story cottage with a well-kept yard reminded her of her grandfather’s house, where she had spent happy childhood vacations.
— Please, come in, — the hostess greeted warmly.
Marina Petrovna led her into the living room. On the mantelpiece were photographs — a gray-haired man, a young man in military uniform, a small boy with a mischievous smile.
— This was my family, — the hostess said quietly, unexpectedly crying. — I’m sorry…
Ekaterina gently hugged her shoulders:
— Don’t apologize. Come on, you need to lie down.
She guided Marina Petrovna to the bedroom and returned to the living room herself. She automatically gathered the cups and washed them in the kitchen. She watered the flowers — the soil had dried out. Strangely, in this house, she felt a peace she hadn’t felt at home in a long time.
— Sorry, — Marina Petrovna appeared half an hour later. — I didn’t mean to break down in front of you.
— It’s okay. I understand what it’s like to be alone among memories.
The woman looked at her closely:
— You have your own sorrow too.
— I do. But with mine, something can be done, unlike with yours.
Marina Petrovna sat in the armchair:
— I have a proposal. Move here with your son. The house is big, empty. I’ll pay for food and give you a salary — sixty thousand a month.
Ekaterina was stunned. That kind of money plus savings on rent and utilities…
— For six months to start, — she added. — Until I sort out my family problems.
— Agreed, — Marina Petrovna nodded. — I’ll show you your room.
The room on the second floor was bright and spacious, with two beds and a desk. The window overlooked the garden. Ekaterina remembered her childhood at her grandfather’s — the same mornings, the same freedom from others’ demands.
— I like it, — she said. — When can I move in?
— As soon as tomorrow. I really need support.
— You’ve lost your mind! — Igor exploded when Ekaterina told him her decision. — What job? What moving in with some stranger?
— A temporary companion job with a decent woman, — she answered calmly, continuing to pack. — Free accommodation, good money. I can save for a down payment on a mortgage.
— We already live fine! What else do you need?
“Fine” — that’s when he spends her money on a mistress, and their son walks in torn shoes.
— I need prospects, — she replied.
— Ekaterina, you can’t just disappear! We have a family!
— I can. And I’m taking responsibility for my life into my own hands.
— What’s gotten into you?! You used to be a normal wife!
Ekaterina stopped and looked at him:
— I used to be convenient. There’s a fundamental difference.
Igor raged for another half hour, moving from threats to pleas, but Ekaterina was already packing the children’s things. In the morning, when her husband left for work, she called the movers.
— Mom, are we really going to live in a big house? — Anton asked, watching the men carry boxes.
— Yes, darling. There’s a garden and swings.
— Will Dad come to visit us?
Ekaterina sat down in front of her son:
— Dad will stay here. But he will visit you.
— Okay, — the boy agreed easily.
Marina Petrovna met them with Anton at the gate, helping carry the bags.
— Welcome to your new home, — she said warmly.
Anton immediately ran to explore the yard, and Ekaterina realized that what the woman needed was not just order, but lively company. Someone who wouldn’t let her drown in memories.
— Tomorrow, if you like, we can go to the cemetery, — Ekaterina suggested during dinner.
Marina Petrovna looked surprised:
— Are you sure? It’s not very cheerful there.
— They need flowers. And you need to talk to them.
— Thank you, — the woman touched her hand. — I’ve wanted to go for a long time, but I’m afraid to go alone.
Every evening, Igor called.
— Katya, I miss you. Stop being silly, come home.
— I’m working. I have a six-month contract.
— I don’t care about your stupid contract! You’re my wife!
— No, I’m not. And I’m fulfilling the obligations I took on.
Anton quickly settled into the new house. Marina Petrovna taught him to paint with watercolors, while Ekaterina read aloud — her clear diction calmed the hostess.
— You have a beautiful voice, — Marina Petrovna said one evening. — You could work on the radio.
— I dreamed of that in my youth, — Ekaterina admitted. — But I got married, had a son…
— And buried your dreams?
— Put them off. And then years passed.
— It’s not too late to return to them. You’re only twenty-six.
Two weeks later, Ekaterina agreed to meet Igor at a café. He looked worn out.
— Where’s the money from your salary? — he asked first, without even greeting her.
— Such touching concern, — she replied sarcastically. — I spend it on myself and my son.
— Ekaterina, stop fooling around! I’m your husband! I have the right to know!
— For now, you’re still my husband, — she said, taking documents out of her bag. — Here’s the court summons. I’m filing for divorce.
Igor paled at the sight of the stamp:
— For what reason? We were living fine!
— You were living fine. I was merely existing.
— But why a divorce?! What did I do?!
— Natalia…
A deathly silence fell. Igor clenched his fists, his face twisted:
— That… that’s not it…
— The eight-thousand-ruble toy for her son? Weekly kisses in a café on Tverskaya? What exactly is “not it”?
— You were watching me?! How dare you?!
— I saw it by accident. But you dared to spend my money on someone else’s child while your own son wore torn shoes.
— We had a crisis in our relationship! We met a few times, so what?..
— So much of a crisis that there’s money for her child, but none for your own.
Igor leaned back in his chair:
— Fine, yes, there was an affair. But I didn’t leave you! Family is sacred to me!
— So sacred that you betray it at the first opportunity.
Ekaterina stood, grabbing her bag:
— Where are you going?! We haven’t finished talking!
— I’m done. See you in court.
She left without looking back at his shouts.
Back at Marina Petrovna’s house, Ekaterina sat on the veranda for a long time, staring into the darkness. Meeting Igor had shaken her. She had expected relief, but inside, anger still boiled toward the man she had lived with for four years.
— Something happened? — Marina Petrovna came out with two cups of tea.
— I met with my husband. Officially filed for divorce.
— And how did he react?
Ekaterina gave a bitter smile:
— First, he demanded my salary. Then he wondered why I was filing for divorce.
Marina Petrovna sat beside her and handed her a cup.
— Tell me. Sometimes speaking out loud helps put everything in order.
And Ekaterina told her. About the day in the store, the observations near the office, the years she gave seventy percent of her salary while there wasn’t enough money for her own son.
— Do you know what irritates me the most? — she finished. — He genuinely believes he did nothing wrong. That I’m the one being capricious.
— What refined logic your husband has, — Marina Petrovna remarked sarcastically. — Taking money for a mistress is normal, but being upset about it is caprice.
— Exactly! And when I reminded him about development classes for Anton, he said the child would grow up without them anyway.
Marina Petrovna was silent for a long time, then quietly said:
— My Viktor brought every kopeck home for thirty-two years. Never raised a hand against me, never cheated. But I thought it was obvious. And you… you did the right thing. Life is too short to spend it on those who don’t value you.
— You know, Marina Petrovna, — Ekaterina said quietly, — I haven’t spoken frankly to anyone for so long. Igor always interrupted or turned the conversation back to himself.
At the same time, Igor stood outside Natalia’s building, mustering the courage to call. Ekaterina had left him; the apartment felt like a grave, and tomorrow he would have to think about how to live.
Natalia opened the door in a robe, clearly not expecting visitors.
— Igor?
— Can I come in? We need to talk.
She reluctantly let him into the hallway but didn’t invite him further.
— Listen, everything has changed, — Igor began. — Ekaterina filed for divorce. We can be together.
Natalia turned pale:
— Igor, you don’t understand…
— I understand! Finally, we are free!
— No, you don’t understand! — she interrupted sharply. — I’m married!
Igor was stunned:
— Married? To whom?
— For two years… And you thought I’d wait for you to “wake up.”
— Two years? — Igor’s voice broke. — You led me on for two years?! I spent two damned years giving you money, lying to my wife, and you…
— I didn’t lead anyone on! — Natalia snapped. — You made it all up yourself! I never said I was free!
— And the kisses? The gifts for my… his son?! And all those meetings?!
— I didn’t ask you to buy toys! — she replied angrily. — And the kisses didn’t obligate anything! Are you from the countryside?
— So, I was the fool paying…
— And was I anything more to you? — Natalia sneered venomously. — You have a wife, a son! Or did you think I’d believe your “great love”?
A child’s cry came from the nursery. Natalia glanced nervously:
— Leave. Sergey will be back from work soon.
— So that’s it! — Igor shouted. — I was just entertainment?! A cash cow?!
— What did you expect? — Natalia asked coldly. — A married man with a child looking for affairs on the side. Thought you’d find a fool who’d believe your tales of an unhappy family life?
— No wife anymore! I lost my family because of you!
— You lost it because of yourself! — Natalia cut him off. — Because of your own lust. And now you want to blame me?
— Bitch! — Igor hissed. — A selfish, mercenary bitch!
— Maybe, — Natalia shrugged indifferently and opened the door. — Don’t come back.
— We’ll meet again! — Igor shouted as he left. — Women like you always get what’s coming!
— Threatening me? — Natalia sneered disdainfully. — Write down the police station number, you might need it.
The weeks until the trial dragged on painfully. Igor tried several times to call Ekaterina, demanding a meeting, but she replied curtly:
— We’ll talk in court.
— Katya, we’re a family! Four years together! — he tried to appeal to pity on one of the calls.
— Igor, you betrayed Anton and me. Repeatedly.
— What did I even do?!
— Goodbye, Igor. See you in court.
He was sure that at the last moment, his wife would change her mind. That she would remember four years of marriage, that they were a family. After all, where would she find another man with a child in tow?
But when Igor saw Ekaterina in the courtroom, he realized — there was no turning back. She sat calmly, answered the judge’s questions in a steady voice, looked at him like a stranger.
— Plaintiff, state the grounds for the dissolution of the marriage, — the judge asked Ekaterina.
— The husband spent family funds on an extramarital affair for three years. Systematically deceived me and the child regarding the family’s finances. Ignored the needs of the minor son.
— Defendant, your objections?
Igor wanted to speak in his defense, but words failed him. How could he explain to the judge that he “just wanted to be happy”?
— Do you agree to the divorce? — the judge asked.
Igor wanted to say “no,” but the words stuck in his throat. This woman next to him only looked like his Ekaterina. The real Katya was gone.
— I agree, — he ground out through his teeth.
— Does the plaintiff insist on alimony?
— Yes, — Ekaterina said firmly. — Twenty-five percent of all the defendant’s income.
— That’s robbery! — Igor could not stand it. — I have a rented apartment, loans!
— You should have thought of that earlier, — Ekaterina replied coldly. — When you spent our money on another woman.
There was no jointly acquired property — only credit card debt, which the judge left to Igor. Alimony was set at twenty-five percent of his salary — eighteen thousand.
Leaving the courthouse, Igor tried to speak to his ex-wife:
— Katya, maybe…
— Goodbye, — she cut him off and walked away without looking back.
— You’ll regret this! — he shouted after her. — Single mother with a child! Who will take you?!
Ekaterina stopped and turned:
— Igor, do you know your biggest mistake? You think a woman without a man is an incomplete woman. In reality, a woman with a bad man is an incomplete life.
At home, Igor sat down at the calculator. Salary seventy thousand minus alimony — fifty-two left. Rent thirty, utilities five, food ten. Seven thousand for everything else.
Before, Ekaterina brought sixty-five thousand on top. Now that money was gone with her.
— What the hell! — he shouted into the empty apartment. — All women are greedy bitches! They use men like cash cows and then throw them away like used material!
Igor threw the calculator against the wall. The plastic casing cracked and scattered across the floor.
— Natasha lied, used my gifts knowing she was married! And this one… — he pointed into the air, as if Ekaterina stood before him — left at the hardest moment and even got alimony! As if I owed her anything!
The man paced the room, kicking anything in his way.
— None of them cared how I would live!
“All they care about is money! Damn parasites!”
But the most repulsive part — both of them considered themselves right. Natalia with her “I didn’t want to upset you,” Ekaterina with her “It’s your own fault we’re divorcing.” Hypocrites.
Meanwhile, Ekaterina rolled the bicycle along the park path, watching Anton learn to keep his balance. Marina Petrovna rode alongside on her own bike, encouraging the boy:
— Well done, Antosha! Don’t look down, look ahead! Imagine you’re flying!
— Mom, look, I’m riding! Look! — Anton shouted joyfully.
— I see you, smart boy! You’re a real cyclist! — the elderly woman called back.
Ekaterina smiled, but inside, a strange worry pricked at her. Marina Petrovna treated her son so naturally, as if he were her own grandson. And Anton reached for her, telling her about his little childhood troubles — things he had only ever shared with his mother.
Don’t be jealous, Ekaterina told herself. The child needs attention, and you’ve been working from morning to night.
At that moment, Ekaterina realized — in just a month, she had gained something she had never had in her marriage: peace. No one demanded an account of every ruble spent, no one staged scandals, no one lied. Thirty thousand rubles were already saved. Another year, and she could start thinking about a mortgage.
In the evening, after Anton had fallen asleep, Ekaterina sat on the veranda with a mug of hot cocoa. Her phone was silent — Igor hadn’t called for a month. The alimony payments arrived promptly.
Strange, she thought. A year ago, his indifference hurt. Now it’s just a fact, like the weather outside.
Life was genuinely getting better. Work brought not just money, but satisfaction. Anton had started reading and no longer asked why his father didn’t live with them.
Most importantly — she had stopped justifying herself for the actions of others. Igor had made his choice. Natalia had too. Now it was her turn.
And her choice had been the right one.
