She dropped in on her friend without warning and froze, startled by what she heard.
The wedding dress fitting had been postponed to the next day because the seamstress working on it had to take her child to the hospital. Lena felt a little upset, but quickly pulled herself together and focused on the positive.
There was no point in worrying over trifles — she would try it on tomorrow. As much as she wanted to see how she would look in it, everything had its time. She always told herself there was no reason to get down without cause.
Realizing she was not far from the neighborhood where she’d grown up, Lena decided to pop in to see her friend. So what if she hadn’t warned her? It would be a surprise. Back in their childhood, they never warned each other — they just stopped by.
And if Anya wasn’t home, she could treat her mother to some pastries — no problem. A smile played on her lips. A mischievous spirit awoke in her, and Lena felt as if she were back in the days when she would run over to her friend just to spend time together.
The familiar little courtyard greeted her with a warmth forever etched in her memory. It felt as if it had all been just yesterday… Under the awning of the summer kitchen, the girls would sit with their dolls, sewing outfits for them and competing to see whose would turn out better. Anya, five years older, always let Lena win and taught her a lot.
Childhood was such a wonderful time. No worries or troubles, everything flowed on its own. Now there were plenty of tasks, and a simple visit to a friend had become a rare treat. Clutching the handles of the pastry bag she’d bought at a nearby bakery, Lena smiled at her thoughts. Anya would be so happy!
The door of the little old house stood open, a sheer white curtain hanging in the doorway. How did Vera Grigoryevna always manage to keep the fabric so pristine? Lena had always envied her for that.
Pushing the curtain aside, Lena stepped into the doorway. She was about to call out to announce her arrival when she heard Anya talking with her mother and froze on the threshold.
“When are you going to tell her the truth? You and Lena have been through thick and thin together! How can you keep something like this from her?” Vera Grigoryevna said reproachfully.
Were they talking about her? Lena pricked up her ears and tiptoed closer to the spacious living room, carefully stepping on the sturdy boards that didn’t creak — she and her friend had memorized them as children, sneaking out to play without waking the mistress of the house. Nothing had changed!
“Mom, how can I tell her? She won’t understand. I don’t understand myself how it happened. In any case, I don’t think Lena should know the truth right now. Let her get married and enjoy herself, and I’ll… I’ll think about what to do. There are things you don’t want to share, even with your closest friends.”
What secrets was Anya hiding from her? They had always been best friends, sworn to be sisters, even if not by blood. Lena had never hidden anything from her, and yet Anya had secrets. The thought stung.
“You can’t keep a secret forever. You know as soon as your belly shows, there will be questions. What will you do then?”
“I’ll come up with something. She doesn’t need to know that the father of my child is Dima.”
The words hit Lena like a 220-volt shock. It was as if someone had struck her over the head, leaving her deaf and the light dimming before her eyes. What nonsense was this? How could her fiancé be the father of Anya’s child?
They hadn’t even met until Lena arranged a small dinner for friends. Did everything start then? If so, Dima had betrayed her. Could Lena still marry a man who had deceived her? Or had they only pretended not to know each other that evening?
Her eyes stung with treacherous tears. She stumbled, and the floorboard beneath her creaked. She wanted to turn and flee, but Vera Grigoryevna appeared. Seeing the unexpected guest, the woman gasped, barely managing to cover her mouth with her hands.
“Lena? W-why didn’t you warn us?” Anya asked anxiously. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to hear what you were so eager to hide from me. I only have one question — why? Why keep silent? Did you plan to keep laughing behind my back? What were you thinking?
We promised each other we’d be like sisters… If something like this happened, you should have told me. How can I marry him now? How can I look at his child being raised by my best friend? Did you think about that?”
Anya tried to explain, but suddenly looked unwell. Grabbing her belly, she groaned softly. Vera Grigoryevna rushed to help her sit on the sofa and called an ambulance. She asked Lena not to jump to conclusions or pressure Anya.
“She’s at risk of a miscarriage. She can’t lose this baby — otherwise she may never have children. It’s hard to accept, I know, but don’t act rashly. She’ll explain everything when she’s able.
I could tell you myself, but I’m afraid it’s not my place. Even I still struggle to accept this truth. Life is complicated, and sometimes it throws surprises at you that you simply can’t run from.”
Anna was taken to the hospital, and Lena went home. She rented an apartment not far from the office where she worked. She didn’t want to answer her fiancé’s calls. How dare he betray her and now keep calling? Did he even know that he was soon to become a father?
Worried that something might be wrong with his fiancée, Dmitry came over, but Lena didn’t let him into the apartment. She demanded that he leave and never dare to show his face to her again. Dmitry couldn’t understand what he had done to deserve such treatment.
He tried to find an explanation but didn’t know exactly what he was guilty of. Deciding that it was best not to insist right now, Dmitry gave Lena time to calm down. Though he was worried, he understood that being pushy could only make things worse.
Anna spent several days in the hospital on IV drips. All this time, Lena avoided meeting or speaking with her fiancé. She declared that there could be no talk of a wedding anymore but gave no explanations. Anna called her friend and asked her to come to the hospital. She said she needed to tell everything while looking her in the eye. But how could Lena look into the eyes of a traitor?
Lena had never expected such a blow from someone close. After her mother’s death, she had considered Vera Grigoryevna a second mother, and Anna — more than just a sister. And now both had betrayed her. They whispered behind her back, trying to hide the truth.
However, she couldn’t run from the conversation forever. It was necessary to put an end where her heart left an ellipsis. Lena agreed to meet her friend and came to visit her at the hospital. She brought fruit and shifted uneasily from foot to foot, hesitant to start talking.
“It’s my fault. I know I should have told you earlier. I didn’t want to reveal the truth before your wedding. I wanted you to smile and be happy, not hate me. But since you overheard part of the conversation, let me tell you the rest. I never thought I could love someone so deeply.
There are five years between us. Not as big as fifteen, of course, but it doesn’t really feel like much, does it? And with him, it didn’t feel that way either… When I was near him, I felt happy. The pull between us was mutual. I scolded myself and hated myself, but I couldn’t help it.
For the first time in my life, I was able to love someone so deeply. Dima doesn’t yet know that I’m expecting a baby. I didn’t know if I should tell him. I was scared. He also reproached himself for our affair. We promised each other nothing because we both understood that our relationship was more doomed than possible.”
Lena sighed heavily and sat down on the chair by her friend’s bed. Her heart was bleeding. She loved her fiancé too… loved him with all her heart. But now she couldn’t marry him, knowing he had cheated and that he would soon have a child.
“Why drag it out so far? Wedding preparations took so much effort… Why did you want to watch me be happy? Just to overshadow my family happiness with such news afterward? I don’t understand.”
Anna wiped tears from her cheeks. She felt guilty and didn’t know how to justify herself, unable to find the right words.
“I thought that when you discovered the joys of family life, maybe you could accept our relationship and wouldn’t be against it. I understand it will be hard for you to accept our child, but… I love him.”
Lena gave a bitter laugh. Tears poured from her eyes. Was her friend still mocking her? Sneering and talking about some kind of acceptance in this situation?…
“Did you want my family life to look like a harem? Is that it? Did you think I wouldn’t mind if my husband dropped by another woman from time to time and raised a son with her?”
Anna turned pale and shook her head. Crimson spots spread across her cheeks. Gasping for air, she tried to find the right words, but they all suddenly scattered. A solid wall of misunderstanding rose between the friends.
“I’m leaving. You two can sort things out however you want. I’ve told him never to show his face to me again. If you want, take my dress. Live however you see fit — I’m putting a full stop to our relationship.”
Lena stood up and headed for the door, but her friend’s voice stopped her in the doorway.
“You’ve got it completely wrong. I wasn’t talking about your fiancé. All this time I was talking about your father.”
It felt as if someone had shaken Lena so hard that all the air was knocked out of her lungs. She clung to the doorframe to keep from falling as she processed what she had heard. For a moment, she felt relief, but then the realization swept over her. Her best friend was pregnant by her father? She was going to give birth to Lena’s little sister or brother? How was that even possible? Unthinkable!
“My father?” Lena repeated, hardly believing her own ears. “You were talking about my father, not my fiancé?”
“Yes… He was afraid of how you’d react to our relationship, so he wanted to keep it secret, but the further we went, the harder it was to stop. I’m not frightened by the fifteen-year age gap.
What frightens me is your reaction — whether you’ll be able to accept us and let us be happy. After your mother’s death, he couldn’t build a family with anyone, but then he fell in love again. I’m sorry that I turned out to be that woman.”
Lena shook her head. Tiny black spots flickered before her eyes. She told Anna she needed more time to think and ran off. She didn’t remember how she got home, but when she saw her fiancé at the entrance, she threw herself into his arms and burst into bitter tears.
Lena apologized to Dmitry for thinking ill of him and not giving him a chance to explain. She could never have imagined that her father and her friend might be…
“Love knows no age. I don’t see anything strange about it. Age gaps between spouses can be much larger. It’s their decision alone. You shouldn’t separate them, especially if they’re going to have a baby.
I’m sorry if I gave you any reason to doubt me — since you first thought it was about me. From now on, I’ll do everything so you’ll never for a moment think I could betray you with someone else,” Dmitry tried to reassure his bride.
Lena and Dmitry continued preparing for the wedding. Despite how hard the unexpected news was to accept, Lena agreed that she couldn’t dictate to her father and her friend whom they should love.
You can’t force a heart to renounce genuine feelings. She wanted to believe it truly was love, not just a passing infatuation that would leave only pain behind.
After Lena and Dmitry’s wedding, Lena’s father — also Dmitry — proposed to Anna. It was hard for Vera Grigoryevna to accept such a grown-up son-in-law, but for her daughter’s happiness, she agreed to set aside her principles.
Anna was happy and grateful to her friend for accepting her relationship with Lena’s father. She promised never again to hide anything from Lena and always to be honest, for a small lie had almost led to a serious tragedy.
