– Darling, I came back to the city early as a surprise! I’m already in the taxi, I’ll be there in about ten minutes.
– Lyud, you have to understand… – Volodya began. – No, I love you, but you look so much like her and… I’m confused.
She suspected he might be cheating on her, but she couldn’t even imagine with whom. It was madness. It didn’t compute in her head.
– Don’t, don’t explain, – somehow she stopped caring about what would happen next. She couldn’t stay in the apartment with two people who had betrayed her. – I’ll come back for my things later, okay? I need to be alone.
– What’s frozen? What are we going to do? Lyudka’s coming soon; it’s not going to look good for anyone.
– How should I know what to do? Get dressed, for starters!
They looked at each other helplessly, standing in the middle of the apartment, unsure where to start. Make the bed? Hide the traces of the romantic evening? Pack things that shouldn’t be here?
It was useless. Ten minutes. In that time, it was impossible to cover up the evidence. All that remained was to greet the prematurely returning apartment owner with dignity and calmly explain what was happening. But first, they needed to get dressed.
Two weeks ago, Lyudmila had kissed her husband goodbye and left for a vacation in Crimea to visit a friend. She had been looking forward to warm seas, scorching sun, fresh fruit, and long evening conversations with her friend, which she had sorely missed since moving.
And only one thing darkened her pure joy: at the last moment, her husband had been handed some sudden, insanely urgent, but highly profitable project. She hadn’t delved into the details, but it prevented Volodya from going with Lyudmila.
Volodya tried to console her, saying he might be able to handle the most urgent matters in a week and join her for the vacation. Lyudmila wanted to believe him, but… Every time urgent work kept him in Moscow, he promised he’d catch up soon, and every time she ended up vacationing alone.
It wasn’t that big a problem: Lyuda was an adult, self-sufficient woman, and she never got bored alone. She always had something to do. Besides, she had company for the vacation.
She just wished she could spend more time with her husband. But what could you do? Work. After all, they themselves had decided to buy a bigger apartment before having children. They had to save up for it.
Nina met Lyuda at the airport with strawberries and excited squeals. After plenty of hugging, they headed to the car.
– Where’s your Vovka again? This is the second time you’ve come without him. I even forgot what he looks like.
– As always, work.
Nina smirked:
– He really doesn’t take care of himself at all.
Lyudmila smiled sadly. What else could she say?
– At least no one will stop us from gossiping in the evenings. Did you hear? Zhenya’s divorcing again, third wife, and still nothing’s right…
– You’re kidding…
The conversation gradually drew Lyudmila in, and for a while, she forgot that she had to spend the vacation alone again.
The sunset over the sea was magnificent. The sun sank into the waves, melting them and flooding everything with gold. In moments like this, Lyuda regretted not becoming an artist. It would have been wonderful to paint all of it. But no paints, no canvas… All she could do was take beautiful photos.
Lyuda took out her phone, turned on the camera, and started adjusting the frame. On the screen, the view looked perfect. Her finger tapped the white circle…
The landscape was blocked by a male silhouette, ruining the photo.
– Beautiful lady, may I take a picture of you against the sunset?
Lyudmila glared irritably at the young man, her peer, maybe three years older. He might even have been handsome, but Lyuda was annoyed at the ruined photo. She muttered a dissatisfied, “No, thanks,” and started setting up a new shot.
– Why be like that? – Nina asked. – He just finds you attractive and doesn’t know how to get your attention.
– No way, Ninok, no way. I’m married, after all.
– Just reminding you, your husband didn’t come again, working, you know. And what now? You’ll return to Moscow without having relaxed.
– I’m not going to cheat on my husband! – Lyudmila said firmly.
– Oh, who said anything about cheating? You can just have a fun time, talk to a nice guy, hear a bunch of compliments, and return to Moscow to your husband feeling energized and radiant, like a mysterious star.
– No, it feels awkward.
All evening, Lyudmila thought about her friend’s words. Maybe there really was nothing wrong with this kind of interaction? Chatting, going somewhere together—it’s not cheating. Just a new acquaintance, pleasant company.
The next day, they met the same man again on the beach. Seeing them, he seemed genuinely happy. At least, his smile widened.
After a while, he approached the girls with three cups of iced lemonade.
– Would the ladies like to refresh themselves?
– Yes! – Nina answered for both of them, moving so the new acquaintance could only sit between them. – I’m Nina, and this is Lyuda from Moscow, my friend. And you are?
– Oh, a Muscovite? Me too. Almost. From Korolyov. Max.
Lyuda blushed. She had hoped he would be from Siberia or the Far East, so even if the acquaintance went awry, they’d end up in different parts of the country and simply forget each other. But as it was, they were practically neighbors.
Nina was already chatting animatedly about something trivial, which meant the conversation would happen.
– I’m a programmer, working in Moscow. Came here with my brother.
– And where’s your brother? – exclaimed Nina. – You’ve started talking about programming with Lyudka, and I’d get bored.
– Are you a programmer too? – Max smiled genuinely. – My brother’s on a tour; he doesn’t like the beach. Honestly, I’d have gone with him too, but I hoped to meet you on the beach.
Nina smiled charmingly. Lyuda blushed again. Nina looked at Lyudmila skeptically and decided to take matters into her own hands.
– And what’s his name?
– Andrey.
– Come to our place tonight?! – she suggested to Max. – I have my own house not far from the sea, a gazebo, a grill, we’ll make shashlik. Let’s get to know each other better.
The guys really did come to Nina’s house in the evening, bringing marinated meat, sausages, and fruit. Andrey immediately focused on Nina, while Max hovered around Lyuda.
It made her uneasy. She felt she was misleading him, promising what she wouldn’t give. At one point she couldn’t hold back:
– Max, I want to be honest with you: my husband is waiting for me in Moscow, I love him, and I’m not going to cheat. You interest me, and I’d like to continue talking, but purely as friends.
Max was silent for a moment, then smiled mysteriously:
– You’re even better than I thought. Agreed, let’s keep it purely friendly.
The next week flew by. During the day, Nina organized city tours for everyone, and in the evenings, the guys treated the girls to various delicacies. With Nina and Andrey, things seemed to get quite serious.
With Lyuda and Max, it was more complicated. Each day, his admiration grew in his eyes, while Lyuda became more embarrassed. Although she certainly liked Max, and that frightened her even more than his obvious affection.
At one point, in a surge of emotion, Max tried to kiss her. Lyuda recoiled and ran behind the house. Then she came back:
– I thought we agreed!
– Lyuda, I’m sorry, for God’s sake. I understand everything, but I can’t help myself. I think I love you: you’re bright, pure, decent, smart… I could go on forever. I don’t know what to do, how to restrain myself. Maybe we shouldn’t even talk anymore. I just want you to know you can always turn to me for help.
Without waiting for an answer, Max left.
Lyudmila watched him go, then looked toward the house where Nina and Andrey were sitting, and, without looking at them, said:
– I need to take a walk!
She wandered along the seashore for half the night, trying to sort out her feelings. She returned to her friend only at dawn. Nina was alarmed:
– What happened? I was so worried! Did he hurt you?
– No… He confessed that he loves me.
– Oh, come on! That’s great.
– What’s great about it? I’m married. I love my husband, and I’m not going to divorce or cheat. It turns out I’ve confused Max, made him fall for me, and can’t give him anything.
– Okay, I admit, that’s not great. But it’s not terrible either. You didn’t promise him anything; you even set boundaries right away.
– That doesn’t make me feel any better.
– Just don’t overthink it. You’ve been honest with everyone, and then things unfolded as they did.
– You know, I think I’ll go home tomorrow. I won’t be able to relax anyway.
– Are you sure?
– I’m not sure about anything. But I don’t want to torture him or myself. So home, to my husband, to hug him and forget everything.
And so she landed in Moscow, got into a taxi, and rode home. The storm inside her was so strong that she didn’t even realize immediately that she hadn’t warned her husband she was coming back. As she neared her home, she finally sent him a quick text: “Darling, I came back to the city early as a surprise! I’m already in the taxi, literally ten minutes away.” And at that moment, Lyudmila finally calmed down: she had been honest with everyone, owed no one anything, and soon she would see her husband. Everything was fine.
The taxi stopped in front of the building. Lyuda grabbed her suitcase and practically flew into the lobby, frantically pressing the elevator button.
The apartment door opened almost before she even rang the bell, as if they had been waiting. Well, of course they were waiting—she had warned them, even if not too far in advance. Pushing open the door, she called out:
– Darling, I’m home!
She set the suitcase in the corner, took off her shoes, and only then looked up.
– Mom?! What are you doing here?
Lyudmila rushed into the room: the bed was hastily made, remnants of salads and snacks on the coffee table, candles burned out. She ran to the bathroom. Nothing comforting there either: in the glass, instead of her brush she had taken with her, was her mother’s brush; the shelves were full of 55+ cosmetics, and on a hook hung a dark silk robe, not hers. Her mother’s.
Lyuda darted back. Her husband and mother were still standing in the center of the room. Guilty faces, eyes cast downward. Lyudmila’s thoughts raced, piecing together the facts: so that’s why he didn’t go on vacation with her. It wasn’t work. No, she had wondered a few times if he might be spending this time with someone else, but with her mother? Madness. She couldn’t comprehend it.
– Lyud, you have to understand… – Volodya began. – No, I love you, but you look so much like her and… I’m confused.
– Don’t, don’t explain, – somehow she stopped caring about what would happen next. She couldn’t stay in the apartment with two people who had betrayed her. – I’ll come back for my things later, okay? I need to be alone.
Leaving her suitcase in the hallway, Lyudmila stepped out of the apartment. She had no idea where to go. Her closest friend was in Crimea, and she could fly back there, but why? How many times could she go back and forth? She didn’t feel like talking to anyone else.
Somehow, Max’s last words surfaced in her mind: “I just want you to know that you can always turn to me for help.”
Her hand instinctively reached for her phone. Call him? What would she say? He was probably still in Crimea anyway. Fine, just a message: “You said I could count on your help.”
The reply came almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for her message: “Yes, of course. Anything I can do. What happened?”
“I came home at the wrong time and saw something I wasn’t meant to see.”
His answer was extremely concise:
“Cheated?”
“Yes, with my mother, of all people.”
She had to wait about five minutes for his response, but he eventually replied:
“I’m getting ready, heading over. Where are you now?”
Her husband and mother had endured several days of silence, then began calling and texting Lyuda, trying to convince her to talk to them. But she didn’t need anything from them anymore. That night, Max picked her up in some courtyard, guided by her confused directions, took her to his place, gave her tea, and helped her to bed.
Lyudmila later marveled at herself—and at him. How hard was it to persuade her in that state, yet he didn’t say a word, didn’t lay a finger on her. And he cared for her so tenderly, supporting her through the divorce from her husband.
Lyuda felt that after what had happened, she could never trust anyone again. But Max eventually managed to thaw her heart. And when, six months later, he suddenly asked:
– Will you marry me?
She unexpectedly said yes. And it turned out to be the best decision of her life.
