Roman softly whispered to Masha as they submitted their application at the registry office, “We will be together for an eternity.”

“And in joy and in sorrow?” she smiled, gazing into his sparkling eyes.

“Of course! In joy and in sorrow!” he nodded confidently, pulling her close.

“Aren’t I going to get on your nerves over such a long time?” Masha squinted mischievously.

“My dear, how could you ever get on my nerves when I love you more than anything in the world?” Roman replied. “On the contrary, I’m afraid you’ll get tired of my constant presence.”

“I want you to always be by my side,” she kissed him. “I want to fall asleep and wake up with you, cook for you, and wait for your return home.”

After graduating from a teachers’ college, Maria became a primary school teacher. She planned to come home from work before her husband so that she could finish all the housework before he returned. And Roman promised to provide them with a decent life.

He dreamily talked about his plans: “I’ll work a bit, open my own construction company. We’ll build houses, and for you and me, I’ll build the very best one!”

“How many children will we have?” Maria asked mysteriously.

“Many! Just like my grandmother. My father had six children, and they were all very close.”

When Roman told his parents about his fiancée, the whole family gathered for a grand celebration. They welcomed Masha so warmly that she immediately felt like part of their family.

After the wedding, the newlyweds went on a trip, and upon their return, Roman’s aunt offered them to live in her apartment while she was leaving for several years for work. During that time, Roman realized his dream—he opened a construction company and began building a house, just as Maria announced her pregnancy.

“I’ll try to finish at least temporary housing by the time the baby is born,” Roman said. “We’ll furnish it, and then move into a big house.”

“How do you know it will be a son?” Maria wondered in surprise.

“I just feel it!” he declared proudly. “But I don’t care who is born—a son or a daughter.”

“The main thing is that they are healthy,” she agreed. “We did want a big family.”

They dreamed about a children’s room, imagining that more rooms would be needed later.

But Maria’s pregnancy was complicated. She had to be hospitalized almost until delivery, and was discharged only for a few days at a time.

“It’s better to get rid of such a child,” advised her friend Marina. “My grandmother used to say that a saved child is often deficient.”

“Marina, how can you say such a thing?!” Maria was outraged. “I will love any child. The ultrasound shows everything is fine.”

“Think about it. Husbands usually run away from problems. Is your Roman really so faithful that he’s been without a woman for several months and hasn’t cheated? Unlikely. And if the child is born with abnormalities, he’ll just run away.”

“Marina, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to speak with you until after the birth. You weren’t like this before.” Roman worked day and night, controlling his workers. “I’m absolutely sure of his fidelity, otherwise I would have felt it.”

“Fine then,” Marina said with a dissatisfied curl of her lips as she turned on her heels and walked away loudly down the corridor.

Masha was left in deep thought. Why was Marina so aggressive? Perhaps out of envy? After all, she herself wasn’t in a relationship, though she boasted about a queue of admirers who, for some reason, quickly disappeared. Perhaps, out of resentment, she was spreading lies about Roman. He wasn’t like that at all. It was clear how worn out he was by his responsibilities—who could possibly cheat in such a state? But sometimes a little seed of doubt still arose. However, Masha diligently chased those thoughts away.

When the time for delivery came, Maria’s condition worsened drastically. The labor was extremely difficult, and the baby was born weak, immediately landing in the intensive care unit with pneumonia.

Maria was in a panic. Roman abandoned work, paid for a private room for his wife, and spent his days by her side. Without a word, they understood each other; they even found solace simply in each other’s silent presence. But after twelve long days, the doctors delivered the dreadful news: the baby’s body had not coped with the illness.

Stricken with grief, Maria seemed to have turned to stone. After all they had been through, such a tragic outcome seemed unbearable. And then the doctor brought yet another sorrowful piece of news:

“As it turned out, the cause is you,” she addressed Masha. “It’s better not to risk another pregnancy – the consequences will be the same.”

“And what now?” Masha asked her husband, unable to hold back her tears. “Will you leave me? Why would you want such an unhappy woman? You’ll find someone else…”

“Stop spouting nonsense!” Roman said, his voice laced with hurt. “I love you and I’m not going anywhere!”

“Can one really be happy without children? How can we go on living?” Maria wept. “It’s better if you leave now, before you say it yourself…”

“I would never do that,” Roman said firmly, but Masha no longer wanted to listen to him.

“I’m going to my parents,” she requested after the baby’s funeral.

“We’re going home!” Roman stated firmly, taking her by the arm.

From then on, their relationship changed. Maria became withdrawn, and Roman insisted that she leave her job. They continued living in the temporary house while he finished building the main one. Relatives took turns trying to help – Roman’s mother, aunts, Maria’s mother – but she refused to communicate with any of them.

Marina became a frequent visitor. Whenever she had the chance, when no one else was around, she repeated:

“You should have listened to me earlier. Now it’s too late to change anything. Leave Roman – why spoil a young man’s life? He’s definitely cheating on you, and you’ll be even more hurt when he confesses. Let him find another who can bear him children. Think of your loved ones – we love you and will never betray you, while men cannot be trusted.”

“Leave,” Maria said slowly. “Don’t come to me anymore.”

After Marina left, Masha let out such a loud cry that Roman dropped everything at the construction site and rushed over. He hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head, while she pushed him away, shouting that she didn’t need him and that he should immediately find someone who would give him a healthy child.

“For me, no one exists except you,” he whispered. “I love only you. You will get better, no matter what. Even if we can’t have children, I will find a way to make us happy. It’s just that right now you’re overwhelmed by the loss of our baby, but time heals…”

Yet Maria’s condition only worsened. Roman took her to various doctors, involved specialists from different clinics, but they all just shrugged their hands – his wife was completely well. The only option was a consultation with a psychotherapist. However, Roman refused to send her to the hospital.

Days passed, and Masha grew weaker. Neither her husband’s persuasion nor her mother’s tears helped. She lay for days on end, staring at the ceiling and crying. The prescribed medications did nothing.

Roman struggled hard to restrain himself from losing control or sinking into alcoholism, as others had in similar situations. He finished building the house, took care of the interior design, and told his wife about every stage of the work. He talked about how he wished they could choose materials for the house together.

“I thought about choosing the wallpaper for our bedroom myself, but then I decided how wonderful it would be to do it together,” he said, stroking her hand. “And we still need to choose tiles for the bathroom. Without you, it just wouldn’t be the same… Please, wake up! Think about me. It’s not easy for me to see you in pain. Let’s overcome this together. We promised to stand by each other through joy and sorrow.”

Maria only closed her eyes, silently begging to be left alone. In her dreams, she saw herself sitting on a lawn with her husband, surrounded by their children. But upon opening her eyes and recalling reality, she began to cry again.

One evening, as she dozed off, Masha heard voices at the door. The bright voice of Marina was unrecognizable. But why was she arguing so loudly with Roman?

“Why did you come?” Roman asked sternly.

“I came to settle everything,” Marina answered defiantly. “I’m not going to hide the truth any longer. I’m pregnant! Either that vegetable or I! It’s your choice!”

Maria’s heart pounded wildly. Rising from the bed, she sat down and buried her head in her hands. How could he? But she herself had allowed this to happen, sinking into depression. If only she had pulled herself together, none of this would have happened.

When Roman finally entered the room with his head bowed, Masha asked, “What happened? Who was that?”

Roman sat down beside her and confessed everything honestly.

“Your friend Marina…” he paused for a moment. “Masha, I need to confess something to you. Please, don’t be quick to judge. You have completely distanced yourself from me. First you lay in a coma, and now you’ve been in depression for six months. I’m not even talking about that—you just stopped communicating with me. The feeling of utter loneliness became unbearable. When Marina asked for help installing the bathtub, and later invited me to dinner, she began to flirt openly, and I… couldn’t resist. I later realized my mistake, but it was too late. I continued to be tormented by guilt. Now I think I might repeat that mistake if nothing changes. I haven’t stopped loving you, believe me. It’s just that every person needs warmth and attention. And you’ve become like someone else—cold, indifferent. Marina says she’s pregnant… I do have my doubts, but even if it’s true, I won’t leave you. I just don’t know how much longer I can bear this situation. I can’t imagine how I managed until now.”

Maria cast a reproachful look at her husband and burst into tears.

“If you truly loved me, you would never cheat. Leave—your child needs a father.”

“Oh, Masha,” Roman shook his head as he rose. “How I wish you had understood me…”

He quickly left the room.

The next morning, Roman went to see Marina. She opened the door with a wide smile:

“Finally decided to leave your…”

Roman interrupted her, “Let’s go!”

“To the registry office?” Marina squinted.

“No, to the hospital! Right now, you will go see a doctor and get a certificate confirming your pregnancy,” Roman stated firmly.

“Don’t even think that I’m going anywhere,” Marina waved her hand dismissively.

“You will go!” Roman declared resolutely. “Otherwise, I’ll know that it’s all a lie.”

“Let it be a lie! What do you care? I just wanted to take revenge on Masha, to show that I could steal you away.”

“Take revenge? For what?” Roman asked in surprise.

“For the fact that she always got the best of everything. In school, she stole a guy from me, even though she knew I liked him. And when he invited her to the movies, she seemed to forget about me. Then she met you and managed to get married so easily. And it wasn’t enough for me—when everyone leaves you! I thought that if she didn’t have children, you wouldn’t want to stay with her and would notice me instead. But you’re just so foolish. Why do you need someone like her… without looks and health?”

Roman paused for a moment and said, “Weren’t you the one who organized everything? Why did you start coming by so often when Masha became pregnant? And then showing up at the hospital, even when it wasn’t necessary?”

“Finally got it,” Marina scoffed. “Yes, it was me. And I even paid the doctor for the infertility diagnosis. What? Isn’t it satisfying to watch your friend’s happiness, knowing that she will become a mother when you can’t? I’ve had too many abortions to get pregnant again.”

Marina alternated between shouting and hysterics. And Roman forgot everything when he learned that Masha’s diagnosis was false.

He ran out of Marina’s apartment and rushed home, picking up along the way a bouquet of his wife’s favorite tea roses.

Bursting into the house, he froze on the doorstep. Masha stood there in an elegant dress, with a neat hairstyle and gently tinted eyes. An appetizing aroma wafted from the kitchen.

“Forgive me, Romochka,” Masha threw herself into his arms. “I spent the whole night thinking and realized how terribly wrong I was. There’s no excuse for my behavior. You’re right—I was only thinking of myself. Forgive me… And if you decide to leave for Marina and her child, I will understand. It’s all my fault.”

Roman took out his phone and played the recording of his conversation with Marina. Maria listened, pressing her palms to her mouth. She couldn’t believe that the one she had trusted with her most precious secrets would do such a thing.

“Will you forgive me?” Roman asked uncertainly.

“I already have,” Masha nodded. “And I want to get back everything we lost. I even know what wallpaper I want for our bedroom, and for the children’s room, we can choose…”

Masha enthusiastically began to share her ideas, and Roman silently smiled. His Masha had returned—the same joyful, lively one. Now, their future would be even better than before.