Inna stood by the window, watching as raindrops trickled down the glass, forming whimsical patterns. Seventeen years – is that a lot or a little? She remembered every day of their life together, every anniversary, every glance. And now everything was collapsing like a house of cards.
“We need to talk,” Alexey’s voice sounded unusually dull.

She slowly turned, meeting his gaze. In his eyes, determination mixed with guilt was evident. Inna recognized that look – it was the look of someone ready to strike.
“I’m leaving, Inna. To Natasha.”

Silence. Only the ticking of the old wall clock, once gifted by his mother, broke the stillness of the room.
“To the student from your faculty?” Her voice sounded surprisingly calm.

“Yes. Understand, my feelings have faded. I need new emotions, fresh impressions. You’re a smart woman, you should understand.”

Inna smiled. A smart woman. How often he had used that phrase when he wanted to get what he needed.

“Are you sure?” she asked, and nothing more.

“Absolutely,” Alexey said. “I’ve already packed my things.”

Inna merely nodded slightly in response. Then she approached the cupboard and retrieved that special bottle they had kept for a special occasion.

“Well, I suppose this is a rather special moment,” she began to open the bottle. “You know, I propose we have a farewell dinner. Invite your friends, your relatives. After all, seventeen years is no joke.”

Alexey blinked in confusion:

“You… you want to throw a party for our divorce?”

“Why not?” Inna smiled, and something in her smile made Alexey shudder. “Let’s send our life together off in style. After all, I really am a smart woman, remember?”

She took out her phone and began typing messages. Her fingers flew over the screen with remarkable speed.

“Tomorrow at seven in the evening. I’ll prepare your favorite dishes. Consider it my farewell gift.”

Alexey stood there, not knowing what to say. He had expected tears, hysteria, reproaches – anything but this calm acceptance.

“And yes,” Inna added without taking her eyes off the phone, “tell Natasha that she’s invited too. I want to meet the girl who managed to do what I couldn’t all these years – ignite a new spark in you.”

The next day began unusually early for Inna.

She methodically called banks, met with a lawyer, and prepared documents. Every action was measured, like a surgeon’s movements during a complicated operation.

By the evening, their spacious apartment was filled with the aromas of exquisite dishes. Inna set the table, arranging the finest dinnerware – a wedding gift from her mother-in-law.

“Everything must be perfect,” she whispered, adjusting the napkins.

Guests began to arrive by seven. Alexey’s parents were the first to come. His mother, Vera Pavlovna, awkwardly embraced her daughter-in-law:

“Innochka, maybe there’s still a chance to fix everything?”

“No, Mama. Sometimes you have to make the right choice and let go.”

Gradually, their friends started arriving. The last to appear were Alexey and Natasha.

“Come in, have a seat,” Inna directed them to the head of the table. “Tonight, you are the main characters of the evening.”

Once everyone was seated, Inna stood up, holding a glass:

“Dear friends! Today is a special day. We are gathered here to celebrate the end of one story and the beginning of another.”

She turned to Alexey:

“Lesha, I want to thank you for seventeen years together. For all the ups and downs, for the joys and sorrows we shared. You taught me many things. For example, that love can be very different.”

An awkward murmur ran through the room. Natasha fiddled with a napkin, avoiding eye contact.

“And you also taught me to be attentive to details,” Inna continued, taking out a bulky envelope. “Especially financial ones.”

She began laying out documents:

“Here’s the loan for your car, taken out on our joint account. Here are the tax arrears for your company. And this – particularly interesting – are the receipts from restaurants and jewelry stores over the past year. I suppose you were trying to impress Natasha?”

Alexey turned pale. Natasha abruptly raised her head.

“But the most important thing,” Inna said as she retrieved the final document, “is our prenuptial agreement. Remember, you signed it without reading? There’s an interesting clause about dividing property in case of infidelity.”

The silence in the room became deafening. One could hear water dripping from the kitchen faucet.

“The house is in my name,” Inna continued. “I’ve already blocked the accounts. And the divorce petition was filed last night.”

She turned to Natasha:

“Dear, are you sure you’re ready to tie your life to someone who has neither a home nor savings, but instead has considerable debts?”

Natasha sat frozen like a statue.

“Excuse me, I need to leave,” Natasha said softly.

Vera Pavlovna shook her head:

“Lesha, how could you? We raised you differently.”

“Mama, you don’t understand…” Alexey began, but was interrupted by his father:

“No, son, you don’t understand. Seventeen years is no joke. And what did you destroy it all for? For an affair with a student?”

The friends at the table remained silent, avoiding each other’s gaze. Only Mikhail, Alexey’s best friend since school, quietly remarked:

“Lesha, you really screwed up.”

Inna continued standing, holding her glass. Her face remained serene, as if she were discussing the weather at a social gathering:

“You know what’s the most interesting? All these years I believed that our love was special. That we were like those old couples from beautiful stories who stayed together until the end. I turned a blind eye to your work delays, your strange phone calls, your new ties and shirts.”

She took a sip:

“And then I started noticing the receipts. Jewelry store, restaurant ‘White Swan’, spa salon… Funny, isn’t it? You were taking her to the same places where you once took me.”

Natasha returned but did not sit at the table. She stood in the doorway, clutching her purse:

“Alexey Nikolaevich, I think we need to talk. Alone.”

“Of course, dear,” he got up, but Inna stopped him with a gesture:

“Wait. I’m not finished yet. Remember our first apartment? That one-bedroom on the outskirts? We were so happy there. You said we needed nothing but each other.”

She smiled:

“And now look at you. Expensive suits, a fancy car, a young mistress… Only, here’s the catch – all of it was built on lies and debts.”

“Alexey Nikolaevich,” Natasha’s voice trembled, “you said we were divorced. That we lived separately. That you were going to buy us an apartment.”

“Natashenka, I’ll explain everything.”

“Don’t bother,” Inna pulled out yet another envelope. “Here are the statements from your cards. I think Natasha will be interested to know that alongside her, you were seeing two other girls. Or should I say – students?”

A ringing silence fell over the room. Without saying a word, Natasha turned and ran out of the apartment. The sound of her heels clicking on the stairs echoed in the complete stillness.

“Inna,” Alexey clutched his head, “why are you doing this?”

“Why?” she laughed, but there was no joy in that laugh. “How did you expect it to be? For me to cry, beg you to stay? To roll around at your feet?”

She scanned the room:

“You know what’s the most amusing? I truly loved him. Every wrinkle, every gray hair. Even his snoring at night seemed endearing to me. I was ready to grow old with him, to raise grandchildren.”

“Dear,” Vera Pavlovna whispered, “maybe it’s not worth it.”

“No, Mama, it is,” Inna raised her voice for the first time that evening. “Let everyone know. Let them know how your son took out loans for gifts for his mistresses. How he squandered our shared money. How he lied to me, to you, to everyone!”

She pulled out yet another document:

“And this is especially interesting. Remember, Lesha, three months ago you asked me to sign some papers? You said it was for the tax office? It turned out to be a guarantee for a loan. You mortgaged my car, can you believe it?”

The guests began to quietly rise from the table. Some muttered apologies, others simply walked silently toward the exit. Only Alexey’s parents and Mikhail remained.

“Son,” Alexey’s father said heavily as he rose, “we’ll probably leave too. Call when… when you come to your senses.”

Vera Pavlovna embraced Inna:

“Forgive us, dear. We never thought he…”

“Don’t apologize, Mama. You have nothing to do with this.”

After the parents left, Mikhail approached Alexey:

“Old man, you really screwed everything up. Call if you need help. But know this – I’m not giving you any money.”

And he too departed.

Alexey sat there, head bowed. His expensive suit now seemed like a ridiculous masquerade costume.

“You know,” Inna began gathering the documents back into the envelope, “I could have made a scene a month ago when I found out everything. I could have smashed your car, torn up your suits, had a meltdown at your workplace.”

“But I decided to do it differently,” she said as she pulled a plane ticket from her bag. “I’m flying out tomorrow. The Maldives, can you imagine? I’ve always dreamed of visiting there, but you always said it was a waste of money.”

She placed the keys on the table:

“The apartment must be vacated by the end of the week. I’m selling it. And yes, don’t even try to withdraw money from the accounts – they’re frozen until the court makes a decision.”

Alexey looked at her with a lost expression:

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“That’s no longer my problem,” she said, throwing on her coat. “You know what’s the funniest part? I’m truly grateful to you. You made me wake up, shake off the dust. I suddenly realized that life doesn’t end with you.”

She walked to the door and turned around one last time:

“Goodbye, Lesha. I hope it was worth it.”

The door closed quietly. Alexey was left alone in the empty apartment, amidst half-eaten dishes and partially finished wine. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of an engine starting could be heard – that was Inna leaving for her new life.

Outside, the rain began again – just like that evening when he decided to destroy everything. Only now, there was no one left to watch the patterns that the drops drew on the glass.