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\u201cIf you touch it again, I\u2019ll break your fingers! Never, do you hear me? Never dare touch my phone again!\u201d Vadim shouted as he yanked the device from his wife\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
Katya\u2019s heart pounded in her chest. For the first time in six months of marriage, she saw her husband consumed with rage.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhat could he possibly have on his phone to make him react like this?\u201d she wondered, curling up in the corner of the couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t even doing anything wrong\u2026 I just wanted to look at the pictures,\u201d she thought to herself, hugging her knees.<\/p>\n
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An affair? No, she refused to believe it. They had just gotten married. Everything was perfect\u2014at least, it had been until now. Perhaps he had just read too many online articles about personal space and overreacted? Maybe he was just trying to set a boundary, showing his dominance in their relationship?<\/p>\n
As she sat in silence, staring at the flickering flame of a decorative candle, she tried to convince herself that there was a reasonable explanation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDarling, I brought you some cherries,\u201d Vadim\u2019s voice broke the silence. He smiled warmly, as if nothing had happened, and placed a small tray of ripe, red berries on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends invited us over tomorrow. You always say I don\u2019t introduce you to anyone, so it\u2019s about time. Shall we go?\u201d He took her hand gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, of course, I\u2019d love to,\u201d Katya replied, forcing a smile. She decided to let the unpleasant moment with the phone go, pretending it had never happened.<\/p>\n
Before Vadim had threatened her over his phone, their relationship had been like a fairy tale. And Katya desperately wanted it to stay that way. If only she had known what lay ahead.<\/p>\n
The next evening, they arrived at the home of Vadim\u2019s friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Ilya, and this is my wife, Dasha. Come in, dinner\u2019s almost ready! So glad to finally meet you,\u201d the couple greeted them warmly.<\/p>\n
Vadim handed over a bottle of wine, and they stepped into the cozy apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, Katya, what do you do?\u201d Dasha asked casually as they settled in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI work in the film industry. I organize movie shoots,\u201d Katya answered, sipping her wine and taking a piece of blue cheese from the platter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, that\u2019s so interesting! Not like your job at the car dealership,\u201d Ilya teased Vadim with a grin. \u201cHow many cars have you sold this month?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelve. I\u2019m on track for a big bonus!\u201d Vadim boasted, raising his glass. \u201cA toast\u2014to our beautiful ladies and my wonderful wife, Ekaterina.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first saw her in a caf\u00e9, she was the only woman sitting with a book. A woman with a book these days\u2014now that\u2019s a rare sight. I fell for her instantly,\u201d Vadim said, recounting their love story with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
Dasha, smiling, asked, \u201cSo why didn\u2019t you have a wedding? Why just a simple registration? No celebration?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom had surgery recently. She\u2019s still recovering. We\u2019ll celebrate later, maybe on our anniversary. You two will be the first we invite,\u201d Vadim said, squeezing Katya\u2019s hand reassuringly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour friends are wonderful,\u201d Katya told Vadim on their way home. \u201cIt was a great evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t shake the feeling I\u2019ve seen that apartment before,\u201d she added absentmindedly, staring out the car window.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably just d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. Happens to me sometimes too,\u201d Vadim said, smiling, then asked the taxi driver to turn up the music.<\/p>\n
A month passed, and spring was in full bloom. Lilacs, cherries, and roses blossomed in the warm May air, and Katya felt like her relationship with Vadim was blossoming too. Ever since the phone incident, Vadim had been the perfect husband\u2014attentive, affectionate, and thoughtful.<\/p>\n
But then, Katya stumbled upon something that shattered her reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cEkaterina, I found some more apartments for upcoming film shoots. There are three locations. Take a look and approve one,\u201d Vika, her assistant, said, handing over a file.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks, I\u2019ll check them soon,\u201d Katya replied without looking up from her computer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re already in your email,\u201d Vika added before leaving the office.<\/p>\n
When Katya finally opened the files, her breath caught in her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way\u2026 This is the apartment where Vadim and I visited Ilya and Dasha!\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the pictures in disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I had seen that place before\u2026 So, it\u2019s in our filming database?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe they rented it out? Many people leased their apartments for film shoots\u2014it was a good way to make extra money. But something about this felt\u2026 off.<\/p>\n
Determined to find answers, she chose that apartment for the shoot.<\/p>\n
When she arrived to inspect the location, the landlady, Yelena Pavlovna, welcomed her warmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cEkaterina, come in!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t believe this, but I was here a month ago,\u201d Katya said, her pulse quickening. \u201cDo you know Ilya and Dasha?\u201d<\/p>\n
Yelena Pavlovna frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t know anyone by those names. Maybe previous tenants? This is one of my short-term rental properties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katya\u2019s stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see\u2026 Could I ask you something? It\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, dear. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA month ago, I was here with my husband. The people here claimed to own the apartment. Their photos were on the walls. They introduced themselves as Ilya and Dasha.\u201d<\/p>\n
The landlady looked puzzled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t recall any tenants matching that description\u2026 Let me think. A man did rent the apartment for a single day. Vadim, I believe his name was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katya\u2019s hands went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cVadim?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, tall, well-dressed. Seemed like a nice man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katya forced a polite smile, pretending not to recognize the name. She quickly changed the subject, but inside, she was spiraling.<\/p>\n
Her husband had rented an apartment and staged an entire evening with fake friends? Why?<\/p>\n
That night, she confronted Vadim casually.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s meet up with Dasha and Ilya again soon,\u201d she suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t. They\u2019re on vacation until autumn,\u201d Vadim replied without looking up from the TV.<\/p>\n
Katya barely slept. Something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n
The next day, everything unraveled.<\/p>\n
At the mall, while they were shopping, a stranger\u2019s voice rang out.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeryoga?! Is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vadim stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely you! I recognized you immediately. The hair is different, and the nose too, but\u2026 you died!\u201d<\/p>\n
Vadim grabbed Katya\u2019s hand and quickened his pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re mistaken,\u201d he said coldly.<\/p>\n
But the man followed, eyes locked on him. \u201cI was at your funeral! You\u2019re alive, aren\u2019t you, Sergey?\u201d<\/p>\n
Katya\u2019s blood turned to ice.<\/p>\n
That night, she unlocked Vadim\u2019s phone while he slept. What she found made her skin crawl.<\/p>\n
There were messages arranging payments for \u201cIlya\u201d and \u201cDasha,\u201d detailing what to say, which questions to ask\u2014an entire script.<\/p>\n
Then came the photos. Old ones. Of a man who looked like Vadim\u2014but wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
The real Sergey.<\/p>\n
Katya\u2019s world shattered.<\/p>\n
The next day, she confronted Vadim. But before she could say anything, he shoved his phone into her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake it. Guard it with your life.\u201d His voice was hoarse, his shirt stained with blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cVadim, you\u2019re hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo time\u2026 They found me. The men I was hiding from. The ones I stole from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katya\u2019s breath hitched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was undercover\u2026 in a criminal syndicate. I faked my death\u2026 But now they know I\u2019m alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katya clutched his hands. \u201cI won\u2019t leave you!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to. For our baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears welled in Katya\u2019s eyes. \u201cI\u2019m pregnant, Vadim!\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, his face softened. Then he collapsed.<\/p>\n
But Katya wasn\u2019t going to let him die.<\/p>\n
She pulled out her phone and called the one man who could help.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad\u2026 I need you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIf you touch it again, I\u2019ll break your fingers! Never, do you hear me? Never dare touch my phone again!\u201d Vadim shouted as he yanked the device… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n