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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Ana, how much longer are you going to whine?\u00bb Marina said, placing her latte cup irritably on the glass table and pushing the plate of almond cookies towards her friend. \u00abAll husbands go on business trips, and your Sergey is no exception. You\u2019re acting like a spoiled teenager!\u00bb<\/p>\n
Anna slowly stirred her silver spoon in the Earl Grey tea, avoiding eye contact. Outside the window, the October rain turned the cityscape into a blurred watercolor smear of gray hues.<\/p>\n
\u00abThis is the third trip in a month, Marina,\u00bb Anna finally lifted her eyes. \u00abAnd it\u2019s always the same: rare calls, endless meetings\u2026 And here I am, feeling like the last fool.\u00bb Her voice quivered. \u00abSeven years of marriage, and it\u2019s never been like this before\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
Marina quickly looked away, grabbing her phone.<\/p>\n
\u00abOh, look at the French manicure I got!\u00bb she showed her smartphone. \u00abI told you Lena has golden hands!\u00bb<\/p>\n
Anna glanced at the photo, nodded, and returned to staring at her cup. This conversation had already happened for the third time in the past eight weeks. At first, the business trips were once every quarter. Then \u2014 once a month. Now Sergey was leaving almost every week, always taking his leather briefcase and kissing her goodbye on the cheek. And she stayed alone in her grandmother\u2019s apartment, endlessly replaying the same thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u00abListen,\u00bb Marina placed her hand on Anna\u2019s shoulder, \u00abDo you want me to talk to Sergey? Explain how you\u2019re feeling?\u00bb<\/p>\n
Anna thought it was a strange offer. Why would her friend discuss her relationship with her husband?<\/p>\n
\u00abNo, thanks,\u00bb Anna stood up and walked to the window. \u00abI\u2019ll figure it out myself.\u00bb<\/p>\n
A familiar figure appeared below, carrying a briefcase. Sergey hurried toward the car, glancing at his watch. There were three hours left until his train \u2014 he always left early, hating to rush. Anna involuntarily smiled, remembering their first meeting. Marina had brought her to the caf\u00e9 where their school group was gathering.<\/p>\n
\u00abThis is Sergey,\u00bb Marina had introduced him, pushing Anna toward the tall young man with a warm smile. \u00abWe studied together. He\u2019s a marketer.\u00bb<\/p>\n
At that moment, she thought it was fate. Her best friend had introduced her to the perfect man \u2014 caring, promising. A wedding a year later, plans for children, cozy evenings\u2026 Everything was perfect. Until these endless business trips.<\/p>\n
\u00abOkay, enough of this moping,\u00bb Marina stood up decisively. \u00abI have a client in an hour, and you\u2019ve got your shift. Pull yourself together, girlfriend.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Anna saw Marina to the door, hugging her goodbye. Eighteen years of friendship \u2014 quite a long time. They had shared everything since first grade.<\/p>\n
\u00abThank you, Marina. You\u2019re the best friend. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019d do without you.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Marina awkwardly shrugged, hastily returned the hug, and almost ran to the elevator.<\/p>\n
A month passed. Sergey\u2019s business trips had increased, and Anna buried herself in work. There was always plenty to do in trauma care, where she worked as a nurse. Today, after finishing her late shift, she wearily walked home, mentally making a list of appointments for tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Her phone beeped. Instagram suggested new photos to look at. Marina had posted a picture from a restaurant: a glass of ros\u00e9 wine against the backdrop of an elegant setting. The caption: \u00abLittle pleasures for myself.\u00bb<\/p>\n
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\nAnna was about to close the app when something caught her attention. Enlarging the photo, she saw a man\u2019s face reflected in the glass. A face she knew too well.<\/p>\n
Sergey.<\/p>\n
Her heart pounded furiously. He should have been in Moscow at a presentation! Yesterday, he had called, complaining about his busy schedule, saying he missed her\u2026<\/p>\n
But here he was. In a restaurant. With Marina.<\/p>\n
Anna couldn\u2019t remember how she got home. In her head, the thought kept pounding: \u00abCheck. I need to check.\u00bb She opened Marina\u2019s social media, began browsing her photos. Restaurants, manicures, the gym\u2026 Everywhere there were familiar details: a man\u2019s hand with a watch just like Sergey\u2019s, the edge of his jacket.<\/p>\n
How could I have been so blind?<\/p>\n
The phone rang. \u00abSergey.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abHi, sweetheart,\u00bb his voice sounded usual. \u00abCan you believe it? These idiots postponed the presentation again! I\u2019m sitting in my room, missing you\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWhat room?\u00bb she interrupted him.<\/p>\n
\u00abIn the \u2018Cosmos,\u2019 as always. It\u2019s raining like crazy outside.\u00bb A lighter flicked.<\/p>\n
Anna remembered the sunny reflections in Marina\u2019s photo. A lump formed in her throat.<\/p>\n
\u00abI miss you too,\u00bb she lied, hanging up.<\/p>\n
Her thoughts tangled. Could she have been wrong? No, the photo was recent, taken two hours ago. And those reflections\u2026 The picture was becoming crystal clear.<\/p>\n
Anna opened the closet, took out a bottle of Amarone \u2014 a gift from colleagues. And the 2015 Bordeaux, which Sergey had brought from his \u00abbusiness trip.\u00bb She placed them on the table and thought for a moment.<\/p>\n
In the medicine cabinet, she found sleeping pills from sleepless shifts and laxatives. With deft movements, she added sleeping pills to the red wine, laxatives to the white, sealed them, and put them in her bag.<\/p>\n
She knew Marina\u2019s address by heart \u2014 so many evenings spent together.<\/p>\n
The taxi sped through familiar streets. They had celebrated her promotion here, the three of them. There, Marina had playfully adjusted Sergey\u2019s scarf\u2026<\/p>\n
\u00abMiss, are you sure this is the place?\u00bb the taxi driver stopped in front of a new, upscale building.<\/p>\n
\u00abYes,\u00bb she said, paying.<\/p>\n
The elevator ascended slowly. In the mirror, Anna saw her reflection \u2014 a pale face, tight lips. In her pocket, she felt the syringe with the tranquilizer \u2014 just in case.<\/p>\n
\u00abAna?!\u00bb Marina opened the door in Sergey\u2019s T-shirt. There was movement behind her.<\/p>\n
\u00abSurprise,\u00bb Anna forced a smile, showing the bottles. \u00abI brought some wine. Won\u2019t you let me in?\u00bb<\/p>\n
She squeezed past her and froze in the doorway. Sergey, in home shorts, was flipping through a magazine, his feet resting on the crystal table \u2014 their wedding gift.<\/p>\n
\u00abSweetheart, I can explain\u2026\u00bb he paled.<\/p>\n
\u00abI brought you some wine,\u00bb she placed the bottles next to the Murano vase \u2014 another \u00absouvenir\u00bb from his trips. \u00abRed for courage, white for tenderness.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Marina grabbed her hand.<\/p>\n
\u00abYou misunderstood everything\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abOver there,\u00bb Anna pointed to her phone, \u00abyour reflection in the glass. Your hand on his chair. Your selfie together in the elevator. Seven years, you were my shadow! Seven years I shared everything with you!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abStop!\u00bb Sergey jumped up. \u00abI\u2019ll explain everything!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abExplain that to him,\u00bb she shoved the bottles toward them. She ran out into the pouring rain, feeling an odd lightness.<\/p>\n
The phone exploded with messages. Marina: \u00abIt\u2019s a misunderstanding!\u00bb Sergey: \u00abI\u2019ll break up with her!\u00bb An unknown number: \u00abWhat did you do to us?!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abGood morning,\u00bb Anna smiled in the empty apartment, making tea. On the laptop, a message blinked: \u00abVacation request.\u00bb In the \u00abAccompanying\u00bb field, she firmly typed: \u00abNone.\u00bb<\/p>\n
There was a knock on the door. Sergey was banging his fists:<\/p>\n
\u00abOpen up! She\u2019s lying!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abYesterday in the \u2018Mont Blanc,\u2019 it was sunny,\u00bb Anna said to the door. \u00abStrange for Moscow, right?\u00bb<\/p>\n
Silence. Then the sound of retreating footsteps.<\/p>\n
Anna turned on the music he hated and began to dance among the boxes with his belongings. For the first time in a long time, she felt free.<\/p>\n
The phone rang from an unknown number. She hung up and blocked it. Let them deal with their lies themselves. She now had her own path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ana, how much longer are you going to whine?\u00bb Marina said, placing her latte cup irritably on the glass table and pushing the plate of almond cookies… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n