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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Inna stood by the window, watching as raindrops trickled down the glass, forming whimsical patterns. Seventeen years \u2013 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.
\n\u201cWe need to talk,\u201d Alexey\u2019s voice sounded unusually dull.<\/p>\n
She slowly turned, meeting his gaze. In his eyes, determination mixed with guilt was evident. Inna recognized that look \u2013 it was the look of someone ready to strike.
\n\u201cI\u2019m leaving, Inna. To Natasha.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence. Only the ticking of the old wall clock, once gifted by his mother, broke the stillness of the room.
\n\u201cTo the student from your faculty?\u201d Her voice sounded surprisingly calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Understand, my feelings have faded. I need new emotions, fresh impressions. You\u2019re a smart woman, you should understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inna smiled. A smart woman. How often he had used that phrase when he wanted to get what he needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d she asked, and nothing more.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Alexey said. \u201cI\u2019ve already packed my things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inna merely nodded slightly in response. Then she approached the cupboard and retrieved that special bottle they had kept for a special occasion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I suppose this is a rather special moment,\u201d she began to open the bottle. \u201cYou know, I propose we have a farewell dinner. Invite your friends, your relatives. After all, seventeen years is no joke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexey blinked in confusion:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2026 you want to throw a party for our divorce?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d Inna smiled, and something in her smile made Alexey shudder. \u201cLet\u2019s send our life together off in style. After all, I really am a smart woman, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
She took out her phone and began typing messages. Her fingers flew over the screen with remarkable speed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow at seven in the evening. I\u2019ll prepare your favorite dishes. Consider it my farewell gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexey stood there, not knowing what to say. He had expected tears, hysteria, reproaches \u2013 anything but this calm acceptance.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd yes,\u201d Inna added without taking her eyes off the phone, \u201ctell Natasha that she\u2019s invited too. I want to meet the girl who managed to do what I couldn\u2019t all these years \u2013 ignite a new spark in you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next day began unusually early for Inna.<\/p>\n
She methodically called banks, met with a lawyer, and prepared documents. Every action was measured, like a surgeon\u2019s movements during a complicated operation.<\/p>\n
By the evening, their spacious apartment was filled with the aromas of exquisite dishes. Inna set the table, arranging the finest dinnerware \u2013 a wedding gift from her mother-in-law.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything must be perfect,\u201d she whispered, adjusting the napkins.<\/p>\n
Guests began to arrive by seven. Alexey\u2019s parents were the first to come. His mother, Vera Pavlovna, awkwardly embraced her daughter-in-law:<\/p>\n
\u201cInnochka, maybe there\u2019s still a chance to fix everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cNo, Mama. Sometimes you have to make the right choice and let go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gradually, their friends started arriving. The last to appear were Alexey and Natasha.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in, have a seat,\u201d Inna directed them to the head of the table. \u201cTonight, you are the main characters of the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once everyone was seated, Inna stood up, holding a glass:<\/p>\n
\u201cDear friends! Today is a special day. We are gathered here to celebrate the end of one story and the beginning of another.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to Alexey:<\/p>\n
\u201cLesha, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
An awkward murmur ran through the room. Natasha fiddled with a napkin, avoiding eye contact.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you also taught me to be attentive to details,\u201d Inna continued, taking out a bulky envelope. \u201cEspecially financial ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
She began laying out documents:<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s the loan for your car, taken out on our joint account. Here are the tax arrears for your company. And this \u2013 particularly interesting \u2013 are the receipts from restaurants and jewelry stores over the past year. I suppose you were trying to impress Natasha?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexey turned pale. Natasha abruptly raised her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the most important thing,\u201d Inna said as she retrieved the final document, \u201cis our prenuptial agreement. Remember, you signed it without reading? There\u2019s an interesting clause about dividing property in case of infidelity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence in the room became deafening. One could hear water dripping from the kitchen faucet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house is in my name,\u201d Inna continued. \u201cI\u2019ve already blocked the accounts. And the divorce petition was filed last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned to Natasha:<\/p>\n
\u201cDear, are you sure you\u2019re ready to tie your life to someone who has neither a home nor savings, but instead has considerable debts?\u201d<\/p>\n
Natasha sat frozen like a statue.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me, I need to leave,\u201d Natasha said softly.<\/p>\n
Vera Pavlovna shook her head:<\/p>\n
\u201cLesha, how could you? We raised you differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMama, you don\u2019t understand\u2026\u201d Alexey began, but was interrupted by his father:<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, son, you don\u2019t understand. Seventeen years is no joke. And what did you destroy it all for? For an affair with a student?\u201d<\/p>\n
The friends at the table remained silent, avoiding each other\u2019s gaze. Only Mikhail, Alexey\u2019s best friend since school, quietly remarked:<\/p>\n
\u201cLesha, you really screwed up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inna continued standing, holding her glass. Her face remained serene, as if she were discussing the weather at a social gathering:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took a sip:<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I started noticing the receipts. Jewelry store, restaurant \u2018White Swan\u2019, spa salon\u2026 Funny, isn\u2019t it? You were taking her to the same places where you once took me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natasha returned but did not sit at the table. She stood in the doorway, clutching her purse:<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexey Nikolaevich, I think we need to talk. Alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, dear,\u201d he got up, but Inna stopped him with a gesture:<\/p>\n
\u201cWait. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled:<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now look at you. Expensive suits, a fancy car, a young mistress\u2026 Only, here\u2019s the catch \u2013 all of it was built on lies and debts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexey Nikolaevich,\u201d Natasha\u2019s voice trembled, \u201cyou said we were divorced. That we lived separately. That you were going to buy us an apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNatashenka, I\u2019ll explain everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t bother,\u201d Inna pulled out yet another envelope. \u201cHere 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 \u2013 students?\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cInna,\u201d Alexey clutched his head, \u201cwhy are you doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d she laughed, but there was no joy in that laugh. \u201cHow did you expect it to be? For me to cry, beg you to stay? To roll around at your feet?\u201d<\/p>\n
She scanned the room:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDear,\u201d Vera Pavlovna whispered, \u201cmaybe it\u2019s not worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Mama, it is,\u201d Inna raised her voice for the first time that evening. \u201cLet 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!\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled out yet another document:<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd 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?\u201d<\/p>\n
The guests began to quietly rise from the table. Some muttered apologies, others simply walked silently toward the exit. Only Alexey\u2019s parents and Mikhail remained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSon,\u201d Alexey\u2019s father said heavily as he rose, \u201cwe\u2019ll probably leave too. Call when\u2026 when you come to your senses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vera Pavlovna embraced Inna:<\/p>\n
\u201cForgive us, dear. We never thought he\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t apologize, Mama. You have nothing to do with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the parents left, Mikhail approached Alexey:<\/p>\n
\u201cOld man, you really screwed everything up. Call if you need help. But know this \u2013 I\u2019m not giving you any money.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he too departed.<\/p>\n
Alexey sat there, head bowed. His expensive suit now seemed like a ridiculous masquerade costume.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know,\u201d Inna began gathering the documents back into the envelope, \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I decided to do it differently,\u201d she said as she pulled a plane ticket from her bag. \u201cI\u2019m flying out tomorrow. The Maldives, can you imagine? I\u2019ve always dreamed of visiting there, but you always said it was a waste of money.\u201d<\/p>\n
She placed the keys on the table:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe apartment must be vacated by the end of the week. I\u2019m selling it. And yes, don\u2019t even try to withdraw money from the accounts \u2013 they\u2019re frozen until the court makes a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexey looked at her with a lost expression:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat am I supposed to do now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s no longer my problem,\u201d she said, throwing on her coat. \u201cYou know what\u2019s the funniest part? I\u2019m truly grateful to you. You made me wake up, shake off the dust. I suddenly realized that life doesn\u2019t end with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She walked to the door and turned around one last time:<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye, Lesha. I hope it was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 that was Inna leaving for her new life.<\/p>\n
Outside, the rain began again \u2013 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Inna stood by the window, watching as raindrops trickled down the glass, forming whimsical patterns. Seventeen years \u2013 is that a lot or a little? She remembered… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n