Lera locked the car, and she and her husband hurried to the office entrance. Rain poured down from the sky, turning the street into streams of water. Colleagues who arrived a bit later were stuck at the parking lot, not daring to step out into the cold rain. They helplessly glanced at their watches—the workday was about to start, yet they had to make their way to their desks through the downpour.
Her husband gave her a quick peck on the cheek and disappeared into the elevator, while Lera stopped by the first floor to see her friend Vera. Vera was already bent over a drafting table, carefully drawing the first lines of a new design. The two women exchanged quick glances as if to say, “See you at lunch.” Then Lera headed for the accounting department, but as she approached the door, she heard her name. Someone inside was discussing her—and not kindly.
“Lera has no clue. She’s only happy to work overtime! And the fact that her husband hasn’t been faithful for ages—she’s practically blind,” said Valya Ivanova, the senior colleague who had never experienced married life.
“Yeah, her husband is definitely not one of the best,” sighed a young employee.
“Or maybe he got mixed up with the wrong crowd?” Ivanova objected, then suddenly stopped talking.
Lera couldn’t hold back and walked in. She greeted everyone calmly and sat down at her desk, though her heart was pounding with the pain of betrayal. “How? Zhenya is cheating? And everyone knows except me? And Vera—why is she silent?” Lera pressed her palms to her temples—her headache had struck like a thunderclap.
“Valeria Olegovna, maybe you should take a pill?” Ivanova asked with concern.
“No, thanks, Valya, I already have one. It’s just the weather,” she replied, nodding toward the window, where it was still pouring.
From her bag, Lera took out a painkiller and swallowed it, grimacing in annoyance because she had forgotten to grab water. She rushed over to the water cooler, filled a cup, and washed it down. But her temples were still throbbing.
“Who is she? Who’s this other woman? Though maybe it doesn’t matter. The bigger question is why? Zhenya still acts like the perfect husband. What a hypocrite!” Lera was on the verge of fury but couldn’t find the right words to express her indignation. She wanted to march up to the fifth floor, where the logistics department was, and demand an explanation from him. But she had no proof yet. Making a scene now would mean showing her weakness.
The day passed in tense silence. Lera never took a break, working until the last minute. On the way home, Zhenya chattered cheerfully as usual, sipping beer. He was sure she would drive—after all, she was always the driver in their family.
“Lerochka, can’t you go faster? We’re going to miss the soccer match!” he nagged when she carefully passed another car.
Lera clenched her teeth to keep from unleashing all her anger on him. Once they got home, Zhenya immediately headed to the fridge, took out a can of beer, turned on the TV, and sprawled on the couch.
Lera got changed, washed up, and went to the kitchen. “I’d love to slip him a laxative dinner,” she thought angrily, frying potatoes with bacon and vigorously cracking quail eggs into the pan. Her clattering of pots and pans was so loud that Zhenya yelled from the living room, momentarily taking his eyes off the soccer match:
“Ler, what’s going on in there—a full-blown concert? Keep it down, will you?”
Lera brought in a tray of food and placed it on the coffee table in front of him, then went to eat by herself in the kitchen. She couldn’t stop thinking about his betrayal, and the pounding in her temples was so loud it even drowned out the TV.
That evening, her daughter called:
“Mom, Vadik and I can’t come on Sunday—our plans changed. You’re not upset, are you?”
“Of course not; the main thing is that you two are okay,” Lera answered, trying to hide the tremor in her voice, and ended the call. Left alone, she buried her face in the pillow and let her tears flow. This Friday evening would stay with her for a long time.
The next morning, exactly at six-thirty, the phone rang—it was her mother-in-law.
“Lera, it’s the weekend, right? Or did you not get enough sleep yet? Maybe you can drive me to the village? We need to tidy up the graves before Easter; they’re in such a state. My son is obviously busy with something else.”
“Lidiya Arkadyevna, why don’t you ask your son? He’s well rested, unlike me. Besides, I’m really not feeling well,” Lera tried to protest.
“Oh, here we go again! Same story: either you have no time or you’re feeling sick. I get it—you’d find time for your own mother, but never for your mother-in-law!”
“Lidiya Arkadyevna, please stop making things up. I’m the only one who ever drives you when you need it. If you want, I can pick you up now.”
“I’ve already been waiting half an hour for you to wake up!” her mother-in-law snapped and hung up.
Lera dragged herself out of bed, grabbed a quick sandwich and coffee, and headed to the car. At the cemetery, there was a busy pre-Easter atmosphere: adults were hurrying to tidy up their loved ones’ graves, and children were happily helping by carrying buckets of sand. Standing out among them was the energetic Lidiya Arkadyevna, tugging weeds out of the ground with her bare hands and muttering:
“Everything’s in such a state, and nobody does a thing.”
While Lera was hauling another bucket of sand, she noticed her mother-in-law’s odd behavior. She seemed to tense up, raised her eyebrows, and started scanning the area nervously. Then she stepped in front of Lera as though shielding her from something, shading her eyes with one hand.
Over her mother-in-law’s shoulder, Lera still managed to see Alina’s car drive slowly past the cemetery—Alina, the daughter of the company director, was at the wheel, and Zhenya was in the passenger seat. The car turned onto a dirt road leading to a cottage settlement and vanished.
“So that’s who she is…” Lera felt a fresh wave of pain. “He’ll do anything for his career. I wonder if his mother brought me here on purpose?”
Back home, Lera took a shower and crawled under the blanket. “I’m just going to sleep as long as I can,” she thought. But half an hour later, her college-age son called:
“Mom, I’m not coming this weekend. My friends and I are off fishing. Tell Nastya there’s no need to apologize—we’ll meet up next time!”
“Sure, Stasik, thanks for letting me know. You don’t need to tell your sister anything; she’s also not coming.”
“Oh, what a coincidence!” he said happily. “Well, Mom, have a good time with Dad. Bye!”
“Yeah, with a dad like that, there’s never a dull moment,” Lera muttered, trying to go back to sleep.
When she finally dozed off, the doorbell rang. It was Zhenya, looking all excited.
“Guess what, Ler? My friends and I decided to kick off the swimming season!”
“Swimming season in May? Sure. Why didn’t you bring your keys?”
“I just forgot. I left early this morning while you were still sleeping.”
“How smoothly he lies,” Lera thought, feeling her anger bubble up. She blurted out:
“And who’s going to let me sleep on a Saturday morning? Your mother woke me at seven!”
“Really?” Zhenya sounded surprised. “I didn’t know. When I woke up on the couch, I figured I’d let you rest.”
Lera listened to his explanation, but her head was swirling with dark thoughts. She wanted to believe it was all just rumors, that their family was still solid and close. But the image of Alina’s car, which she had seen with her own eyes, haunted her—especially after noticing the wet swim trunks on the balcony clothesline.
Suddenly, she felt an urge to make him feel at least some of the pain he caused her. So she said:
“The kids called. They won’t be here on Sunday; Nastya and Vadik had a change of plans, and Stas is busy too.”
For a moment, Zhenya looked upset, but he quickly pulled himself together:
“Well, what can you do? We used to skip visiting our parents too. Remember how they’d scold us?”
“Yes, I remember plenty, unlike you,” she replied bitterly.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You haven’t forgotten the kids see us as the perfect couple, have you? Stas always says he wants a family just like ours. Nastya told me that when she and Vadik argue, she reminds him that even if her parents fight, they still stick together.”
“I don’t see what you’re getting at,” Zhenya said, frowning.
Lera, unable to bear the lies and half-truths any longer, took a deep breath:
“I saw you with Alina when you drove past the cemetery.”
Zhenya froze, as if he’d turned to stone. His reaction said it all. After a long silence, he finally spoke:
“Well, if you already know, I might as well say it: yes, I love Alina and want to be with her.”
“With her, or with her father?” Lera couldn’t resist a jab.
“Think whatever you want!” he snapped angrily. “I’ve had enough of you slacking off in that department and going on Friday binges. I deserve better. Let’s just get a civilized divorce without the drama.”
Lera was too stunned to speak, and tears of bitterness rolled down her cheeks. She locked herself in the bedroom while Zhenya rummaged in the fridge, dug out something edible, and grumbled:
“Looks like we won’t do this peacefully. She’ll start a fight over the kids every time, like they’re still little…”
For Lera, the hardest part was realizing that the perfect family she had created for her children was about to fall apart. What would they believe in now? Would they still want to build their own lasting relationships? She cried like a child who just found out Santa Claus wasn’t real. All her dreams of true love and loyalty had shattered, faced with Zhenya’s opportunism and his mother’s interference.
She was certain her mother-in-law had played a significant role in this dirty scheme. The company’s director was a classmate of her late husband, and most likely, Lidiya Arkadyevna had exploited his sympathy by painting Lera as a “slave driver” who pushed her son too hard. Then she presented Alina, divorced after an unsuccessful marriage abroad, who had returned to her father’s home.
Lera made her decision. There would be no divorce. Let him do whatever he wanted, but she wouldn’t let him leave so easily. Little did she know what trials awaited her.
Several months went by. Failing to get Lera’s consent to divorce, Zhenya sought help from his mother. She proposed a crafty plan: frame Lera through one of her coworkers. They chose Valya Ivanova, the woman who had always envied Lera’s happy marriage. With the right bribe, Valya quietly altered some accounting documents in a way that would look like errors made by the chief accountant.
When the external audit took place, the auditors discovered major discrepancies. The entire accounting department came under investigation, but the blame landed mostly on Lera’s team—especially her. She was accused of embezzling funds, evading taxes, and other professional violations.
Sentenced to two years, Lera couldn’t fathom how the once-perfect records she’d maintained for years had suddenly become the source of massive errors. She had an excellent memory and knew the figures always added up in her head. But during the investigation, she was denied access to the documents and couldn’t explain the anomalies. Her children, who were deeply worried about her, were her only solace.
Lera’s family and friends used every resource to help her, pulling every string they could. Meanwhile, Alina, Zhenya, and his mother were celebrating their success: with Lera behind bars, they could push through the divorce without her. She had twice refused in court to dissolve the marriage, but at the third hearing, they were sure she wouldn’t appear, and the judge would close the case by default.
On the appointed day, Zhenya arrived at court with a whole entourage—Alina and his mother, who practically begged their future daughter-in-law to accept their family. The two women settled into the courtroom, waiting for the final decision. Then there was a knock on the door.
The judge allowed the visitor to enter, and the plaintiff’s side gasped: Lera stepped into the courtroom. She looked noticeably thinner, but her eyes sparkled with happiness.
It had all started at the pre-trial detention center, where she had fallen seriously ill. She was transferred to the prison infirmary where her old classmate, Vitya Ruslanov, worked; he had recently lost his wife. Discovering she had a lung condition, he arranged better conditions for her. Later, he helped her reconnect with her children, who had been conducting their own investigation. They unearthed crucial proof: a computer analysis showed that Valya Ivanova had used special software to access the chief accountant’s files and alter the financial reports. Overwhelmed by the evidence, Valya confessed. At the new hearing, Lera was completely exonerated.
Right behind her walked in her son, daughter, and son-in-law. The judge, slightly annoyed, asked why there were so many “outsiders” present. Lera calmly replied:
“I am this citizen’s wife, and these are my witnesses.”
The judge explained curtly that witnesses were unnecessary in a divorce hearing that had dragged on for three months because one party refused to cooperate. Lera listened calmly and said:
“Don’t worry. It’ll be over today. I agree to divorce a man who has neither honor nor conscience, who tried to use the law to throw me in prison. But justice prevailed, thanks to the experts who proved the fraud and defamation.”
Zhenya and his mother—silent until then—erupted in outrage:
“What does she mean? How dare she?!”
But the judge quickly restored order. She pronounced the marriage dissolved and asked the former spouses to sign the necessary documents. As they approached the desk, Zhenya whispered in Lera’s ear:
“How did you manage this?”
Lera only smirked.
“You know, Zhenya, we had wonderful kids and a great family. But a rotten sheep got in among us. Guess who it was?”
After signing, she left the courtroom, took Vitya Ruslanov’s arm, and headed outside. The bond that had begun within hospital walls had blossomed into something more after she was cleared. Now they saw each other often and made future plans.
Zhenya, along with Alina and his mother, left the courtroom too. But they were met by the police. It turned out the ploy that had put Lera under investigation could earn Zhenya a suspended sentence and a hefty fine. Valya Ivanova, already under investigation, would face similar charges. As for Alina and Lidiya Arkadyevna, they could expect nothing but a damaged reputation and public condemnation.
But none of it mattered anymore to Lera. She looked ahead with hope, discussing the details of her upcoming trip with Vitya.