Anya Karpenko had long been living a life of quiet resignation. Waking up every morning to the sharp sound of the front door slamming, knowing Igor was leaving for work without a word, she had become used to the distance in their marriage. There were no warm good mornings or even a simple “How was your day?” from him. The silence was now a part of her daily routine, something she had stopped noticing.
She had her own dreams, though — dreams that had been growing for the past three years of marriage. She worked as an accountant, meticulously saving every penny she could to eventually buy a place of her own. The two-room apartment they rented was suffocating her. The walls were too thin, the landlady too intrusive, and the rent too high. Anya wanted a home, and she was determined to make it happen.
Her husband, Igor, on the other hand, seemed content with the way things were. He worked as a driver, earning a decent salary, but he never seemed willing to commit to their shared goals. Money was spent on cigarettes, beers with friends, and his beloved car. It was clear he wasn’t invested in the future they had hoped for. Anya kept her dreams to herself, saving her money and planning ahead. She visited apartments, took photos, and even compared prices. But Igor never showed any interest.
One morning, after a phone call from Igor’s friend, Max, something clicked inside Anya. Max had asked how the apartment hunt was going, a simple question that seemed harmless enough. Yet, there was an underlying tone in his voice that made Anya uneasy. She had brushed it off at the time, but when Igor came home that evening, he acted strange. A coldness lingered between them, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
A week later, when Igor left his phone at home once again, Anya’s curiosity got the better of her. She heard the calls coming in, one after another, all from Max. Normally, she would have ignored them, but this time, she muted the phone and went about her day. When Igor returned, he immediately asked if anyone had called. She lied and said no.
Later, as Anya got out of the shower, she noticed Igor’s phone on the floor. It must have slipped from his pocket when he had been searching for papers earlier. She picked it up to return it to him, but the unlocked screen caught her attention. The unread messages from Max were impossible to ignore.
“What’s going on? Are you sure she suspects nothing? She acted strange yesterday…”
Anya’s heart pounded in her chest as her eyes scanned the rest of the conversation. The messages were shocking, revealing a conversation about her, about Igor, and about something she never could have imagined.
The truth hit her like a punch to the stomach. Igor was planning something — something that would tear their already fragile marriage apart. He had been secretly plotting with Max, and the betrayal she had never seen coming was finally laid bare before her.
In that moment, Anya made a decision. She would finally break free from the life she had been living, from the man who had failed to see her, from the silence that had consumed her. She wasn’t going to wait for him any longer. The time had come to take control of her own destiny.
Her dream of buying an apartment was no longer just a dream — it was her escape, and she would get it, no matter the cost.