Svetlana entered the apartment, her heart racing with excitement, expecting to find peace, tranquility, and perhaps a renewed connection with her husband. She had been away on business for two days, and although it was not the break she had hoped for, returning early was her way of treating herself to some much-needed rest. She didn’t tell Kostya she was coming back a day early—partly by accident, partly because it would be a nice surprise for him.
As she entered the hallway, her eyes caught sight of unfamiliar women’s boots neatly placed by the door. Her stomach tightened. It was the perfume that made her pulse quicken, the overpowering scent of sweet, cloying fragrance wafting through the air. She turned her head, and her eyes fell upon a fur coat hanging in the closet—a coat she didn’t recognize, but one that carried the unmistakable scent of betrayal.
A sudden nausea swept over her. What had she walked into? This wasn’t how her home was supposed to be. It was supposed to be filled with warmth, love, and comfort. But this was a nightmare unfolding right in front of her eyes.
She took a step forward, hearing muffled laughter from the bedroom. The sound pierced through her like a sharp dagger. Without thinking, she reached for something on the side table, a random object, anything to hold in her trembling hand.
Why hadn’t she seen it before? Why hadn’t she felt the distance between them growing, the way Kostya had stopped showing interest in her, the way he seemed lost in his phone, as if she didn’t even exist anymore? And now this—he had brought a woman into their home, into their bed, as if she was nothing but a stranger. As if the years they had shared meant nothing.
The laughter from the bedroom grew louder, and Svetlana’s grip tightened on the object she had picked up. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do. Part of her wanted to scream, to make them both feel the pain she was carrying inside. But another part of her—perhaps the part of her that still loved him—was determined to stay composed. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her broken.
She took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the bedroom door, ready to confront her husband and his lover.
Svetlana opened the door.
What she saw made her heart stop.
There, sitting on the bed, was Kostya. And beside him, not just any woman, but Dasha, their mutual friend from years ago. The one person she never would have suspected. Dasha, with her disarming smile, her innocent eyes, her soft laugh, was the one Kostya had chosen.
Dasha’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of Svetlana. Kostya, equally stunned, sat frozen on the bed, his face pale.
Svetlana, fighting back the tears, managed to find her voice.
“Dasha? What are you doing here?”
Her voice trembled, but she held her ground. There was no more room for silence in her life.
Dasha stood up immediately, her face flushed with embarrassment. “Svetlana, I… I didn’t mean for you to find out like this…”
“Didn’t mean for me to find out?” Svetlana’s voice grew louder, her anger and hurt pouring out. “You didn’t mean for me to find out that you’ve been lying in my bed? What is this? You both knew how much I loved him, how much we meant to each other.”
Kostya stood up now, his hands raised as if to defend himself, but his eyes were filled with guilt and fear. “Svet, listen—”
“No! Don’t you dare try to explain this away. There’s nothing you can say to fix this!” Svetlana shouted, her voice breaking as she collapsed onto the couch. The bottle of wine she had bought for a romantic evening now lay forgotten on the floor, spilling its contents across the carpet.
Dasha stepped toward Svetlana, her face a mixture of guilt and sorrow. “I never meant to hurt you, Svetlana. I’m so sorry. Kostya and I… we just… it wasn’t supposed to go this far.”
Svetlana shook her head, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. “This wasn’t supposed to go this far?” She laughed bitterly. “This is my home. How could you do this to me? How could you do this to our family?”
Her heart was shattering, piece by piece, as the reality of her situation sank in. She had been living a lie. All these years, she had thought that she was building a life with the man she loved, raising their son, planning their future. And now, she was nothing more than a woman betrayed by both her husband and her closest friend.
Svetlana looked up at Kostya, her tears flowing freely now. “I gave everything to you, Kostya. I was there for you, and this is how you repay me?”
He didn’t answer. His eyes were filled with shame, but the silence between them was deafening.
Dasha turned to leave, her steps hesitant. She knew there was nothing more to say. As she walked out of the apartment, the door closed quietly behind her, and Svetlana was left alone with her thoughts.
Kostya sat down next to her, but Svetlana couldn’t look at him. Not anymore.
“Please, Svetlana, just let me explain,” he begged.
But there were no words left to explain. There was no excuse for what he had done. Svetlana knew, deep down, that nothing would ever be the same.