Her head throbbed, so she forced herself to get up from the desk and take some calming medication. It was unimaginable that Arkadiy could betray her like this. But what else could this situation be? The girl had captioned the photo with the word "Daddy." And Arkadiy was old enough to be her father! The implications of such a label were clear. Lately, Arkadiy had been stressing over finances, mentioning that bonuses at work had been canceled, and his income was modest. But now, so many things made sense... Was he using money to support his mistress? Their joint savings account had recently dwindled, and Nadezhda had never questioned it. She trusted him, thinking if he was withdrawing money, it was for something necessary. But now, she wasn’t so sure.
Nadezhda returned to the computer desk and looked at the photograph again, this time with disgust, before closing it. She didn’t feel like doing anything, but she had made a promise to a colleague. She couldn’t just leave everything behind, so she distracted herself by updating the information for work, completely detaching from what she had seen. After finishing her task, she quickly messaged her colleague, turned off her phone, and went to the kitchen. Cooking dinner always calmed her, so she decided to immerse herself in it, hoping it would take her mind off the unsettling thoughts that kept creeping in.
Hearing the door to the apartment open, Nadezhda peeked into the hallway. Maxim, the foster son she and Arkadiy had adopted as a baby, had returned. They had never kept the truth from Maxim, and he loved them deeply, considering them his real family.
“You’re home early today,” Nadezhda said, forcing a smile.
“I just stopped by for a bit, Mom. The guys and I are heading to the chess club. I’ll be late. We ordered pizza, so have dinner without me. We need to train more before the competition. Got to keep those brain cells sharp.” Maxim paused, noticing his mother’s mood. “What’s wrong, Mom? You look more down than usual.”
“No, no, everything’s fine. Just tired today. The heat is getting to me, you know how I am in this weather. Don’t worry. Everything’s good. Good luck with your game,” Nadezhda replied, trying to appear normal.
Maxim changed clothes and left shortly after, leaving Nadezhda sitting alone at the table. She began to think about the conversation with Arkadiy. She loved him deeply. They had shared so much, been through so many years together. How would they live apart if it came to that? And yet, he had already found his consolation. But did his young mistress even care about him? That remained a question.
After a while, Arkadiy came home, holding a bouquet of lilies—Nadezhda’s favorite flowers. He often brought them for her, sometimes opting for other flowers to keep things varied. She had always thought it was a sweet gesture, but now she wondered—did he bring them back from his affair? And how often had he done this? Her heart clenched again.
“Smells delicious in here! I’m always happy to come home to a warm dinner and my wonderful family,” Arkadiy said with a smile, handing her the bouquet and kissing her on the cheek. “I missed you. Let me wash up, then we can eat. I’m starving.”
Nadezhda placed the bouquet in a vase while Arkadiy changed and washed his hands. She tried to keep herself composed. It wasn’t easy, but she had to retain some semblance of respect. Twenty-five years of marriage meant something, and even if Arkadiy had betrayed her, she couldn’t let it all fall apart immediately.
After serving the meal, Nadezhda sat down at the table.
“Nadyushka, what’s bothering you today? Is everything okay at work?” Arkadiy asked, noticing her mood.
“I know everything…” Nadezhda said quietly, looking at him and pursing her lips. “I know, Arkadiy. There’s no point in hiding anything from me anymore. You realize that the girl in that photo isn’t your child, don’t you?”
His mistress might try to convince him that the pregnancy was a miracle, but Arkadiy could not have children. They had been to doctors and had been told that Arkadiy was infertile. It was the reason they had adopted Maxim in the first place. But here he was, posing in photos with a pregnant girl, acting as if she were carrying his child. For a moment, Nadezhda had hoped it was just some kind of mix-up, perhaps a daughter of his friend or colleague. But the photo was too intimate, too personal for that. Why was he tagged in it? Clearly, the mistress knew he rarely appeared on social media and wanted to show Nadezhda what was happening. What was she trying to achieve?
“I’m guessing you’ve already figured everything out, my Sherlock. But I suspect someone is trying to deceive me. I promise I’ll sort it out,” Arkadiy said, his voice a little defensive.
“Just like that? You won’t even try to deny it?” Nadezhda replied, her voice steady.
“What’s the point in lying? You know everything already. I just didn’t want to upset you. I got involved with her, and now I’m dealing with the fallout.”
Nadezhda wanted to scream. She had hoped her husband would defend himself, that he would deny the affair, but instead, he only confirmed it. His words echoed in her mind, like an endless loop.
“I said I wanted a DNA test, but she refuses. If she were truly honest, she wouldn’t argue. She would just agree to the test,” he muttered.
Nadezhda smiled grimly, shook her head, and sobbed.
“What made you think this was a good idea? She’s young enough to be your daughter! I never imagined you’d do something like this.”
“What daughter? Are you talking about Lena? She looks older than you now! You’re giving me too much credit,” Arkadiy replied, defensively.
“You have a Lena too? Great! I was talking about Svetlana, the girl sitting on your lap in that photo…” Nadezhda’s voice wavered with frustration.
“Wait, Nadyusha, you misunderstood everything. Svetlana is the one they’re trying to pin on me. At first, I thought you found out about Lena… I don’t know how she found me, but she claimed to be my daughter, needing support because the father of her child ran away. I met her once in a café, and she asked to take a photo. I didn’t imagine she would sit on my lap and start hugging me like that. I told her I doubted our connection, that I can’t have children, but she insisted that I was the only one she could turn to.”
Nadezhda’s heart slowly sank as the truth unfolded. She had been in disbelief but now she had clarity. She wanted to believe in Arkadiy, to trust that he hadn’t meant any harm, but the evidence was right in front of her.
“I never thought this would happen,” she whispered. “Why did you get involved in this?”
Arkadiy sighed deeply. “I’ve already promised to clear everything up. But you know what? I’ve learned my lesson.”
Nadezhda didn’t know what to feel anymore. She wiped her tears and asked, “What now?”
“We’ll work through this together,” Arkadiy said, reaching out to comfort her.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Nadezhda wasn’t sure where their relationship was headed. But one thing was clear—she wasn’t about to let this go easily.
