— Alex, let’s end this. Five years of marriage, and we still haven’t been able to have a child. Why keep dragging this out? I don’t want to raise someone else’s children. Surrogacy isn’t an option for us. We’ve already spent too much on IVF, and it hasn’t worked.

— I feel the same way, Julia. All of this feels pointless. Love alone can’t build a family.

— I don’t want anything from you, Alex. The apartment stays yours. I’ll go live with my mom.

They parted with a heavy heart on the very day they filed for divorce. Julia cried both before and after the ceremony, and Alex’s eyes were filled with sorrow.

After leaving the registry office, they went their separate ways.

At home, Julia confided in her mother:

— Alex’s mother was constantly pushing him, telling him I was infertile and not good enough for her son. Well, let her celebrate now. I’ve freed her precious boy for the daughters of her friends. Half of them are already married, but that’s still not enough for her.

— Sweetheart, don’t dwell on them. Alex has his own mind. You were the one who insisted on the divorce.

— That stubborn mother-in-law drove me to the edge. She’d come over, then call, demanding we leave her beloved son alone.

Later, Julia’s old classmate, Victor, came by to visit.

— I saw you moving out yesterday. My wife passed away during childbirth. I took the twins to their grandmother in the countryside. She’s retired now and needs to help raise them.

— Victor, you didn’t come here just to chat, did you? What’s going on? You’ve got something planned.

— The boys need a mother. They’ll be starting school soon, and it’s not going to be in a village, right?

— So, you’re asking for a nanny? I’m still working.

— No, Julia. The grandmother will move in with us. I’ve always had feelings for you since school, but you chose Alex. I married Sveta without love.

— So, you’ve liked me all this time, and I never knew about it?

— Julia, would you consider marrying me?

— Victor, you’re rushing things. Give me some time to think.

— We can file the application, and then you’ll have a couple of months to decide.

— Alright, you’ve convinced me. Come by my office tomorrow after work. I’ll text you the address. And no extravagant wedding, please.

— As you wish.

Victor left, and Julia couldn’t help but laugh.

— Mom, can you believe it? I just got divorced, and now my new fiancé is here!

— Victor’s a good man, sweetheart. I feel bad for Sveta. She carried twins, it must’ve been so difficult. She was in and out of the hospital for bed rest. Her heart was weak.

— Oh, Mom, I’m definitely not pregnant.

A few weeks later, Julia received a call from her former mother-in-law.

— Alex and Lena have filed for their application at the registry office. I didn’t even know she was pregnant. Apparently, it’s already three months along.

— Congratulations to your son, — Julia said, ending the call.

— Mom, Victor showed up just in time. I’m marrying him without hesitation, — she told her mother, sharing the news about Alex’s new life.

Julia and Victor filed their application at the registry office. Outside, he suggested she move in with him.

— I’m sorry, but I’m not ready for that kind of closeness yet. I’ll move in after the wedding. For now, let’s get used to each other from a distance.

Victor agreed, though Julia noticed a hint of hurt in his voice. However, it didn’t seem important at that moment. Time would heal everything.

Julia couldn’t stop thinking about Alex, especially in the evenings and at night. She almost called him several times to express her frustration — how could he, still married to her, begin a relationship with Lena? But something inside stopped her.

The day of the registry office ceremony with Victor was approaching, and Julia suddenly fell ill. She felt nauseous in the mornings, and her head would spin. She thought it was just the anxiety of the situation. Her mother suggested she see a doctor.

Julia scheduled an appointment for the day before her wedding.

— You’re expecting, — the doctor said.

— That’s impossible. I’ve just divorced my husband, and I haven’t been with anyone else.

— You should take some tests, — the doctor handed her a referral.

The results wouldn’t be ready immediately, and the next day was her wedding. Should she tell Victor? What if the test was wrong, or it was just a hormonal imbalance? She decided to wait and go to bed.

Later that night, Alex called her.

— How are you, Julia?

— I’m fine! Tomorrow I’m marrying a widower with kids. I’ll be raising someone else’s children.

— And you didn’t want to take the little one from the orphanage with me?

— Alex, time passes, and my desires change.

— Send me the registry office details. I want to come congratulate you.

— I’ll text you the time tomorrow. Be happy for me, even though I couldn’t be happy for you during your wedding.

— I don’t get it, Julia. What do you mean?

— About your affair, although I didn’t know about it before. Your mother filled me in.

— Again, my mother? I’m tired of her meddling. I’ve only ever wanted you, Julia. I miss you so much.

At the registry office, when the official asked Julia if she agreed to marry Victor, she hesitated, glancing around at the guests. She was waiting for Alex. And then, there he was, holding a bouquet of flowers, shouting:

— I love you, Julia! Don’t marry him! — and with that, he rushed toward her with open arms.

— I can’t live without you, Alex. — Julia ran into his arms, and he scooped her up, rushing out of the building. They went to his car and drove to his place.

— And what about your pregnant girlfriend, Lena?

— Who? I don’t know her. Besides you, I’ve never been with anyone. Did your mother say that?

— Alex, even after our divorce, she can’t find peace.

That evening, Alex shared what he had learned.

— I was visiting my mom the day before yesterday. It was late, so I decided to stay over. I overheard a conversation between her and a friend. I listened in and understood everything, — he explained.

Julia had no idea about her mother-in-law’s treachery. She had secretly sabotaged Julia’s pregnancies, even mixing something into her tea during their first attempt at conceiving. And even after the IVF treatments, she continued to harm her.

— Alex, could she really have done that?

— I underestimated her, Julia. But now, things will be different. You’re going to get pregnant.

Suddenly, Julia received the results of her tests.

— Alex, I’m pregnant with your child. I haven’t been with Victor. Can you believe it? It’s about two and a half months along. When we divorced, I was already out of the picture.

— My mother will never step foot in our house again, Julia. She’s not welcome.

Julia gave birth to a beautiful daughter later on, during her second marriage to Alex. When Alex informed his mother, she was in shock.

— You’re back together? How could you, my son? I had arranged things with Olga Pavlovna. Her daughter just graduated from college, and we were planning a visit. This is not your child, Alex.

— What do you mean “my child”? And this is just the beginning. I need to tell you something else. The last time I stayed over at your place, I overheard what you said to your friend. Do you realize what you did to Julia? You’d be in prison for that. Never come near my family again.

Years passed.

Alex and Julia had two more children. He still kept in touch with his mother, calling her from time to time and visiting occasionally. However, he never lifted the ban he imposed on her.