Victoria removed her coat from the hanger and began to put it on.

"Why are you always in such a rush?" her colleague, Elena, asked.

"Elena, you know, Maria Ivanovna is waiting for me at home," Victoria replied, turning to her friend.

Elena smiled wryly:
"You're peculiar, Victoria. She's not even your relative, and her son really disrupted your life. Now all your time is spent caring for an elderly woman?"

Victoria smiled warmly:
"Maria Ivanovna is a wonderful person. She's alone, and I'm the only one she has. I won't leave her, no matter what you think. What does it matter to you?"

"Just curious, honestly, it's nothing important. I just feel sorry for you; you're about to turn forty."

"So what? I'm happy with everything."notesread.com

Victoria stepped outside and inhaled the crisp, frosty air, thinking about Maria Ivanovna. If her condition was stable today, she would heat the stove herself. What if her blood pressure had risen again? She needed to hurry.

Victoria quickened her pace to the bus stop.

Her house was small, but it was hers. It was good that she managed to buy it after her late husband left them without a place to live.

Looking at her watch, Victoria saw that the minibus would arrive in twenty minutes. That meant she had time to stop by the pharmacy. She had received her salary today and needed to buy some medicine. Maria Ivanovna had some stock, but it was better to have more.

"Hello, Victoria! How is Maria Ivanovna?" asked the elderly pharmacist, who had once lived next door to her mother-in-law.

"Hi, Nina Petrovna. Everything's the same."

"Oh, Victoria, how 'lucky' you are—taking care of your mother-in-law."

"Everything's fine," Victoria answered with a slight smile.

After receiving the medicine and thanking the pharmacist, Victoria stepped out of the pharmacy and sighed deeply. Maria Ivanovna had confided in her that Alexei was not her biological son but adopted. Victoria learned this only after his death.

Victoria remembered that sad day. They had lived in a small house because Alexei had convinced her to sell their apartment and invest the money in a risky venture, which led to the loss of all their funds and a hefty debt.

Maria Ivanovna and Victoria couldn't hold back their tears. The threats over the phone made them act quickly. Alexei had left in the morning and wasn't back all day. Victoria decided that as soon as the money came back, she would file for divorce.

But fate had other plans. Around 8 pm, people in uniform knocked on the door. Instead of paying off the debt, Alexei had tried to win in a casino but lost even more, and on his way out of the place, he was hit by a car.

The people responsible for his death were detained, but it didn't change the fact—Alexei was gone, the money was lost, and the apartment was gone too.

Victoria remembered Maria Ivanovna's tears. Later, they sat across from each other, and her mother-in-law began to tell her story.

"Thirty-five years ago, when I was about to turn thirty, I was engaged to an amazing man. I had a friend named Olga, who was closer to me than anyone else. I was going to marry Nikolai, but she liked him too. She decided to turn us against each other. When Nikolai left for a work shift, Olga got pregnant and claimed it was from him. If you only knew, Victoria, how much I loved him! I packed my things, wrote him a letter saying I was getting married, and left. I only returned after five years when I heard that Kolya had left her and moved far away. Olga led a restless life: her men changed constantly. But I felt sorry for her and the boy. Then Olga got sick, and the doctors weren't optimistic. I took Alexei in because I couldn't leave him alone. Before she died, Olga asked me to promise I wouldn't abandon the boy. But I would never have left him; I got attached to him. Just before she closed her eyes, she whispered: 'I'm sorry, Anya, the child isn't from Kolya.'"

Victoria was stunned; no tears came. Maria Ivanovna, however, quietly cried, as if freeing her soul from the burden.

"Since then, Alexei and I lived together," the woman continued. "I can't say why he became the way he is. I tried my best, but I guess the genes did their work. I'm sorry, Victoria, I should have told you this right away."SuperSummary

At Maria Ivanovna's funeral, she suffered a stroke. All of their acquaintances advised Victoria to place her in a specialized facility, claiming she would never recover, and that no outsider should be caring for her. Even Maria Ivanovna, once her speech returned, insisted on it. But Victoria didn't want to listen to anyone. She believed that Maria Ivanovna would recover and that they would stay together. The doctors waved their hands, saying it was unrealistic.

After their conversation, Victoria asked only one question:

"Have you ever tried to find Nikolai?"

Maria Ivanovna just shook her head:

"There's no point. He's probably with another family by now."

When Victoria reached the bus stop, the minibus arrived. Settling by the window, she could finally relax.

The frost was intensifying, and it felt especially strong on the outskirts. Victoria pulled up the collar of her coat and walked faster toward home.

Turning the corner, she was relieved to see smoke coming from the chimney of their house—that meant Maria Ivanovna had started the stove.

But her attention was drawn to an expensive car at the gate. It had probably been there for a while since the hood was covered in frost. Who could it be? Since Alexei disappeared over three years ago, it was unlikely that creditors would come knocking again. Although… they might remember the debts.

Victoria quickened her pace and then broke into a run. Maria Ivanovna wasn't in any condition to face uninvited guests. Why hadn't she called? Her mind was filled with anxious thoughts.

Throwing open the door, Victoria burst into the house. What she saw was far from her ominous premonitions. In the kitchen, rosy-cheeked and refreshed, sat Maria Ivanovna with a cup of tea.