Anna stood in the entryway with a suitcase in her hand, as if struck by lightning. Her business trip to Novosibirsk had ended three days early—the contract had been signed faster than expected.
She decided not to call Igor; she wanted to surprise him. And now… the surprise was hers.

An unfamiliar burgundy coat hung on the rack. Expensive cashmere. Beneath it—elegant stiletto heels, clearly not her size. Her heart was pounding so loudly it seemed the neighbors could hear it through the walls.

“Igor?” she called, but only an echo answered from the empty rooms.

Anna slowly walked into the living room. On the coffee table were two used glasses, one with a lipstick mark. Pink. She never wore pink lipstick—only red or cherry. A silk blouse lay on the sofa, something she knew she had never seen before.

“Could it really…” Anna whispered, feeling her legs go weak.

Fifteen years of marriage. Fifteen years she’d believed in their happiness, in his loyalty. And he… Her hands trembled as she picked up the blouse—light, airy, scented with unfamiliar perfume.

In the bedroom, more “discoveries” awaited her. A stranger’s makeup bag sat on her vanity, and in the bathroom—a toothbrush she had never used. Pink, just like the lipstick on the glass.

Anna collapsed onto the bed, clamping her hands over her mouth. How blind she’d been. All those late returns from work, sudden “business trips,” excuses…

“So what do I do now?” she asked the empty room.

Her first impulse was to pack and leave for her mother’s. But no… she wouldn’t forgive him that easily. Igor had to explain everything. He had to look her in the eyes and tell the truth.

Anna got up and resolutely went to the kitchen. If he thought he could get rid of her so easily, he was deeply mistaken. Tonight they were going to have a serious talk.

She took dinner ingredients from the fridge. She’d cook his favorite—French-style baked meat. Let him eat a home-cooked meal one last time. And then… then they would settle everything once and for all.

Time dragged painfully. Anna paced the apartment like a wounded animal in a cage. Again and again her eyes fell on the чужие things, and her heart clenched with pain and fury at the same time.

“How dare he?” she hissed, folding the unfamiliar blouse. “Bring her here—into our home, into our bedroom!”

At half past six she heard familiar footsteps on the stairs. Igor was coming up slowly, apparently talking on the phone. Anna quickly took her place in the kitchen, pretending to cook.

Keys in the lock. The creak of the door. And then—silence. Such a ringing silence you could hear a speck of dust fall.

“Anya?” her husband’s voice sounded strange, with a guilty note. “Are you… home?”

“And where else would I be?” she answered calmly without turning around. “The trip ended early.”

Igor appeared in the kitchen doorway. His face was pale, almost gray.

“Listen, Anya, I need to explain something to you…”

“Explain?” Anna finally turned to him. “What exactly? That there’s a чужое coat hanging in our entryway? Or that there are two glasses on our table? Or maybe that there are чужие things in our bedroom?”

Each word cracked like a whip. Igor flinched and dropped his eyes.

“It’s not what you think…”

“And what do I think, Igor?” Anna’s voice grew colder and colder. “Enlighten me—what am I supposed to think when I come home and find evidence of another woman?”

“Anya, let me explain!” He took a step forward, but stopped when he saw her look.

“Fifteen years!” she shouted. “Fifteen years I was faithful to you! And you… you brought her into our home!”

Igor said nothing, and that silence spoke louder than any words. Anna felt something inside her snap.

“Who is she?” she asked quietly.

“Anya…”

“Who is she, I’m asking!”

Igor exhaled heavily and sat down on a chair.

“Her name is Elena. She works in our marketing department. It… it started six months ago.”

Six months. Anna gripped the table so she wouldn’t fall. So all this time he’d been lying, cheating, betraying their love.

“Six months…” Anna repeated slowly, as if tasting the words. “So when you gave me flowers for my birthday, when we planned our vacation in Turkey, when you said you loved me… all that time you had her?”

Igor sat with his head down and stayed silent. Anna couldn’t bear that silence.

“Answer me!” she screamed, flinging a kitchen towel at him. “I have a right to know the truth!”

“Yes,” he whispered. “Yes, I had her. But that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you!”

Anna laughed hysterically.

“Didn’t stop loving me? You bring your mistress into our home and say you didn’t stop? What about our vows? What about ‘together in sickness and in health’?”

“Anya, understand, it was an accident! I didn’t plan it, I didn’t want it… it just happened!”

“An accident?” Her voice sharpened. “Six months of accidents? Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Igor stood and tried to come closer, but Anna stepped back.

“Don’t you dare touch me! Your hands… they touched her!”

“Anya, listen to me…”

“Why did you bring her here?” Her eyes filled with furious tears. “Weren’t there hotels, rented apartments? You had to defile our home?”

Igor froze, and something like fear flashed in his eyes.

“She… she wanted to see where I live. She said she wanted to understand what kind of wife I have…”

“Understand what kind of wife you have?” Anna clutched her chest. “And what did she understand while looking at our family photos, lying in our bed?”

“We didn’t… in the bedroom we didn’t…”

“You’re lying!” Anna shrieked. “Her toothbrush is in the bathroom, her makeup bag is on my vanity! Do you think I’m blind?”

Suddenly something inside her broke. The rage turned into icy calm.

“You know what, Igor?” Her voice became strangely even. “You’re right. I really do need to understand something. And I did.”

She walked to the stove and turned off the oven.

“Dinner is canceled. As is everything else.”

“What do you mean?” тревога crept into Igor’s voice.

Anna turned to him with a smile that sent goosebumps down his spine.

“I mean, my dear, that tonight you really are in for a surprise.”

Igor tensed. Her voice had that dangerous note he’d heard only a couple of times in their life together—and both times it had meant nothing good.

“What surprise, Anya?” he asked cautiously.

Anna took her phone out of her purse and started dialing.

“Hello, Elena?” Her voice was pointedly polite. “Good evening! This is Anna, Igor’s wife.”

Igor turned pale as chalk.

“Anya, hang up!”

But she only wagged a finger, continuing:

“Yes, yes—that wife you’ve probably heard a lot about. Listen, dear, could you come over to our place? You left some вещи here. Yes, today. Igor is home—we’re waiting for you.”

She ended the call and smiled at her husband.

“In half an hour she’ll be here. I think the three of us have something to talk about.”

“You’ve gone mad!” Igor exploded. “Why did you call her?”

“Why not?” Anna shrugged. “If she wanted so badly to know what kind of wife you have—let her find out. In person.”

The next half hour crawled by. Igor rushed around the apartment, begging his wife to change her mind, while Anna calmly set the table for three.

The doorbell rang like a verdict.

“Go open it,” Anna said sweetly. “Your guest is here.”

Elena was exactly as Anna had imagined—young, beautiful, уверенная в себе. Right up until she saw the mistress of the house.

“Come in, don’t be shy,” Anna invited. “You’re practically the хозяйка here.”

“Anna Viktorovna, I… I can explain…”

“Explain?” Anna laughed. “What’s there to explain? Everything’s perfectly clear. You’re young and pretty, and my husband is a man in his prime. Chemistry, you know.”

Elena looked at Igor helplessly, but he stood with his eyes lowered.

“Sit down,” Anna pointed to a chair. “I made tea. We’ll talk woman to woman.”

“Anya, please…” Igor began.

“Quiet,” his wife cut him off. “Men don’t get the floor here.”

She sat across from Elena and looked straight into her eyes.

“Tell me honestly—do you love him?”

The question was so unexpected Elena went still.

“I… yes. I love him.”

“And you want to be with him?”

“Yes.”

“Then he’s yours,” Anna said calmly, taking off her wedding ring. “Take him.”

She placed the ring on the table in front of the stunned lovers.

“Just know this—he knows how to lie красиво. And if he cheated on me, he’ll cheat on you too. Good luck.”

Anna stood, took her suitcase, and headed for the door.

“Anya, wait!” Igor called after her.

“No,” she turned one last time. “I gave you fifteen years of my life. I won’t give you one second more.”

The door clicked shut behind her, giving her a new life.