Maxim jolted upright in bed, heart pounding and soaked in cold sweat. That same haunting dream had been tormenting him for ten long years, each time echoing the same cruel words:
“You fill me with hatred. I curse the day we met. Stay away from me.”
Despite everything, his feelings for Valentina had never faded. Those final words marked the end of their story. He hadn’t seen her since.
At first, he held onto the hope that level-headed Valya would eventually want to talk, to give him a chance to explain. But back then, he couldn’t explain a thing. His memory had vanished. He couldn’t recall how he got home that night, why Valya’s friend was there, or how he and Rita ended up under the same blanket.
They first met in a quiet park. Rita and Valentina were trying to paddle a boat, laughing as they accidentally kept splashing themselves. Maxim had paused to watch, amused.
“Need a hand, ladies?” he asked with a grin.
Rita, always the bolder one, quickly noticed the charming young man and replied with a laugh, “With you, I’d row all the way to the edge of the earth!”
Valya, on the other hand, had simply lowered her gaze, blushing.
Maxim was drawn to Valya’s gentle nature and soon began courting her. Rita’s jealousy was apparent at first, even threatening their friendship. But eventually, she accepted it, saying, “You can’t make someone love you.”
Their relationship was filled with warmth and tenderness. Maxim always treated Rita respectfully, never wanting to cause tension. His love for Valya felt like destiny. They had even picked out names for their future children—Maria for a girl and Victor for a boy.
Valya had a rare talent for sewing, creating one-of-a-kind outfits admired by all who saw them. Just two weeks before their wedding, she finished making her wedding dress by hand.
Then Rita called, asking to meet. She said it was too personal for the phone. Maxim agreed and met her at a quiet restaurant.
Everything after that was a blur. Valya vanished. Her neighbor later told Maxim she had left town in a hurry, taking only the essentials. Her sewing machine and most of her things were left behind in the rented apartment.
Rita insisted she hadn’t done anything wrong, that Maxim had made the first move. But a week later, she admitted she had slipped something into his drink, hoping to destroy his relationship with Valya.
Even a decade later, Maxim hadn’t recovered from the heartbreak. One day, returning from a business trip, he spotted a girl by the roadside selling clothes. Among the items was a coat he recognized instantly—Valya’s creation. There was no mistaking it.
His legs felt weak as he approached the girl. When she turned, her eyes struck him like lightning. There was something so familiar about her.
“Hi. Are you selling these?” he asked.
“Yes. They’re in excellent condition,” she said. “My mom made them herself.”
“I’ll take them all,” he replied quickly.
The girl looked at his luxury car, then back at him suspiciously.
“You really want all this?”
“Without a doubt. These clothes are… very special.”
She smiled, and it was like seeing Valya all over again. That smile—he’d never forgotten it. She had to be Valya’s daughter.
“Where’s your mother now?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“If I tell you, will you still buy them?”
Maxim pulled out his wallet and handed over all his cash without a second thought.
“That’s too much,” she said, trying to return the change.
“Keep it,” he replied softly.
She nodded, then said, “My mom passed away a year ago. She had been sick for a long time. My stepdad did everything he could to help, but in the end, the doctors couldn’t save her.”
Maxim froze.
“No… No, that can’t be. Valya can’t be gone,” he whispered.
A chill ran down his spine.
“What was your mom’s name?” he asked, already fearing the answer.
“Valya,” the girl said. “My stepdad is Volodya. He’s a good man. He worked hard to support Mom, but now he has serious back issues. We’re out of money for treatment. Grandma Anya said we should sell some of Mom’s clothes. I didn’t want to, but we don’t have a choice.”
“And your real father?” Maxim asked, barely able to get the words out.
“I don’t know. Mom never spoke about him.”
Maxim couldn’t walk away. He couldn’t turn his back on this girl. If Valya was truly gone, then this child was all that remained of her.
“I’d like to speak with your stepfather,” he said.
The girl seemed nervous.
“Are you going to yell at him? He didn’t make me do this. In fact, he was against it. He said we should keep her things.”
“No,” Maxim said gently. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk about your mom.”
“You knew her?” she asked.
“I think so,” he said after a long breath.
She studied his face, then nodded.
“Our house is on South Street, number three.”
“Would you be willing to come with me?” he asked, then quickly added, “You don’t have to. I understand—it’s not safe to get into a stranger’s car.”
“I’ll come,” she said. “My name is Masha.”
Maxim’s heart stopped. He and Valya had once dreamed of naming their daughter Masha.
At the house, a man leaning on a crutch opened the door and looked at Maxim with suspicion.
“Sweetheart, who is this? You got in a stranger’s car?”
“You’re Volodya?” Maxim asked.
The man nodded, still cautious.
“And you must be Maxim,” Volodya said after a moment. “How did you find us?”
“You know who I am?”
“Valya talked about you.”
“She left without letting me explain,” Maxim said quietly. “I just want someone to hear the truth now.”
“Come in,” Volodya said, stepping aside.
After hearing the whole story, Volodya shook his head.
“This sounds like something out of a film. We married only three years ago. She was already ill, worried sick that Masha would end up alone. She didn’t tell the girl much. Probably for the best. I held on until the end, hoping she’d recover. Now I’m the one who needs help. I can’t work. But you’re here now. You’ll look after Masha, won’t you?”
Maxim turned to him, overwhelmed.
“Of course I will. I’ll do everything I can.”
“You know she’s your daughter. You even look alike.”
“What?” Masha gasped.
Maxim sat in silence, tears flowing freely. Volodya didn’t speak, just let the moment unfold.
Finally, Maxim asked, “Can you take me to where she’s buried?”
Later, at the gravesite, he knelt and whispered apologies to the woman he had lost. There had been no way to fix it then, but now he would make it right.
“What’s holding you here, Volodya?” Maxim asked on the way back.
“I lost my job. No prospects. Not much left for me here.”
“Come with me. I’ll help with your treatment, with work, with everything. I run my own company. And Masha—she should have the best life. I’ll make sure of it.”
Volodya was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
“You’re right. She’s a remarkable girl. If you’re offering this, I won’t stand in the way. I always suspected something didn’t add up. Valya wouldn’t have loved a man with a bad heart.”
They shook hands just as laughter echoed from the doorway.
“Wow! Now I have two dads!” Masha exclaimed, wrapping her arms around them both as they stood together, united by loss, love, and a future none of them could have predicted.