Inna stood by the window, watching raindrops streak down the glass, weaving strange and beautiful patterns. Seventeen years. Was that a lot or a little? She could recall every anniversary, every ordinary day, every shared moment with Alexey. And now, suddenly, it all felt like it had crumbled.
“We need to talk,” Alexey said.
“I’m leaving, Inna. For Natasha.”
There was no dramatic pause. Only the quiet ticking of the old wall clock, the one his mother had given them long ago, broke the stillness.
“The student from your faculty?” Her voice was remarkably steady.
“Yes. My feelings have changed. I want something new. New experiences, new emotions. You’re an intelligent woman—you must understand.”
Inna smiled faintly.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ve already packed.”
She walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle they had once set aside for a ‘special occasion.’
“Well, I suppose this qualifies,” she said, removing the seal. “How about a farewell dinner? Invite your friends, your family. Seventeen years of marriage deserves a proper sendoff.”
Alexey blinked, surprised.
“You… want to celebrate our divorce?”
“Why not?” she said, pouring a glass. “Let’s part with dignity. You said it yourself—I’m a smart woman.”
She began sending messages.
“Tomorrow, seven in the evening. I’ll cook your favorite dishes. Think of it as my gift.”
Alexey stood there, stunned. He had anticipated tears, arguments, begging—anything but this eerie calm.
“Oh, and tell Natasha she’s welcome too. I’d like to meet the woman who reignited something in you that I apparently couldn’t.”
Inna didn’t sleep much that night. At dawn, she called the banks, met with a lawyer, prepared all the necessary documents. Every step was intentional, measured.
By evening, the apartment smelled of warm, luxurious food. She laid the table with the best china—the set gifted by her mother-in-law on their wedding day.
“Everything has to be perfect,” she whispered to herself.
His mother, Vera Pavlovna, approached her awkwardly.
“Innochka, maybe there’s still a way back?”
“No, Mama. Some things are better let go of. This is one of them.”
The guests arrived slowly. Friends, family. Faces she had once considered part of her home. She greeted them all with quiet grace.
“Come in, sit down. Tonight, you are the guests of honor.”
Once the table was full, she stood with a glass in hand.
“My dear friends. Today marks not an end, but a new beginning. We are here to say farewell to a chapter of life.”
She looked at Alexey.
“Lesha, thank you for these seventeen years. For the joy and the pain, for everything we went through. You’ve taught me a lot. Especially about the many shapes love can take.”
A ripple of discomfort passed through the room. Natasha fidgeted with a napkin, eyes lowered.
“You also taught me to pay attention to the small things,” Inna added. “Especially when it comes to money.”
She placed a stack of documents on the table.
“Here’s the car loan you took out under our joint name. Here are the overdue taxes from your company. And these—restaurant bills, jewelry receipts—little things meant, I imagine, to impress Natasha?”
Alexey’s face turned pale. Natasha sat frozen.
“But this,” Inna continued, pulling out one final document, “is the most interesting. Our prenuptial agreement. The one you signed without reading. There’s a clause about infidelity and asset division. You really should have paid attention.”
The room was silent.
“The apartment is legally mine. I’ve blocked the accounts. And the divorce petition was filed last night.”
She turned toward Natasha.
“My dear, are you truly ready to build a future with a man who has no property, no savings, and a mountain of debt?”
“I… I think I should go,” Natasha whispered and stood.
Vera Pavlovna stood too.
“Lesha… How could you? We raised you to be better than this.”
“You don’t understand,” Alexey started, but his father cut him off.
“No, son. You don’t understand. Seventeen years of marriage, and you threw it all away. For what? A fling?”
The guests looked down into their plates. No one dared speak. Only Mikhail, Alexey’s childhood friend, muttered under his breath.
“You really messed up, man.”
Inna remained standing, still holding her glass.
“You know what’s the saddest part? I really believed in us. I thought we’d grow old together. I loved every bit of you. Even your loud snoring at night made me smile.”
“Maybe… maybe it’s enough now,” Vera Pavlovna whispered.
“No, Mama. It’s not,” Inna replied, her voice rising for the first time. “People should know the truth. How your son used our money to buy gifts for his mistress. How he forged my signature. How he lied to all of us.”
She picked up another document.
“And this one’s my favorite. Remember three months ago when you asked me to sign something for the tax office? It was actually a guarantee for a loan. You mortgaged my car, Lesha.”
Alexey’s father stood.
“I think we’ll be going now. Call us when you come to your senses.”
Vera Pavlovna hugged Inna tightly.
“I’m so sorry. We didn’t know.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Inna said gently.
Alexey sat still, suddenly looking ridiculous in his expensive suit.
“You know,” Inna said, turning to him, “I could’ve lost it when I found out. Could’ve keyed your car, shredded your suits, showed up at your office and made a scene.”
She smiled.
“But I chose something better.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow. The Maldives. I always wanted to go, but you said it was a waste.”
She placed a set of keys on the table.
“I’ve put the apartment on the market. It’ll sell by the end of the week. Don’t bother checking the accounts—you’re locked out.”
Alexey looked at her helplessly.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“That’s not my concern anymore.”
She paused.
“You know what’s funny? I’m not angry. I’m actually grateful. You woke me up. You reminded me that my life isn’t over—it’s just beginning.”
She walked to the door and turned back once.
“Goodbye, Lesha. I truly hope she was worth it.”
The door closed quietly behind her. Alexey was left alone in the hollow echo of what used to be their home.
And Inna stepped into a new journey—her first step into a life that was finally hers.