The man’s face went pale as his deception was exposed.
“I’m leaving on another business trip the day after tomorrow, almost for a month,” Sergey told his fiancée.
“That’s such a long time,” Alina sighed, pouring tea. “You know how much I’m going to miss you.”
“I promise to video call every evening,” he smiled and hugged her.
“Where to this time?” she asked.
“Egypt. Due to the sanctions, part of the production is being moved there. I need to oversee the process on-site,” Sergey explained in a businesslike tone.
He flew out, but never called as promised. A week passed—no messages, no phone calls.
Alina tried not to think the worst, but a growing sense of unease wouldn’t leave her.
It wasn’t until the second week that Sergey finally called.
“Hi, sunshine. Sorry I haven’t called sooner—there were some unexpected issues,” he said, sounding apologetic.
“Are you okay?” Alina asked, anxious. “I was really worried…”
“Everything’s fine. The company cut costs by canceling our corporate SIM cards. We’ve got no internet. Calls are only free within the network, so I won’t be able to call often. But I’ll be back soon,” he reassured her.
“I’m just glad you finally called,” she exhaled. “This week was a nightmare.”
“I missed you too,” Sergey admitted. “I’ll try to call more, but I’m swamped with work. No promises.”
Alina had no reason to doubt him—he had never lied to her before.
Two weeks later, Sergey returned to Nizhny Novgorod. At home, he found a bouquet of red roses and Egyptian souvenirs waiting for him.
Alina greeted him with a tight embrace.
“My love, I missed you so much!” he said, kissing her.
“I missed you too,” Alina smiled. “How was the trip?”
“Lonely without you,” he replied. “Remember I promised you a gift?”
“Of course! What is it?” her eyes sparkled.
“Hold on,” Sergey reached into his bag and pulled out a velvet box. “Picked it especially for you.”
Inside was a delicate silver ring with turquoise.
“It’s so beautiful! Thank you, darling!” she hugged him again. “I’ll never take it off!”
In the days after his return, Alina rarely left his side.
But one day, she noticed a number kept calling him, and each time he declined it. When she asked who it was, he answered vaguely, “No idea, probably spam.”
That was the first time doubt crept into her heart. She remembered—it wasn’t an unknown number. It had been saved in his phone.
She waited until he went to shower, then checked his phone. The call history had been wiped clean. So were the messaging apps.
He was clearly hiding something. But Alina didn’t want to believe it.
A few weeks later, Sergey announced another “business trip.” He asked her not to see him off—he was traveling with colleagues and there was no room in the car.
After he left, Alina started cleaning the apartment. While dusting the bedroom, she found his passport.
A cold chill ran through her. How was he going to fly without it?
She quickly got dressed, grabbed the passport, and rushed to the airport. Sergey wasn’t answering her calls.
For about twenty minutes she wandered the terminal until she saw him near a departure gate. Next to him stood a woman. They were laughing, hugging.
Alina instinctively opened the passport—there were no visas for Egypt.
Walking up to him, her voice trembling, she asked:
“You forgot your passport. Who is this woman? Are you cheating on me?”
Sergey turned pale.
“This is my wife. You… you’re the mistress,” he blurted out.
“What?!” Alina gasped. “You’re married? So I’m just some toy to you?”
“I’m sorry, but I love both of you,” he tried to sound confident.
His wife, now in tears, slapped him across the face and ran off.
Alina turned and left too.
When she got home, she packed all his belongings and put them outside the door.
For weeks, Sergey bombarded her with calls, begging for forgiveness. But Alina didn’t answer once. Forgiving something like that was beyond her.
His wife, after learning the full truth, filed for divorce. She too had believed he was going away on business trips, not living a double life with another woman. Every time, she welcomed him back from his so-called travels with love.