My gaze was fixed on my mother-in-law, whose state resembled that of a person who had seen a ghost. A small envelope trembled nervously in her hand, and her eyes were frozen in an expression of panic. The loud music of the banquet hall in the old mansion drowned out all sounds, making our conversation completely confidential.<\/p>\n
This sunny May morning was supposed to be a perfect day. The ancient mansion of my fianc\u00e9 Sergey\u2019s family was preparing to host a multitude of guests. Waiters deftly arranged crystal glasses, and the air filled with the aromas of fresh roses and elite champagne. Expensive portraits in massive frames seemed to observe the proceedings from the walls.<\/p>\n
\u00abAnastasia, have you noticed that Sergey seems a bit strange today?\u00bb whispered the mother-in-law, nervously looking around.<\/p>\n
I frowned. Indeed, Sergey had looked tense all day. Now he was at the far end of the hall, pressing a phone to his ear, his face frozen like a mask.<\/p>\n
\u00abJust wedding nerves,\u00bb I tried to dismiss, adjusting my veil.<\/p>\n
\u00abLook at this. Right now,\u00bb she handed me the envelope and quickly disappeared among the guests, reclaiming her usual social smile.<\/p>\n
Hiding behind a column, I hastily unfolded the note. My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u00abSergey and his company are planning to get rid of you after the wedding. You are just part of their plan. They are aware of your family\u2019s inheritance. Run if you want to stay alive.\u00bb<\/p>\n
My first thought was mockery. Some silly joke by my mother-in-law. But then I remembered Sergey\u2019s suspicious conversations, which he interrupted whenever I appeared, his recent coldness\u2026<\/p>\n
My gaze found Sergey across the hall. He finished his conversation and turned to me. His eyes showed the truth\u2014a stranger with a calculating gleam.<\/p>\n
\u00abAnya!\u00bb called the bride\u2019s friend. \u00abIt\u2019s time!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abJust a moment! I\u2019ll just check the restroom!\u00bb<\/p>\n
Through the service corridor, I ran outside, pulling off my shoes. The gardener raised his eyebrows in surprise but received only a wave in response: \u00abThe bride needs some air!\u00bb<\/p>\n
Outside the gates, I caught a taxi. \u00abWhere to?\u00bb asked the driver, eyeing the strange passenger. \u00abTo the station. Make it quick.\u00bb I threw the phone out the window: \u00abThe train leaves in half an hour.\u00bb<\/p>\n
An hour later, I was on a train to another city, dressed in purchases from a station store. Thoughts swirled around one thing: could all this really be happening to me?<\/p>\n
Back at the mansion, there was likely a panic starting. I wondered what story Sergey would invent. Would he play the role of a grieving fianc\u00e9 or show his true face?<\/p>\n
Closing my eyes, I tried to sleep. Ahead lay a new life, uncertain, but definitely safe. Better to be alive and hidden than a dead bride.<\/p>\n
Changing myself for safety\u2014that\u2019s what fifteen years of perfect coffee practice meant.<\/p>\n
\u00abYour favorite cappuccino is ready,\u00bb I set a cup in front of a regular guest at a modest caf\u00e9 on the outskirts of Kaliningrad. \u00abAnd a blueberry muffin, as usual?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abYou are too kind to me, Vera Andreyevna,\u00bb smiled the elderly professor, one of those who regularly warmed our little coffee shop.<\/p>\n
Now I was Vera. Anastasia dissolved in the past along with the white dress and shattered hopes. I had paid a considerable amount for new documents, but it was totally worth it.<\/p>\n
\u00abWhat\u2019s new in the world?\u00bb I nodded at his tablet, where he scrolled through fresh news.<\/p>\n
\u00abAnother businessman got caught in manipulations. Does the name Sergey Valeryevich Romanov ring a bell?\u00bb<\/p>\n
My hand trembled, and the cup clinked slightly against the saucer. A familiar face appeared on the screen\u2014painfully familiar, though a bit aged, but still as confidently impeccable.<\/p>\n
\u00abThe head of \u2018RomanovGroup\u2019 is suspected of major financial frauds.\u00bb And below, in small print: \u00abDiscussions continue around the strange disappearance of his bride 15 years ago.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abLena, do you realize what you\u2019re saying? I can\u2019t just return!\u00bb<\/p>\n
I paced the rental apartment, phone pressed to my ear. Lena, the only one I trusted with the truth, spoke quickly and insistently:<\/p>\n
\u00abNastya, listen! His company is under close scrutiny, he\u2019s never been so vulnerable. This is your chance to take back your life!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWhat life? The one where I was a frivolous girl, nearly a murderer\u2019s victim?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abNo, the one where you are Anastasia Vitalyevna Sokolova, not some Vera from a coffee shop!\u00bb<\/p>\n
I paused in front of the mirror. The woman looking back at me had grown older and more cautious. Silver threads had started to appear in my hair, and a steely gleam shone in my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u00abLena, his mother saved my life then. How is she now?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abVera Nikolaevna is in a nursing home. Sergey has long distanced her from the company\u2019s affairs. They say she asked too many questions.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The nursing home \u00abGolden Autumn\u00bb was located in a scenic area just outside the city limits. Posing as a social worker (the necessary papers were easily accessible thanks to my savings), I was easily led to Vera Nikolaevna.<\/p>\n
She sat by the window in a chair\u2014so fragile and aged that it took my breath away. But her eyes\u2014those same perceptive and tenacious eyes\u2014recognized me instantly.<\/p>\n
\u00abI knew you would come, Nastenka,\u00bb she simply said. \u00abSit down, tell me how you\u2019ve lived these years.\u00bb<\/p>\n
I told her about my new life\u2014about the caf\u00e9, quiet evenings with books, about learning to start over. She listened, occasionally nodding, then said:<\/p>\n
\u00abHe planned to stage an accident during the honeymoon on a yacht. Everything was prepared in advance.\u00bb Her voice trembled:<\/p>\n
\u00abAnd now he\u2019s sent me here to live out my days because I started digging into his affairs. Do you know how many \u2018accidents\u2019 have happened over these years with his partners?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abVera Nikolaevna,\u00bb I cautiously took her hand. \u00abDo you have proof?\u00bb<\/p>\n
She smiled:<\/p>\n
\u00abDear, I have a whole safe of evidence. You think I\u2019ve been silent all these years for nothing? I was waiting. Waiting for you to return.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The same steely fire that I saw each morning in the mirror sparked in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u00abWell, dear bride,\u00bb she squeezed my hand, \u00abshall we give my son a belated wedding surprise?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abAre you from the inspectors?\u00bb the secretary skeptically examined my documents.<\/p>\n
\u00abExactly,\u00bb I adjusted my glasses in a stern frame. \u00abEmergency audit related to recent publications.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The office assigned to me within the walls of \u00abRomanovGroup\u00bb was two floors below Sergey\u2019s. Every morning, I watched his black Maybach arrive at the main entrance. Sergey had hardly changed\u2014still impeccably postured, elegantly suited, with the customary look of a man who commands everything. His lawyers had successfully quashed the scandal so far, but it was only a matter of time.<\/p>\n
\u00abMargarita Olegovna, do you have a minute?\u00bb I approached the passing chief accountant. \u00abIt seemed or are there certain\u2026 discrepancies in the 2023 report?\u00bb<\/p>\n
The chief accountant visibly paled. As Vera Nikolaevna suspected, this woman knew too much and was looking for a way to clear her conscience.<\/p>\n
\u00abNastya, something\u2019s wrong,\u00bb Lena\u2019s voice trembled on the phone. \u00abI\u2019ve been followed for two days now.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abStay calm,\u00bb I locked the office. \u00abIs the flash drive in a safe place?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abYes, but Sergey\u2019s people\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abBe ready. And remember\u2014tomorrow at ten, as we agreed.\u00bb<\/p>\n
I approached the window. Two burly men in civilian clothes loomed at the entrance. The company\u2019s security service was getting anxious. It was time to accelerate events.<\/p>\n
\u00abSergey Valeryevich, a visitor for you,\u00bb the secretary barely contained a tremble in her voice.<\/p>\n
\u00abI made it clear\u2014let no one in!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abShe says\u2026 you left her at the altar fifteen years ago.\u00bb<\/p>\n
A heavy silence hung in the office. I decisively entered, not waiting for permission.<\/p>\n
Sergey slowly raised his head from the documents. His face was a frozen mask.<\/p>\n
\u00abYou\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abHello, dear. Didn\u2019t expect me?\u00bb<\/p>\n
He abruptly pressed a button on the phone:<\/p>\n
\u00abSecurity to me!\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abNo need,\u00bb I placed a folder on the desk. \u00abYour documents are already with the investigators. Margarita Olegovna turned out to be surprisingly talkative. And your mother\u2026 she\u2019s been gathering compromising material on you for years.\u00bb<\/p>\n
His hand reached for the desk drawer.<\/p>\n
\u00abI wouldn\u2019t advise it,\u00bb I cautioned. \u00abGunfire will cause unnecessary noise. And prosecutors are already waiting at the main entrance.\u00bb<\/p>\n
For the first time, I saw fear appear on his face.<\/p>\n
\u00abWhat do you want?\u00bb he hissed.<\/p>\n
\u00abThe truth. Tell about the yacht. About the \u2018accident\u2019 you planned.\u00bb<\/p>\n
He leaned back in his chair and unexpectedly laughed:<\/p>\n
\u00abYou\u2019ve grown up, Nastya. Yes, I was going to eliminate you. Your inheritance was supposed to be an investment for the business. And then\u2026 I had to play the role of a grieving fianc\u00e9 for years to keep anyone from asking too many questions.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abAnd how many lives have you taken over these years?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abThis is business, kid. There\u2019s no room for feelings here.\u00bb<\/p>\n
The noise outside the door grew louder\u2014the investigators were approaching.<\/p>\n
\u00abYou know what?\u00bb I leaned closer to him. \u00abThanks to your mother. She not only saved my life but also taught me patience: sometimes you need to wait a long time to strike accurately.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Three months later, I sat in my favorite coffee shop in Kaliningrad. The courtroom proceedings were broadcast on the TV\u2014Sergey was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Exactly the amount of time I had spent wandering.<\/p>\n
\u00abYour cappuccino, professor,\u00bb I set a cup in front of a regular customer.<\/p>\n
\u00abThank you, Vera\u2026 I mean, Anastasia Vitalyevna,\u00bb he smiled sheepishly. \u00abWill you return to your former life now?\u00bb<\/p>\n
I looked around my coffee shop, the cozy corners, the regulars who had become a second family.<\/p>\n
\u00abYou know, professor\u2026 Maybe the former life wasn\u2019t real? Maybe I\u2019m just starting a full life now. I\u2019ve bought this coffee shop and I\u2019m staying here.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Outside, spring rain filled the air with the freshness of freedom.<\/p>\n
From the husband\u2019s perspective, the story might have unfolded like this:<\/p>\n
I adjusted my tie in front of the mirror. There was a week left until the ceremonial ceremony, and every step was calculated to the smallest detail. Except for one thing\u2014my damn mother, who had been too observant of me lately.<\/p>\n
Three months ago, everything seemed perfectly simple. We sat in the \u00abJean-Jacques\u00bb restaurant with Igor and Dima, partners in business, or rather, what we called business.<\/p>\n
\u00abGuys, there\u2019s a problem,\u00bb I swirled a glass of whiskey in my hands. \u00abWe need five million euros to start. Without them, our Chinese contract is doomed.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWe could take out a loan\u2026\u00bb began Dima.<\/p>\n
\u00abWho would approve such a large loan for us?\u00bb I smirked. \u00abAfter the real estate failure, that\u2019s hardly possible.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Igor silently examined the ceiling, then slowly said: \u00abWhat about your fianc\u00e9e? Didn\u2019t you tell us about her family\u2019s decent fortune?\u00bb<\/p>\n
I froze. Anastasia. Beautiful, trusting Anastasia with her inheritance from her grandfather\u2014a network of jewelry boutiques and impressive accounts in Swiss banks.<\/p>\n
\u00abDon\u2019t even think about it,\u00bb shook his head Dima. \u00abIt\u2019s too dangerous.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWhy?\u00bb Igor leaned forward. \u00abAccidents happen. Especially during the honeymoon. Yachts are so unreliable\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
Anastasia lost her heart to me on our third date. I realized it when she looked at me across the table in the \u00abPushkin\u00bb restaurant. Her eyes glowed, and her fingers nervously played with a napkin. She talked about her work in the gallery, and I diligently feigned interest, mentally rejoicing at how easily everything was unfolding.<\/p>\n
\u00abSerezhenka, why do you always turn off your phone when we\u2019re together?\u00bb she once asked.<\/p>\n
\u00abBecause I want to be only with you,\u00bb I answered with a smile, grateful for the acting courses I attended at university.<\/p>\n
She blushed and believed. Believed everything else\u2014my stories about successful deals, compliments, promises. I nodded and smiled, calculating sums in my mind.<\/p>\n
Only my mother watched me with suspicion. Especially when she noticed documents for a yacht on my table.<\/p>\n
\u00abSergey,\u00bb she addressed me during dinner, stirring the cooled borscht, \u00abyou never liked water. What yacht?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abFor the honeymoon, Mom. I want to create a surprise for Nastya.\u00bb<\/p>\n
She looked at me for a long time, then quietly said: \u00abI don\u2019t recognize you, son. What have you gotten into?\u00bb<\/p>\n
The day before the ceremony, we met with the guys in my office. The plan was thoroughly worked out:<\/p>\n
Wedding. Honeymoon on a yacht. Tragic incident in the open sea. A grieving widower gains access to his wife\u2019s finances. \u00abWhat if she refuses to go on the yacht?\u00bb asked Dima.<\/p>\n
\u00abShe won\u2019t refuse,\u00bb I smiled. \u00abShe\u2019s so happy she\u2019ll agree to anything.\u00bb<\/p>\n
In the evening, my mother tried to talk to me again: \u00abSergey, stop this. I see that this is not you. Remember who you used to be\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWho, Mom? A loser with debts? No, I\u2019ll solve my own problems.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abAt what cost?\u00bb her voice trembled.<\/p>\n
\u00abAny cost,\u00bb I sharply replied and left for my room.<\/p>\n
The wedding morning started with hustle and champagne. I stood in front of the mirror, examining my reflection\u2014impeccable suit, confident smile, cold gaze. In my pocket were tickets for tomorrow\u2019s flight and documents for the yacht.<\/p>\n
\u00abReady?\u00bb Igor peeked into the room.<\/p>\n
\u00abMore than,\u00bb I adjusted my tie for the last time. \u00abTime to become a happy groom.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Events then developed out of plan.<\/p>\n
I perfectly played the role of a worried groom for the first half hour.<\/p>\n
\u00abWhere\u2019s Nastya? Who saw the bride?\u00bb<\/p>\n
Guests scattered throughout the mansion, checking every room. I darted among them, demonstrating anxiety, occasionally dialing her number. Nastya\u2019s phone was unavailable.<\/p>\n
\u00abMaybe she\u2019s just nervous?\u00bb suggested one of the bridesmaids. \u00abPre-wedding jitters happen\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
I absently nodded but continued to watch my mother. She sat in a chair, motionless, with an expression of strange satisfaction on her face. This was not concern\u2014this was certainty.<\/p>\n
\u00abDamn it, Sergey!\u00bb Igor paced my office when the guests had dispersed. \u00abWhat do we do now?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWe file a report with the police,\u00bb I rubbed my temples. \u00abWe\u2019ll search for the missing bride.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abYou don\u2019t get it. What about the plan? The yacht is booked, all details are worked out\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abThe plan is adjusted,\u00bb I poured brandy into a glass. \u00abNow I turn into a grieving fianc\u00e9 whose beloved mysteriously disappeared on the eve of the celebration.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abAnd the funds?\u00bb dared to interject Dima, who had been silent until then.<\/p>\n
\u00abWe\u2019ll find an alternative approach.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Dima, after some silence, asked: \u00abSergey, could Mom have influenced it somehow?\u00bb<\/p>\n
I sharply turned to him: \u00abWhat are you implying?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abWell, she\u2019s been acting pretty strange lately. Maybe she suspected something?\u00bb<\/p>\n
The picture in my head began to clear: my mother\u2019s behavior, her questions, her actions at the wedding\u2026<\/p>\n
\u00abDamn,\u00bb I muttered through my teeth. \u00abShe ruined everything.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Late in the evening, I found her in the winter garden. She tended to her favorite orchids as if nothing special had happened.<\/p>\n
\u00abWhat did you tell her?\u00bb<\/p>\n
Mother didn\u2019t even turn around: \u00abThe truth, sonny. The very one you\u2019ve been so diligently hiding.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abDo you even realize what you\u2019ve done?\u00bb grabbing her shoulder, I raised my voice. \u00abHow much money and effort were wasted!\u00bb<\/p>\n
Finally, she looked up: \u00abAnd do you realize what you were about to do? Destroy a girl who believed in you?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abBusiness, Mom. No personal emotions.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abBusiness?\u00bb she laughed bitterly. \u00abWhen did you turn into such a person? Could that little boy who cried over his hamster\u2019s sore paw calmly plan murders?\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abEnough!\u00bb I knocked the watering can from her hands. \u00abYou\u2019ve ruined everything. But don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll find a way to fix the situation.\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abHow exactly? Will you destroy me too?\u00bb<\/p>\n
I froze. In her gaze, there was no fear\u2014just boundless fatigue and deep disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u00abNo, Mom. However, you will have to step back from participating in the company\u2019s affairs. For your own good.\u00bb<\/p>\n
A week passed. The story of the mysteriously vanished bride gained wide publicity. I gave interviews, offered a reward for information, displayed the sorrow of an alleged groom. The press swallowed this story whole.<\/p>\n
\u00abAnd where to now?\u00bb Igor asked when we met in the new office.<\/p>\n
\u00abWe\u2019ll develop the business in other ways,\u00bb I handed him a folder with documents. \u00abThere are a few companies that can be acquired at a reasonable price. Their owners suddenly found themselves in a difficult situation\u2026\u00bb<\/p>\n
\u00abA coincidence?\u00bb he smirked.<\/p>\n
\u00abSomething like that,\u00bb I smiled. \u00abMain rule\u2014no more weddings. Too complicated to organize.\u00bb<\/p>\n
Looking out the window where city lights twinkled in the darkening sky, I thought of Nastya. Wherever she was now, it no longer mattered. New prospects lay before me, and this time, no one could break them.<\/p>\n
Even my own mother.<\/p>\n
However, she still managed to do it, and you know the ending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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