Who is this? — Sergey Alexandrovich asked coldly as soon as Anna entered the house, tightly holding a small baby wrapped in a soft blanket against her chest. There was no hint of joy or surprise in his voice. Only irritation. — Do you seriously think I will accept this?
He had just returned from another business trip that had lasted several weeks. As usual, he was immersed in work: contracts, meetings, endless calls. His life had long become a series of business trips, conferences, and flights. Anna knew this even before their marriage and accepted this lifestyle as a given.
When they met, she was only nineteen. She was in her first year of medical school, and he was already a mature, confident man — respectable, successful, reliable. Exactly the kind she had once dreamed about in her school diary. He seemed to her a support, a rock behind which she could hide from all troubles. She was sure: with him, she would be safe.
That’s why the evening that was supposed to be one of the brightest days in her life suddenly turned into a nightmare. The moment Sergey looked at the child, his face became alien. He froze, then spoke — his voice ringing sharp in a way she had never heard before.
— Look for yourself — not a single feature! Not mine at all! This is not my son, do you understand?! Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe this fantasy? What are you up to? Trying to hang noodles on my ears?
His words cut like knives. Anna stood, unable to move, her heart pounding somewhere in her throat, her head buzzing from fear and pain. She could not believe that the person she trusted with all her heart could suspect her of betrayal. She loved him completely. For him, she had given up everything: career, dreams, her former life. Her main goal was to give him a child, to create a family. And now… he was reproaching her like an enemy.
From the very beginning, her mother warned her.
— What did you find in him, Anyuta? — Marina Petrovna often repeated. — He’s almost twice your age! He already has a child from his first marriage. Why be a stepmother if you can just find someone who will be an equal partner?
But young, in love Anna didn’t listen. For her, Sergey was not just a man — he was fate, the embodiment of masculine strength, a support she had long sought. Without a father she never knew, she had spent her life waiting for exactly such a man — strong, protective, a real husband.
Marina Petrovna, of course, was cautious about him. It was natural that a woman Sergey’s age would see him more as a peer than as a suitable partner for her own daughter. But Anna was happy. Soon she moved to his large, cozy house where she dreamed of building a life together.
At first, everything really seemed perfect. Anna continued studying medicine — as if fulfilling her mother’s cherished dream, who once wanted to become a doctor but couldn’t because of an early pregnancy and the disappearance of the man who became her daughter’s father. Marina raised Anna alone, and although the daughter never knew a father’s love, that void pushed her to seek a “real” man.
For Anna, Sergey became that person — a figure replacing the absent father, a source of strength, stability, family. She dreamed of giving him a son, creating a full family. And then, two years after the wedding, she found out she was pregnant.
This news filled her life like spring sunshine. She shone like a flower. But for her mother, it was a cause for concern.
— Anna, what about your studies? — Marina Petrovna asked worriedly. — You won’t quit everything, will you? You put so much effort into your education!
There was truth in these words. The path to medicine was not easy — exams, courses, constant stress. But now it seemed distant. Ahead of her was a child — living proof of love, the meaning of her whole life.
— I’ll return after maternity leave, — she replied softly. — I want more than one. Maybe two or three. I need time for them.
Such words stirred anxiety in her mother’s heart. She knew what it was like to raise children alone. Experience taught her caution. So she always believed: you should have as many children as you can manage if the husband leaves. And now her fears were coming true.
When Sergey threw Anna out like an unwanted guest, Marina Petrovna felt something important inside break. For her daughter, for her grandson, for the shattered dreams.
— Has he lost his mind?! — she cried, holding back tears. — How could he do this? Where is his conscience? I know you — you would never betray!
But all her warnings, years of advice, and anxious words crashed against her daughter’s stubbornness. Now she could only bitterly state:
— I told you from the start what he was like. Didn’t you see? I warned you, but you went your own way anyway. Here’s your result.
Anna had no strength for reproaches. A storm raged inside her. After the scene Sergey threw, only pain remained in her heart. She never thought he could be so cruel, so capable of throwing such humiliating words in her face. They burned into her memory, especially sharply the day she brought their son home from the maternity hospital. Then she still thought — their son.
She imagined a different picture: how he would hold the baby, thank her for giving birth, hug and say now they were a real family. But instead, she got coldness, anger, and accusations.
Reality turned out crueler than she could have imagined.
