Marina was standing in the middle of the living room, holding a grocery bag in her hands, when Pavel said those words. Her husband, who had been coming home later and later over the past few months, was now standing in front of her with a look of superiority on his face.
“You need to accept reality,” her husband said viciously. “I’m divorcing you. You’re moving out of my apartment today!”
The bag slipped from Marina’s hands. Apples rolled across the parquet floor, but she did not move. Eight years of marriage — and just like that, without warning.
“Pavel, what is going on?” Her voice sounded steady, although a storm was raging inside her.
“What’s going on?” he sneered. “I’m tired of you. Tired of your dullness, your constant penny-pinching, the fact that you’ve turned into a housewife with no ambition. Alisa is the one I need!”
Marina knew about Alisa. Her husband’s young employee, who had appeared at his company six months earlier. A twenty-six-year-old beauty with a model’s appearance.
“And you think you can just throw me out like this?” Marina lifted her head and met his gaze.
“The apartment belongs to MY parents,” Pavel snapped. “They gave it to ME before our wedding. You have NO rights to it. Pack your things and GET OUT!”
“Eight years, Pavel. I gave you eight years of my life.”
“So what?” He took his car keys out of his pocket. “It’s your own fault. Look at yourself — disheveled, in an old robe. But Alisa is different. She understands my ambitions, shares my interests. With her, I feel ALIVE!”
Marina silently watched as her husband gathered documents from the table.
“You have three hours. When I come back, I don’t want you to be here,” he threw over his shoulder.
“And our prenuptial agreement?” Marina asked calmly.
Pavel stopped at the door and burst out laughing.
“What agreement? You refused to sign it yourself eight years ago. Remember? You said love was more important than paperwork. Well, now reap the fruits of your naivety!”
The door slammed shut. Marina was left alone among the scattered apples.
An hour later, Marina was sitting in the kitchen, thinking over the situation. Pavel was right about one thing — the apartment really had been given to him by his parents. But there was a lot he did not know.
The phone rang. The screen showed “Larisa” — her best friend.
“Marinka, how are you? Pavlik called me. He said you two are separating.”
“He’s throwing me out of the apartment,” Marina replied.
“How awful! And what are you going to do?”
“What I’ve been planning for a long time.”
“What do you mean? Marina, you’re scaring me.”
“Larisa, do you remember three years ago when I asked you to help me with some documents?”
“Well, yes, for your company… Wait, so all this time you’ve been…”
“I founded a consulting company. In your name, just like we agreed. All these years, while Pavel thought I was sitting at home, I was working. Remotely, online.”
“Marina, you’re a genius! But why all the secrecy?”
“Pavel always controlled the finances. He demanded reports for every kopeck spent. And when I suggested getting a job, he caused such a scandal… He said the wife of a successful businessman shouldn’t work. That it would damage his reputation.”
“And you decided to act in secret?”
“I had no choice. I saw how he was changing. How his GREED and arrogance were growing. So I prepared myself.”
The doorbell rang. Marina opened the door — and there stood Alisa herself. The young woman was dressed in an expensive dress, with a necklace sparkling at her throat — Pavel’s gift, which he had bought a month earlier, telling his wife it was for an important client.
“Marina? I’m Alisa. I think you’ve heard of me.”
“Come in,” Marina replied calmly.
Alisa walked into the living room, glancing around at the interior.
“Pavel sent me to check how your packing is going. He wants you to vacate the apartment by evening.”
“I understand. Would you like some tea?”
Alisa was surprised by such calmness.
“You’re not upset?”
“Should I be? Pavel made his choice. I respect it.”
“You’re… strange,” Alisa frowned. “Pavel said you’d throw hysterics, threaten him…”
“There is a lot Pavel doesn’t know about me,” Marina smiled. “Tell me, Alisa, are you sure about your choice?”
“What do you mean?”
“Pavel is a handsome, successful man. But you’re a smart girl. Surely you’ve noticed his… traits.”
Alisa tensed.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“His GREED, for example. The way he counts every kopeck. The way he demands expense reports. The way he humiliates you for any purchase made without his approval.”
“That’s a LIE! Pavel is generous! He gives me gifts!”
“While you’re his mistress. But when you become his wife?” Marina poured herself some tea. “Do you know why I’m wearing an old robe? Because Pavel hasn’t given me money for clothes in two years. He says I already look fine enough for a housewife.”
“You’re just jealous!”
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m trying to warn you. Still, that’s your business. Better tell me about yourself. Pavel said you work at his company?”
“I’m the head of the development department,” Alisa answered proudly.
“Impressive. And how long have you been with the company?”
“Six months. But Pavel says I have a great future.”
“I don’t doubt it. By the way,” Marina took out her phone, “would you like to see something interesting?”
She showed Alisa a photograph — Pavel with another woman in a restaurant. The picture was dated the previous week.
“This… this is a business meeting!” Alisa blurted out, though uncertainty appeared in her voice.
“Of course. Just like this one.” Marina scrolled through the photos. “And this one. Business meetings at ten in the evening, with kisses and embraces.”
“WHERE did you get this?!”
“I told you — there is a lot Pavel doesn’t know about me. For example, that I have friends in his favorite restaurants. And they are very observant.”
Alisa turned pale.
“You were spying on him?”
“I was protecting myself. Gathering evidence of his affairs. Do you know how many of you there have been over the last three years? Five. You are the sixth. And he promised each one he would divorce me. He told each one she was special.”
“NO! That’s not true!”
“Would you like to meet Victoria? She was before you. A sweet girl, also worked at Pavel’s company. She quit after he dumped her. Or Ksenia? She lasted longer than anyone — a whole eight months.”
Marina took a folder of documents from a drawer.
“Here are messages, photographs, even receipts from jewelry stores. He has bought that very necklace on your neck three times already. For different women. Then he took it back and gave it to the next one.”
Alisa grabbed the folder with trembling hands. The more she read, the paler she became.
“This… this is MONSTROUS!”
“Welcome to my world,” Marina smiled sadly. “For eight years, I endured his affairs, humiliation, and control. But you know what? I’m not a victim. I used that time wisely.”
At that moment, the door flew open. Pavel entered with a bouquet of roses.
“Alisa, darling, I bought you…” He froze when he saw the documents spread out on the table. “What is this NONSENSE?!”
“Pavel,” Alisa stood up, clutching the photographs in her hands. “Who is Victoria? And Ksenia? And that woman from the Metropol restaurant?”
“This is all MADE UP by this hysterical woman!” He pointed at Marina. “She’s trying to turn us against each other!”
“Made up?” Marina turned on the voice recorder on her phone.
Pavel’s voice came from the speaker: “Alisa is already annoying me. She wants too much. I’ll find another one, younger and stupider.”
“That’s edited!” Pavel shouted, but it was too late.
Alisa took off the necklace and threw it in his face.
“We’ve been together for only THREE MONTHS, and you’re already looking for someone else?!”
“Alisa, wait, I’ll explain everything!”
But the girl had already run out of the apartment, slamming the door.
Pavel slowly turned to his wife. His face twisted with anger.
“You… you RUINED everything!”
“I saved the girl from your lies.”
“SHUT UP! Pack your things and get out! You have one hour!”
“All right,” Marina nodded calmly. “But first, let’s discuss the division of property.”
“What PROPERTY?! You have NOTHING!”
“You’re wrong. I have a company.”
She handed him the documents. Pavel snatched the papers and began to read. With every line, his face grew paler.
“MarinaConsult… annual turnover… THIS IS… This is IMPOSSIBLE!”
“Quite possible. Three years of successful work. Fifteen regular clients. Net profit last year — twelve million rubles.”
“But… but how?! You were sitting at home!”
“I was working while you were cheating. Building a business while you were spending money on mistresses. And do you know the most interesting part? Your company is one of my clients.”
“WHAT?!”
“Remember three years ago when you were looking for a consulting company to optimize your business processes? And you found MarinaConsult. We work with you remotely, through a manager. You didn’t even know the owner of the company was your wife.”
Pavel collapsed onto the sofa.
“You… you deceived me all these years?”
“I was surviving. You forbade me to work, controlled my every step, humiliated me for any sign of independence. What was I supposed to do?”
“And now what?” Pavel tried to pull himself together. “You think this changes anything? The apartment is still MINE!”
“The apartment is yours,” Marina agreed. “But there is one nuance. Do you remember the contract you signed with MarinaConsult for consulting services?”
“So what?”
“It includes a penalty clause for unilateral termination. Fifteen million rubles.”
“That’s ROBBERY!”
“That’s business. You agreed to the terms yourself. What’s more, you said it was an excellent contract, that the company was reliable.”
“I’ll tear up that contract!”
“Try. But keep in mind — thanks to our recommendations, your company increased its profit by forty percent. If we leave, you’ll lose even more.”
Pavel jumped up, anger blazing in his eyes.
“You think you’ve won? I’ll find a way to DESTROY you!”
“Pavel,” Marina stood and headed toward the exit, “I don’t want to destroy you. I’m simply leaving. I’ll take my things and start a new life. And you can stay in your apartment. Alone. Without Alisa, without me, without all those women you lied to.”
“STOP!” he shouted. “You can’t just leave like this!”
“By the way,” she turned around at the door, “your parents know about the situation. I met with them yesterday. I showed them everything — the photographs, the messages, the proof of your affairs. They were very upset. Your mother cried.”
“You… you turned them against me?!”
“I showed them the truth. What you had become. GREEDY, deceitful, cruel. They drew their own conclusions.”
“They’re MY parents! They’ll support me!”
“Possibly. But I doubt they’ll be proud of a son who humiliated his wife, cheated, and lied. By the way, they offered for me to stay. They said I deserve to live in this apartment more than you do.”
“THAT’S A LIE!”
“Call them and check.”
Pavel grabbed his phone and dialed his mother’s number. Marina heard a stern female voice through the receiver, heard Pavel trying to justify himself, then starting to shout. The conversation ended with the call being cut off.
He slowly lowered the hand holding the phone.
“Mom said… said she was disappointed in me.”
“I’m sorry, Pavel. Truly sorry. We could have been happy. But you chose a different path.”
“Marina, wait! Let’s talk!”
“NO. You said I had to accept reality. I accepted it. And I’m leaving. The apartment is yours, just as you wanted. Enjoy your loneliness.”
She walked out, leaving Pavel standing in the middle of the empty apartment. She had only one bag in her hands — with the company documents and her personal belongings. She left everything else behind. She no longer needed it.
A taxi was waiting for her outside. As Marina got into the car, she looked back at the windows of the apartment where she had lived for eight years. Pavel stood in one of them — confused, angry, having lost everything.
Marina’s phone rang. It was Larisa.
“Well? Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m going to my new apartment. The one I rented last week.”
“Marina, you’re amazing! And Pavel?”
“He stayed in his apartment. Alone. Just as he wanted.”
“He’ll regret it!”
“Maybe. Or maybe it will teach him to value people. Though I doubt it.”
The taxi pulled away. Marina drove toward her new life. Her business was thriving, her clients were satisfied, and most importantly — she was free.
And Pavel remained in the large, empty apartment. His parents stopped speaking to him after learning the truth. Alisa quit his company and told their colleagues about his affairs. Soon, clients began leaving him — without the consulting support of MarinaConsult, his business started to decline.
A month later, he tried to contact Marina. He begged her to come back and promised to change. But she did not answer his calls. She had a new life, and there was no place in it for a man who had humiliated and betrayed her for eight years.
Pavel got what he wanted — an apartment without a wife. But it turned out that an apartment without a loving person was just four walls. Cold and empty, like his heart.
