"Just the moment!" he almost hissed. "Look how it all ends. She was fired. And she continued to be presumptuous, believing herself to be smarter than the others. Did you warn them? I do. And what good was it?"
I covered my mouth so as not to give myself away with a sob. He told him that I had been fired. And how did you present it? Like my fault, like a failure, like proof that I was right.
"I don't know what to make of this," Anton muttered. "He didn't even apologize. He just went to the bathroom and locked the door."
"Exactly!" My mother-in-law's voice became high-pitched, like crunchy ice. "And you still want to talk about children? With a mother like that? He doesn't support you in anything, he always monopolizes attention. You have to think, Antosha. Think carefully. Before it's too late."
I got goosebumps. CHILDREN?! He's talking to his mother... about the possibility of having children... And you wonder if I can be a mother?!
It was hard for me to breathe. The room was spinning before my eyes. It was a blow I never expected. Never. Under no circumstances.
And then Anton said something I'll never forget:
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I was wrong. She... she is not the woman with whom I want to build a future. I thought it would change." But now... I'm not sure I want to continue.
My legs failed me. I barely managed to stand, holding on to the door frame.
There it was. A sincere attitude. Sincere thoughts. Sober, without emotions. He wasn't saying it to me, but to the person whose opinion he trusted more than mine.
"Especially now," he continued, "an opportunity has arisen... well... You know."
My mother-in-law's voice softened, almost pleased:
"Of course I understand. I know Tanya. A good girl. Modest, thrifty. I don't eat..."
⏬ Continued on the next page ⏬
