Anya sighed as she exited the office building. Today was just one hassle after another. Did he really need those reports right now? She could have managed everything tomorrow. Her day at work had been stressful, so she decided to drop by her usual café. She was already imagining herself enjoying a Greek salad, sipping a cup of coffee, and for a moment, life would shine in different colors.
When she entered, the café was almost empty. Just as she was about to sit at her usual table and finally order her salad, she suddenly saw a familiar face. Her husband, Sergey. And not alone, he was sitting with some flashy woman.
Anya froze, as if doused with cold water. The stranger looked like she stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. A platinum blonde in a tight dress, almost sparkling with expensive jewelry. Her makeup—flawless. She and Sergey were having an animated conversation. He was telling a story, and the woman laughed, flirtatiously touching his hand.
Inside, Anya felt everything turn upside down. “So that’s how it is, huh?” she almost burst from her place. Her first reaction was to approach their table and sort everything out right there, loudly and dramatically, like in a movie. But she checked herself. No, that would be too simple.
She decisively stepped back, pondering her plan. She would play a real game.
Anya chose a table in another corner of the café, positioned so she could see them both clearly. She ordered a Greek salad and coffee but didn’t rush to eat. She took out her phone and dialed Sergey. The phone rang on the table. Her husband glanced at the screen and quickly muted it. Anya smirked. So, he doesn’t want to answer? What kind of important conversation was he having?
She kept her eyes on them, noticing every movement. Sergey leaned toward the blonde, whispering in her ear. She burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand. A heavy diamond ring sparkled on her finger.
Anya’s heart clenched. She looked away, trying to compose herself. “Okay, Anya, stay calm. It’s not time to panic,” she told herself, nervously fidgeting with a napkin.
Flashes of memories flickered in her mind. Their first meeting, awkward dates, declarations of love. Was it all a lie? Was he now playing both sides? Anya gritted her teeth but decided to continue watching. She wanted to believe he was just a colleague. Yes, too well-groomed and sitting too close.
Anya, gripping her phone tighter, continued to observe the pair. But then her gaze landed on a man passing by her table. Tall, attractive, with a light stubble. He looked as if he had just stepped out of a commercial. And then it hit her. She boldly waved her hand.
“Excuse me,” Anya called the man over. He paused, turned his head, and approached.
“Yes?” he asked, sizing her up.
“Listen, I have a somewhat silly request…” Anya paused, pondering how to best explain the situation, “to stage a scene. Nothing complicated. You see, over there,” she nodded toward Sergey, “my husband. And apparently,” she bitterly smirked, “he’s cheating on me. Could you play along? I want him to feel the same as I do.”
The man thought for a moment, then smiled broadly.
“Sure, why not?” he stepped forward and sat opposite Anya.
“I’m Anya,” she smiled.
“Igor,” the man smiled back.
Anya smiled, trying to keep calm, but her heart was pounding. She glanced at Sergey. He noticed. Confusion flashed in his eyes.
He clearly didn’t expect to see his wife here, especially with another man. Sergey froze for a second, then turned back to his companion. He tried to act as if nothing was unusual. But Anya noticed how his hand tensed.
Anya sat up straighter in her chair. She pretended to be completely engrossed in conversation with Igor. She leaned in closer, as if sharing something very intriguing. Igor caught her mood, playing along. He nodded and laughed at the right moments.
Anya glanced at Sergey and his blonde. Now Sergey was clearly nervous. He began tapping his fingers on the table. He kept glancing over at Anya and Igor.
The blonde was saying something to him, but his reactions were no longer as lively as before. Anya decided to take the next step. She boldly took Igor’s hand. The man, understanding her plan, lightly squeezed her fingers and smiled. Sergey looked at them again, this time longer. He said something to his companion, and she stopped laughing. Anya was curious to see how far she could push this “game.”
“Igor, you’re an excellent actor,” she said.
“See how tense he is?” Igor whispered. “Just look at his face. Do you think we’ve marinated him enough?”
“Let’s walk past them,” Anya suggested. “See what he does.”
Igor nodded, and they both stood up. Anya took his arm, and they slowly headed for the exit, passing by Sergey and the blonde. As they passed, Anya decided to throw her last trump card. She turned to Sergey with the most innocent expression and said:
“Oh, hello, dear! What a pleasant surprise to see you here. And who is this friend of yours?”
Sergey was clearly flustered. The blonde looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
“This is…,” Sergey stumbled, trying to find the right words. His gaze darted between his wife and the blonde, “a work colleague.”
The blonde frowned, casting a suspicious glance at Sergey.
“Oh, a colleague?” Anya raised an eyebrow. “How interesting! And I thought you had client meetings today.”
Sergey clenched his teeth.
“Anya, what is this circus?” He stepped toward her, clearly losing patience. “Who is this guy? What are you allowing yourself?”
“And you? What would your ‘colleague’ say? Maybe she doesn’t know about your marital status?”
The blonde tensed.
“You’re married?” she asked coldly, not taking her eyes off Sergey.
The blonde quickly turned and left the café.
“Great,” he threw back at his wife. “Are you satisfied? Why did you set this up? She was an important client. The deal depended on her. She had her eye on me. This meeting was a business maneuver, not what you imagined!”
“Maybe you’d better explain who this guy is with you?” Sergey glanced at Igor.
“And what? You can have fun on the side, but I can’t?”
“So you’ve been cheating on me?” Sergey clenched his teeth.
“Yes,” Anya lifted her chin, wanting to hurt Sergey.
“Listen, I think you can sort this out without me,” Igor awkwardly smiled and tried to quickly disappear from the café.
“Well, aren’t you just great, Anya,” Sergey threw a few bills on the table and exited the café.
Anya felt like bursting. She couldn’t believe all this had happened. She didn’t even know how to return to work now. She called a colleague, asking her to cover for her with the boss, and then she went home. When she opened the door, there sat Sergey on the couch. He looked surprisingly calm.
“Anya,” he looked at his wife with pain in his eyes. “Did you really cheat on me?”
His look was so sincere that Anya decided to sit next to him and sighed:
“No. I met that man for the first time today. I saw you, and I just wanted to hurt you. I couldn’t believe you were cheating on me.”
Sergey ran his hand through his hair.
“Listen, this situation is utterly silly. I now realize that I acted like an idiot. Please forgive me. I should have told you about all this. I know I’m at fault. I was a fool to even agree to that meeting. But you must believe me, there was nothing between us.”
Anya was silent, then buried her face in his shoulder. She was still angry at him, but at the same time, she was glad to hear his words.
“Promise me you won’t deceive me again.”
“I promise,” Sergey tenderly kissed her on the top of her head. “Forgive me, my foolish one.”
He hugged her tighter, and Anya felt the tension of the last few hours gradually release. She still didn’t like thinking about the blonde. But she saw that her husband was repentant. The main thing was that, in the end, everything was okay.