Think about the children,” Vika’s mother said on the phone. “Yes, they’re already teenagers, but teenagers still need both parents, Vika, reconsider.”
“Mom, I’ve already made my decision. And as for the children… our son showed me a photo of his father on Facebook with some woman and a baby in his arms. So, that’s how he travels for work, it turns out!”
“Oh, I didn’t know about this,” the woman said, surprised. “But how could he do this after 16 years of a happy family life?”
“That’s exactly how, he just did,” Vika said as she noticed her mother-in-law in the hallway. “Alright, Mom, I’ll call you back later.”
“You heartless woman, what have you decided?” her mother-in-law immediately began, “What madness has possessed you? Are you out of your mind?”
“Vira Mykolayivna, my decision is final. I’m not reconciling with your son. We’ve already packed his things with the children. You can take something with you if you like.”
“But he loves his children! He can’t live without them. And if you think he should have abandoned another child… is that even acceptable? He could have supported that child financially without leaving his real family. And how will he manage without you? He won’t even be able to cook for himself.”
“He should have thought about the consequences of his business trips earlier,” Vika said without pity.
Her mother-in-law left, but Vika didn’t get to enjoy her solitude for long. Soon, her husband, her former husband, walked into the house.
“You were supposed to wait until we were home to take your things out,” Vika said just as matter-of-factly. “Alright, your stuff is over there. We’ve packed everything.”
“Vika, we need to talk. I couldn’t wait any longer.”
“I don’t really feel like talking to you, my dear,” Vika replied, emotionless. “Congratulations on the birth of your third child. I hope you’ll treat this one differently than you treated us. You can leave the keys on the nightstand. I’ll be in my room until you’ve moved everything out.”
Her husband left the keys and began carrying his belongings as if they were the heaviest stones, clearly struggling. Vika had no regrets about her decision. She believed that there was no other way to deal with a traitor.
