Kovalyova, you’re free to go.”
These were the words Nastya had been waiting to hear for five long years. Five years behind bars. It wasn’t just a sentence—it was a whole life ripped from her hands. Anastasia squinted, trying to shield herself from the dazzling sunlight. Now, finally, her torment was over. How she had missed Gleb.
He hadn’t visited her for a year. Something had clearly gone wrong. Maybe he was overwhelmed with work? After all, they had planned a grand project. Gleb used to often share how things were progressing. Nastya genuinely rejoiced for him.
“They must have done everything right. She could never have handled such a scale on her own. Soon they would marry, and she would become the full co-owner of their company.”
They had met Gleb half a year before those fateful events. He was a notary involved in her inheritance case. Nastya’s grandmother had died, with whom she had lived her entire life. The girl inherited a huge apartment in the city center and a decent sum of money.
Her grandmother had once been an actress, and even after leaving the stage, her fans continued to support her. Gleb seemed so sensitive, so caring. Young Nastya couldn’t resist the charm of this handsome man. One day their conversation turned to rich people. Gleb sighed.
“Let’s imagine that we’re just as successful. We have our own business, and our children study abroad.”
Nastya smiled.
“Children?”
Gleb looked at her seriously.
“Well, of course, children. It’s natural when people start a family, they have children.”
“Do you want to marry me?”
“Nast, how could I not want that?”
She pondered this conversation for a long time, then asked:
“Have you even analyzed what kind of business could be profitable now?”
“Nast, I didn’t just analyze. I have detailed calculations. Here, look.”
She didn’t understand anything about these numbers, but she was proud that her chosen one was so smart. Gleb sighed:
“Ah, if only we had the startup money. I could get it all rolling in a couple of years.”
Unnoticed, the conversation shifted to Nastya’s apartment and the money she had inherited.
“Gleb, what if it doesn’t work out? Where will we live?”
“I have a one-bedroom apartment. We’ll fit there for now. And if it doesn’t work out? That can’t happen! I’ve calculated everything thoroughly.”
Nastya believed him. She was sure Gleb would manage. But then, when the apartment was sold and they began to implement their plans, everything went awry. One evening, returning home, they encountered a drunk man.
He wasn’t attacking, just seemed disoriented. Gleb pushed him sharply, and the man fell. They stood, waiting for him to get up, but the man lay motionless.
“Hey, get up!” – Gleb began to shake him. The stranger’s head helplessly dangled.
“Nastya, he’s dead. Run!”
“No, we need to call the police.”
“Are you crazy? What about our plans? Everything depends on me. No one will sort out whether it was accidental or not. Nast, let’s say it was you. You’re a girl, they’ll pity you. At most – probation. But they’ll lock me up, and everything will go to dust.”
Nastya realized he was right. She was scared, but she agreed. Everything really depended on Gleb. She was given seven years. Seven years for a man who was just walking home from a party and felt ill. He wanted to ask for help, and they… And Gleb? Or her?
When the verdict was announced, Nastya fainted. Gleb visited her often, said he filed an appeal. He talked about how business was going, and Nastya endured, believing it was all for their future.
Now, approaching the house where Gleb lived, she felt her heart pounding. How she had missed him. How long it had been. I wonder how their company, how things are going?
She rang the doorbell for a long time until she finally heard the sound of the unlocking lock. A sleepy man stood on the threshold.
“Lady, if they don’t open, it means they don’t want to. What’s with the ringing? I’ve been on the road for a day, I want to sleep. Who are you anyway?”
Nastya stared at him intently.
“What are you doing in Gleb’s apartment?”
“First, none of your business. Second, I bought this apartment three years ago. I use it when I come to town. Third, I don’t know any Gleb. If he’s the former owner, then he’s dead. Ask the neighbors.”
The door slammed, and Nastya leaned against the wall. Gleb dead? It can’t be. She rushed to a neighbor. The door was opened by an elderly woman.
“Oh, Nastya, is that you?” – the neighbor asked, surprised, slightly opening the door.
“Yes, it’s me… Please, where is Gleb?” – Nastya barely whispered.
“Ah, Nastenka, he’s been gone a long time. Sold the apartment, then, they say, he even died. Don’t know anything more.”
“How did he die?” – Nastya’s voice trembled.
“I’m telling you, I don’t know. Go to the cemetery, where his parents are buried. They say he’s there.”
The door slammed, and Nastya slowly sank onto the steps. One thought throbbed in her head: “How so? Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t I know anything?”
“Lady, are you alright?” – a male voice rang out.
She lifted her head. Before her stood the same man who had opened the door to Gleb’s apartment.
“Yes, sorry, I’ll leave now…” – Nastya tried to stand up, but her legs gave way, and she sat back down on the steps. – “Just a minute… I’ll just sit…”
The man carefully helped her up by the arms.
“Where are you going in such a state? Come on, I’ll make you some tea. Once you’ve regained your strength, then decide what to do next.”
She had no strength to resist. She let him take off her jacket, seat her on a chair. When a hot mug was in her hands, tears finally flowed. The man did not interfere, letting her cry out. When the sobbing subsided, he quietly asked:
“What happened? Maybe I can help?”
And Nastya began to tell her story. At first hesitantly, then more confidently. She spoke of Gleb, their plans, the prison, how she had waited for him all these years. The man listened attentively, but when she finished, his face became serious.
“Something doesn’t add up,” – he said. – “Were you going to the cemetery? I can accompany you if you want.”
“Why would you do that?” – Nastya asked, surprised.
He shrugged.
“I don’t like when people are deceived.”
“About Gleb?”
The man remained silent, stood up, and headed for the door. They walked to the cemetery in silence. It was located on the outskirts of the city. From Gleb’s apartment window, one could even see the tops of the trees behind which the cemetery was.
Nastya had been here a couple of times with Gleb. They came to clean his parents’ graves. With difficulty, but she found them. The graves were well-kept. Two – the parents’, and next to them – a fresh one, with a plaque engraved with Gleb’s name.
Her legs buckled, and Nastya knelt down.
“Gleb, how could this be?” – she whispered.
Suddenly a child’s voice rang out:
“He’s not there. The grave is empty.”
Nastya started and turned around. Her new acquaintance was already leading a boy of about ten by the hand. Apparently, he was a homeless child and clearly didn’t want to talk.
“Come on, calm down,” – the man said sternly. – “I won’t let you go anyway.”
“I won’t say anything more,” – the boy stubbornly declared.
The man smiled.
“What if I pay you?”
The boy’s eyes lit up.
“How much?”
The man took out several bills from his wallet. The boy froze, assessing the amount.
“Here, look. You’ll get just as much if you tell everything. And I won’t have to chase you.”
The boy nodded, then looked at Nastya.
“Fine, I’ll tell. Just let me go, okay?”
The man loosened his grip, and the boy, after a brief pause, began:
“When they dug this grave, it immediately seemed strange to me. Usually, people are buried in the morning, but here the coffin arrived in the evening, around six. There were only two attendants. The gravediggers quickly buried it and left. But the man and the woman stayed. The man popped open some champagne. Have you ever seen champagne drunk at a cemetery? I haven’t.”
They clinked glasses, and the man said: “To the fulfillment of a wish.” The woman laughed and replied: “Wait, we haven’t commemorated you yet.” Then they laughed, talked, and I realized this guy was burying himself. So that some Nastya wouldn’t look for him or the money.”
Nastya froze. Everything mixed up in her head. Gleb… alive? And all this time he had been deceiving her?
That same evening, they were supposed to leave somewhere forever. Only I didn’t catch where exactly, or I’ve already forgotten.
Nastya stared at the boy, unblinking. Then she turned her gaze to Vladimir.
“This can’t be. No. I spent five years in prison for him. No.”
Vladimir looked grimly at her, then turned to the boy:
“Are you hungry?”
“Well, yes.”
“Let’s go to the cafe, you eat, and we’ll talk.”
“They’ll kick me out right away from there.”
“Not with me.”
The boy shrugged.
Vladimir helped Nastya to her feet.
“I’ll call a taxi, you can barely stand.”
The driver looked displeased at his passengers, but Vladimir placed a bill on the dashboard.
“No change needed, and no talking either.”
The driver smiled and nodded. Ten minutes later, they were at the place.
“Vladimir Leonidovich,” – a young woman handed him some papers.
“Later, Alla. Bring some food.”
Nastya was in a haze. She tried to make sense of everything she had learned, but it wouldn’t fit in her head. This simply doesn’t happen in life.
Vladimir slid a piece of paper towards her:
“Write down everything you know about your fiancé. Last name, patronymic, year of birth, distinguishing features.”
Nastya took the pen. The boy ate, looking around with interest.
“Is this your restaurant?”
“It’s a cafe, not a restaurant.”
“And it’s even better than in a restaurant. So, is it yours?”
“Mine. When I grow up, I’ll open my own restaurant. I used to love cooking as a child.”
“And now you don’t like it?”
“No, it’s just that there’s nothing to cook with and nowhere to do it. My grandmother used to buy food, but then she died.”
“And your parents?”
Nastya listened to the conversation.
“My grandma said my mom had me out of wedlock, then regretted it. She dumped me on grandma and was gone.”
“Boy, your town seems like a cheerful place.”
Vladimir took the sheet from Nastya and left. At the door, he turned around:
“Nastya, have some food, they’ll bring tea soon.”
She nodded to the closed door and looked at the table. Her stomach traitorously growled. The boy briskly pushed a plate towards her:
“Eat, he’s a good man, not stingy.”
Vladimir returned about ten minutes later:
“Well, now we need to wait a bit.”
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Egor.”
“Good name. My grandpa was named Egor.”
The boy was engrossed in watching TV. Nastya dozed off on the couch. There was a quiet scratching at the door, and Vladimir went out. When he returned, Nastya was sitting in a chair, and Egor was soundly asleep in her place.
“The kid’s worn out. Alright, let him sleep. Come, I’ll tell you something.”
Gleb stretched out on a lounge chair, with Sonya sitting next to him. True, they couldn’t really relax because Sonya was chattering non-stop:
“I don’t understand why you’re so calm? We’re almost out of money, and you’re not even trying to do anything!”
Gleb lazily looked at her:
“I don’t see the point. No matter how much money there is, you instantly blow it.”
“But I have to look good, and beauty, you know, costs a lot.”
Gleb smirked:
“Listen, they’re deceiving you. They slip you god knows what.”
Sonya initially didn’t understand what he meant. When she did, she turned crimson:
“How dare you? You owe me for life!”
Gleb sat up, squinted:
“With what? That now I can’t live peacefully? Every minute I wait for everything to be exposed and instead of Nastya, I’ll be the one sent to the zone.”
“I told you. Transfer all the money to a joint account, so, if anything, I can hire the best lawyer.”
“And then you’d immediately transfer it to yourself and forget my name.”
Their bickering wasn’t the first. Not even the second. A couple of times it even came to blows. But they were irrevocably linked by the whole story they had pulled off with Nastya. They thought they had committed the crime for their love, but the love ended right away.
“Gleb Nikolayevich Korolyov?”
Gleb and Sonya jumped at the same time. He immediately assessed the situation. Sunk. Behind the policemen stood Nastya, leaning on a young man’s arm. Sonya screeched, grabbing Gleb:
“Tell me the PIN code of your card, otherwise, I won’t be able to take the money to help you!”
The policeman smirked:
“Lady, he definitely won’t need it anytime soon, as there are no ATMs in the cells.”
Nastya and Vladimir walked out of the courtroom. Anastasia was a bit stunned. Learning so many details, any remnants of pity for her former fiancé dissipated like fog.
“So, shall we celebrate our victory?” – Vladimir asked.
Nastya sighed:
“I can’t, Volodya. Little Egor is waiting for me. It’s still hard for him to be home alone.”
“So you’ve decided to go through with the adoption?”
“Well, of course. How could I leave him on the street? He’s such a smart boy! Just resentful of the whole world.”
“Got it. So I’m superfluous in your company.”
“No, I didn’t say that. Just said I can’t go somewhere.”
Vladimir coughed and asked:
“What if I invite myself over to your place?”
“We would be very happy.”
And three months later, at the wedding, they watched as Egor occasionally pinched himself, still not believing he now had a dad and a mom
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