After Kicking His Wife and Child Out Without a Penny, Ignat Never Imagined He Would One Day Run Into His Former Family and Regret What He Had Done
“Ignat, come to your senses!” Marina’s voice trembled. “Where are we supposed to go? I don’t even have money to rent an apartment!”
“That’s your problem,” he snapped. “You should have thought about that before whispering behind my back with your friends.”
Five-year-old Sasha, not understanding what was happening, pressed himself against his mother’s leg and looked at his father with wide, frightened eyes.
“Daddy, don’t throw us out,” the little boy mumbled.
Ignat finally turned around. His gaze was as cold as ice.
“I’ve said everything. Get out.”
Marina pulled her son close and looked at her husband one last time.
Men’s clothing.
“You’ll regret this, Ignat. I swear, you’ll regret it.”
The front door slammed shut. Ignat poured himself some cognac and smirked. Regret it? Hardly. Without him, that loser wouldn’t get far. She would spend a month struggling through rented apartments, then crawl back, begging him to take her in. But he would be unshakable.
He could not even imagine how wrong he was.
Five years passed.
Ignat was sitting at a table in the Metropol restaurant, absentmindedly studying the wine list. Across from him sat his business partner Viktor, with whom he was discussing another deal.
“Look at that woman!” Viktor suddenly whistled, nodding toward the entrance.
Ignat casually turned his head and froze.
Marina was entering the restaurant.
But what a Marina she was now. A stylish black dress emphasized her perfect figure, and expensive jewelry shimmered in the light of the crystal chandeliers. She radiated confidence and dignity. Beside her walked a boy of about ten in an impeccable suit—their son, Sasha.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” came a melodic voice. It was the maître d’. “Madam Marina Alexandrovna, your table is ready.”
“Madam?” Ignat whispered, stunned. “You know her?”
“Of course!” Viktor chuckled. “Marina Alexandrovna owns the Pearl chain of luxury spa salons. She started from nothing, and now her business is valued in the millions. A brilliant woman!”
Ignat felt as if the ground had vanished beneath his feet. That same Marina whom he had thrown out with only one bag of belongings? The woman who, in his opinion, should have been wasting away in poverty?
“Excuse me,” he muttered to Viktor and, as if hypnotized, walked toward their table.
“Marina…” he began.
She raised her eyes. There was no surprise in them, no fear—only cold calm.
“Hello, Ignat. It’s been a long time.”
“Mom, who is this?” Sasha asked, curiously examining the stranger.
Those words struck Ignat harder than a slap. His own son did not recognize him. And how could he? Five years is an entire lifetime for a child.
“He is…” Marina hesitated for a moment. “Just an acquaintance, sweetheart. Let’s order.”
“Just an acquaintance?” Ignat felt everything inside him begin to boil. “I am his father!”
Sasha looked up from the menu.
“Oh, so you’re the man who threw us out?” There was no hurt or anger in the boy’s voice—only polite indifference. “Mom said you did that because you weren’t ready for a real family.”
“Sasha,” Marina gently stopped him, “let’s not talk about that now.”
“May I sit down?” Ignat pulled out a chair without waiting for permission.
“Actually, we’re waiting for Uncle Andrey,” Sasha remarked. “He promised to show me a new program for 3D modeling. I want to become an architect like him.”
“Uncle Andrey?” Ignat shifted his gaze to Marina.
She calmly adjusted her napkin.
“Yes. My husband. We’ve been together for three years.”
Men’s clothing.
Ignat felt a lump rise in his throat. Three years. While he had been feeding his own pride, his son had found a new father.
“Marina, can I speak to you? Alone.” His voice treacherously trembled.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, shaking her head. “Everything that needed to be said was said five years ago. You made your choice, and we made ours.”
At that moment, a tall man of about forty approached the table, with kind eyes and a warm, inviting smile.
“Sorry I’m late, darling. Traffic.”
“Andrey!” Sasha jumped up happily. “Did you bring the program?”
“Of course, champ!” Andrey ruffled the boy’s hair and only then noticed Ignat. “Good evening.”
“Ignat was just leaving,” Marina said firmly.
Ignat slowly rose from the table, feeling the ground slipping away beneath him. Andrey, noticing his condition, showed unexpected generosity.
“Perhaps you’d like to join us? I think you have something to talk about.”
“Thank you,” Ignat said hoarsely and sank back into the chair.
An awkward silence hung over the table. The waiter brought the menus, and everyone pretended to be absorbed in studying them. Finally, Andrey broke the silence.
“Sasha, show me your latest sketches. You said you’d come up with something interesting for your school project.”
The boy enthusiastically pulled a tablet from his backpack and moved closer to Andrey. They became absorbed in discussion, leaving Ignat and Marina alone.
“I didn’t know…” Ignat began.
“What exactly didn’t you know?” Marina asked quietly. “That we would survive without you? That I would be able to build a business? Or that Sasha would grow into a wonderful boy without your involvement?”
“All of it,” he admitted honestly. “I was blind. I selfishly thought only about myself, about my career.”
“You know, I actually should thank you,” Marina said thoughtfully.
“Thank me?” Ignat was surprised.
“Yes. That evening changed my entire life. I clearly understood that I would never again allow anyone to decide for me.
“I started small—I opened a tiny beauty salon. I worked sixteen hours a day. Sasha often fell asleep right there on the little sofa in the corner.”
She fell silent, looking at her son, who was passionately explaining something to Andrey.
“Then regular clients appeared. I took out a loan and opened a second salon. I kept learning, improving my knowledge and skills. And when I put Sasha to bed in the evenings, I promised him that everything would be all right for us. And you know what? I kept that promise.”
Ignat listened without interrupting. Every word hit its mark, forcing him to realize the depth of his mistake.
“And then I met Andrey,” Marina smiled. “He came to the salon as a client—imagine that, a successful architect who takes care of himself. We started talking, and it turned out we had a lot in common. He also started from nothing, also worked hard. And most importantly, he accepted Sasha from the very beginning.”
“He’s a good man,” Ignat was forced to admit.
“The best,” Marina said firmly. “Do you know what he did when he found out Sasha was interested in architecture? He started taking him to his studio, teaching him the basics of design. They create 3D models together and discuss modern trends. Andrey sees him not merely as his wife’s child, but as a person, someone with interests and dreams.”
Ignat felt a lump rise in his throat again. He remembered how he had brushed little Sasha aside when the boy asked him to play, how irritated he had become over his childish questions and noise.
“I ruined everything, didn’t I?” he asked quietly.
“You simply showed us that we deserved better,” Marina answered calmly. “And we found that better life.”
At that moment, Sasha and Andrey returned to the conversation. The boy was glowing with pride.
“Mom, can you imagine? Uncle Andrey said my project could be shown at a real architecture exhibition! Though I still need to refine the details a little…”
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart!” Marina smiled.
“Sasha,” Ignat said unexpectedly, surprising even himself, “may I see your project too?”
The boy hesitated for a second, then looked questioningly at Andrey. Andrey gave a barely noticeable nod.
“All right,” Sasha agreed and handed him the tablet. “This is a project for an eco-friendly residential complex. See, there are solar panels on the roof, and here is the rainwater collection system…”
Ignat listened attentively to his son’s explanations, astonished by the depth of his knowledge and the thoughtfulness of the project. Every detail was in its place, every decision had a reason behind it. At eleven years old, Sasha reasoned like a true professional.
“This is genuinely impressive,” Ignat said sincerely. “You’ve done very well.”
“Thank you.” For the first time that evening, Ignat saw Sasha smile at him. “Uncle Andrey told me that the most important things in architecture are attention to detail and care for the people who will later live in your buildings.”
“Your Uncle Andrey is absolutely right,” Ignat nodded, feeling how difficult those words were for him.
The evening was drawing to a close. The waiter brought the bill, which Andrey immediately took for himself, rejecting Ignat’s attempts to pay for everyone.
“You know,” Andrey said when they stepped out of the restaurant, “if Sasha doesn’t mind, you could meet sometimes. In the presence of one of us, of course.”
Marina remained silent, but she did not object. Sasha thought for a moment, then nodded.
“We can. But let’s not make any promises, all right? We’ll just see what happens.”
“No promises,” Ignat agreed, understanding that this was the most he could hope for.
They said goodbye. Ignat watched the family walk away—Andrey holding Marina’s hand, Sasha enthusiastically telling them something and waving his arms. They were happy and whole without him.
Taking out his phone, Ignat dialed his psychotherapist’s number.
“Hello, doctor. Do you remember when you said I needed to learn to accept the consequences of my decisions? I think I’m ready to start working on that. Truly ready.”
The rain had stopped, and the starry sky was reflected in the puddles. Somewhere in the distance, the lights of skyscrapers blinked—perhaps one day, among them, there would be a building designed by his son.
And that would be wonderful, even if Ignat had to watch it from the sidelines.