No, Aunt Nina. It was my choice,” Lika replied, though her voice betrayed her exhaustion.
Under the relentless sun, Lika worked the fields, sweat dripping into the soil. Her back screamed in protest, her ankles puffed like dough. She would pause only to rest her hand on her belly and whisper, “We’ll get through this, baby. Just a little longer.”
At night, she overheard the same voice she heard all day.
“She’s soft,” her mother-in-law told the neighbor. “Back in my day, we gave birth in a field and kept working.”
Lika said nothing. What was the point?
The Homecoming
Sasha strolled in a week later, tanned and carefree. He tossed his suitcase on the couch like nothing had changed.
“Lika! You should’ve seen the water—pure turquoise! We’ll go together next time, yeah?” he grinned.
She looked at him blankly.
“I’m leaving, Sasha.”
He blinked. “What?”
“I said—I’m leaving.”
He laughed. “Don’t be dramatic. You won’t last a week without me.”
But she just gave him a small, quiet smile.
“We’ll see.”
She walked out with nothing but her purse and her pride.
Rebuilding
She had no real plan. Just a little cash she’d saved and a heart full of resolve. Her suitcase with baby clothes was still in their apartment, but she had no intention of going back for it.
When her old friend Oksana heard what happened, she didn’t hesitate.
“You’re staying with me. Don’t argue.”
And for the first time in months, Lika slept without fear or shame.
Sasha’s Panic
At first, Sasha was sure she’d come crawling back. He called. Texted. Waited outside Oksana’s building.
“She doesn’t belong to you anymore,” Oksana said sharply, slamming the door in his face.
Eventually, Lika answered one of his calls.
“Lika, I’m sorry,” he pleaded. “I miss you. Please… for the baby.”
She was quiet.
“Do you miss me… or just your old life?”
Silence.
“I loved you…”
“And I forgot how to love myself while I was with you,” she said softly. Then she hung up.
New Beginnings
Childbirth was hard, but when Lika held her son in her arms for the first time, the pain didn’t matter.
She got back on her feet. Slowly. Friends helped. Oksana became family. She found part-time work and kept moving forward.
Sasha returned once more—with gifts and empty promises.
“I’ve changed.”
Lika didn’t flinch. “You can be in your son’s life. But I’m not coming back.”
He looked at her—really looked—for the first time in years. Then he nodded and left.
She closed the door behind him and breathed.
Ahead of her was something she hadn’t felt in a long time: freedom.
