Dina rushed out of the house in her slippers, calling after her husband. “Pasha, come back! Where are you going?”
Pavel snapped back, “I’m going fishing!”
“You go fishing every day! What’s her name, your ‘fishing’?” Dina shouted, teary-eyed.
Pavel slammed his car door and drove off, leaving Dina standing in the cold. Lucy, her friend, stopped by, concerned. “Why are you sitting on the ground?”
Dina’s sobs escaped. “Pasha is leaving me. He says he loves me, but whenever we argue, he goes fishing. I think there’s someone else.”
Lucy scolded her. “You’re overreacting. Don’t create more drama. Think of the good.”
But Dina couldn’t stop the growing suspicion. She secretly placed a recorder in Pavel’s bag when he went to look for his fishing rod, determined to find out the truth.
The next morning, Pavel returned, drenched and fishless. Dina played back the recorder. To her surprise, it wasn’t an affair she uncovered. Pavel had been visiting his Aunt Galya, whose son Oleg was terminally ill. Dina heard him speaking with Galya about Oleg’s condition and the struggles of his family.
The recorder also captured Pavel talking to his young nephews. “Don’t you have a wife?” one asked. Pavel’s answer made Dina’s heart ache: “Of course, I love her very much. Only she doesn’t believe it.”
Tears rolled down Dina’s cheeks as she realized her mistake. She had misunderstood his “fishing trips.” It was an act of kindness, not deceit.
When Pavel returned, Dina approached him. “I’ve been acting foolishly. I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Pavel smiled, “I never doubted you. You’re the most wonderful.”
Dina listened as Pavel explained his family’s troubles. His cousin Oleg was dying, and he had been visiting to offer support. The children, Vika and Anton, might soon be left without a home if Oleg passed, as their mother had abandoned them.
Dina felt a new sense of purpose. “If things go badly with Oleg, we’ll take them in. We’ll become their family,” she said.
Pavel, touched, agreed. “I knew you’d say that. You’re the most compassionate.”
Soon, Oleg passed away, and Dina and Pavel welcomed Vika and Anton into their lives. Despite frequent offers, Aunt Galya refused to leave her home, choosing to stay in the house full of memories of her son.
Dina and Pavel’s family grew stronger, and they often visited Oleg’s grave. Pavel would stand there and say, “Look at your family now, brother. Our kids are growing up so wonderfully.”
Dina’s doubts had nearly destroyed her happiness. She learned that sometimes, the truth is more complicated than fear, and love is built on trust and understanding.
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