After the examination, the doctor lets us go home, asking us to follow bed rest and not to stress.
- If only he knew my life, he would never say that to me. - but I don’t voice this thought.
So, Adam and I get into the car and drive home. The whole way we are silent. I know that ahead of us there are still many difficult conversations. We will start with Adam finally telling me about Korniyev’s story. We arrive. I’m so tired that I didn’t even expect it from myself.
- Would you like tea or coffee? - Adam leads me to the couch while heading to the kitchen.
- Yes, please, tea. - Not that I want to drink very much, but I need a few minutes to prepare for the next shock. And I understand that it’s going to happen. Because if Adam has avoided telling me for so long, then this story might evoke a lot of emotions in me. And for some reason, I find it hard to believe that these emotions will be positive.
The man brings a cup of tea and sits beside me.
- Adam, you need to tell me what Korniyev said to you in the hospital? I have to know the truth.
I see the man’s shoulders tense as he places his cup down and turns his head towards me.
- Amanda, maybe not now? Maybe let’s rest a little first? - I understand that he’s avoiding this story again, but what’s the point? I’ll find out the truth anyway. And better, let me learn it from him.
- No, Adam, enough. I don’t want to hear everything from outsiders. Either you tell me everything now, or this is the end of our story. I don’t want to live with someone who hides something from me. Especially a secret that belongs to me. - The man leans back on the couch, closing his eyes.
- Fine, but I warn you - this story is far from pleasant, and you will be greatly surprised.
Four months ago...
Korniyev sits across from me, as if summoning the courage to start talking.
- Before I begin to tell my story, give me your word that Amanda won’t find out about this until I die. - I look at the man and don’t understand what he’s talking about. Why is he even talking about dying?
- That could happen in 10-20 years. Why are you telling me now so I can keep this secret for so many years?
- No, boy, it won’t last that long; it will happen very soon. I have cancer, and it can no longer be cured, so I have just a few months left. - Now I understand the man’s condition; now I understand why he wants to leave his secret to someone, just so it won’t die with him.
- Alright, I promise that Amanda will learn about this only when she’s ready for it.
Korniyev sits, closes his eyes, and then begins:
- 25 years ago, I met a very beautiful woman. We fell in love almost immediately, and our relationship quickly gained momentum. Let me put it this way, it was my first and probably only love, but at that time she was the daughter of successful doctors, and they clearly didn’t want her to have a fiancé like me. You know well, Adam, that my business was built not quite honestly, and there were various situations. And I never justify my actions, but at that time there was a very big danger threatening the woman I loved. Again, I think you understand me here. - I look at Korniyev, and for some reason, I find a part of my own story in his. - And that was exactly when my business took off, but with it came many problems. Big money always means big risk, and I was ready for that, but I wasn’t prepared for one thing - that it could affect her as well. So the only solution I found was to break up. And not just leave her, but make it so that she would completely forget about my existence. To cause her as much pain as possible. - At that moment, I recalled everything that happened seven years ago and how this man forced me to do the same thing to Amanda. Didn’t he realize, from his own experience, how wrong that was?
- Adam, I know what you’re thinking. And I deeply regret not checking everything that was said to me seven years ago. But just understand me. I wanted to protect my daughter. I wanted to save her from any problems, from any troubles. I couldn’t do that with the woman I loved, so I decided that I would do everything possible and impossible for my daughter. - I see real pain in his eyes. Korniyev truly regrets everything he did. But whether this makes it any easier for me, I’m not sure.
- So we broke up. I got into business, moved away, and upon returning a few years later, I learned that she was already married and had a daughter. Then fate played a cruel joke, and her husband became one of the leading lawyers at my firm. I sometimes saw him but never talked to him about anything because it was painful and hard for me. Of course, by that time, 18 years later, when we met again, I could have told her everything, but I didn’t want to ruin her happiness. But then, when I saw my beloved on vacation, I saw in her eyes such deep resentment that I understood that behind that pain and hatred lay a feeling. A feeling this woman carried with her through the years. And that evening we met on the balcony, and she said a phrase I never expected to hear: "Did you know that you have a daughter?" - Tears appear in Korniyev’s eyes - Adam, my world just shattered. For 18 years, I had a daughter I knew nothing about. A daughter from the woman I loved. If I had known about it earlier, I would have destroyed everything and everyone who was a threat to them. I could have figured something out. - Korniyev falls silent, and the pain on his face is evident. He starts to breathe heavily, so I offer him some water. He takes a glass and continues, now in a quieter voice: - I told her that I wanted to see my daughter, that I had the right to meet her. She asked me not to tell Amanda anything for now so as not to ruin her life. She said she would definitely tell her the truth. The next morning we went to visit them, and I saw my daughter. For the first time in 18 years, my mirror image was looking at me. Even her gaze was the same as mine. I held back because I had given my word to the woman I, surprisingly, loved until that moment. And then Nazar told me the story that developed with your ex, and apparently, you were to blame for her starting to use drugs. And Amanda’s mom was obviously against your relationship, but back then I didn’t understand that she was against it not because Amanda was with you, but because she saw in you me. - My mind starts to explode with what I’m hearing.