When he entered the room, Stepan Andrejewitsch stood in the doorway for a few seconds, looking at her.
Elena sat motionless, her eyes empty, lost somewhere beyond the walls.
— Lena… — he said softly.
She didn’t respond. Then he stepped closer, placed a chair next to the bed, and gently took her hand.
— I’m here. You’re not alone.
His words, spoken so warmly, reached deep into her soul.
A tear ran down her cheek. The first silent tear after days of silent screaming.
Stepan gently squeezed her hand.
— We’ll get through this together, okay?
Elena blinked slowly, and her trembling hand clung to his.
From that day on, Stepan was always there.
He helped her get out of bed, learn to walk again, accept that her breath still existed, even though her world had died.
Years passed. The company grew and became well-known.
Elena had made a name for herself in the business world, but in her soul… the emptiness remained.
And still, she went to the cemetery every Friday.
She would sit on the bench and talk to her loved ones as if they were with her.
She told them everything: about good days, bad days, small victories.
That day was a Friday, just like any other.
Elena parked the car, took the bouquet of flowers, and walked the familiar path.
The air smelled of cut grass and damp earth.
She had already sat down on the bench, whispered a few words to the cold stone, when she heard a delicate voice behind her:
— Mama?
Elena froze. She slowly turned around.
In front of her stood a blonde girl with large, sky-blue eyes.
She was about six years old and tightly held a somewhat worn-out fabric teddy bear.
— Mama, where have you been? — the girl asked again.
Elena felt her breath catch. Tears filled her eyes.
An illusion? A cruel trick of her tired mind?
— I… — she tried to respond, but her voice broke.
The girl stepped closer and touched her hand.
— I missed you, Mama.
Then Elena broke down in tears. She held the girl in her arms, feeling her warmth, the scent of childhood.
A man came running breathlessly.
— I’m terribly sorry! — he said excitedly. — This is my daughter, Katja.
She looks a lot like your daughter, doesn’t she?
She’s always running around the graves and… sometimes she says strange things.
Elena blinked, confused, and looked at the child again.
Katja smiled at her widely and held out the teddy bear.
— Take it, Mama, so you’re not sad anymore.
The man turned red.
— No, Katja, please don’t bother the lady…
But Elena took the teddy bear with trembling hands.
— Thank you, my angel, — she whispered.
The man left with the child’s hand in his, and Elena stayed on the bench, clutching the teddy bear tightly.
For the first time in five years, she felt that her heart was no longer just a frozen wasteland.
When she returned to the office, Vera looked up in surprise:
— You’re back, Elena Sergeyevna?
Elena smiled. Truly, with her whole soul.
— I’m back, Verutchka. And I think this time… I’ll stay.
She stepped into the office, placed the teddy bear next to the old photos on the desk, closed her eyes, and whispered:
— Thank you.
And for the first time in a long time, the cool, elegant office smelled like spring.
