— Lyosha, I have amazing news!
Did you read my message? — she shouted joyfully as she burst into the apartment.
— Lyosha, where are you?! — she called again, worried.
In response, she heard a sharp, strained cough coming from the bathroom.
— Lyosha, what’s wrong? — Margarita flung the door open.
— Yeah, I got it… Just feeling completely out of it, — Alexei mumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead and holding his stomach as he walked out.
— That’s such a shame, I managed to snag last-minute tickets to Thailand for the weekend… — she said with disappointment.
— We’ll see how I feel, — her husband grumbled and collapsed onto the couch.
All evening, Margarita doted on him: brought him tea, checked his forehead, tucked him in with a blanket — sometimes it started to get on Alexei’s nerves.
— Good thing you’re on vacation, — she whispered, lightly brushing her lips against his forehead.
— You’ll rest and recover…
A couple of days later, Alexei told her that even though he felt a little better, he was still unwell.
— Still not feeling better? — she asked, sitting beside him on the couch.
— Not really, — he groaned, sighing heavily.
— Bring me some water, your questions are making it worse.
While Margarita went to the kitchen, he quickly took out his phone and sent a message, hiding the device again before she returned.
— Did you take your temperature? — she asked, handing him a mug.
— It was 99.5°F (37.5°C), — he replied gloomily. — Looks like you’ll have to go alone…
— Alone? I can’t leave you like this, — his wife protested.
— The tickets will go to waste, — he muttered weakly. — Go, enjoy enough for both of us. I’ll ask my mom to check in on me.
— I feel uneasy about leaving you. What if you get worse? — Margarita gently adjusted the blanket.
— Call a friend or your sister. Don’t let the tickets go to waste. You’ve earned this rest, and I… I just can’t swing it. My pay got cut — didn’t expect that.
It didn’t take long to convince her — Margarita agreed and started packing.
— I’ll go with Alina, she’s thrilled, — she told her husband before leaving.
— Have a great trip, — he responded with noticeable cheer.
Margarita was busy getting ready and didn’t notice how much the “sick” man had perked up.
The next day, her sister picked her up and they headed to the airport.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Alexei jumped up and grabbed his phone.
— Don’t shout! I told you I couldn’t talk yet! Sent the wife off to Thailand, — he whispered.
— We’re flying to Turkey. The flight’s in five hours. Meet me at the airport entrance.
He hung up and began frantically packing.
— Where the hell did Margo hide my shorts?! — he cursed, flipping the closet upside down.
An hour later, he was packed, and all signs of illness had vanished.
Three hours later, he was in a taxi with his suitcase, racing to the airport.
At the entrance, a slim blonde was waiting.
Seeing Alexei, she dropped her suitcase and hurried over.
— I’ve been waiting half an hour! — she said with a reproachful tone, fixing her hair.
— Why so long? We’re not going to be late, are we?
— No, — Alexei grimaced. He hated it when Milana started whining.
They’d only known each other for two months — Milana had come to intern in his department and immediately noticed the fit, married man.
The wedding ring didn’t bother her: she pursued him persistently, and one day, Alexei gave in.
He started seeing her in secret. Milana was five years younger and swept him into her energetic world.
On the same day Margarita bought the vacation package, Milana told him about her own “hot deal” — just a few hours earlier.
She convinced him to pay for the trip, and Alexei started racking his brain for a way to ditch his wife.
Then suddenly, what he thought was a brilliant idea came to him: pretend to be sick.
Lucky for him — Margarita agreed to go with her sister. Alexei thought he had it all figured out.
He took Milana’s suitcase and the two of them entered the airport, went up to the second floor, and checked in their luggage.
— Well? Do I look good? — Milana whispered seductively.
— You’re fine, — he grunted, guessing she was feeling insecure again.
— You sure? Those two brooms over there are staring at me, — she said, pointing.
Alexei turned instinctively — and at that exact moment, dropped the suitcase.
Ten meters away stood Margarita and Alina. Their eyes were locked on Alexei and the blonde.
— So this is how you’re “sick,” huh? — Margarita said coldly, striding toward him.
— Why didn’t you fly out? — Alexei blurted the first thing that came to mind.
— The flight was delayed. And you know what, thank God!
Otherwise, I would’ve missed this whole circus, — Margarita said through clenched teeth, her eyes freezing him in place. — And who’s this, exactly?
— Just a friend, — Alexei mumbled, turning pale.
— Darling, what’s going on? — Milana chimed in, pouting her lips and tossing her hair dramatically.
— Another one with “hot deals” to Thailand?
— That’s his wife, — Margarita snapped. — Or rather, ex-wife.
Alina, they’ve called our flight — let’s go! — she said, grabbing her sister’s hand and walking away firmly.
Alexei instantly realized the scale of the disaster — there was no point lying anymore. He sighed heavily, grabbed his suitcase, and whispered in Milana’s ear:
— That’s it. I’m going home. Have fun here by yourself.
He hoped that after her vacation, Margarita would cool off and maybe even forgive him. But things turned out differently.
The moment she stepped back into the apartment, she said:
— Pack your things and leave. Immediately.
— Wait, I can explain everything! — he tried to buy time.
— I don’t need your explanation, — Margarita cut him off coldly.
— You know, I once heard a great saying: “Don’t let your ears believe what your eyes haven’t seen.”
Well, I saw everything. So no explanations needed.
From her tone, Alexei knew — it was over.
A couple of hours later, he was dragging his suitcase out of the apartment and moving back in with his mother.
And a month later, the marriage officially ended in divorce.
