— Congratulations on the divorce, not the jail time! Although… — Olga smiled slyly. — How are you holding up?
I looked out the window. My soul felt surprisingly calm. There was no anger, no hatred, just a slight sadness for those two years that had been erased from my life.
— You know, at first, I kept replaying it in my head. Trying to understand how I could have been so blind. I blamed myself. But then I realized: I’m not to blame. I just loved and trusted. And they took advantage of that. It’s their filth, not mine.
— Absolutely right, — Olga nodded. — Are you back at work?
— Yes, for a month now. They took me back at my old firm, even with a promotion. My boss said he needs loyal people like me, — I smirked. — The irony.
We sat in silence for a bit, each lost in our own thoughts. A light autumn rain was drizzling outside the window. But it no longer seemed gray and dreary to me. It was just washing away the old dirt.
— For two years, I thought I was saving him, — I said quietly, looking at Olga. — That it was my cross to bear, my duty. That I was strong and could endure anything. But it turned out, I was the one who needed saving. From him, from this lie, from a life that didn’t belong to me.
Olga reached her hand across the table and covered mine.
— You made it through, Ann. You are very strong.
I squeezed her fingers in return and, for the first time in a long while, smiled a genuine, sincere smile.
— For the first time in two years, I can breathe freely. I’m planning my future. I’m thinking about what I want, not what someone else wants. And that, Olga, is an incredible feeling.
— What is it?
— The feeling of freedom.
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