— And then what was bound to happen, happened. When you turned one, Angelina went to his work to congratulate her husband on the premiere of his latest play. She wanted to surprise him, brought his favorite cake. And she found Roman in his office with that Svetlana Kritskaya in a situation that left no room for doubt.
Anna felt everything inside her turn upside down. Her father was alive? He had been alive all this time?
— Did mom divorce him? — she asked in a trembling voice.
— Yes, but not right away. At first, she tried to save the family. Roman swore that it would never happen again, that it was a moment of weakness. They even tried to mend their relationship. But six months later, it happened again. And then Angelina realized: this would never change.
— And you? Did you help her?
Andrei Sversky guiltily lowered his eyes.
— No, and that is my biggest mistake. I thought she was doing the wrong thing, destroying her family over a man’s weaknesses. I told her she needed to be patient, that men are like that: they cheat, but they love their families. We had a very big fight. I said some harsh words to her that I regretted for the rest of my life. I called her proud, said she was only thinking of herself and not the child.
— And what happened next?
— Angelina was a woman of principle. For her, betrayal was unforgivable. She filed for divorce, packed her things, and left with you, without saying where she was going. Roman tried to find her, wrote, called all our mutual acquaintances. But to no avail. After that fight, we didn’t see each other for all these years.
— Until the last months of her life? — Anna guessed.
— Exactly. In March of this year, I received a letter from her. A thick envelope, filled with her familiar handwriting. Angelina wrote that she regretted our fight, that she wanted to make peace before… before she passed. She told me about her illness, about her fear of leaving you alone without the support of relatives.
Andrei Sversky paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Somewhere in the distance, birds were singing, a light breeze rustled the leaves of the century-old trees.
— I replied to her immediately. I wrote that I also regretted the fight, that I had thought about her and you all these years. We started corresponding every week until she passed away. She sent me your photos, told me about your successes in school, about what a smart and beautiful girl you had grown into. And reading her letters, I understood what a mistake I had made back then.
— What mistake?
— I didn’t support her at the most difficult moment of her life. Instead of helping, I condemned her. But she was right: you can’t live with a person you can’t trust.
Andrei took a photograph from his inner jacket pocket and showed it to Anna. It was of a young woman in a white dress next to a man in a suit.
— This is me with my wife Lidia on our wedding day. We were together for 25 years, and I never cheated on her once. Because I loved and respected her. And I understood that trust is the foundation of a family.
— What happened to your wife?
— She died five years ago from lung cancer. — Andrei’s voice trembled. — The same kind your mother had. I’m a doctor, but I couldn’t help her. And we didn’t have children, it just didn’t happen.
Anna looked at him with sympathy. Now she understood why he was so happy to receive the letter from her mother: he was also alone.
— And Angelina also asked me to find your father and contact him, — Andrei continued.
— Find him? So he’s alive? — Anna’s breath caught.
— Alive. And he has been looking for you and Angelina all these years. Roman Zakharov has become a rather famous director, but he never found personal happiness. He married twice more after divorcing your mother, but both marriages fell apart. He has no other children. He says that losing you two was the greatest tragedy of his life.
Anna sat in silence, trying to process what she had heard. Everything she had believed, everything she knew about her family, turned out to be untrue or only partially true. Her father was alive, she had an uncle, and her mother had hidden the truth from her her whole life.
— Where is he now? — she finally asked.
— In the capital. He works as the head director at a theater. Very successful, well-known in theatrical circles. Angelina asked me to give you his contact information, but left the decision about meeting him up to you.
Andrei Sversky handed her the thick envelope.
— Here is his address, phone number, and also a few letters that he wrote to your mother all these years, but she never received them—he didn’t know where you lived. And there’s also a savings book in your name. Angelina had been saving money for your education since you were born—2-3 thousand every month, as much as she could from her small salary.
— And you? — Anna looked at him. — What do you do for work?
— I am a cardiac surgeon at the regional hospital in Kirovograd. I head the department. I was married, but my wife died five years ago from cancer. We didn’t have any children. — He smiled sadly. — After Lidia’s death, I was left all alone. Work, an empty apartment, rare meetings with colleagues. That’s why Angelina’s letter was a real gift to me. You are the only family I have left.
— But why did mom stay silent for so long? Why didn’t she tell me the truth?
— She was afraid of disappointing you. Her letters were full of doubts and worries about it. She wrote: ‘What if Anya finds out the truth and doesn’t forgive me? What if she realizes I deprived her of a father because of my pride?’ And she was also very afraid that Roman might hurt you or her again.
— And now?…
