“You must be joking,” said Tatiana, staring wide-eyed at Ivan Petrovich.
He shook his head.
“No, I’m not joking. But I’ll give you time to think. Because the proposal is anything but ordinary. I can even guess what you’re thinking right now. Think it over carefully… I’ll come back in a week.”
Tatiana watched him, bewildered. The words he had just spoken made no sense in her mind.
She had known Ivan Petrovich for three years. He owned a chain of gas stations and other businesses. And Tatiana worked as a cleaner at one of those gas stations. He always greeted the staff kindly and spoke in a friendly manner. In general, he was a good person.
The salary at the gas station was acceptable, and many wanted to work there. About two months ago, after finishing her cleaning shift, Tatiana was sitting outside; her shift was nearly over and she had a few minutes to rest.
Suddenly, the employees’ door opened and Ivan Petrovich appeared.
“May I sit?”
Tatiana jumped to her feet.
“Of course! Why even ask?”
“And why are you jumping up like that? Sit, I don’t bite. It’s a good day today.”
She smiled and sat back down.
“Yes, spring always seems to bring good weather.”
“It’s because we’re all tired of winter.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I always wanted to ask: why do you work as a cleaner? Larisa offered you the operator position. Better pay, easier work.”
“I’d love to, but I can’t because of the schedule — my daughter is young and gets sick. It’s fine when the neighbor watches her, but when there’s an outbreak, I need to be nearby. So Larisa and I take turns when necessary. She always helps.”
“I see… And what’s wrong with the girl?”
“Oh, don’t even ask… The doctors don’t fully understand it themselves. She has attacks, can’t breathe, panic, many things. The tests are serious and expensive. They say we have to wait, that maybe she’ll grow out of it. But I can’t wait…”
“Hang in there. Everything will be okay.”
Tatiana thanked him. And that evening she learned that Ivan Petrovich had given her a bonus — with no explanation, just handed it over.
After that, she didn’t see him again. And today, he suddenly showed up at her home.
When Tatiana saw him, her heart nearly stopped. And when she heard his proposal, she felt even worse.
Ivan Petrovich had a son: Stas, nearly thirty. Seven years of that spent in a wheelchair after an accident. The doctors did everything they could, but he never walked again. Depression, isolation, almost total refusal to communicate — even with his father.
And then Ivan Petrovich had an idea: marry his son off. Truly. So he would have a purpose, a reason to live, to fight. He wasn’t sure it would work, but he decided to try. And it seemed to him that Tatiana was the ideal person for this role.
“Tatiana, you will live with complete care. You’ll have everything. Your daughter will receive all exams and treatment. I propose a one-year contract. In a year, you leave, no matter what. If Stas improves, great. If not, I’ll compensate you generously.”
Tatiana couldn’t speak — outrage filled her.
Sensing her thoughts, Ivan Petrovich said gently,
“Tatiana, please, help me. This benefits both sides. I’m not even sure my son will get close to you. But for you it’ll be easier: you’ll be in a respectable position, legally married. Imagine marrying not for love, but for circumstances. Just one request: tell no one about this conversation.”
“Wait, Ivan Petrovich… And your Stas? Does he agree?”
The man gave a sad smile.
“He says he doesn’t care. I’ll tell him I have problems — with the business, with my health… The important thing is that he is married. Truly married. He trusts me. So this… is a deception for good.”
Ivan Petrovich left, and Tatiana remained seated, stunned. Inside, she was boiling with indignation. But his direct, sincere words softened the harshness of the proposal.
And if she thought about it… what wouldn’t she do for Sonya?
Anything.
And him? He was also a father. He also loved his child.
Her shift hadn’t even ended when the phone rang:
“Tatiana, quickly! Sonya is having an attack! A really bad one!”
“I’m coming! Call the ambulance!”
She arrived just as the ambulance pulled up.
“Where were you, mother?” the doctor asked sternly.
“I was at work…”
The attack was indeed severe.
“Maybe to the hospital?” Tatiana asked timidly.
The doctor, visiting for the first time, waved tiredly:
“What for? They won’t help her there. They’ll just make the girl more anxious. If only you could go to the capital — to a good clinic, real specialists.”
After forty minutes, the doctors left.
Tatiana grabbed her phone and called Ivan Petrovich:
“I accept. Sonya had another attack.”
The next day they left.
Ivan Petrovich came in person, with a clean-shaven young man.
“Tatiana, take only what’s necessary. We’ll buy everything else.”
She nodded.
Sonya looked curiously at the car — large and shiny.
Ivan Petrovich crouched before her.
“Do you like it?”
“A lot!”
“Want to sit in front? You’ll see everything.”
“Can I? I really want to!”
The girl looked at her mother.
“If the police see us, they’ll fine us,” Tatiana said strictly.
Ivan Petrovich laughed and opened the door.
“Get in, Sonya! And if anyone wants to fine us, we’ll fine them first!”
As they approached the house, Tatiana grew more nervous.
“Oh God, why did I agree? What if he’s strange, aggressive…?”
Ivan Petrovich noticed her anxiety.
“Tania, relax. There’s still a week before the wedding. You can change your mind anytime. And besides… Stas is a good guy, smart — but something inside him broke. You’ll see that yourself.”
Tania stepped out, helped her daughter out, and froze — staring at the house. It wasn’t just a building: it was a true castle. And Sonya, unable to contain herself, shouted:
“Mom, now we’re going to live like in a fairy tale!”
Ivan Petrovich laughed, lifted the girl in his arms.
“Do you like it?”
“A lot!”
Until the wedding, Tania and Stas saw each other only a few times, at dinners. The young man hardly ate, hardly spoke. He just sat there, as if his body was present but his mind was elsewhere. Tania watched him cautiously. He was handsome, but pale, as if he hadn’t seen sunlight in ages. She felt that, like her, he lived with pain. And she appreciated that he never mentioned the upcoming marriage.
On the wedding day, it felt as if a hundred people were buzzing around Tania. The dress arrived literally the day before. When she saw it, she fell into a chair.
“How much must this have cost?”
Ivan Petrovich smiled:
“Tania, you’re too impressionable. Better not know. And now look what I have here.”
He took out a miniature copy of the wedding dress.
“Sonya, shall we try it on you?”
The girl squealed so loudly everyone had to cover their ears. She proudly paraded around the room as a little princess.
At one point, Tania turned and saw Stas. He was standing in the doorway, watching Sonya. There was a faint shadow of a smile in his eyes.
The girl now lived in the bedroom next to hers. Her bedroom. Tania had never imagined she’d ever be there.
Ivan Petrovich suggested going to their country house, but Stas shook his head.
“Thanks, Dad. We’ll stay here.”
The bed in the bedroom was huge. Stas kept his distance, showed no intention of anything. And Tania, who had planned to spend the night alert, unexpectedly fell asleep immediately.
A week passed. They began talking at night. Stas turned out to be incredibly intelligent, with a sense of humor, interested in books and science. He never tried to get close to her. Slowly, Tania began to relax.
One night she woke suddenly: her heart pounding.
“Something happened…”
She ran to her daughter’s room. Her greatest fear had come true: Sonya was having an attack.
“Stas, help! Call an ambulance!”
A second later he was there with the phone. A minute later, a sleepy Ivan Petrovich rushed in:
“I’ll call Alexei myself.”
The ambulance arrived quickly. The doctors were unfamiliar, with immaculate uniforms and modern equipment. Then the family doctor arrived. They discussed the situation for a long time, even though the attack had passed. Tania stayed beside her daughter. Stas stood next to her, holding the girl’s hand.
“Tania,” he asked softly, “has this been happening since she was born?”
“Yes… We’ve been to so many hospitals, done so many tests, but nothing helped. That’s why my ex said I shouldn’t ruin his life.”
“And did you love him?”
“I suppose. But it was so long ago…”
“So you accepted my father’s proposal…”
Tania raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Stas smiled.
“My father thinks I don’t know anything. But I’ve always read him like an open book. I was afraid of who I’d end up with. And when I saw you, I was surprised. You’re nothing like the ones who would accept something like this for money. And now everything seems to make sense.”
He looked at her.
“Tania, don’t cry. We’ll cure Sonya. She’s strong. She didn’t break — unlike me.”
“And why did you break? You’re smart, handsome, good…”
He shrugged with a bitter smile.
“Tell me the truth: would you have married me if things had been different?”
Tania thought for a second and nodded.
“Yes. I think falling in love with you would’ve been easier than with many who run around pretending to be heroes. But it’s not even about that. I just… can’t explain it.”
Stas smiled.
“You don’t need to. For some reason, I believe you.”
A few days later, Tania found Stas doing something strange. He had assembled a complex device and was trying to exercise on it.
“It’s a rehabilitation machine,” he explained. “After the accident, I had to use it at least three hours a day. But I decided it didn’t matter anymore. Now… I’m ashamed. For Sonya. For you.”
Someone knocked. Ivan Petrovich peeked in.
“May I?”
“Come in, Dad.”
The man froze when he saw what his son was doing. He swallowed hard, then turned to Tania.
“Tell me… did you have a difficult birth?”
“Yes, why?”
“The doctor said they most likely pulled Sonya out roughly and damaged her temporal bone. It healed on the outside, you can’t see anything. But inside, it’s pressing on a nerve.”
Tania collapsed into a chair.
“That can’t be… And now what do we do?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Calm down, don’t cry,” said Ivan Petrovich. “The doctor said it’s not a sentence. She needs surgery. Remove what’s pressing, and Sonya will be healthy.”
“But it’s the head… it’s dangerous…”
Stas leaned closer, took her hand.
“Tania, listen to Dad. Sonya will be able to live without attacks.”
“And how much does it cost?”
Ivan Petrovich looked surprised.
“That question no longer concerns you. You’re part of the family now.”
Tania stayed in the hospital with Sonya. The operation was a success. In two weeks they were supposed to return home.
Home.
But now Tania no longer understood: where was her real home?
Stas called every day. They talked for a long time — about Sonya, about themselves, about little things. It felt as if they had known each other all their lives.
Time passed. The one-year contract was coming to an end. Tania tried not to think about what would happen next.
They returned in the evening. Ivan Petrovich arrived with them — gloomy, tense.
“Has something happened?”
“I don’t know how to say this… Stas has been drinking for two days.”
“What? He never drinks!”
“That’s what I thought too. He’d been training for a month, making progress… and suddenly he gave up. Says nothing works.”
Tania entered the room. Stas was sitting in the dark. She turned on the light and began collecting bottles from the table.
“What are you doing with this?”
“You’re not drinking anymore.”
“And why not?”
“Because I’m your wife. And I don’t like it when you drink.”
Stas looked confused.
“Well… just for a while… Sonya is healthy now. So you have no reason to stay next to a cripple.”
Tania straightened.
“Did you mean to say ‘next to an idiot’? Stas, I thought you were strong, intelligent, that you’d make it. Was I so wrong?”
He lowered his head.
“Forgive me… I guess I didn’t make it.”
“And I’m home now. Maybe we can try again?”
The year was coming to an end. Ivan Petrovich was nervous: Stas had just begun standing with a walker. The doctors said he would soon walk, maybe even run later.
And Tania… it was time for her to leave.
“Maybe offer her more money?” he asked his wife timidly.
During dinner, Tania, Sonya, and Stas arrived — Stas still in his wheelchair.
“Dad, we have news for you,” he said.
Ivan Petrovich tensed, looked at Tania.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
Tania and Stas exchanged glances. She shook her head.
“Not exactly.”
“Don’t torment me!”
“You’re going to be a grandfather soon. Sonya will have a little brother… or sister.”
Ivan Petrovich fell silent. Then suddenly he stood up, embraced the three of them, and began to cry. Loudly, as if afraid it was all a dream.
He cried — from happiness, from relief, from the knowledge that his family had finally become real.