“Don’t forget your promise,” she said softly, caressing his lips. “I’m waiting for your call.”
“I remember,” Andrey murmured, pulling away with reluctance. “I’ll call as soon as I talk to her.”
They were on separate flights, so such precautions seemed appropriate.
On the plane, Andrey ordered whiskey and considered what he would say to his wife. After ten years of marriage, their connection had become like strangers.
Late in the evening, a cab pulled up near his residence. After paying the driver, Andrey froze for a few moments, gazing out the windows of his apartment. The light was turned on in the living room. Marina wasn’t asleep. He took a deep breath and moved towards the entrance.
The door opened silently. He put his suitcase down in the hallway and listened. Quiet music and voices were coming from the living room. “TV,” he thought, took off his shoes and walked toward the sound.
What he saw made him freeze in his tracks. In the middle of the living room stood a festive table with champagne and a cake decorated with a candle in the shape of the number “10”.