Marina embraced herself, suddenly being quite vulnerable.
– I wanted to tell you about our anniversary. I am pregnant, Andrey. Fourteen weeks.
Time seemed to have stopped. Andrey looked at his wife, at her slightly rounded belly, which for some reason he had not noticed right away, at the baby crib, at the teddy bear on the shelf…
– Pregnant? – The word sounded foreign. – But how? We…
– Do you remember that night before your business trip to Novosibirsk? – Marina smiled weakly. – We were both a little drunk.
Andrey remembered. Three months ago. A rare moment of intimacy in their relationship, which by then had already begun to fade.
– Why didn’t you tell me earlier?
– I wanted to be sure. Then I waited for the right moment, – Marina shrugged. – And then you announced your “conference” with Vika.
Andrey turned pale.
– Did you know?
– Of course I knew, – Marina looked him straight in the eyes. – I’m not stupid, Andrey. But I decided to give you a chance. A chance for all of us.
She placed her hand on her stomach, and that simple gesture suddenly made the situation tangible. They were going to have a baby. Their baby.
“Marina, I…” he couldn’t find the words.