“Ruslan!” his mother shouted, bursting into louder sobs.
Fifteen minutes later, he returned. He approached the table and gently set down a tiny bundle.
The women grew quiet, peering at the fluffy little creature now meowing and running in fear across the table.
“Oh my God, a kitten!” Viktoriya said, her voice full of tenderness as she wiped her tears and reached for it. Aunt Masha clapped her hands and hurried to the kitchen for some milk.
Ruslan folded his arms across his broad chest and sighed in relief.
“Thank God,” he said.
Then he explained: he’d seen the kitten near the road but hadn’t picked it up. Now he’d remembered and figured it was the perfect distraction.
Soon after, they went to the city for Viktoriya’s check-up. She had an MRI and an ultrasound. Everything was fine—except for one unexpected piece of news that nearly broke her.
“You’re pregnant,” the doctor told her. “Seven weeks.”
So it had happened before that nightmare. And there was no doubt who the father was. Viktoriya covered her face. What now?!
“A child is a gift from God,” Aunt Masha said gently. “You just need to rejoice.”
“Tetya Masha…” Viktoriya sobbed.
“Everything will be okay, sweetheart. Don’t worry about a thing. We have a home, and there’ll be bread for the baby.”
In that moment, she remembered the buried treasure.
She stopped crying, lowered her hands, and looked at the smiling woman—her chosen mother.
“Mother… can I go somewhere with Ruslan?”
“Of course, my dear. Tell him where, and he’ll take you. But be careful. You’re responsible for more than just your own life now.”
She grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and said,
“I promise.”
They dropped Aunt Masha off at home and drove to the lake.
“What did you lose out here?” Ruslan asked.
“I’ll show you,” she replied.
They got there in about an hour. But once they arrived, Viktoriya felt sick and vomited. She washed her face at the lake, sat a while, then got up to look for that tree. She wasn’t sure it was the right place. They wandered the shore—it all looked the same. Then he spotted a pile of stones.
“This is it,” he said. “You were lying right here. I stacked these rocks and placed a board under you to lift you up—just in case your bones were broken.”
She looked at him with deep gratitude. Her eyes filled with tears again.
“I’ll never be able to repay you for this,” she whispered.
“Just live long and be happy. That’s enough,” he replied with a smile.
She bit her lip and turned to find the rotting tree. There it was! Viktoriya ran to it, found a sturdy stick, and started digging. Immediately, she hit metal. The necklace was still there. She carefully pulled it out, looked at the dirt-covered jewelry, and handed it to Ruslan.
“What is this?” he asked, examining it.
“I think you don’t need to keep working for that killer,” she said. “Take it.”
He took the necklace and looked at her.
“This is the necklace?”
She nodded.
He opened his mouth slightly, stood there a moment, then knelt by the lake and washed it. The gems sparkled instantly, glowing with radiant brilliance.
“Vika, this is a fortune. He really did love you—though he acted like a monster. Most wives don’t get gifts like this.”
“May he rot in hell,” she said through clenched teeth. Her body still remembered the pain. “No amount of money could make up for what he did to me.”
Ruslan stood up and, for the first time, gently hugged her. He repeated his mother’s words:
