When he returned from his flight, he saw his daughter with an unnaturally large belly. The doctors were shocked by what they discovered…
When Andrei was told over the phone that his eldest sister Marina had died, he couldn’t quite take it in at first. He had only recently suffered the death of his wife, caused by a fatal medical error, and now the news of this new loss seemed impossible to him.
But this time there was no doubt. Marina had been killed in a car crash. Later, Andrei learnt the details: alcohol had been found in her blood. That night, she was returning from her lover’s house, with whom she had had a terrible row. It was pouring with rain, the road was dangerous, but Marina did not slow down. The only thing that eased the pain even slightly was that, on the way, she had not killed anyone but herself.
Andrei took his young daughter Yulia with him and set off for another town to arrange the funeral. They stayed in Marina’s flat. Putting on a black suit and looking in the mirror, Andrei thought gloomily that a cruel fate hung over their family: first his parents had gone, then his wife, and now his sister. For a moment, it seemed to him that he might be next. But he immediately pushed those thoughts aside. For Yulia’s sake, he had to live. For her sake, he was ready to fight even death itself.
As he walked past the children’s room, Andrei stopped at the door. Denis—Marina’s son—was standing in the room. He had recently turned fifteen. The teenager was clumsily trying to tie his tie, and then, unable to bear it any longer, ran his fingers through his hair in despair—thick, chestnut-brown hair, just like his mother’s. Andrei had never been one for heart-to-heart talks, but he walked over silently and helped him tie the knot.
‘How on earth did you manage it?’ Denis asked quietly. ‘You lost your wife too… What do I have to live for now?’
Andrei paused for a moment, then answered honestly:
‘I live for my daughter. And you’re not alone now either. I won’t abandon you.’
After the funeral, there were those who decided to lecture him. They said that life was hard enough for a single father as it was; why take on someone else’s teenager, and the son of a woman with a difficult temperament at that? Andrei listened to no one. He cut all the talk short and took Denis to his home — the spacious house he’d once built with his wife.
Six months passed. Denis settled in quickly. He and Yulia became as close as brother and sister. He became a real pillar of support for the girl, and for Andrei — a helping hand around the house. Because of the children, Andrei even gave up long-haul voyages and stayed on shore to work. But one day everything changed: one of the captains fell seriously ill, and there was no one to replace him. The management persuaded Andrei to help, and in the end he agreed to a voyage that was due to last five months.
Before leaving, he hired a trusted woman—Zinaida Igorevna. She was to cook, look after the house and look after the children. Denis assured him that she would manage everything and would be of no trouble at all. Andrei left, but the trip took longer than expected: due to breakdowns and delays, his return was postponed by almost a month. The connection was poor, and all that time a sense of unease had not left him.
When he finally returned, he decided not to warn anyone — he wanted to surprise the children with an unexpected visit. But no sooner had he crossed the threshold than he heard a scream. It was Yulia screaming. There was so much pain in that sound that he felt a chill inside. Dropping his things right by the entrance, he rushed into the living room.
The girl was lying on the sofa, pale, exhausted, her face contorted with pain. A frightened nanny was pacing nearby.
‘Daddy…’ Yulia whispered, barely audible, clutching her stomach.
Andrei collapsed to his knees before her.
‘Yulia, what’s happened? Zinaida Igorevna, what’s wrong with her?’
At that moment, the blanket slipped aside, and he saw his daughter’s stomach. It was enormous, unnaturally swollen. The man froze.
‘What on earth is this…’ he managed to say, turning pale. ‘Where’s Denis? What’s happened here?’
The nanny clutched the cross on her chest with trembling hands.
‘I… I don’t understand myself… She started feeling unwell about a month ago. And Denis… Denis is at the police station right now.’
Andrei’s breath caught in his throat. The worst possible thoughts immediately sprang to mind.
‘At the police station? For what?!’ he almost shouted.
He struggled to contain his panic, but forced himself to speak calmly:
— Zinaida Igorevna, please tell me everything from the very beginning. Why a month ago? Why didn’t anyone tell me anything?
The woman burst into tears.
— I didn’t want to worry you. I thought it was just a passing thing. At first, Yulia just complained of a stomach ache after school. Then the pain started coming more often. I took her to see doctors, but they all said the same thing: the tests were fine, nothing serious. Meanwhile, her tummy was getting bigger. I couldn’t understand how that was possible…
Andrei gently picked up his daughter. The little girl sobbed, clinging to him.
— Daddy, I’m scared…
At that moment, their neighbour, Tatyana Vasilyevna, appeared in the doorway.
‘Andrey, I saw you’d arrived… Denis has been in the police station since yesterday evening. They arrested him when he tried to sell Marina’s old gold chain. He said he needed the money for Yulia’s treatment.’
“What madness is this?” Andrei clenched his teeth. “Why didn’t he come to me? I have money!”
The neighbour sighed heavily.
“He didn’t want to worry you. He said you were already on edge. He hoped to find a way out himself.”
Andrei gently handed Yulia over to the nanny.
“Stay with her. I’ll be back soon.”
At the police station, Denis sat on a chair, hunched over with his head bowed. When he saw Andrei, he stood up abruptly.
“Dad, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”
“Just explain,” Andrei said firmly. “Why did you keep quiet? Why did you let it get to this?”
Denis swallowed.
— I looked for information, read up on illnesses, and rang clinics. No one could tell me what was going on. Yulia was getting weaker, growing paler by the day, and her bump was getting bigger. I knew we needed good doctors and proper tests. I wanted to find the money and sort it all out myself…
Andrei walked over and gave him a firm hug.
— You silly boy. We’re a family. You can’t go through things like this on your own. Let’s go home.
On their return, Andrei immediately called an ambulance. The medics who arrived examined Yulia and decided without delay to take her to hospital. There, urgent examinations, tests, consultations, an ultrasound and a CT scan began.
Three days later, the chief consultant — a grey-haired, weary man with a serious expression — invited Andrei into his office.
‘We’ve received the results. It’s a rare case, but understandable. Your daughter has a huge ovarian cyst. It grew gradually, and because of its location, the symptoms were vague for a long time. Surgery is now necessary, and as soon as possible.’
Everything went black before Andrei’s eyes.
“Surgery? Is it very dangerous?”
The doctor replied bluntly:
“There’s always a risk, but we can’t delay. The sooner we intervene, the better the chances of a full recovery. We need your consent.”
“Yes,” Andrei said immediately. “Do whatever needs to be done. Just save her.”
The operation lasted nearly four hours. All that time, Andrei and Denis sat in the corridor, barely moving. They didn’t speak — words were unnecessary. When the surgeon finally appeared, they both jumped up at the same time.
“Everything went well,” said the doctor with a weary smile. “The cyst has been completely removed. The girl is currently in intensive care, and her condition is stable. We’ll move her to a regular ward in a few days.”
Denis couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into tears, burying his face in Andrei’s shoulder. Andrei held him close.
“Everything will be alright. It definitely will now.”
A week later, Yulia was already in her ward. She was still weak and spoke softly, but there was life in her eyes again. When she saw her father and Denis, a smile spread across her face.
“I’ve missed you so much…”
Andrei sat down beside the bed and stroked her hand.
‘We missed you too, darling. But let’s make a deal: no more silence. If anything hurts or scares you, tell us straight away. Together, we’ll get through anything.’
Denis, standing nearby, squeezed his sister’s hand.
— And I won’t try to be a hero anymore. Forgive me.
Yulia smiled slightly:
— And I won’t put up with silence anymore either.
Andrei looked at them both and realised: no matter how hard life gets, they have the most important thing — they have each other. And that means they can get through anything.
Epilogue
A year and a half had passed.
The spring sun flooded the kitchen in Andrei’s house with soft light. Hot pancakes stood on the table; the air smelled of coffee and the warmth of home. Yulia, now stronger, cheerful and lively, was setting out the plates. Almost nothing remained of that terrible story — only a thin scar, which in time would become completely invisible.
Denis had changed a great deal during that time. He had matured and become more confident and composed. He no longer felt like an outsider or out of place in that house. On the contrary, he realised that he was needed there. After the incident with the chain, he threw himself into his studies, and later began to earn a bit of extra money on the side, but now honestly and openly, discussing everything with Andrei.
Andrei himself had also turned his life around. He no longer went on long voyages and had taken a job as an instructor at a maritime training centre. That morning he walked into the kitchen with two bouquets of daffodils: one for Yulia—it was her birthday—and the other for Zinaida Igorevna, who had become almost like family to them over the years.
‘Well then, birthday girl, are you ready to receive your congratulations?’ he asked with a smile, holding out the flowers.
Yulia laughed:
‘Dad, you do remember that I’m ten today, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. And the cake’s almost ready. But that’s not all. We’ve got a surprise.’
Soon Tatyana Vasilyevna appeared in the doorway, followed by a young woman with kind eyes and bags in her hands.
‘This is Olga,’ said Andrei. ‘She’s a paediatrician, currently working at a rehabilitation centre. We met when Yulia was undergoing rehabilitation. And… she’s agreed to become part of our family.’
Yulia froze, then slowly walked over to the woman and asked quietly:
‘Will you be our mum?’
Olga crouched down in front of her and gently took her hands.
‘I’ll try my very best, if you’ll let me.’
Yulia hugged her without hesitation. Denis, smiling sheepishly, moved closer too. Andrei watched them and felt a sense of true peace settle in his heart for the first time in a long while. He realised this wasn’t the end, but the beginning of a new chapter.
Later, when everyone was sitting around the table, laughing, reminiscing about what they’d been through and making plans, Andrei looked around — at Yulia, Denis, Olga, and Zinaida Igorevna, who was surreptitiously wiping away tears of joy.
And then he finally realised: there had been no curse. There had only been a series of terrible trials. And the real miracle was the people who had stayed by his side. Those who hadn’t broken. Those who had learnt to believe, trust and love again, despite the pain.
Amidst the clinking of cups, the smell of baking and the laughter of children, Andrei felt, for the first time in many years, not just relief, but genuine certainty:
now everything really would be all right for them.
