— I loved you.
— No, — Marina said firmly. — Love doesn’t do that.
The room became quiet again.
It started to rain outside the window. Large drops hit the roof of the veranda, the young seedlings that Marina brought so carefully in the morning.
It seemed that a whole life had passed since the moment she happily went to the dacha.
Sergei rose.
— I will pack my things and leave in the morning.
Marina didn’t say anything.
He slowly went out into the next room.
And she was left sitting alone.
But strange — there was no more pain.
Only emptiness.
And also… relief.
It was as if the too long performance had finally ended, where she played the role that was imposed on her for many years.
Marina approached the window. Rain flooded the garden. Somewhere in the dark her peonies swayed, which were very soon to bloom.
And suddenly she realized one simple thing:
this dacha has never been a cage for her.
She was her salvation.
In the morning, Marina went out into the yard with a cup of hot tea. After the rain, the air smelled of freshness and wet ground. Sergei has already left. His car was no longer near the gate.
All that remains is silence.
Real.
Alive.
Marina slowly sat down near the garden and carefully began planting seedlings.
For the first time in many years, — is not for the sake of family, not for the sake of marriage, not for anyone else.
And for my own sake.
And it was at that moment that she felt free.
End.