When Fyodor showed his friend a picture of his fiancée’s dog, he expected a smile, not to be confronted with a secret. His friend’s shocked reaction helped uncover a web of lies that changed Fyodor’s life forever.
My name is Fyodor, and Yulia is the love of my life. We got engaged last month, and everything seemed perfect. Now she’s visiting her family in the mountains. She took Max, her favourite dog, with her on the trip.
In the morning, Yulia sent me a picture of Max playing in the snow. He looked so happy, his fur covered in white flakes and his tail wagging frantically.
It was one of those photos that makes you smile instantly, and I couldn’t wait to share it with someone who would appreciate the joy. Misha, a good friend of ours, was with me at our favourite coffee shop, a cosy place where we often spent lazy afternoons.
‘Look,’ I said, and my face brightened as I pulled out my phone. I held it out to Misha, expecting him to chuckle or smile at Max’s snowy fun. But when he took the phone from my hand, his expression was impenetrable.
He stared at the screen, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if he were studying a photograph. I watched his face, waiting for some sign of amusement or delight, but there was none.
Instead, there was a moment of silence that lingered awkwardly between us. I was puzzled, wondering what was holding back his usual warm reaction.
Finally Misha pulled away from the phone, his eyes meeting mine with a seriousness that didn’t match our usual relaxed meetings over coffee.
‘Isn’t this the same place Kostya wrote about last week?’ – He asked, handing me back my phone.
“Kostya? What are you talking about?” – I was confused. Kostya was a friend of ours from university, but I didn’t see how he fit into this picture with Max.
‘Let me show you,’ Misha said, pulling out his phone. He quickly scrolled through some pictures on social media. ‘Look,’ he said, turning the screen towards me.
It was a picture of Kostya standing against a snow-covered landscape that looked strikingly similar to the one Yulia had sent. The background, the arrangement of the trees – everything was almost identical.
‘Why did they end up in the same place?’ – my voice trembled slightly as doubts began to creep into my soul.
‘I’m not sure, Fedya,’ Misha replied quietly. “But look at the dates. These posts were made when Yulia said she was travelling to see her relatives.”
A cold feeling sank to the bottom of his stomach. ‘Are you saying that Yulia and Kostya…?’
“I don’t know, mate. I don’t have any proof. It’s just… something’s not right here, don’t you think?” – Misha looked genuinely concerned, and that scared me even more.
‘I need to figure this out,’ I said, more to myself than to him. The joy of this morning’s photo evaporated, replaced by a growing dread. What if Misha was right? What if there was something going on between Yulia and Kostya?
I decided I needed more proof. I spent the rest of the day going through Yulia and Kostya’s social media profiles, comparing photos and looking for any clue that could either calm my fears or confirm them.
After hours of comparing photos and dates, I couldn’t escape the feeling that something was terribly wrong. I needed to know the truth, no matter how painful it was. The only way was to see everything with my own eyes. I decided to drive to the mountain cabin where Yulie had said she was staying.
The road seemed longer than usual. My heart was pounding in my chest with every kilometre I covered. Doubts and fears swirled in my head, making it hard to concentrate on the road. As I pulled up to the lodge, my hands on the steering wheel shook.
I parked a short distance away and walked the rest of the way. The cabin came into view, nestled between tall pine trees. It looked peaceful, almost idyllic, but my insides twisted.
I went to the window and looked inside. There, in the warm light of the lamp, were Yulia and Kostya. They were laughing together, close, too close. It wasn’t the innocent laughter of friends. My heart sank into my heels. That scene hit me in the face.
I stood there like a dumbfounded man watching them, the painful truth settling in my mind. Yulia was lying. They were both lying. I felt betrayed, and my trust crumbled in an instant.
I couldn’t go and figure things out right now. I was too shattered. Quietly I walked back to my car and drove home. The next few days were hard. I was hurting, but I knew I had to proceed wisely.
I started by gathering evidence. I took screenshots of all the matching photos from Yulia and Bones’ social media accounts. I checked dates and times, making sure everything matched. It was painstaking work, and each piece of evidence was like a stab in the heart.
Then I contacted Anna, Kostya’s girlfriend. I told her everything. She didn’t believe me at first, but then I showed her the evidence. She was as devastated as I was. Together we decided it was time for a confrontation.
We planned it carefully. We would go to the lodge next weekend unannounced. We prepared what we would say and how we would present the evidence. It was important for us to stay calm so that we could handle this as maturely as possible.
As the day approached, my nerves were on edge, but a sense of determination also emerged. I was ready to face it head-on to finally get answers. Anna and I were in this together, and somehow that made the situation a little easier.
Anna and I arrived at the cabin together. We knocked, and Yulia opened the door, surprised to see us. Kostya appeared behind her back, his face stretched when he saw me.
‘We need to talk,’ I said, stepping inside. Yulia and Kostya exchanged nervous glances as Anna and I laid out the photos, matching dates and locations.
‘This is what we found,’ Anna announced in a firm voice. The evidence was undeniable. Yulia and Kostya had little to say; their silence confirmed everything.
Before I left, I switched on a video on my phone. It showed the happy moments we had shared with Yulia, and each memory was now bittersweet. The video ended with the message: ‘Thank you for showing your true colours before it’s too late.’ I left the lodge without looking back.
In the weeks that followed, the rumours spread. Yulia and Kostya faced the consequences when friends and family learnt the truth. Their reputations suffered and they lost many friends.
As for me, it was hard, but I began to heal. I focused on moving forward, supported by friends who stayed close by. Accepting it wasn’t easy, but necessary. I was ready to start fresh, one step at a time.
