After losing her husband, the widow was sorting through his things, tidying up the room, when suddenly her attention was drawn to something very strange under the bed. The husband had always been a secretive person, constantly hiding something from his wife, but the widow could not even imagine that her husband had a hiding place under the bed.
When the widow saw what her husband had been hiding from her for 30 years, she was simply horrified.
Thirty years of marriage flew by for Lydia like one day. They lived in a cozy apartment, experienced joys and sorrows together, shared dreams and plans.
But after his death, Lydia’s world collapsed. All that was left was emptiness and her husband’s office – a room she hadn’t dared touch for a long time.
Every object in that room, from the massive desk to the antique bookcases, held memories of Sasha: his voice, his care, his habits, his life.
Lida knew that she had been hiding from this room for a long time, afraid to face loneliness and memories. But time passed, and her strength inevitably gathered.
Her faithful friend came from another city to help. Together they began to sort out the office: dusty books, papers, old photographs… Sasha was always neat, and Lida did not expect any surprises.
But when she looked under the bed, she suddenly noticed something unusual – a thick folder hidden under the mattress. Lida opened it with a shudder.
Inside were photographs – six shots of the same child, but at different years: a baby in a stroller, a boy in a school uniform, a teenager with a serious look.
Lida couldn’t understand – who was this? She had never seen these faces. Among the photos were documents and a woman’s phone number.
Lydia’s heart sank – her guess was soon confirmed. Having called the number she found, she heard a quiet, slightly timid voice on the phone: it was the child’s mother, and she told the whole truth.
Her late husband kept a secret all his life, which Lida had no idea about: he had an illegitimate son.
This discovery turned everything Lydia believed in upside down, destroyed the world built on love and trust. But along with the pain came the understanding that life goes on, and now she has to accept a new reality.
