“Why did you keep silent all these years?”
“What was I supposed to do?” she managed a faint smile. “Start a scandal? File for divorce? At that time our daughter was preparing for her final school year. She needed stability, you know?”
“I’m sorry,” his voice trembled. “I should have told you everything immediately. But I was afraid…”
“Afraid of what?” Larisa shook her head. “That I wouldn’t accept the truth? That I’d leave? Vitya, we’ve been together for twenty-five years. Did you really think I couldn’t handle it?”
Her husband fell silent, lowering his gaze.
“What now?” he asked after a while.
“What now?” Larisa looked back at the photograph. “Now we need to take him in.”
“What?!” Viktor raised his voice involuntarily. “How can you make such a sudden decision?!”
“Vitya, he’s your son! His mother died, and he’s been living in an orphanage for almost a year. Do you really think I would let your child grow up without a family?”
“And Katya? How are we going to explain all this to her?”
