Inna was standing by the window, watching the raindrops spread across the glass, forming whimsical patterns. Seventeen years—was that a lot or a little? She remembered every day of her marriage, every anniversary, every gift. And now everything was crumbling.

“We need to talk,” said Alexey.
“I’m leaving, Inna. With Natasha.”

Silence. Only the ticking of the old wall clock, a gift from her mother, broke the calm of the room.
“With that student from your faculty?” Her voice sounded surprisingly calm.

“Yes. Understand, my feelings have changed. I want new emotions, new impressions. You’re an intelligent woman, you should understand.”

Inna smiled.

“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Of course,” said Alexey. “I’ve already packed my things.”

Then she walked over to the cabinet and retrieved that special bottle they had saved for an occasion.

“Well, I suppose this is a very special moment,” she began uncorking the bottle. “You know? I suggest we have a farewell dinner. Invite your friends, your family. After all, seventeen years is no joke.”

Alexey said, surprisingly:
“You want… you want to throw a party for our divorce?”

“Why not?” Inna smiled. “Let’s end our life together in style. After all, I’m an intelligent woman, remember?”

She started sending messages to relatives and friends.
“Tomorrow at seven in the evening. I’ll prepare your favorite dishes. Consider it my farewell gift.”

Alexey stood there, not knowing what to say. He had expected tears, nerves, reproaches—anything but this quiet acceptance.

“And yes, tell Natasha she’s invited too. I want to meet the girl who managed what I couldn’t all these years: to spark something new in you.”

The next day began terribly early for Inna.
She carefully called the banks, met with a lawyer, and prepared the paperwork. Everything was ready.

By evening, her spacious apartment was filled with the aroma of exquisite dishes. Inna set the table, arranging the finest china—a wedding gift from her mother-in-law.

“Everything must be perfect,” she murmured.

Her mother-in-law, Vera Pavlovna, awkwardly hugged her:
“Innochka, maybe there’s still a chance to change everything?”

“No, Mama. Sometimes you have to make the right decision and let go.”

Slowly, friends began to arrive.

“Come in, take a seat,” Inna directed them to the head of the table. “Tonight, you are the protagonists of the evening.”

Once everyone was seated, Inna stood, holding a glass:

“Dear friends! Today is a special day. We gather here to celebrate the end of one story and the beginning of another.”

She turned to Alexey:
“Lesha, I want to thank you for the seventeen years we spent together. For all the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows we shared. You taught me many things. For example, that love can take many different forms.”

An uncomfortable murmur spread through the room. Natasha fidgeted with a napkin, avoiding eye contact.

“And you also taught me to pay attention to details,” Inna continued. “Especially financial ones.”

She began laying out the documents:
“Here is the loan for your car, taken in our joint account. Here are the back taxes from your company. And this—and this is particularly interesting—are the receipts from restaurants and jewelry stores over the past year. I suppose you were trying to impress Natasha.”

Alexey turned pale. Natasha lifted her head sharply.

“But most importantly,” Inna said as she pulled out the final document, “is our prenuptial agreement. Remember signing it without reading? There’s an interesting clause about the division of assets in case of infidelity.”

The silence in the room grew deafening.

“The apartment is in my name,” Inna went on. “I’ve already frozen the accounts. And the divorce petition was filed last night.”

She turned to Natasha:
“Dear, are you sure you’re ready to tie your life to a man who has no house, no savings, but plenty of debt?”

“Excuse me, I have to go,” Natasha said softly.

Vera Pavlovna shook her head:
“Lesha, how could you? We raised you differently.”

“Mama, you don’t understand…” Alexey began, but his father interrupted him:

“No, son, you don’t understand. Seventeen years is no joke. And you ruined everything—for a fling with a student?”

The friends at the table sat in silence, avoiding each other’s eyes. Only Mikhail, Alexey’s best friend since school, muttered quietly:
“Lesha, you really screwed up.”

Inna remained standing, holding her glass.
“You know what’s most interesting? All these years I thought our love was unique. That we were like those fairy-tale couples who stayed together until the end. I ignored your late nights at work, your strange phone calls, your new ties and shirts.”

She took a sip.

“And then I started noticing the receipts. Jewelry, the ‘White Swan’ restaurant, the spa… Funny, isn’t it? You took her to the same places you once took me.”

Natasha returned, but didn’t sit. She stood at the doorway, clutching her purse.
“Alexey Nikolaevich, I think we need to talk. Alone.”

“Of course, darling,” he stood up, but Inna stopped him with a gesture.

“Wait. I’m not finished yet. Do you remember our first apartment? That one-room place on the outskirts? We were so happy there. You said we needed nothing but each other.”

She smiled.
“And now look at you. Expensive suits, a luxury car, a young mistress… But here’s the trick: it’s all built on lies and debt.”

Natasha’s voice trembled: “You told me you were divorced. That you lived separately. That you were going to buy us an apartment.”

“Natashenka, I’ll explain everything.”

A heavy silence filled the room. Without another word, Natasha turned and rushed out of the apartment.

“Inna,” Alexey said, holding his head. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why?” she laughed. “What did you expect? That I would cry and beg you to stay? That I would crawl at your feet?”

She glanced around the room.
“You know what’s funniest? I truly loved him. Every wrinkle, every gray hair. Even his snoring at night was endearing to me. I was ready to grow old with him, to raise grandchildren.”

“Dear,” whispered Vera Pavlovna, “maybe it’s not worth it.”

“No, Mama, it is,” Inna raised her voice for the first time that night. “Let everyone know. Let them know how your son took out loans to buy gifts for his mistresses. How he used our shared money. How he lied to me, to you, to everyone.”

She spread out another document:
“And this is especially interesting. Remember, Lesha, three months ago you asked me to sign some papers? You said they were for taxes. Turns out it was a guarantee for a loan. You mortgaged my car, can you believe it?”

“Son,” Alexey’s father said heavily as he stood up, “we should probably leave too. Call me when… when you come to your senses.”

Vera Pavlovna hugged Inna:
“Forgive us, dear. We never thought he would…”

“Don’t apologize, Mama. You have nothing to do with this.”

Alexey sat there. His expensive suit now looked like a ridiculous masquerade costume.

“You know? I could have done this a month ago when I found out everything. I could have bought you that car, torn your suits, caused a crisis at work,” said Inna.

“But I chose another way,” she said.

“I fly out tomorrow. To the Maldives, can you imagine? I’ve always dreamed of going, but you always said it was a waste of money.”

She placed the keys on the table:
“The apartment must be sold by the end of the week. And don’t you dare try to withdraw money from the accounts.”

Alexey looked at her with a sad expression:
“What am I supposed to do now?”

“That’s no longer my problem,” she said.

“You know what’s funniest? I’m grateful to you. You woke me up, shook the dust off me. I suddenly realized that life doesn’t end with you.”

She walked toward the door and turned one last time:
“Goodbye, Lesha. I hope it was worth it.”

The door closed softly. Alexey was left alone in the empty apartment. Inna set out on a new journey—the first step into her new life.