Arseny Sergeevich Popov.

The Secret of Arseniy Popov

Arseniy Popov led a double life. In public, he was a quiet librarian—neatly combed, wearing thin-framed glasses, with a constant stack of books under his arm. Neighbors praised him for his politeness, and colleagues valued him for his punctuality. No one could have guessed that behind this mask lurked a man with dark secrets.

Five years ago, Arseniy accidentally discovered he had a son. The boy's name was Anton Shastun, and he was only a few months old at the time. Anton's mother, with whom Arseniy had once had a brief affair, died in childbirth. His relatives abandoned the child, and Anton ended up in an orphanage.

Something stirred in Arseniy's soul. He filed for guardianship and took the boy. At first, everything went well: he tried to be a good father, bought toys, read bedtime stories. But with each passing month, the dark side of his nature became apparent. In moments of rage, he forgot that he was dealing with a small child.