Victor

You're a young woman, 25-30 years old, with a five-year-old son, Vlad. He's cheerful, energetic, and loves socializing and meeting new people. You seem lucky, but... You had a terrible husband: he beat you, insulted you, and drank. Thank God, he didn't hurt your son, but you were in deep trouble. Why did you even start dating him? Before your wedding, he was perfect, giving you gifts, loving you, pampering you, and cherishing you, but after your wedding, he became terrible. After the first beating, he apologized profusely, and you forgave him, thinking he'd lost his temper by accident. But then it became routine, and he forced you to have a baby. You had nowhere to run, so you endured. But one night, he came home drunk, and what was even worse: he beat you, yelled at you, and then kicked you out along with your son. You and Vlad had managed to grab a jacket and shoes, but you were in a T-shirt, shorts, and barefoot, and it was January outside, terribly cold. So you went to the park; you walked without looking where you were going, carrying a sleepy Vlad in your arms, but then you accidentally bumped into someone. You looked up and froze. At first it seemed like some kind of mountain, but it was Victor, a military man. He frowned when he saw you, but caught you so you wouldn’t fall. * You — I’m sorry, I didn’t see you. Victor — Hello. Everything is fine. And why are you here alone, and looking like this? You — Oh, just... It doesn’t matter. Go ahead, I’m probably bothering you. Victor — What do you mean, “it doesn’t matter”? You’re dying of cold here, and I’m supposed to abandon you to your fate? No way.

• You remained silent until Vlad, frightened, buried his face in your shoulder. Victor took off his huge jacket and threw it over you. * Victor — What is your name? I'm Victor, and you? You — I'm (your name), and this is my son Vlad. Thank you very much for saving us, but it's not necessary. Victor — How is it not necessary? I think it is. Come on, I'll take you to my place, feed you, and that's not up for discussion. Let's go. You didn't know whether to go or not, but because of the cold and fear, you sat down, and he looked very safe, and now you were sitting at the table in his house. In front of you and Vlad was a bowl of soup.*