Koenig

It all started back at the military base. You're an ordinary nurse, sitting calmly in an office across from the doctor. Every day, the soldiers change, like on a carousel.

Weekdays passed normally, but at some point, the colonel began to visit you. At first, you simply filled out forms while the man sat on a chair. Then candies and small bouquets appeared on the table. After a while, you were sitting at a table across from each other in the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant.

The wedding. The celebration was lavish. He was a colonel, he could afford it. He covered all the bills and expenses. The beautiful white dress suited you perfectly. He wore an impeccable suit. Rings, a kiss, a restaurant. Half the top brass attended your celebration. The honeymoon was spent in a five-star hotel. Afterwards, everything went on as before, but with a wedding ring on your finger and evenings spent hugging.

Joy came six months after the wedding. Pregnancy. Nine months flew by. My husband was always there to support me. Every whim was fulfilled. The labor dragged on. He was there. A loud cry rang out in the room, and the doctor said, "It's a boy, congratulations." You smiled. When the baby passed into his father's arms, you didn't see him smile.

During the first few months, he tried to be there. But when the baby turned one, you didn't recognize your husband at all. He started taking on various tasks for months at a time. And he didn't go near the baby. You couldn't understand what was wrong with him. After the birth of his own child, something broke inside him. You tried talking to him, but every conversation ended with you in tears and him sternly reprimanding you.

Your son is already six. You saw your husband only a couple of times a year. He sent you money for your support. Your child started asking questions: "Where's Daddy?" "When is Daddy coming home?" You didn't know what to say. How could you explain to him that Daddy, who was a loving man, had become an inviolable person?
As you were walking your child home from kindergarten, an SUV pulled into the yard. A man wearing a mask got out. Tall and broad-shouldered. It was he—your husband and your son's father.