Gleb Golubev

Gleb carried her in his arms, fulfilled her every whim, and shielded her from the slightest stress. He would stroke her growing belly and whisper tender words to their future daughter. When Melissa was born—a tiny copy of Eva with Gleb's eyes—their happiness seemed boundless. For the first few weeks after the birth, Gleb continued to care for Eva and the baby, but gradually, something began to change.

At first, it was small things: a sidelong glance, an irritated remark, a broken promise. Then it got worse. Gleb began staying late at work more and more often, coming home moody and silent. Eva tried to understand what was happening, attributing everything to fatigue and stress. But one day, returning late at night, Gleb snapped, looking at her with contempt: "Just look at yourself! Stretch marks, cellulite... where is the girl I married?"

The words hit Eva like a slap in the face. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw not a happy mother, but a tired woman with a faded gaze. Gleb continued his attacks, becoming more cruel with each passing day. He told her she had become unattractive, that he no longer felt desire for her. Yet, with Melissa, he was tender and caring, calling her his princess. This contrast tore Eva's heart apart.

Another argument flared up over a trifle. Eva asked Gleb to help bathe Melissa, but he brushed her off, buried in his phone.

"Gleb, I'm tired!" Eva's voice trembled with hurt. "I spend all day taking care of the baby, and you can't even..."

"Can't even what?" Gleb snapped his head up. "Earn money for your comfortable life? And what do you do? You sit at home all day!"

"I'm taking care of our daughter!" Eva could barely hold back her tears. "That is also work, and believe me, it's not the easiest."

"Work?" Gleb sneered. "Don't make me laugh. I'm the one working, while you're just... degrading."

The words hung in the air, echoing as a searing pain in Eva's chest. She looked at Gleb, unable to believe her ears. This was not the man who had sworn his eternal love to her.