**Diary Entry 23rd May, 2024**
“Rom, darling, weve got twins!” Tanya sobbed into the phone. “Theyre so tiny, just 5.5 pounds each, but theyre healthyeverythings fine!”
“You knew from the scans thered be twins,” Roman muttered. “Boys?”
“Yes, two little boys, theyre gorgeous!” Tears of joy streamed down the young mothers face. At last, she was holding her babies in her arms
The pregnancy had been anything but easy for Tanya. To start, Roman, the father, had initially been against the idea of having children. They worked togethershe was an accountant at a small firm, and he was a driver. It wasnt some grand, all-consuming love that brought them togetherjust youth and proximity. Things happened. Especially since Roman had just called off his wedding after catching his fiancée, Lydia, kissing their mutual friend, Alex, in a car. Heartbroken, hed thrown himself into distraction, and Tanyanaive, just twenty, fresh out of collegehad been in the right place at the right time.
Tanya had never been the type to turn heads. Bright red hair that stuck out in every direction, freckles scattered across her face, and a stubborn bit of extra weight shed battled since school made her feel more like Pippi Longstocking than some glamorous heroine. Roman was her first real, long-term relationship, and shed fallen hardhead over heels.
At first, Roman kept their relationship quiet. Hed wait for her after work behind the office, avoiding public placeswalks by the river, quiet evenings in the park. But in a small town like theirs, secrets dont stay hidden long. Soon, everyone knew. And Roman, spurred by pride and spite for Lydia, boasted about his fiery love for Tanya. She lapped it up, mistaking his bravado for devotion.
Tanya was from a nearby village, living with her elderly, unmarried aunt in a cramped flat while she worked. The aunt, sensing an opportunity to reclaim her solitude, was thrilled when Tanya started seeing someoneespecially after finding a positive pregnancy test. She even tracked down Romans mother, Martha, who knew nothing about her sons new “fiancée.” The news of the pregnancy stunned her.
“Son, apparently youve got a fiancée!” Martha confronted him. “I thought you were still pining over Lydia!”
“What fiancée? Were just datingnothing serious! And Lydias got nothing to do with this!”
“Nothing serious? Then why does the whole town know? Why did her aunt come asking about wedding plans?”
“Wedding plans? We never talked about that!” Roman was stunned.
“Well, *you* might not have! But Tanyas pregnantof course shes thinking about it! I want to meet this future wife of yours!”
Thats how Roman found out he was going to be a father.
“Why didnt you tell me?” he demanded when they met.
“I was scared,” Tanya admitted, eyes downcast. “What if you didnt want the baby? What would I do then?”
By then, it didnt matter what he wantedthe whole family knew.
They married quietlyno big celebration, just a small dinner in his parents garden. They moved into his childhood home, a two-story house with enough space. Romans older sister, Kate, came down from the city for the occasion.
“Rom,” she pulled him aside, “how could you trade Lydia for *her*?” She glanced at Tanya, who, in her cream dress, looked painfully plainfreckles stark against her pale face, her figure softened by pregnancy.
“Whats Lydia got to do with it? She cheated!”
“I saw her yesterday,” Kate hissed. “She regrets everythingswears nothing happened with Alex, that she still loves you. Have you even spoken to her?”
“Whats there to say? I saw them together!”
“And now youre making a fool of yourself!”
Tanya, meanwhile, was blissfully ignorant. She loved Roman, she was carrying his childnothing else mattered.
Martha took pity on her daughter-in-law, especially when the ultrasound revealed twins. Over time, she learned how Roman and Tanyas relationship had startedand how painfully one-sided it was. Roman barely acknowledged his wife, never kissed her, never asked how she was. He worked late, avoided the subject of fatherhood, and spent more and more time away.
Tanya mightve stayed in her dreamworld forever if Lydia hadnt cornered her in the grocery store.
“Now I get why Roms never in a rush to come home!” Lydia sneered, looking her up and down. Tanya flushedshe knew she wasnt at her best post-pregnancy.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, hes not exactly *over* me. We still talk.”
Tanyas stomach twisted. She barely made it home before collapsingthe shock sent her into early labour.
The twins, Cyril and Eugene, were born tiny but healthy. The first months were chaosone always crying while the other slept. Without Marthas help, Tanya wouldve crumbled. Roman, meanwhile, avoided them all, staying out late, never explaining where hed been.
One night, Martha cornered him.
“The whole towns saying youre back with Lydia! Have you forgotten your wife and children?”
“I dont care,” Roman admitted flatly. “I dont love Tanya. The kids? Well, she wanted themher choice.”
Tanya, overhearing, nearly screamed. All this time, shed convinced herself Lydia was lying. But Roman had just confirmed it.
She packed her bags that night.
“Where will you go?” Martha begged. “Your father drinks, your grandmothers bedriddenhow will you manage?”
“Ill stay,” Roman cut in. “*Ill* leave.”
And he didstraight to Lydias flat. The town buzzed with gossip: a man abandoning his wife and newborns for his ex. Even Martha sided against him.
Lydia wasnt pleased.
“Why wont your mother kick Tanya out?” she snapped. “Is some random girl more important than your own son?”
“Its not about Tanyaits the kids. Mums attached.”
Lydia scoffed. “Youre wasting your life in this dingy flat while *she* lives in your parents house!”
Roman was exhausted. Lydia never cooked, barely cleaned, and expected him to fund her lifestyle. His wages barely covered rent, let alone her demands.
Meanwhile, Tanya slowly rebuilt herself. The twins grew, teeth came in, sleepless nights eased. Roman sent money, visited occasionally, guilt weighing on him.
Then, one Sunday, he saw herreally saw her. The red hair tamed into a thick braid, the freckles softer, her figure trim again. She looked beautiful.
“Youve changed,” he blurted. “For the better.”
She smiled.
They talkedabout the boys, life, plans. Tentatively, carefully.
“Should we divorce?” Tanya asked one evening. “If you want to be with Lydia properly”
“Lets not rush,” Roman said quietly. “Weve got two children. Maybe well raise them together after all.”
That night, he didnt go home. He called Lydia, claiming a work trip, and stayed with Tanya.
Weeks passed. Roman “went on business trips” more often. Lydia raged, sensing the shift. Finally, she announced a visit to her parentsreally, a holiday with Alex.
Roman seized the chance. He packed his things and went home.
Tanya threw her arms around him, crying with joy. Martha and her husband exchanged knowing smiles.
Lydia, lounging on a Turkish beach, dialled Roman one last time. When it went to voicemail, she sighed.
“Well, Alex,” she said, admiring the diamond ring hed just given her, “Ill marry you.”
Love, she decided, wasnt necessary for happiness.
Tanya, curled in Romans arms, disagreed. *Love had saved them.*
Both women, in their own ways, were right.
