“Romy, darling, we have twins!” sobbed Tanya down the phone, her voice trembling with emotion. “Theyre so tiny, just 5.5 pounds each, but theyre healthyeverythings fine!”
“Ultrasound did say twins,” Roman muttered. “Boys?”
“Yes, two little boys! Theyre so beautiful!” Tears of joy streamed down the young mothers face as she cradled her newborns at last.
Pregnancy had been no easy journey for Tanya. First, the father, Roman, had been against the idea of children initially. They worked togethershe as an accountant, he as a driver for a small firm. Their relationship hadnt been born of some grand passion, just proximity and youthful convenience. Roman had been nursing a broken heart after calling off his wedding when his ex-fiancée, Lydia, was caught kissing their mutual friend in his car. Eager to forget, hed drifted into a fling with Tanya, a naive twenty-year-old fresh out of college.
Tanya had never been the type to turn headsher fiery red hair always a mess, her freckled face giving her a Peppa Pig look, and her lifelong struggle with weight making her self-conscious. Roman was her first proper boyfriend, and shed fallen hard.
At first, Roman kept their relationship quiet, meeting her after work, avoiding public outings. But in their small town, word spread fast. Soon, everyone knew. Roman, eager to spite Lydia, played up their love story, calling Tanya his “great passion.” She lapped it up, mistaking his bravado for true devotion.
Tanya came from the next village over, living with her unmarried aunt, a stern woman who barely tolerated her presence. When her aunt found a positive pregnancy test, she wasted no time digging into Romans family. It turned out she knew his mother, Martha, from school. She paid Martha a visitdropping the bombshell that Roman was about to be a father.
Martha was livid. “Since when do you have a fiancée?” she demanded.
“Fiancée? Were just seeing each othernothing serious!” Roman protested.
“Nothing serious? The whole towns talking! And her aunt came asking about wedding plans!”
“Wedding plans? We never discussed that!”
“Thats because you werent thinking. But Tanyas pregnant, and she certainly is!”
So Roman learned he was going to be a father.
“Why didnt you tell me?” he confronted Tanya later.
“I was scared,” she admitted, eyes downcast. “What if you didnt want the baby?”
Too late nowthe whole family knew.
They married quietly, just a registry office and a small dinner in his parents garden. No grand celebration. They moved into his familys two-story homeRomans older sister, Kate, long since married and living in the city, came for the occasion.
“Romy,” Kate pulled him aside, “how could you trade Lydia for *her*?” She shot a disdainful glance at Tanya, whose pale sundress did nothing to hide her pregnancy weight gain, her freckles standing out starkly in the sunlight.
“Lydia cheated on me!” Roman snapped.
“I saw her yesterdayshes heartbroken. Says nothing happened with Alex, that she still loves you. Did you even talk to her?”
“What was there to say? I *saw* them!”
“And now youre making a fool of yourself!”
But Tanya was too blissful to careshe was marrying the man she loved.
Martha took pity on her daughter-in-law, especially after learning she was expecting twins. Over time, she saw the truth: Roman had married out of spite. He ignored Tanya, never asked about the babies, and stayed late at workespecially once Tanya went on maternity leave.
Tanya lived in her bubble of happiness until the day she ran into Lydia at the shops.
“Now I see why Romys in no rush home,” Lydia sneered, eyeing Tanyas frumpy dress and swollen figure.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. You know who I am.”
“Romans ex.”
“Not *quite* ex,” Lydia smirked. “He only married you on a whim. Youve got nothing in common.”
“We have *children*!”
“Sure, but does he even want them? *You* decided that.”
Tanya fled, pain shooting through her belly. She barely made it home before collapsingstraight into an ambulance.
“Doctors say its stress,” Martha told Roman later. “You need to step up.”
Roman half-heartedly visited the hospital, mumbling promises. But when the twinsOliver and Henrycame home, he kept his distance. The babies were fussy, barely sleeping, and Tanya was exhausted. Martha helped, even bringing in Tanyas mother.
Meanwhile, Roman moved in with Lydiaher cramped flat a far cry from his parents house. She complained constantly. “Why wont your mother kick Tanya out? Whos more importantyour *wife* or some girl?”
“Its not about Tanya. Its the *kids*,” he argued.
Lydia scoffed. “Then divorce her! Or are you still in love?”
Roman didnt answer.
Over time, Tanya transformed. The baby weight melted away; her wild red hair now tamed into a thick braid. When Roman saw her at a family dinner, he barely recognized her.
“Youve changed,” he blurted. “For the better.”
She smiled softly. That night, he stayed.
Lydia was furious. “Youre cheating on me with your *wife*?”
Roman didnt deny it.
Soon, he was spending weekends with Tanya and the boys. Lydias tantrums grew worse. “If you love them so much, just *go back*!”
“Maybe I will,” he saidonly half joking.
One evening, Tanya asked, “Should we divorce? If you want to be with Lydia properly”
“Lets not rush,” he murmured, holding her gaze. “Weve got two kids. Maybe we raise them together.”
Her heart raced. She still loved him.
Lydia, sensing the end, took a “holiday” with an old flame. Roman seized the chance to move back home.
Martha and her husband exchanged knowing smiles as the reunited family embraced.
“Told you hed come back,” Martha said.
Lydia, sipping champagne abroad, sighed as Romans number rang out. “Guess its really over.” She turned to her companion. “Alex, Ill marry you.”
As she admired the diamond ring, she mused, *Love isnt always the answer. Sometimes, simpler is better.*
Meanwhile, Tanya nestled into Romans arms, thinking, *Love saved us.*
Both women, in their own way, were right.
