— Who allowed you to take my phone?! — Anna saw her husband’s true face for the first time.
— If you ever take it again, I’ll break your fingers! Never, do you hear me? Never in your life touch my phone! — Daniel snatched the device from his wife’s hands in fury.
— Darling, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to… I just wanted to look at our pictures from yesterday… — Anna moved to the other side of the couch, fear in her eyes.
— Ask me, and I’ll unlock it and show you. But without permission… Never again! — Daniel shook his head and walked into the kitchen.
— God, what is he hiding? — Anna’s heart pounded in her chest. In six months of marriage, she had never seen her husband this angry.
— And I didn’t even do anything wrong… I just wanted to see the photos, — she curled up in the corner of the couch.
— Cheating? No, that can’t be. We just got married. Everything is perfect between us… — she shook her head, trying to find a logical explanation.
— Maybe he’s been reading all those blogs about personal boundaries… That’s why he’s showing his teeth, — Anna stared at the candle, lost in thought.
— My love, here, have some cherries. I picked the sweetest ones, — Daniel smiled as if nothing had happened and placed a plate in front of her.
— What are your plans for tomorrow? My friends invited us over. You always say I never introduce you to anyone… It’s time. Will you come? — Daniel took Anna’s hand.
— Yes, of course, — she smiled, deciding to forget about the unpleasant moment with the phone.
Until that moment, their marriage had seemed like a fairy tale. If only she knew what awaited her…
—
The Next Day
They arrived at the friends’ house.
— I’m Paul, and this is my wife, Marina. Come in, dinner is almost ready! — the friendly couple greeted them warmly.
Daniel handed over a bottle of wine, and he and Anna stepped into the cozy living room.
— Anna, what do you do for a living? Daniel hasn’t told us much about you… — Marina asked.
— I work in film. I organize shoots, — Anna took a sip of wine and picked up a piece of cheese.
— Film is interesting. Unlike your job at the car dealership… — Paul smirked at his friend. — How many cars have you sold this month?
— Thirteen. I’m expecting a nice bonus! — Daniel raised his glass proudly. — To our lovely ladies and my wonderful wife!
The evening was pleasant, but Anna couldn’t shake the feeling that the apartment seemed familiar.
—
A Month Later
Their relationship blossomed like cherry trees in spring. Everything was perfect. Until one moment.
One day at work, Anna received a list of apartments for filming. One of them looked familiar.
— No way… This is the apartment where we visited Paul and Marina! — she stared at the photos in shock.
She decided to choose that one.
When the landlady, Irene Peterson, opened the door, Anna couldn’t hide her excitement:
— I’m sorry, but I’ve been here before. Do you know Paul and Marina?
— No, I don’t know anyone by those names… The apartment is rented short-term, — the woman shrugged.
— But… their pictures were here…
— Maybe one of the tenants put them up. The last one I remember was a man… Daniel, I think? Tall, good-looking.
A chill ran through Anna. It was a perfect description of her husband…
That evening, Anna suggested meeting Paul and Marina again. Daniel refused.
— They went to the coast for the summer.
She didn’t believe him.
The next day, something even stranger happened.
In the mall, a stranger approached them.
— Sergey?! — the man exclaimed in shock.
Daniel quickened his pace.
— You… you died… — the man muttered.
— You’re mistaken! — Daniel grabbed Anna’s hand and hurried toward the exit.
That night, Anna waited for her husband to fall asleep and unlocked his phone.
What she found shocked her to the core.
Daniel had hired actors to play his friends. And in his old photo albums… was a different man. Sergey.
—
The Truth Revealed
The next morning, Anna invited Daniel to a café.
He sat down, breathing heavily. He was wounded.
— That man recognized me. It’s over… — he whispered hoarsely. — I was undercover. A crime syndicate… I stole a billion from them. The money is on this phone. It’s yours now.
— I’m pregnant… I won’t leave you! — Anna clung to his hand.
— You have to survive… — Daniel lost consciousness.
Anna immediately called her father, a former detective.
— Dad, I know we haven’t spoken in five years… But you have to save me and my husband.
— Three Years Later
On the ocean shore, a man, a woman, and a little boy were building a sandcastle.
— Mom, Dad, look at my fortress!
The man wrapped his arm around his wife.
— The greatest fortress… is our family.
The sun shone the same for everyone—both good and bad.
