LITMIR.BIZ

      Work in general was not difficult. Andrew had few visitors. He himself turned out to be very active and preferred to meet outside the office. The only thing is that there were a lot of calls in the afternoon. Everyone wanted something, either to sign documents or to schedule a meeting. So the organizer had to be dealt with urgently. There weren't many time overlaps. Just two. And the last one was due to a changed meeting place. After calling the secretaries, I easily rescheduled them.

      However, the schedule for two weeks in advance turned out to be so tight that other people who wanted to meet had to either refuse or make arrangements to meet in two weeks. Plus, I put meetings on the schedule. And remembering the latter, I dug into the Internet in search of a decent company willing to organize a buffet in the office.

      Camille left about an hour later, absolutely pleased with herself. She didn't even look at me, which pleased me greatly. So the first day, you could say, went smoothly.

      As I headed out of the office, I thought it would be a good idea to go to the supermarket. Ramila had bought all the groceries before. She also cooked. Today, however, I got off around seven o'clock. That's very early for work in Moscow! When I ran down the stairs and turned the corner, I immediately turned back. Dimitri stood at the gatehouse, wearing a beautiful light colored coat. He was cooing softly with someone on the phone and promised not to stay anywhere.

      My first impulse was to turn around and run to the toilet. Where I could lock myself in a stall and cry. The ex-lover looked like he'd just stepped off the cover of a magazine.

      The second impulse was to crack him on the head, scratch his face and make an ugly scandal. Anger demanded an outlet. I managed to restrain myself and clenched my fists to the point of pain.

      Dimitri smiled at the world, or rather, at the invisible interlocutor and looked happy. He used to smile at me like that. He spoke with the same intonation, and I believed that I was loved. And worst of all, I realized I was ready to go back to him. To be happy again.

      Sighing, I adjusted my dress, tossed back my hair. I didn't want to hide from him anymore. On the contrary, I was going to walk over and look him in the eye.

      Encouraging myself, I headed toward him. Dimitri finished the conversation, put the phone in his other hand and brought it to my ear again.

      " Yes, yes! I'll be there in about ten minutes. But I can't stay today, I have a lot of work, so I'll have to go back to the office."

      I froze, not believing my own ears, immediately suspecting him of another adultery.

      " I'm ready to fly to you even to the end of the world!"

      Dimitri, without turning around, jumped out into the street and took the wheel of a luxury foreign car, which immediately started off in an unknown direction. I waddled back to the subway. The day was ruined. It turns out I'm not ready to meet him. As soon as he smiled at me and said a few words, I'd believe him. Even though my mind knows that all beautiful words are lies, I can't order my heart.

      And yet I was sure that both times he talked to women. Different ones, moreover. He couldn't have told his wife he had to go back to work. As I pondered this thought from every angle, I was once again immersed in a survival quest called, "The Road Home at Rush Hour!"

      Chapter 3