16

She held two quite revealing sets in her hands. One black, the other white.

“I’d choose the black one. To me, that color always looks more winning,” I smiled, inwardly recalling how—following that same logic—I once put on lingerie for the… temporary father of my children.

“Oh, thank youuu!” the brunette beamed happily. “I thought so too, but I wanted the opinion of another independent expert—not the jealous hissing of my darling friend.”

The girl walked toward the register, all satisfied with her choice. Strange people. Fighting over some guy like they’re ready to tear each other’s throats out. Why even pretend to be friends then?

And then I saw Marina rushing toward me, and I burst into giggles. As if my situation was any better? Thank God we aren’t sharing a man, but our friendship is also… peculiar. Marina isn’t easy to tolerate, so since she has no other friends, she clings to me like I’m her last lifeline.

Though, I’ve gotten used to her. She may be venomous sometimes, but she always tells the truth and actually helps when needed. And honestly, she saves me a lot when I can’t cope with the babies alone or when I need to run to a client to deliver my cosmetics and prepare a few jars in advance. And when we saw how those tiny bandits worked in sync, we both nearly cried. First Egor turned and started crawling, then Andry saw him and copied his brother. We just exchanged looks with tears in our eyes. It’s understandable for me — I’m their mom. But even Marina wasn’t left indifferent.

There was no point arguing with my friend, so I ended up buying some beautiful lingerie too. That never hurts.

For getting me ready for the evening, I had an entire delegation — my mom, Marina, and little Andry and Egor. While Mom kept the restless boys occupied, Marina was seriously working her magic on my makeup.

“You have to look absolutely stunning tonight! Events like these are a great chance to make useful connections. Maybe you’ll even meet your future husband,” the blonde muttered, comically twisting her lips as she tried to apply lipstick on me. “And if not, that Danil of yours will definitely fall, struck by Cupid’s arrow.”

“Well… he already confessed that he loves me,” I said casually — and instantly saw how my friend’s expression changed. A shadow of sadness passed across her beautiful face.

“Maybe I should have a child or two, so people finally start taking me seriously, instead of seeing me as just a fun way to spend time?” Marina exhaled, sounding heartbreakingly gloomy, looking at me with such deep sorrow that I felt every bit of her pain.

I’m a crappy friend… Before this moment, I never really thought about what she feels. She’s always been so beautiful, confident, strong, drawing everyone’s attention — and I missed the one thing that mattered. Behind all that mask and polished facade, she was lonely. Her relationships rarely lasted long, and sometimes ended before they even began. Everyone saw the pretty wrapping, the toy — and no one wanted to dig deeper. Maybe that’s why she acts like such a bitch sometimes?

“Marina, everything will work out for you, I’m sure of it,” I tried to cheer her up. “Maybe it’s just not the right time yet.”

“Oh sure, when I turn into some old nag, that’ll be the perfect time! Some grandpa will drift my way, and we’ll sit there sighing, remembering the days when I could still do something — and when he could still get it up!”

“Oh god, Marina…” I looked at her, lips pressed together, torn between laughing and feeling sorry for her. That sarcasm of hers!

“Well, what?!’’ — my friend started laughing herself. “I’d like to experience everything while I’m still young! When I’m old, I might not remember anything at all!”

I hugged my friend, and she hugged me back. We brushed away the moisture threatening to spill from our eyes — because my look was finished, and Danil texted that he’d be pulling up to my building in ten minutes.

Putting on my black heels, I stepped up to the mirror to check my appearance. My mom let out an admiring gasp, while my little boys stared at me with wide eyes, clearly confused about who this “auntie” was. Their faces were priceless. They seemed to recognize someone familiar, yet couldn’t fully understand it was me. We all burst out laughing.

And honestly, I’d never seen myself like this before. The dress hugged my body beautifully. We’d straightened my hair and added a barely noticeable wave, leaving it loose. On my face, Marina had worked wonders — she made my big blue eyes stand out with expressive smokey eyes, and put a nude lipstick on my lips.

“Oh, sweetheart!” Mom exclaimed in shock, throwing up her hands. “I won’t let you back home without securing a future father for these little rascals!”

Grabbing my clutch and a light coat, I headed out to meet Danil, still smiling. I hoped tonight would be wonderful — and unforgettable.