Ilya turned 32 years old. To say that he was raised in a strict and traditional environment would be an understatement. But he remained a bachelor, not because he didn’t want a family, but simply because he hadn’t met the one woman who would truly appreciate him for who he was. Although there were plenty of beautiful village girls around him, he never gave any of them false hope and, recently, had not even started any serious relationships.
Ilya didn’t know his biological parents—fate had arranged that he was adopted as a child by an elderly farming couple from the village. They gave him a roof over his head, warmth, love, and, most importantly, instilled the values of honest labor and fairness. Now, he was alone: his adoptive parents had long passed away, and he had no other close relatives—except for the children from the local orphanage, but they were more like wards to him than family.
He walked along the endless field, his steps measured, as the crimson glow of the setting sun slid along his back, slowly disappearing behind the horizon. Ilya considered these moments the most harmonious of his life—here, among the steppes and fields, he felt truly whole. In the village, his soul found peace, and his thoughts settled into clarity.
Suddenly, the name Lisa surfaced—his former fiancée. She had left for the city, tying her life to the son of a very wealthy man. Everything had happened so quickly, as if the past never existed. Just recently, they had strolled along the quiet paths of the village, dreaming of a life together… and now—only memories remained.
It all started when Lisa got internet at home. After that, she started distancing herself, becoming less and less available for communication. One day, she told Ilya that she had found someone new and was leaving. Later, it became known that this “chosen one” was the son of a millionaire—rumors spread quickly in a small village, especially when Lisa’s friends were generous with their secrets.
Ilya couldn’t blame her for choosing a life of wealth, though the pain of what happened lived inside him for a long time.
“But what can I offer? I’m just a simple, hardworking guy… She probably made the right choice,” he often repeated to himself, trying to come to terms with the reality.
Over time, the wounds began to heal. Work helped him forget the past—after all, he worked 12 hours a day, leaving little time for emotional turmoil. These heavy workloads, oddly enough, were soothing. Ilya was always calm and balanced—he rarely lost his composure, and when he did, it was only for a short time. It was just in his nature.
Then one day, a young, beautiful woman from the city named Natalia entered his life. She had recently started working as a veterinarian at the local clinic. She was beautiful not just in appearance, but in character—hardworking, kind, and genuinely loving towards animals. However, she seemed unattainable—she treated all men with restraint, never giving anyone reason to hope.
Ilya didn’t rush with open declarations or active courting—he understood that Natalia was special and required a delicate approach. At first, he simply “weaved” into her life—bumping into her at the store, occasionally meeting by chance near the clinic. Over time, she started noticing him, and the feeling was mutual. He never pressed, never forced himself, and never invaded her space—unlike the other village suitors who hurried to win her attention.
With each passing day, her interest in him grew. She began to look out the window more often, hoping to see him, and her day started brighter whenever their eyes crossed, even for a moment.
Eventually, Ilya decided to take the next step—he began giving her flowers. Simple, but beautiful wildflower bouquets, picked by hand, which he left by the clinic doors. He wanted her day to begin with something bright.
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed—despite her restraint, Natalia showed some warmth toward him. They began building a relationship, but she remained closed off, reluctant to share much about herself. Ilya learned only that her mother had passed away and that her father lived alone.
“As it turned out, she had other relatives, but they were all very distant,” he thought. But he didn’t rush her—he felt that Natalia would reveal her story when she was ready.
Over time, a warm, almost familial atmosphere developed between them, based on trust and mutual understanding.
Ilya continued his work of breeding horses—this was the life’s work of his adoptive father, and Ilya carried on his legacy. For him, it wasn’t just a job but a matter of the soul. He owned elite breeds, which he cared for with love and attention.
It turned out that horses attracted not just him—one day, Ilya heard that Natalia was secretly visiting the stables. This news struck him as strange and even a bit alarming. He couldn’t understand why she was hiding. What drew her there? It was hard for him to find a logical explanation for this behavior.
“Well, why does she go there?”—Ilya couldn’t shake the thought.
He wrestled with himself for a long time, but curiosity ultimately won. To understand what was going on, Ilya installed a hidden camera in the stables. However, after watching the footage, he had even more questions than before.
It turned out that Natalia was simply visiting one of his horses—a luxurious, elite stallion—and standing next to it. She was crying. Gently petting its back, carefully brushing its mane. Sometimes, she could spend hours doing this. It all seemed troubling, especially because Ilya couldn’t understand the reason for her behavior.
Looking more closely at the footage, he noticed that she even spoke to the horse, and it seemed to listen to her with full attention. Ilya’s thoughts began to jumble, and one guess followed another. Then he remembered: this was the very horse he had bought six months ago at an auction from a strange man—a nervous, frantic-looking individual, unpleasant in appearance.
Ilya wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. He decided to confront Natalia directly. At first, she mumbled something vague, but soon she realized: hiding the truth was no longer possible—the footage clearly showed everything.
“Natalia, let’s talk openly,” Ilya said softly, looking into her eyes. “I think you understand that it’s no longer worth hiding.”
She gathered her strength and almost whispered:
“Do you know who I really am?”
After a brief pause, holding a crumpled handkerchief, she continued:
“I’m the daughter of a once-rich businessman… But my father went bankrupt.”
Tears rolled down Natalia’s cheeks, her voice trembled, and a lump rose in her throat. She lowered her gaze, tugging at the hem of her dress, adjusting her disheveled hair.
“Where’s your mother?”—Ilya asked cautiously, already regretting bringing up the topic. He could feel how painful it was for her to remember.
“My mother died during childbirth,” Natalia whispered. “My father wanted me to grow up in a complete family. He married a woman who had a son my age. But this new wife turned out to be a snake, and her son—just as vile. They both came to him with a premeditated plan. There was no love in them.”
Natalia spoke with bitterness:
“This woman clung to my father’s business like a predator. How could he, a strong and confident man, allow this? Didn’t he see what was happening? They took everything from him—down to the last penny. And all I got were scraps. But that wasn’t enough for them—they threw me out of the house without a word of sympathy or pity.”
At this point, Natalia straightened up a little—she seemed a bit relieved. She had been sitting like a statue before, but now she at least moved.
“When it all happened, I swore I would never stay with these people again! I left for the village and started working as a veterinarian. By the way, my father used to breed horses. But after his second wife’s betrayal, he lost all sense of life. He always judged people by himself—honest, decent—and couldn’t understand such treachery. He drank. Tried to drown his pain with alcohol, which only hastened his illness.”
Her stepbrother had no interest in animals, and he decided to get rid of the entire herd, selling the horses for a pittance. Keeping horses was expensive. But one horse, my father loved more than any other—a black stallion with a star on his chest. He often said, “If I see him again, I can leave in peace.” I didn’t understand how that could be… and even now, I don’t completely understand,” she finished, faltering.
Now everything fell into place for Ilya. He understood: that nervous type at the auction was none other than her vile stepbrother. And his mother—the woman who had destroyed her father’s life.
“And you know, he recognized me!”—Natalia gasped with excitement. “He came to him, and the horse stomped the ground! I couldn’t believe my eyes—it felt like a dream! It was as if everything came back—my childhood, the warmth, my bond with my father… As if those two traitors never existed! And I couldn’t bring myself to tell you… I was ashamed that they just threw me out of the house like an unwanted thing,” Natalia confessed, wiping away her tears.
“Turns out, it wasn’t enough for them just to take everything. They started spreading nasty rumors to justify themselves to people and shift the blame onto someone else.”
Natalia felt that she no longer had to carry this burden alone—now she could tell Ilya everything. This secret had been weighing on her for a long time, like a stone on her chest.
“I feel so sorry for my dad… He’s lonely, penniless, without his business, and his health is completely ruined,” Natalia said, and every word seemed to come from deep within her soul. In her mind, she already envisioned a bleak future where Ilya, having learned the whole truth, might want to distance himself from her.
Her eyes filled with tears again. But Ilya, looking intently at her, saw a completely different picture. After Natalia had spoken, he said:
“I couldn’t imagine such a thing! It turns out, fate brought us together! We shouldn’t waste time—we need to bring your father here. Let him live with us; the house is spacious. And the horses are close to his heart!”
Natalia looked at her beloved, not believing her ears. An hour ago, she felt empty, but now everything seemed to change—new doors were opening for her and her father. Her heart was overflowing with warmth, and the tears flowed not from sorrow, but from happiness. They hugged tightly and talked for a long time about everything under the sun.
The next day, they went to fetch Natalia’s father and brought him to the farm.
And how he transformed! His face brightened, his eyes shone as they hadn’t in a long time! It turned out that he was a kind, sensitive man—otherwise, they wouldn’t have so easily deceived him and taken him for a fool.
The family hired a nurse to monitor his condition. A doctor even came from the district center to conduct a full diagnosis.
Day by day, the man’s health improved noticeably. At first, he could barely move, leaning on a cane, but then he began walking briskly, showing interest in the work at the stables, watching the horses.
Ilya learned a lot from him—he discovered the secrets, nuances, and subtleties of horse breeding. The old man even offered to help, though no one had asked him.
“Am I worse than the others?” he joked. “Work is good for me!”
But most of all, his heart was warmed by one horse—a black stallion with a star on his chest. He felt a special bond with it. Here, on the farm, Natalia’s father found a new family, a new purpose in life. He was doing what his soul longed for and felt better than ever.
And the young couple? They had a noisy village wedding. They looked like a perfect pair—tall, stately, beautiful, as if they had stepped out of a painting!
One day, when Grandpa was as usual tending to the horses, Natalia and Ilya shared joyful news with him—he was about to become a grandfather.
“Wow!” the old man laughed, wiping away a tear with his trembling hand. “What happiness…”
