Milena was slowly coming to her senses. Her head was spinning, and there was a ringing in her ears. The airbags had unexpectedly deployed while the car was moving, and now the vehicle was deep in a ditch.
“Am I really destined to freeze here?” flashed through her mind as she looked at the snowy slope.
At over forty years old, Milena was a well-known businesswoman, owner of a travel agency, and a philanthropist. However, her personal life had never worked out. Perhaps that was why the thought of possible death did not frighten her deeply. But then she remembered her mother’s worried eyes at their farewell and decided to fight for her life.
Getting out of the car, Milena noticed small footprints on the pristine snow and a note that read: “Auntie, I’m coming now.”
Where did this story come from?
Back in school, Milena was considered a bookworm and a wallflower. No one invited her to birthday parties. She herself felt awkward and preferred to spend time alone with books in a corner.
Things began to change with the arrival of a new girl — the beautiful Tonya. She quickly became the class leader and started bullying Milena. The classmates readily supported her mockery.
At the graduation party, Milena appeared without glasses for the first time — her parents had given her contact lenses. Her long golden hair, let down instead of in the usual braid, and her airy dress transformed her into a real Cinderella. Boys lined up to ask her for a dance.
Tonya tolerated it at first, but when her favorite, Danya, started showing interest in Milena, she couldn’t stand it. She ambushed Milena in the café restroom.
“Listen, snitch! Don’t touch my Danya, got it?” she said, grabbing Milena by the throat so tightly that she lost her voice and red marks appeared on her skin. Milena silently nodded. In conclusion, Tonya struck her on the forehead.
That night Milena cried until dawn and promised herself: she would definitely prove to this vain person that she could achieve something.
She thoroughly studied the market and concluded that the future belonged to tourism. After graduating from the appropriate faculty, she worked in a travel agency, then took online courses to gain additional knowledge. When the epidemic swept the world, she managed not only to preserve but also to develop her own business specializing in unique trips.
Meanwhile, Tonya was building her family life. She married the very same Danya, who became a policeman and later entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs academy. They had two daughters. Their life was measured and calm.
However, one evening Tonya accidentally saw a TV program about the region’s successful businesswomen.
“Danya!” she shouted, stunned. “Look at her!”
Her husband came out of the kitchen and stared at the screen.
“Is that really our former classmate Milka? Well, well!”
“Look at the lady she turned out to be!” Tonya exclaimed, shaking her husband’s arm.
“Yes, she was smart. No surprise there.”
“So I’m the stupid one, huh?”
“Tonya, calm down,” Danya tried to reason with her. “Why are you getting worked up? Don’t you like your life? You have a family, children, everything…”
But Tonya seemed transformed. Every mention of Milena’s name triggered a series of dark emotions in her — malice, envy, hatred.
“Now it’s clear why this arrogant woman never showed up at the reunion! — she thought angrily. — She’s apparently too busy to bother with us, little nobodies.”
Tonya followed every interview and every article about Milena. Each new success of her former classmate threw her into a rage.
“Again giving gifts to orphans! With such income, she could’ve adopted a child!”
“Now she’s a city council deputy! Of course, if you have money, power’s not enough!”
Danya understood: his old wife was gone. In her place lived another woman, who with her constant anger resembled a real witch.
When their daughters grew up and moved out, and the couple officially divorced, Tonya was left completely alone. Now her thirst for revenge on Milena grew especially strong.
Antonina found out Milena’s new address and what car she drove. At the traffic police department where Tonya worked, there was their own car service. Soon strange notes began to appear on Milena’s windshield: “I’m watching you,” “You will pay for everything.”
Milena did not know who was threatening her and installed dashcams. Seeing who stuck the absurd notes, she immediately found Tonya’s number and called.
“Hi, Tonya. Care to explain why you’re doing this? My dashcam caught you clearly.”
Tonya answered rudely, but Milena calmly warned:
“If you do anything like this again — I will go to the police.”
Antonina understood: now Milena knew who threatened her and could report her. In that case, Tonya would definitely be fired.
The more Tonya wound herself up, the stronger her desire became for Milena to disappear from her life. Then she decided to act decisively.
She befriended Sergey — the mechanic at the car service Milena used. He gladly accepted pleasant treats and warm evenings from Antonina. Soon he believed that his “favorite” client wanted to harm an old friend and swore to protect her.
Thus, a plan was devised to stage a car accident.
When the businesswoman went on a business trip to Beloretsk to sign a contract with a ski resort, the airbag sensors in her car suddenly went off. Milena tried to slow down, but the safety device unexpectedly deployed, and she lost control of the vehicle.
Tracks in the snow led deep into the forest. Milena was already wondering whether to follow them as dusk was rapidly approaching when she suddenly heard voices — a child’s and a man’s.
“She’s lying in the snowbank!” the child said. “I knocked on the window, but she’s not moving!”
A minute later, a middle-aged man and a girl appeared from the forest. The stranger was pulling large wooden sleds.
“Hello,” said Milena. “Did you come to my car?”
“That was me!” exclaimed the little girl with big sad eyes. “I was collecting firewood and heard you fall. I wanted to help, but I’m small. So I ran for help.”
“Thank you,” Milena smiled. “Did you write: ‘Auntie, I’m coming now’?”
“Yes! So you wouldn’t think you were abandoned.”
“What a brave daughter you have,” Milena said, addressing the man.
“I’m not her father, I’m a neighbor,” the girl quickly corrected. “And Pavel Sergeyevich is a forester. He shows me where to collect firewood. I live with my grandmother.”
The forester finally introduced himself:
“My name is Pavel. What are you doing here anyway?”
Milena sighed:
“I was heading to Beloretsk, but the airbags went off for some reason while driving. Now I don’t even know how to get the car out of the snow.”
“Don’t worry. This is a dirt road, it’s just covered by snow. We’ll bring equipment and pull you out. Are you hurt?”
Milena shook her head left and right:
“My neck hurts, my head is a bit dizzy.”
Before she could finish, the ringing in her ears returned, and she lost consciousness.
The forester’s cabin was warm and cozy. It smelled of fir branches and herbs. A kettle boiled on the stove.
When Milena opened her eyes, a night blizzard howled outside. Pavel sat at the table, looking over some notes by the light of a desk lamp.
“Sorry, I had to check your documents,” he said, noticing she had regained consciousness. “I tried to call an ambulance, but the connection here is poor. And with the blizzard, no one can reach us.”
He poured boiling water into a teapot, filling the room with the aroma of herbal infusion.
“Looks like,” he nodded to the notebooks he was reviewing, “you’d better lie down and not move too much. Tomorrow I’ll try to go to the paramedic station — maybe there’s a connection to the city.”
“Are you a doctor?” Milena asked.
“No, I used to be a coach. Formerly, that is. Several years ago, one of my trainees had a bad dive from the tower, broke her neck, and died. After that, I withdrew to the wilderness so I wouldn’t see anyone. They took me on as a teacher at the forestry college, but I still can’t forgive myself for that tragedy, though no one blames me.”
Milena listened to this lonely man and gradually began to feel sympathy and trust toward him. Lately, she had lived with a childish certainty that every person must travel the world — otherwise life was meaningless.
But Pavel had voluntarily left the noisy world, and it was clear he did not miss it.
“What were you reading while I slept?” Milena asked.
“Old notes. I once tried to study to become a sports doctor…”
At that moment, a sharp whistle sounded in the chimney, making Milena flinch involuntarily.
“The storm is really howling! My car must be completely covered by now.”
“We managed to bring your car into the yard. So even if it snows over it, we’ll dig it out quickly,” Pavel reassured her with a smile. “It’s already evening; time for dinner. Let me help you eat.”
The next morning, as dazzling morning sun appeared outside, there was a knock at the door. Natasha had run over, holding a deep bowl wrapped in a linen towel.
“Grandma made porridge,” the girl said. “She told me to tell you she’s very worried about you.”
“Where’s your mother?” Milena asked.
“She works in the city, and my dad left us when I was very young. Grandma took me in, and he never even visited.”
“Where do you go to school?”
“They take us to the neighboring village. But today the bus won’t come — the roads are snowed in, they haven’t cleared them.”
“I should call home…” Milena worried. “Your parents must be worried.”
“The connection isn’t restored yet. And the power went out at night. Looks like this bad weather will last long. I’ll go to the village and try to arrange an ambulance. You, Natasha, if you can, stay with auntie.”
“Oh, uncle Pash, I can’t! Grandma asked me to help with chores — she’s not feeling well today.”
The girl ran off, and Milena hoped the connection would soon return.
Meanwhile, news channels announced a sensational story: missing city council deputy, famous businesswoman and philanthropist Milena Polozova.
Tonya and her accomplice rejoiced. The roads in their area were mostly mountainous, so they believed “Milka definitely flew into some ravine — she won’t be bothering anyone with her appearances anymore.”
Antonina cheerfully set the table, and Sergey even took a day off work to celebrate their successful “mission.”
But less than two hours later, the mechanic’s phone vibrated. They were calling from work.
“Sergey, who serviced Polozova’s car yesterday?” the boss asked sternly. “And what exactly were you doing?”
Sergey panicked.
“Nothing special, Vasily Petrovich. Just wanted to check — young Igor might have messed something up.”
“Why did you go there in the first place?”
“The car’s serious; I had to check the computer,” Sergey replied, glancing gloomily at Tonya.
When the boss said Milena’s parents had come with the police demanding to know who approached the car, the mechanic added:
“Sergey, don’t leave town.”
“We’re screwed! The cameras caught me fiddling with the onboard computer! If the cops start pressing, I can’t hold you back!” Sergey gritted his teeth.
“Would be good to find out what happened to your bitch!” Tonya muttered.
“Maybe nothing serious happened!” she tried to justify. “The airbags just went off; maybe she skidded somewhere… In such snowstorms, hundreds of cars stand still!”
“Come on! If pressure comes down, I’ll say you made me do it!” Sergey warned.
“Sergey, I didn’t make you do anything!” But the pair already understood: things were getting serious.
Tonya decided it was time to disappear and began packing.
Milena waited for Pavel’s return from the village. He managed to arrange an ambulance call by landline. Upon hearing who was injured, the doctors promised to send a helicopter to transport Milena to the city hospital.
Suddenly, the familiar knock sounded again. Anxious Natasha stood at the door.
“Uncle Pash! Grandma fell by the stove; she can’t get up!”
Pavel rushed to the neighbor. Anna Fyodorovna was lying on the floor, breathing heavily. She couldn’t swallow her medicine.
When the helicopter landed at the edge of the forest, the forester immediately told the medics that there was also a serious case in the neighboring house.
“You’ve got quite a hospital here!” one medic remarked. “But it’s okay, we’ll take the neighbor too. In this weather, no other transport would come.”
Thus, Anna Fyodorovna and Milena ended up in the same hospital — just in different wards.
From the hospital, Milena contacted her parents, who arrived with an investigator.
“Tell us in detail what happened on the road?” the officer began the interrogation.
When Milena recounted the sudden deployment of the airbags, the impact, and the fall into the ditch, the investigator almost had no doubt — the accident was planned.
Sergey was interrogated several times, but his testimony seemed implausible. After the threat of a real sentence, he confessed that he acted in collusion with Tonya.
The case took a new turn — now it involved intentional harm and attempted murder.
Tonya was found at the station, waiting for her train, and was arrested.
Milena’s spinal injuries were minor, so she was soon allowed to walk, and she decided to visit Natasha’s grandmother.
The old woman was feeling better, though moving with difficulty. Milena brought pastries and fruits generously given by her parents.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the ward door. Milena recognized the knock.
“Natasha! Come in!”
The girl and Pavel entered the room.
“This is the second time I see you together and again take you for father and daughter!” Milena smiled.
“Nooo, Aunt Mil! Uncle Pasha isn’t my dad — he’s much better!” the little girl declared.
The adults laughed, and Natasha approached Milena, hugging her tightly:
“You’re now just like my mom!”
Milena looked questioningly at the grandmother.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” explained Anna Fyodorovna. “For Natasha, all women seem like moms. Sometimes teachers, sometimes nurses… Now you.”
“Do you want me to be your mom?” Milena suddenly offered. “As soon as I get out of the hospital, I’ll adopt you. If grandma agrees.”
The grandmother was taken aback, then threw up her hands and almost cried:
“Why should I be against?! I’m old, my health is poor. And the girl needs care and upbringing. I can’t handle it alone.”
“Well, well, Anna Fyodorovna, don’t cry — you’re not allowed!” Milena comforted her, hugging Natasha, who was too happy to know what to say.
“Since you’re going to become a family here, I guess I’m the odd one out,” Pavel said with a slight smile.
“But I said you’re better than my real dad! That means the child is attached to you. And you say that!” Natasha protested.
The three adults exchanged glances and were a little embarrassed.
“Natasha, don’t talk so much!” the grandmother tried to hush her granddaughter.
“Let her talk,” Pavel stopped her. “Kids speak from the heart. We adults often hide our feelings behind conventions. For example, I’d never think of proposing to a woman higher than me on the social ladder, even if I liked her a lot.”
He looked at Milena and lowered his eyes.
“A mistake,” she said softly. “If a woman values sincerity more than money and status — why not give her true feelings? Especially if that’s what she needs for happiness.”
By then, a deep bond had already formed between Pavel and Milena. Only the social conventions preventing them from being together remained to be resolved.
And they did it.
Pavel, who had an apartment in the city inherited from his parents, decided to open his own fitness club — for Milena and Natasha, so no one could accuse him of selfishness.
When Milena was discharged from the hospital, she introduced Pavel to her parents, saying they would marry soon.
At the wedding, of course, Natasha and the grandmother were present. After the ceremony, the newlyweds officially adopted the girl and began living as a happy, close-knit family. Moreover, the couple decided not to stop at one child — they planned to have another baby.
