MY MOTHER-IN-LAW SLIPPED ME A NOTE ON MY WEDDING, AND I IMMEDIATELY DISAPPEARED THROUGH THE BACK DOOR FOR 15 YEARS

She sat by the window in a chair—so fragile and aged that it took my breath away. But her eyes—those same perceptive and tenacious eyes—recognized me instantly.

“I knew you would come, Nastenka,” she simply said. “Sit down, tell me how you’ve lived these years.”

I told her about my new life—about the café, quiet evenings with books, about learning to start over. She listened, occasionally nodding, then said:

“He planned to stage an accident during the honeymoon on a yacht. Everything was prepared in advance.” Her voice trembled:

“And now he’s sent me here to live out my days because I started digging into his affairs. Do you know how many ‘accidents’ have happened over these years with his partners?”

“Vera Nikolaevna,” I cautiously took her hand. “Do you have proof?”

She smiled:

“Dear, I have a whole safe of evidence. You think I’ve been silent all these years for nothing? I was waiting. Waiting for you to return.”

The same steely fire that I saw each morning in the mirror sparked in her eyes.

“Well, dear bride,” she squeezed my hand, “shall we give my son a belated wedding surprise?”