They had been friends since kindergarten. Every time his mother brought him to the daycare, Peter would immediately ask:
— Has Ellen arrived?
When Ellen appeared, he would run to her with a joyful shout:
— I’ve been waiting for you so much!
The teachers watched this sweet pair with affection. Peter never came to daycare without a gift for Ellen—sometimes a toy, sometimes a piece of candy. Ellen also brought gifts for Peter. The children’s parents were delighted by their friendship. When the kids started school, they sat at the same desk, and their bond continued to grow. In class, they were nicknamed the bride and groom, but this didn’t bother them at all. On the contrary, by the time they finished high school, their friendship had grown so strong that neither could imagine a day without the other. They dreamed of getting married after graduation. That fall, Peter was drafted into the army, while Ellen enrolled in university. From the army, Peter wrote Ellen beautiful letters every day, and she would reread them several times a day. Ellen was a beautiful young woman, and many guys at the university tried to court her, but she rejected all their advances.
Ryan studied at the same faculty as Ellen. He was the son of an influential official in the city, coming from a wealthy family and being their only child. From infancy, he was allowed everything, and all his whims were promptly fulfilled. In school, he carried himself with arrogance, even toward teachers. His classmates didn’t particularly like him, but he had a couple of buddies, mainly because he always had cash and would go to bars with them, where he enjoyed great success with girls due to his money and charm. Ryan was used to getting everything he wanted in life. In his mind, there was no such thing as a different kind of life or honest, kind, decent people—those concepts were foreign to him. He was accustomed to everything being accessible. When he saw Ellen, he approached her with the same brazen confidence he used with other girls. But Ellen, raised in a good, well-mannered family, made it clear to Ryan that his tactics wouldn’t work on her. Unaccustomed to rejection, he decided he would make Ellen his, no matter what. He persisted in harassing her and seeking her attention, but all his efforts were in vain. Ellen avoided him. While she was friendly with her other classmates, she tried her best to ignore Ryan.
One day, the students decided to throw a party together. They rented an apartment and agreed that everyone would bring food. Ryan was also at the party, but this time he didn’t bother Ellen and behaved surprisingly modestly, which caught her off guard. The young people danced and sang along to a guitar. Everyone was having fun. Ellen didn’t like strong alcohol, so she sipped red wine. Ryan sat next to her at the table, handed her a glass of wine, and said:
— Let’s make peace. I’m really sorry you’re upset with me. Let’s be friends.
Ellen agreed. She told him she was waiting for her beloved boyfriend to return from the army and that she loved him deeply. She and Ryan even danced, but soon Ellen started feeling unwell. Her friends took her to another room and laid her on a couch. Ryan said:
— Rest, I won’t bother you. I’ll check on you later.
He left, closing the door behind him. Ellen didn’t notice when she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she found herself naked in bed with Ryan beside her. Horrified, she tried to recall what had happened, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember anything beyond the moment she started feeling ill. She jumped up and frantically searched for her clothes, which were scattered on the floor. Meanwhile, Ryan woke up and asked:
— Where are you going?
— You’re despicable! — Ellen cried. — You took advantage of my helplessness and did something awful. Why did you do this? — She burst into tears.
Ryan tried to calm her:
— You were so unattainable. I wanted to win you over, so I organized this party. I slipped a sleeping pill into your wine, and you fell asleep so sweetly. You were so beautiful, I couldn’t resist.
Ellen sobbed.
— I don’t want to see you ever again! — she said through her tears. — Don’t come near me. I hate you!
Grabbing her coat, she ran out of the apartment. She walked as if in a fog, unaware of where she was going, her feet carrying her home. Locking herself in her room, she was overwhelmed by tears, feeling like a traitor to Peter and unsure how to go on. Susan, Ellen’s mother, who had waited up all night without sleeping, sensed something terrible had happened. She tried to persuade Ellen to open the door and talk. Finally, Ellen opened the door, her face streaked with tears.
— What happened? — Susan asked, her heart aching with worry.
— Ellen, my dear, tell me what happened, — her mother pleaded.
Sobbing, Ellen recounted everything that had happened.
— It’s okay, — her mother soothed. — Peter is a smart boy. He’ll understand everything correctly. He’ll be back soon, and everything will be fine, I’m sure of it, my dear.
Gradually, Ellen began to calm down. Once she had fully composed herself, she went to university for classes. Entering the lecture hall, she noticed nothing unusual—no one showed excessive curiosity toward her; everything seemed normal. After classes, Ellen headed home, but Ryan caught up with her.
— I told you not to come near me, — Ellen said, feeling uneasy in his presence.
— Marry me, — Ryan proposed. — I have an apartment. Come live with me.
— Leave me alone. I want you to stay away from me. I have a fiancé.
— After what happened between us, do you think he’ll still want to marry you? I’m offering you marriage.
Ellen turned and walked away. One evening at dinner, Ellen suddenly felt unwell and nauseous. She rushed to the bathroom. Susan, observing her daughter, suggested taking a pregnancy test. The test confirmed Ellen was pregnant. This was another devastating blow for Ellen, plunging her into despair.
— Mom, how could this happen? What will I tell Peter? — Ellen sobbed. — What should I do?
— Calm down, my dear, — her mother comforted. — If this is how it happened, we’ll have the baby. Don’t even think about an abortion. I’ll help you, and you need to tell Peter the truth.
— No, I don’t have the strength to tell him everything.
Ellen loved Peter so much that the thought of losing him made her feel sick, but the pregnancy filled her with dread. Unable to find a better solution, Ellen decided to marry Ryan. She and her mother discussed it at length and concluded that this was Ellen’s decision, uncertain of how Peter would react.
A date was set for the marriage registration, but Ellen refused a wedding ceremony. She decided not to tell Ryan about the pregnancy yet, as it was still early.
Peter returned from the army on the same day as Ellen’s registration with Ryan, planning to surprise her without warning her of his arrival. He rang the doorbell at Ellen’s apartment. Susan opened the door and, seeing Peter, was momentarily at a loss.
— Come in, Peter, but Ellen isn’t home.
— Where is she? — he asked, handing her a large bouquet of roses.
Susan didn’t know how to start the conversation, but she knew she had to tell him the truth, as he would soon find out anyway, and she didn’t want to deceive him. She liked Peter and had hoped he would be her son-in-law. She told him everything.
— How could this happen, Susan? — Peter exclaimed. — Why didn’t you stop Ellen? I love her and can’t imagine life without her. No matter what happened, I need her, and her child will be my child too.
He jumped up and rushed out, hailed a taxi, and sped to the registry office. Peter burst into the ceremony hall just as the couple was about to sign the documents. Shouting, — Ellen, my love, don’t do this, I love you! — in front of the stunned onlookers, Peter pushed the groom aside, pulled Ellen close, and, before Ryan could react, they ran out of the hall and jumped into a waiting car.
In the car, Ellen came to her senses and said, — Peter, why did you do this? You don’t know anything…
— Not a word, — Peter interrupted. — I know everything. Susan told me. How could you think I’d abandon you? You’re my fiancée, and tomorrow we’ll submit our marriage application. Nothing else matters. You’re my future wife, and this child is ours. The real father isn’t the one who conceived the child but the one who raises them. I’ll raise this child to be a real man.
Susan greeted them, embracing both:
— My dear children, I’m so happy for you. Be happy, you have my blessing.
Together, they went to Peter’s parents and agreed to submit the marriage application the next day, determined to have a proper wedding. And so, the story continues.
In the end, Ellen and Peter had a son, and two years later, a daughter. They are very happy. Ellen finished her studies and works as a pediatrician, while Peter runs his own construction company.
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