Natalie, having bought a house in a small town, felt like she was starting a new life here. It seemed to her that the quiet and coziness of this place would give her the long-awaited peace she needed for herself and her fifteen-year-old daughter Emily. This house was their beginning, their hope for calm everyday life away from the urban hustle.
The old owners had already left, and Natalie, not having made new acquaintances yet, enjoyed rare moments of rest, arranging a cozy corner for herself and her daughter. It was quiet outside, a light breeze rustled the leaves of the old trees by the gate. Natalie watched with pleasure as Emily settled on the terrace, warmed by the sun’s rays, flipping through her textbooks.
This day seemed ordinary and predictable to her until a stranger appeared in the garden. The woman looked quite strange, with a sickly face of an earthy shade, sunken cheeks, darkened circles under her eyes. Natalie involuntarily thought that once this woman might even have been beautiful, but now before her stood an exhausted, lost figure.
In her eyes reflected pain and fatigue, and she seemed to tremble from an internal struggle. The stranger waited silently, peering at Natalie, as if seeing before her a part of a long-lost past. «Who is she?» Natalie greeted her, not hiding a slight embarrassment.
«Hello! Are you here for me?» «Yes, Natalie, for you!» the woman answered quietly but firmly. Natalie looked at her in bewilderment, then shifted her gaze to her daughter, not knowing what to think. The guest, catching her doubts, barely holding herself upright, quietly asked.
«Let me into the house! I’m barely standing on my feet! Don’t be afraid, I’m not contagious! My name is Karen!» «Karen?» Natalie frowned, trying to remember. «What Karen?» The stranger only smiled bitterly. «Forgotten, then? How can you forget how I begged you to let go of Johnny? Forgotten how I groveled at your feet to make you release him?» Natalie immediately turned to her daughter.
«Emily, please go to your room!» When Emily left, Natalie calmly opened the gate, letting the guest into the yard. Karen, noticeably weakened, followed her to the veranda and sank onto the sofa. With a sigh of relief, Natalie poured her a cup of hot tea, hoping the drink would calm her, and sat opposite, trying to maintain at least outward calm.
Karen looked around the house with a slight smirk and said, «Living luxuriously! New house, renovated, furniture updated, even swings on the veranda!» Natalie replied shortly, «Can’t complain!» Karen ignored her coldness and, glancing at Emily, added, «Your daughter is almost a bride already! At that age, you need to keep an eye on her!»
Natalie, feeling more and more anxious, directly asked the mysterious stranger, «What do you need?» «Money?» Karen only smirked, shaking her head, «Money? What do I need them for? I came to repent to you and explain something!» She lowered her eyes and spoke, as if breaking a thread of memories stretching from her youth. «Johnny and I were together since childhood! Everyone around called us bride and groom, and when we grew up, we started dating for real!»