But adults like to deceive, don’t they? My dad always tells my mom he won’t hit her anymore after he’s done, but every time he does, she cries out in pain.
Natasha began to cry, “Uncle, please don’t lie to Natasha, okay?”
“I won’t lie,” Your Uncle promised. “I swear I won’t deceive you, Natasha.”
Ivan, feeling heartbroken, kissed the little girl’s cheeks repeatedly. “Uncle doesn’t like to drink and won’t lose his temper. I promise!”
“Then if you’re with my mom, does that mean you’re our dad now?”
“If Natasha wants it, then Uncle will be your dad!”
Seeing the sincerity in Ivan’s tear-filled eyes, Natasha hugged his neck tightly and exclaimed, “Wow, Dad!”
Ivan continued to reassure his daughter while Lana covered her mouth tightly, squatting down and sobbing. Xiao Kachusha, unaware of the situation, thought her sister was just playing and giggled happily.
Ivan lifted Katyusha into his right arm and used his left hand to support the crying Lana, pulling her close to his chest and kissing her hair repeatedly. “I’m also a fool who has been hurt by love. I know how rare a genuine connection is.”
“Lana, give me a chance! Just one chance! I will prove to you, to Natasha, to Katyusha, and to everyone that I, Ivan, am not just a man who shouts slogans or deceives women. I will love and cherish you all for a lifetime! Just give me a chance—”
Lana stood on her tiptoes and kissed the man’s tear-streaked lips. Looking at his tearful face, she wiped away his tears with her hand. “When we go home, this house will have a man again. No one will bully us or say that Natasha and Katyusha don’t have a father anymore!”
“Okay.”
Ivan held Natasha and Katyusha with one arm while wrapping the other around Lana as they walked into the home that belonged to him.
Clap clap clap!
When Ivan and the others returned home, Kozilov and Bella were in the yard finishing their fresh Da Huang melon. Little Sister was moved to tears by them while Kozilov rolled his eyes playfully. “Dear, why don’t you go inside and play games? I just remembered there are things I need to do at the farm; I need to check on them.”
“Alright, come back soon.”
Little Sister gave her husband a quick kiss on the lips before bouncing back inside. Kozilov opened the yard gate and dashed off towards his friends' house. Arriving at Andreev’s gate, he picked up a stick from the bushes nearby and poked it twice at the gate before pushing it open and running in without paying attention to Andreev and Old Couple watching TV in the living room. He rushed into Zhukov’s bedroom.
“Big news! Brother, big news!”
Zhukov was playing a game when he glanced at Kozilov with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Don’t mess around; everyone in our village knows everyone else’s business.”
At this point, he suddenly froze and quickly took off his headphones to look at his good friend. “Bella is pregnant?”
“No way!”
“Pfft.”
Zhukov rolled his eyes as he reached for his headphones again when Kozilov slyly pulled out his phone and opened the content he had just secretly recorded. Though it was dark and unclear, the sounds were intriguing. The young man listened with growing excitement until his eyes lit up. “What the hell! How dare Ivan? He’s even touching Uncle Makarov’s woman? That’s bold!”
The two brothers exchanged glances and then burst into laughter as they hurried out of the room, slipping on their slippers in a rush. Zhukov waved his hand at Andreev, saying, "The Balarev's dog had puppies. I'm going to check it out."
"Oh, remember to come back early," Andreev replied, still a bit dazed after a moment. After a while, he snapped back to reality and muttered, "Damn it, Valery's family only has three big dogs. Where did the puppies come from?"
Comment 0 Comment Count