**September 15th**
Cambridge was bathed in the golden glow of autumn leaves, but in Marina’s home, a shadow lingered. She looked worn, as though life were slowly slipping away from her. A typical homemaker, she seemed to fade before her husband’s eyes, and Victor couldn’t understand what was wrong. Why were her eyes so full of sorrow? Why did she seem so withdrawn, as if she could sleep for an eternity? Where had this exhaustion, clinging to her soul, come from?
Victor was at a loss. Marina didn’t work, and he’d dreamed that after a long day, he’d come home to a vibrant, radiant wife—just like before, when she’d been lively and full of energy. Back then, her laughter lit up the room, but now she was a shadow of herself. What had dimmed her light?
Friends hinted that Marina was weary of the monotony. Victor worried but didn’t know how to bring back her joy. One day, he decided to return home early without warning, hoping to catch her by surprise. But the house was empty. Marina was gone! Thoughts of betrayal, bitter as poison, filled his mind. Was she seeing someone else? He resolved to follow her.
The next morning, Marina left the house with a large bag. She boarded a bus at the station, and Victor, without hesitation, jumped in his car and followed, his heart pounding. The bus stopped outside an old hospital on the outskirts of town. Victor clenched his jaw. Was her lover at the hospital? Or was she visiting someone? Anger surged through him, and unable to bear it, he drove home. But it kept happening—morning and evening. Marina vanished, leaving him drowning in doubt.
One afternoon, while she was out, Victor turned on her laptop. On the screen was an open chat with a volunteer schedule for the children’s ward at the hospital. Every shift—signed with Marina’s name—matched her disappearances. His heart tightened, not with fury, but with shame for his suspicions.
That evening, he waited for her return. Marina walked in, weary but with a soft smile. Victor couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Marina, where have you been?” he asked, fighting the tremor in his voice.
She froze, then lowered her eyes and whispered,
“Victor, my love… We must adopt her. She’s so bright, so sweet…”
Marina told him everything. For months, she’d been volunteering at the hospital, caring for orphans. Recently, a little girl—an abandoned baby named Emily—had been brought in. From the first moment, the child had stolen her heart. Marina couldn’t think of anything else—Emily had become her hope, her light in the grey monotony.
Victor was silent. Adopt a child? He wasn’t ready. His thoughts twisted in confusion, but he saw how much this little girl meant to his wife. For the first time in ages, her eyes burned with life. That same night, they began gathering the paperwork.
When Emily came home, Marina discovered she was pregnant. Soon after, their son, James, was born. Now, their house brims with laughter, warmth, and love. Marina shines as she did in her youth, and Victor watches her, knowing: this little girl, and their son, didn’t just save their family—they saved their souls.
