Now – seriously and definitively – Inna hated her ex-husband. There was so much hatred that she could not keep it bottled up – it had to be released in some form of revenge. Strangely, this made Inna resemble Thai women, who, she believed, embodied in the person of Nok, had caused this catastrophe in her life. What she now felt about Brevich had much in common with the famous saying of all wronged Thai wives: “Death is not enough!”
It wasn’t his adultery that constituted the essence of the catastrophe – Inna could easily close her eyes to that. Their lack of interest in each other was mutual, and both had had more than one liaison on the side. The crux of the matter lay elsewhere: Inna had been shaken to the very core by the way Brevich had ended their marriage. And this was something she was not going to forgive.
Over their years together, her own complaints had accumulated too. There was a lot of irritation on her part, mainly because she had been unable to experience the true taste of success, despite having all its attributes. She held Brevich accountable for this – since there was no one else to blame. To make matters worse, he completely failed to see any grounds for her disgruntlement – his unceremonious response was that Inna needed to get off her backside and do something with her life. That really offended her; she believed – and often intimated so to her friends – that her husband didn’t understand and didn’t want to understand.
This was why, when Ivan for no apparent reason announced his intention to divorce her upon his return from Bangkok, Inna, despite at first being taken aback, quickly pulled herself together. She sensed that a project worthy of her had finally materialized – a long-term enterprise that could be undertaken with great enthusiasm. The aim of it was to suck Brevich dry. To exhaust him with the most grueling legal proceedings, to sue, sue and sue again… Inna’s eyes sparkled with renewed vigor; she was filled with energy as if the years had dropped off her. Soon, with the help of two lawyers, an action plan was developed full of stratagems and cunning, but then Nok flew into Moscow and everything came to naught. Brevich was completely unbending, explaining both to Inna and her lawyers that with his connections she could end up homeless and penniless. He sounded convincing; she had to accept his terms, but her anger knew no bounds. Inna persuaded herself that Brevich had caused her irreparable damage. It wasn’t a question of the money – she was still getting a reasonable amount. The thing was that in a single stroke he had suddenly stripped her of the purpose in life she’d just found. And for this, she told herself, Brevich would have to pay.
After several sleepless nights, she hatched an intricate scheme. The main role in it was to be played by the Danilovs – Sanyok, who had his own accounts to settle with Brevich, and his wife Tatiana, whom Inna had known since her youth. Back then, they had been close friends, but later their friendship had given way to jealousy and envy. This was now going to prove useful.
The first step had seemed the most difficult but had been achieved with ease. After a “chance” meeting with Sanyok next to his office, Inna had invited him for a coffee, and within a few days they were lovers. Using attention and flattery, she deftly ignited his passion and then just as suddenly announced they were splitting up.
“I’ve realized we’re better off parting ways,” she shrugged at his bewildered consternation. “You’re clearly a loser, and soon you’ll be out of work altogether. My ex is going to fire you; he can’t forgive or forget that the business was once yours, that you were the real trailblazer. And it also irritates him that you really love those stupid machines of yours – which he doesn’t. Your wife told him they turn you on more than she does… By the way, you do know she’s slept with him for almost the whole of last year – just to spite me? He told me all about it; we used to be open about these things… Tanya was constantly complaining to him you’re no good in bed. But that’s not fair: you’re a good lover, you have such a thick, powerful cock…”
Danilov was crushed, furious and frightened. He believed every single word – in his wife’s infidelity, that he was about to lose his job, and in Inna’s sudden, insightful contempt, to which he was prone, having long ago lost any respect for himself. That evening, he created such a disgraceful scene at home that Tatiana packed her things and left to live with her mother. A couple of days later, he tried to make it up to her but only ended up losing his temper again and, in an attempt to hurt her even more, mentioned his brief interlude with Inna. After this bombshell, it soon became clear his wife wasn’t ever going to return. Danilov repented and asked for forgiveness, but she only laughed in his face and went away with her mother to a Turkish resort, leaving him all alone in rainy Moscow.
In a word, Inna had achieved a lot in a mere three weeks. This gave her the confidence and conviction she was in the right. Soon, she called Sanyok again, said she was lonely and even wept into the phone, begging him to come and see her. They drank a lot – and, after the alcohol, clumsy sex and drunken, tearful complaints against life, the idea of revenge seemed to emerge of its own accord. Brevich was the source of all their current and impending misfortunes. He was the cause of what they had lost, were losing and were set to lose – and that meant: he should have to feel the devastating nature of loss himself. Something precious should be wrenched from him, Inna declared angrily – to show him he was as weak and vulnerable as everyone else…
Thus, an “avenging duo” was formed, and their means of revenge was worked out that very same night. Nok would have to be taken away from Ivan – even if only for a little while, but in all seriousness, without fooling around, so that he would experience the pain to the fullest. And so that he would be made to pay – with his powerless despair and money – for the return of his “plaything.” With serious money, which he owed both of them!
Waking up in the morning and remembering everything, Danilov sat down on the bed, clasped his head in his hands and emitted a long, protracted groan. He realized he was about to do something savage and terrible – and somehow knew he couldn’t turn back. Even the fear, which caused his hands to tremble, couldn’t persuade him otherwise. What’s more, he already had just the man for this sort of job: Valyok, his and Ivan’s childhood friend, Valentin Sakhnov.
Valentin had returned to Moscow a long time before. At one stage he had made a good career for himself in the special forces, quickly rising to the rank of captain, but then he and his entire command had been dishonorably discharged from the army for an ugly incident in Chechnya. This shocked him to the depths of his soul – despite some disciplinary problems, Valyok had served honestly. He saw himself as a loyal officer, a patriot, and even considered the army his cherished calling, telling himself his way in life was that of the warrior. Therefore, he saw his dismissal as the betrayal of a basic notion of justice, and for a long time his mind refused to acknowledge what had happened.
For a couple of weeks, while his papers were being formalized, he wandered around in a daze, blind to everything around him. People shied away from him, taking him for a dangerous, unpredictable head case. Eventually, his stupor passed; only anger and resentment remained. Sakhnov was served his papers and went home to Moscow, but at one of the longer stops on the way he left the train briefly to buy some beer and ended up missing it after a run-in with a policeman. Without thinking twice, he made friends with the driver of a freight train and arrived in the capital sitting at the back of the driver’s cabin, bawling out army marching songs and contemplating the fields, woods and villages passing by. Somewhere on that journey, he underwent a complete catharsis, and his picture of the world was fundamentally rearranged. He realized that, however things turned out, he would always remain a warrior – and his war from now on would be fought for himself, against everyone and everything.