“I’ll show you,” she replied.

They got there in about an hour. But once they arrived, Viktoriya felt sick and vomited. She washed her face at the lake, sat a while, then got up to look for that tree. She wasn’t sure it was the right place. They wandered the shore—it all looked the same. Then he spotted a pile of stones.

“This is it,” he said. “You were lying right here. I stacked these rocks and placed a board under you to lift you up—just in case your bones were broken.”

She looked at him with deep gratitude. Her eyes filled with tears again.

“I’ll never be able to repay you for this,” she whispered.

“Just live long and be happy. That’s enough,” he replied with a smile.

She bit her lip and turned to find the rotting tree. There it was! Viktoriya ran to it, found a sturdy stick, and started digging. Immediately, she hit metal. The necklace was still there. She carefully pulled it out, looked at the dirt-covered jewelry, and handed it to Ruslan.

“What is this?” he asked, examining it.

“I think you don’t need to keep working for that killer,” she said. “Take it.”

He took the necklace and looked at her.

“This is the necklace?”

She nodded.

He opened his mouth slightly, stood there a moment, then knelt by the lake and washed it. The gems sparkled instantly, glowing with radiant brilliance.

“Vika, this is a fortune. He really did love you—though he acted like a monster. Most wives don’t get gifts like this.”

“May he rot in hell,” she said through clenched teeth. Her body still remembered the pain. “No amount of money could make up for what he did to me.”

Ruslan stood up and, for the first time, gently hugged her. He repeated his mother’s words:

“Everything will be okay. Forget it.”

“Thank you.”

“Come on. We shouldn’t stay here.”

“He went crazy looking for that necklace,” Ruslan said as they drove back. “They turned the whole hotel upside down, dug up everything here—but never found it.”

“Seriously?!” Viktoriya’s eyes widened.

“Yeah. It’s worth a lot. What did you think?” he said, glancing at her.

Then, after a moment’s thought, he added:

“I think we need to get out of here. Take everything and move somewhere else.”

“I agree,” Viktoriya replied immediately. “Let it all burn in hell!”

He said nothing. He took the necklace with him. Told her not to worry—he’d be back in two days after his shift. Viktoriya thanked God—for help, for a home, for a mother, for her rescuer.

She became devout, praying with Aunt Masha—now called Mother. They prayed on their knees, morning and night. Viktoriya dyed her red hair chestnut brown. She braided it and walked around the village in simple clothes.

Yes, she was still beautiful—but different now. She’d gained some weight, her belly was growing. No one could recognize the club girl she once was. That Viktoriya had drowned. For her safety, they changed her name from Viktoriya to Veronika. Aunt Masha started calling her Verochka.

“And where are you from, Verochka?” the villagers would ask.

“From Obninsk,” she’d reply. “My husband died. My aunt took me in. Car crash—quick death.”

And so they lived. And the necklace lay hidden, waiting for its time.

Six months passed. Robert had more than doubled the factory’s productivity. The company kept growing—they bought an additional large warehouse and divided it into two sections, opening a second production site. They hired more staff. Olga Nikolaevna also joined the business, as there was far too much work to handle.

Lana couldn’t stand his indifference anymore. She decided it was time for a serious talk. She came to his home in the evening. He opened the door, surprised by her sudden visit.