When Hayk and Arevik stepped off the plane at the airport, they saw Anna standing between two cars. Arevik sighed, realizing that they would be separated right there, at the airport. Hayk immediately squeezed her hand tighter, and together they approached Anna.

  Without saying a word, Hayk kissed Arevik on the forehead and escorted her to the car that would take her home. He watched the car for a long time. When it started moving, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then, gathering his courage, returned to Anna and got back to work with all seriousness.

  Thus, Arevik went home, while Hayk left far from civilization—to the oil fields.

  In the morning, Arevik felt a heavy weight on her heart. She was used to waking up next to Hayk, and his absence was especially painful. But the thought that she would see the garden again gave her a little warmth.

  She arrived at work earlier than usual and, of course, went straight to the garden. Grish, as always, was there. Arevik was overjoyed and hugged him warmly.

  “Uncle Grish, the garden has become so beautiful!” Arevik exclaimed, looking around. “It’s like paradise.”

  “Actually, not much has changed,” Grish replied. But noticing Arevik’s glowing face, he added, “Maybe you just haven’t seen it in a long time, so it seems different to you. Or maybe you yourself have changed.”

  Arevik didn’t answer. She truly had changed, and the beauty of the garden seemed to reflect the joy that now lived in her soul.

  Then Arevik went to the office and greeted her colleagues. None of them asked why she had been away for so long—everyone had been informed in advance about the extension of her vacation.

  “Thank you, Anna, for taking care of everything,” Arevik thought, relieved not to face awkward questions.

  “By the way, a few people have already started using the program,” Mrs. Gayane said. “They left very positive feedback. Thank you, Arevik!”

  “I’m so glad to hear that,” Arevik replied enthusiastically. “And I’ll say it again: I couldn’t have done it without your help. I’m very grateful to you.”

  It was a wonderful day. Everything went perfectly, and the sadness from Hayk’s absence seemed to melt into the pleasant work atmosphere.

  But things were not so simple.

  The next day, when Arevik arrived at work, Mrs. Gayane asked her to wait a moment—she had something to tell her. Her expression didn’t promise good news, but Arevik was still in such a mood that nothing seemed able to spoil it.

  “Dear Arevik, you’ve been called to the central office,” Mrs. Gayane said seriously.

  At first, Arevik automatically thought it was Hayk. But then she remembered that he would be unavailable for two months. Maybe it’s Anna…

  She didn’t have time to finish the thought when Mrs. Gayane added,

  “As far as I know, it’s Meruzhan, the director of the statistics department. He wants to see you.”

  “Meruzhan?” Arevik asked in surprise.

  The name caught her off guard. She felt a slight unease, though she couldn’t explain why.

  “To be honest, I’m surprised too,” Mrs. Gayane admitted.

  “In any case, I’ll go and find out what it’s about,” Arevik said.

  As she was about to leave, Mrs. Gayane called her again:

  “Arevik, wait.”

  After a short pause, she added,

  “No matter what happens, Arevik, you know that you deserve more than just to be an archive clerk.”

  A silence fell. Both suddenly realized what this might mean.

  “Mrs. Gayane…” Arevik said softly.

  “If a good job opportunity ever comes up, don’t miss your chance,” Mrs. Gayane said, almost in a commanding tone.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Gayane. I will think about it,” Arevik replied after a short pause and headed to the central office.

  Some time later, Arevik was already in Meruzhan’s office. The secretary greeted her and showed her into the room.

  “Ah, Arevik, you’re here,” Meruzhan said in a friendly voice.

  “Thank you,” Arevik replied and stepped closer, calming down a little, since Meruzhan seemed friendly.

  “You must be surprised that I called you,” Meruzhan said.

  “Actually, yes,” Arevik admitted.

  “Well, there’s no reason to be surprised, considering the report you presented from a data perspective,” Meruzhan explained with a smile. “It would be wrong to ignore someone with such knowledge and let their skills be wasted in the archive department.”

  “Thank you for such an attitude and for the appreciation,” Arevik said, slightly moved, because Meruzhan’s words seemed to come straight from her heart.

  “But that’s not all,” Meruzhan said enthusiastically. “I would like to offer you a position in my department. We truly need a specialist like you.”

  It was an unexpected offer. Although such a thought had crossed Arevik’s mind before, the proposal still surprised her, and she had not expected it to happen so soon.

  “Your knowledge could open great opportunities for the development of our institution,” Meruzhan continued, emphasizing broader issues, hoping Arevik would understand.

  “I would be very grateful if you could give me some time to think,” Arevik said.

  Although the offer was very good, something worried Arevik, and she could not understand what exactly it was. Meruzhan’s friendly smile frightened her more than it reassured her.

  “This is a great boost for your career,” Meruzhan continued, ignoring Arevik’s request not to rush. “Something like this has never happened in our institution. It’s a wonderful opportunity,” Meruzhan insisted.

  Arevik remained silent for a moment. She had many doubts, not least because there was no one she could consult at the moment. But the thought that she would be closer to Hayk and would be able to help him more dispelled all her fears.

  “In any case, I will need some time to transfer the archive files and start the transition process,” Arevik said, making it clear that she had accepted the offer.

  “Don’t worry, I will soon take care of the formalities regarding your transfer,” Meruzhan said with a smile. “As for the files, I believe you can organize everything by the end of the week and start working in the statistics department from Monday.”

  “Alright, then see you on Monday,” Arevik said with a friendly smile.

  “Of course,” Meruzhan replied. “Congratulations on making the right decision.”

  “Thank you very much,” Arevik said. “Now I should go so I won’t lose any time.”

  “Until Monday,” Meruzhan said, pointing toward the door.

  Arevik left the office excited. The moment she disappeared from Meruzhan’s sight, his friendly smile turned into a look of hatred.

  For a long time, Meruzhan had been looking for an opportunity to harm Hayk. When he once saw Arevik and Hayk walking hand in hand toward their car during the weekend, he decided not to miss his chance. If he could not hurt Hayk directly, he would hurt those close to him.

  The unfairly distributed position had long felt like a thorn in his throat. But when Hayk struck him during a meeting, it was the final blow to his patience. From that moment on, Meruzhan decided that he would harm Hayk at any cost.

  Arevik returned to the office full of doubts. Meruzhan’s haste worried her, but at the same time she thought that perhaps they were working on a large project and therefore needed a new employee in the statistics department.

  All her concerns disappeared when she imagined that she might be useful to Hayk.

  She went to the office and told Mrs. Gayane about the results of the conversation. Although Gayane’s face showed concern, she encouraged Arevik and congratulated her on the new position, and the transfer process began.

  By the end of the week everything was arranged very quickly, and on Monday Arevik started working in the statistics department.

  On Monday, Arevik was welcomed at her new workplace. They showed her her desk, computer, and other necessary equipment. Soon Meruzhan appeared with a folder in his hand.

  “Dear Arevik, I need the institution’s annual report,” Meruzhan said, handing her the folder. “I need it tomorrow morning.”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Arevik took the folder and studied it. When she saw the enormous amount of work required from her on the very first day, she felt slightly discouraged.

  But then she thought that Meruzhan probably wanted to test her abilities and therefore expected her to do in one day what others might do in several.

  “If this is a challenge, then I accept it,” Arevik thought and enthusiastically began working, sparing no effort.

  The report was already on Meruzhan’s desk the next morning.

  He picked it up, examined it for a few minutes, and then called Arevik.

  “What is this, Arevik?” he asked, handing back the folder she had left.

  “The annual report,” Arevik replied, confident that she had made no mistake.

  “This is an incomplete report,” Meruzhan explained. “It only contains the financial section, but I needed the full report.”

  “I’m sorry. I know that usually only the financial report is required. To prepare the full report, I need permission from the relevant departments to use their data,” Arevik explained, then added, “Since you gave me only one day, I assumed you meant the financial report.”

  “Remember this: from now on, whenever I ask you for a report, it must contain all the data,” Meruzhan said, barely holding back his anger. He had not expected such professional adaptability from Arevik, and to make the situation even more tense, he added:

  “This is not the archive.”

  Then he handed the folder back and said,

  “Take it and bring me the full report.”

  “But that will take a lot of time,” Arevik objected.

  “Bring it to me in two days,” Meruzhan said, lowering his head slightly and closing the conversation.

  Arevik returned to her desk with heavy steps and in a dark mood. The friendly image Meruzhan had shown earlier had completely disappeared, and now a completely different person stood before her. Trying to complete the task, Arevik was also deeply lost in her own thoughts.

  “Anyway, I only need to endure for two months. When Hayk returns, everything will fall into place,” Arevik thought. Filling herself with a little hope, she began working.

  Having accomplished something almost impossible, Arevik submitted the report Meruzhan had demanded within the given deadline. Meruzhan looked at it, then covered his forehead with his hand and sighed in dissatisfaction.

  “This report covers one year, doesn’t it?” Meruzhan said. “But it tells me nothing.”

  Arevik remained silent, trying to understand where Meruzhan’s dissatisfaction was leading.

  “Arevik, dear, prepare the same report for the last five years,” Meruzhan said, handing the folder back to her.

  “What?” Arevik asked, unable to believe her ears.

  “You are a statistics specialist. You know that one year of data is not enough,” Meruzhan said, as if justifying himself. Then he added, “I need it on Monday. And this is not open for discussion.”

  Arevik didn’t even have time to object, because the moment Meruzhan finished speaking, he immediately left the office.

  Arevik stood there for a long time with the folder in her hands. Tears filled her eyes, and she waited for them to finally fall. But she took a deep breath, left the office, and sat down at her desk.

  To complete the assignment, Arevik worked during breaks and even devoted her weekends to it. On Monday, she finished the work by noon. She took the entire stack of folders and brought them to Meruzhan’s office.

  “You are late,” Meruzhan said. Without even looking at the completed work, he threw the folders into the trash can. “They are no longer needed. Take another task.”

  That was how the cruel days of Arevik began.

  Each assignment from Meruzhan was harder than the previous one. Arevik became so absorbed in work that she even stopped going to the garden and stopped communicating with the archive staff. She was slowly exhausting herself, but she believed she had to endure.

  When Hayk returned, everything would fall into place. She only needed to endure and not give Meruzhan the chance to get rid of her. After all, she had promised Hayk that she would not leave.

  The days dragged on painfully slowly. For Arevik, each day felt like a year, and the work she once loved had now turned into a real hell.

  Even the other employees in the department were surprised. Through the transparent walls of Meruzhan’s office, they watched the humiliation of Arevik and could not understand what was happening. They had almost no work, while Arevik was overloaded beyond human limits. They could not understand why Meruzhan treated her so cruelly — he never behaved this way with anyone else.

  Arevik stopped smiling. The inner light that once shone within her had long faded. She had become pale, like a walking corpse.

  During yet another humiliation, Arevik felt the world slowly darkening before her eyes. She stopped hearing Meruzhan’s voice. No matter how hard she tried to stay on her feet, she couldn’t.

  Feeling a sharp pain in her chest, she lost consciousness.

  Meruzhan froze. He had not expected this. But when he looked around and saw the other employees watching him, he quickly pulled himself together.

  Walking to a vase of flowers on one of the employees’ desks, he removed the flowers and splashed the stale water from the vase onto Arevik.

  Arevik regained consciousness and barely managed to stand, holding onto the desk. But the smell of the stale water made her nauseous, and she ran to the restroom.

  “Tell her to go see a doctor,” Meruzhan ordered one of the employees to pass the message to Arevik. “This is the last thing I needed,” he muttered to himself before leaving the office.

  When Arevik returned from the restroom, the message from Meruzhan was delivered to her. She silently took her things and went to the doctor.

  At the hospital, the doctor examined Arevik with visible concern. After a long examination, he returned to the room, took a deep breath, and said:

  “You are expecting a child.”

  Seeing no reaction, he continued,

  “But your health condition is very poor. You need rest. Otherwise, you may lose everything.”

  Then the doctor left the room so Arevik could get dressed.

  Arevik sat there motionless for a long time. She simply could not react to the doctor’s words. Automatically, she placed her hands on her stomach and quietly said,

  “Don’t be afraid.”

  Then she smiled faintly and, lifting her tearful eyes upward, added,

  “Our father will come and save us.”

  On the way home, Arevik had already begun to regain her composure and started seriously analyzing the situation.

  “The child is from me and Hayk.”

  This thought kept repeating in her mind, and gradually it began to worry her.

  Dark thoughts started to overwhelm her. Would Hayk be happy when he learned about the child? Or would he be frightened and demand the worst — to get rid of it?

  Could Arevik protect the child while continuing to endure Meruzhan’s cruelty?

  No matter how much she thought about it, her mind always returned to one thought — the only one that seemed to bring her peace.

  “When Hayk returns, everything will fall into place,” Arevik thought.

  The weekend gave Arevik a chance to recover a little. Besides, only one week remained until Hayk’s return. This thought warmed her heart and gave her strength to endure Meruzhan’s continued attacks.

  And Meruzhan had no intention of stopping his humiliation of Arevik even for a moment.

  Arevik had already grown used to it. She had grown used to the constant gossip of her colleagues and had even begun to treat Meruzhan’s cruelty with a strange indifference. She endured everything with only one hope — that Hayk would return, and then everything would fall back into place.

  At last, the long-awaited day arrived.

  That morning Arevik came to work in high spirits. She even felt pleased when Meruzhan gave her another assignment. Waiting was more painful than the work itself.

  Every time someone moved in the courtyard of the institution, Arevik would jump up and walk to the window overlooking the main entrance.

  An hour after the break, whispers began to spread through the office that the director’s car was approaching the building.

  Arevik jumped up in excitement, ran to the gate, and watched the approaching car. She was overwhelmed with joy, stretching her neck forward and following every second of its movement.

  After a while, however, her joy slowly turned into anxiety. The car was approaching too quickly.

  Arevik’s smile completely disappeared when the car passed the place where it usually turned around and continued driving forward.

  When the car drove past without stopping and disappeared down the road, Arevik’s whole body began to tremble.

  Her heart clenched with pain stronger than before, but this time she did not faint. She grabbed the iron bars of the gate, but her legs failed her. She collapsed onto her knees, clutching her stomach tightly as sharp pains began there.

  After sitting like that for a while, Arevik gathered what little strength she had left and decided to go to the garden to rest for a moment before returning upstairs.

  “That was definitely Hayk’s car…”

  “But why didn’t he come into the office?”

  “Maybe something happened?”

  “I don’t understand anything…”

  “Couldn’t he at least call and talk to me for a minute?..”

  These thoughts kept spinning in Arevik’s mind.

  But they vanished the moment she reached the garden and saw that it was flooded with water.

  Grish was running around in confusion. Arevik tried to understand what had happened, and Grish explained that a water pipe had burst and the entire garden had been flooded.

  Feeling a sharp pain in her stomach again, Arevik decided not to interfere or worry Grish. She returned to the office, and she had barely sat down when Meruzhan called for her.

  “Meruzhan, did something happen?” Arevik asked calmly as she entered his office.

  “Yes,” he replied, looking at her with irritation. “I want to know who gave you the right to leave during working hours without permission and return whenever you please.”

  “There was an urgent matter. I had to leave,” Arevik explained calmly. “I will make up the time.”

  “You think these issues are solved that easily?” Meruzhan said mockingly.

  “I don’t think it’s something worth worrying about,” Arevik replied. “I’ll finish my assignments and then leave.”

  “I have no doubt you will finish your assignments,” Meruzhan said.

  After a minute of silence, he added,

  “But I cannot allow you to go unpunished in front of the other employees.”

  “What do you mean?” Arevik asked.

  “You’re fired,” Meruzhan replied sharply.

  “What?” Arevik asked in shock.

  “Collect your belongings and leave this institution,” Meruzhan said, barely hiding his satisfaction.

  Arevik froze, not knowing what to do. But she could not stand Meruzhan’s presence any longer. She walked to her desk, gathered her things, and left the office.

  After unsuccessfully trying to find Anna and repeatedly attempting to call Hayk, Arevik finally gave up. She went to the human resources department and wrote her resignation.

  “I don’t understand anything,” Mrs. Gayane said angrily when Arevik came to say goodbye to her colleagues. “After everything you’ve done, how could they treat you like this? Look at you — you’re exhausted!”

  “I don’t fully understand what happened either,” Arevik said, barely holding back her tears. “Honestly… I’m not even strong enough to comprehend it all right now.”

  Mrs. Gayane hugged her and gently stroked her back.

  “My God… what they have done to you, my poor girl. I never expected such treatment.”

  Arevik cried quietly for a moment, calmed herself, said goodbye to her colleagues, took her belongings, and walked out into the garden.

  Grish had already fixed the accident, but the garden was still in terrible condition. She saw him sitting there with his hands hanging helplessly, looking completely devastated.

  “What is this? Did you decide to resign?” he asked in surprise.

  “I didn’t decide anything, Uncle Grish…” Arevik said with a weak smile as she sat down on a bench. “Everything was decided for me. I was fired.”

  “Call the master. Let him settle everything,” Grish said anxiously.

  Arevik smiled sadly, remembering her hope for Hayk’s return, but then her face became serious again.

  “I tried to call him, but he’s not answering… Anna’s phone is unavailable too.”

  “Go to the HR department and file a complaint,” Grish insisted. “You cannot leave things like this.”

  “That’s a good idea, Uncle Grish,” Arevik nodded. “But a fight like that requires health and patience… and right now I have neither.”

  “What can I do to help you, my girl?” Grish asked.

  “Promise me that you will restore the garden,” Arevik asked quietly, looking at him with a pleading gaze.

  “Of course, I promise,” he replied quickly. “I will put everything back in order.”

  Arevik nodded silently. Grish left, leaving her alone.

  She slowly wandered through the garden, looking at the destruction. The powerful stream of water had broken the stems of the flowers, and many of them were buried in the mud. Tears flowed on their own, and she cried for a long time before finally gathering herself and heading home.

  At home, Arevik made an appointment with the doctor, feeling a strong pain and worrying about the child. After taking a bath, she lay down on the bed, holding her stomach.

  “Don’t be afraid… everything will fall into place,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

  This time she said it only for herself, without mentioning Hayk.