The hall applauded, guests raised their glasses and clapped. At the central table sat the couple — married for thirty years. They were celebrating their anniversary.
The husband held the microphone confidently, as if he had been waiting for this moment all evening.
— Friends, — he began, smiling, — you all know my wife. Modest, quiet… sometimes even too quiet.
The guests laughed.
The woman sat next to him, hands neatly folded in her lap. She did not smile.
— She has always been a good homemaker, — he continued. — But as for her character, she had a bit of bad luck. Without me, I don’t know where she would be now.
Laughter again. Someone nodded approvingly.
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, as if a gesture of love, and added into the microphone:
— I have endured her mood swings for all these years. But as you can see — I am the hero.
Guests clapped. Someone shouted, “Bravo!”
— Dear guests, — he raised his glass and gripped the microphone tighter, — when I first saw her, honestly, there wasn’t much to take.
Laughter rolled through the tables.
— An ordinary girl from the province. No connections, no money, no particular beauty. Without me, she would have stayed alone.
Guests exchanged glances. Someone smiled nervously.
— I made her a woman. I dressed her, taught her, brought her into society. Look at her now — well-groomed, wearing pearls. All thanks to me.
He leaned closer to her.
— And you know what? I even put up with her. I endure the wrinkles that deepen every year. I endure the extra pounds. I endure her nighttime snoring.
At a distant table, someone laughed louder than the others.
— And yet, there are so many young, beautiful women around. But I stay by her side. Because I am a faithful husband. I am great!
He kissed her on the cheek, as if placing a seal of ownership.
— And she should be grateful.
Applause echoed in the hall. Not everyone, but loudly enough.
The woman remained silent the entire time. No tears, no shouting. Just a slight tremor in her fingers, noticed perhaps only by the person sitting right next to her.
She slowly turned her head toward her husband, gently placed her hand on his wrist, and carefully lowered the microphone.
— Now it’s my turn, — she said calmly.
The hall went quiet. And at that moment, the woman did something that left all the guests and her husband completely shocked 😨😢
The woman took the microphone in her hands.
— Thirty years ago, I married a man who promised to protect and respect me. And all these years I stayed silent when he joked about me in front of friends. Silent when he belittled me. Silent when he said I was nothing without him.
Guests exchanged looks.
— Today you laugh. But you don’t know that for the last five years, I have entirely supported this house. When his business failed, I sold my apartment to pay off debts. When he lost money, I worked nights.
The husband turned pale.
— And to be honest… — she paused — without me, he really wouldn’t know where he would be. Because I have been saving him all this time.
The silence became heavy.
— But today I decided I will save no one anymore.
She took off her wedding ring and placed it beside the plate.
— Thank you for the anniversary. For me, this is the last evening as a wife. Go to the young.
She stood up. Guests froze.
The husband tried to say something, but the words got stuck.
The woman calmly walked between the tables toward the exit. No one laughed.
