Lika, six months pregnant, watched her husband Sasha pack for a lavish solo vacation, his excitement a stark contrast to her

quiet resignation. His plan relegated her to his mother’s rural village to tend a vegetable garden, dismissing her desire to join

him. The casual disregard for her needs, masked as concern, revealed a marriage where her voice had faded, her identity eroded

by years of compromise. As she boarded the bus to the village, a flicker of defiance stirred

she was not just a wife, but a woman capable of more.

In the village, Nina, Sasha’s stern mother, greeted Lika with brusque expectations and a garden demanding relentless care. The

backbreaking work of hilling potatoes and staking beans tested Lika’s body and spirit, while Nina’s criticisms stung. Yet, amid

the sweat and soil, Lika found unexpected strength. Each row completed was a small victory, a reclaiming of her resilience. The

garden, unforgiving but honest, became a mirror reflecting her buried potential, whispering that she could endure—and grow.