The receptionist spoke pleasantly: "Mr. Andrej previously requested the same room for his anniversary. Would you like flowers again?" Maja held the phone between her shoulder and ear while searching her calendar. She had been with Andrej for seven months. They had no anniversary and had never stayed at that hotel together. She said she would call later and remained staring at Saturday's empty square.
They had met in a photography class. Andrej said he was divorced and visited his adult son on weekends. Maja respected his wish to introduce family slowly. They mostly met at her home because he supposedly shared an apartment with his brother during renovations. Each explanation made sense separately. Together, they now resembled a corridor with every door locked from the other side.
When she asked about the anniversary, he laughed and said the hotel remembered his former marriage. Maja asked him to state clearly when he had divorced. He gave one year, then another. She didn't need to search his phone to recognize the changing answer. She said she wouldn't book the holiday until she heard the truth. Andrej became angry that she didn't trust him. That anger could no longer substitute for an answer.
He admitted still living with his wife, Vedrana, but claimed they were separated in every way except formally. Maja asked whether Vedrana knew about her. She didn't. Maja took time to decide what she wanted to do, then sent Vedrana a brief private message giving her name and stating that she was seeing Andrej. She sent no intimate photographs, insults, or comparisons. She offered a conversation if Vedrana wanted one.
They met at a café outside their neighborhoods. Vedrana brought confirmation of their recent shared booking for the same anniversary. Divorce proceedings hadn't even begun. Maja showed dates of meetings, then put her phone away. Neither decided for the other. Vedrana said she would speak to her husband herself and seek advice about next steps. Maja admitted ending her relationship already but still feeling foolish about every dinner she had prepared.
"The dinners weren't foolish," Vedrana replied. "He lied." That simple sentence stayed with Maja longer than the entire conversation. She canceled their joint holiday and took a short trip with a friend, without needing to make a triumphant post about it. At the hotel, she received a room without flowers. She opened the window, unpacked her camera, and for the first time that month went out to photograph something that didn't need to serve as evidence.