Masha flew into the registry office like a hurricane. My heart was beating so hard that it seemed like it was about to jump out of my chest. She almost didn’t notice how she found herself in the center of the hall, where her father and bride stood.
“Dad! Don’t marry her!” she shouted, and everyone froze.
The father turned, his face surprised but not afraid. He slowly stepped towards his daughter.
“Masha, are you crazy? You can’t just barge into someone else’s wedding.”
Masha, standing in front of him, could not hold back her tears.
“You don’t see what she really is like. She’s not for you, Dad! You deserve someone else, not her!”
The bride stood aside, looking in amazement at what was happening. She looked confident, but her face softened as Masha continued.
“She’s manipulating you, Dad! You can’t be with her! You don’t know what she really is like!”
The father looked at Masha, then turned his gaze to the bride, and again to his daughter. He took a deep breath.
“Masha, do you think that I don’t know anything? I… I’ve been alone for a long time. I had a hard time finding anyone who could remind me even a little bit about happiness. You don’t understand.”
“I understand!” Masha screamed. “I know that you want to be happy, but not with her! You don’t see how she’s using you. You can’t be with such a person.”
There was silence in the hall. Everyone was confused. The bride took a step forward.
“Who are you?” she asked restrainedly, but there was hidden aggression in her voice. “Why did you come?”
Masha did not look away from her eyes, trying to find words.
“I am her daughter!” she stated, calming down a little. “I can’t let you be with my father if you don’t respect him and us. You don’t see that she is not what you imagine her to be!”
The father pursed his lips and took a few steps towards his daughter, his eyes filled with anxiety.
“You’re wrong, Masha. You can’t decide for me. I know what I’m doing. I was alone for a long time, and she… at least she was nearby.”
Masha felt her throat constrict. Her words did not reach her father. She knew that he had endured many years of loneliness, but she could not accept the fact that he did not see what was really happening.
“Dad, you can’t believe so blindly,” she whispered. “You just don’t see how she manipulates you. You don’t see that she doesn’t really want to be with you. For her, you are just a way to get out of loneliness.”
The father suddenly froze. He looked at the bride, then at Masha. You could see how something shifted in him, how he began to doubt.
“I… didn’t know you saw it that way,” he said weakly. “I thought she was just making me feel alive.”
Masha looked into his eyes, trying to understand how he felt. The silence stretched, and suddenly the father said:
“You’re right. I can’t be with a woman who doesn’t respect my children. Thank you for telling me this. I wouldn’t be able to understand if it weren’t for you.”
The audience sighed, and all eyes switched to the bride, who, standing to the side, finally spoke.
“I do not believe this. I thought he would be mine.”
Her voice trembled. She turned around and, without saying another word, left.
Masha stood there, not believing that this all happened. She felt her chest fill with slight relief. Her father came up and hugged her.
“Forgive me, Masha,” he whispered. “I should have listened to you earlier.”
Masha smiled through her tears.
“It’s okay, Dad. The main thing is that you now understand. You and I will always have each other.”
Her father nodded and took her hand. This was the moment when their bond became even stronger than before.
