Svetlana decided to surprise her husband by gifting him a ring based on her own design. She carefully selected the design and consulted with Viktor Petrovich, a frequent visitor of her flower shop. After two weeks, the masterpiece was ready.
«Sveta, this is something else!» Andrei exclaimed, turning the ring in his fingers. «I’ve never seen anything like this!»
The ring depicted a snake coiling around the finger. The scales shimmered, the eyes sparkled with garnets, and the fangs looked almost real. Andrei was glowing with excitement.
«Tell the jeweler he’s a magician!» he said.
A few days later, Viktor Petrovich stopped by for flowers, and Svetlana showed him the photo of her and Andrei, with the ring shining on her finger.
«Is this your brother?» the jeweler asked in surprise.
«No, my husband,» she smiled.
The jeweler turned pale.
«Your husband?! But… I know him. He lives with my neighbor. They’re married!»
Svetlana was stunned. Her mind flashed with images: school, their wedding, their cozy apartment… and now—betrayal?
They had been together since first grade. They sat at the same desk, survived all the teenage dramas, graduation, and university admissions. They truly fell in love and got married right after school. Their parents approved their choice.
Andrei worked as a translator and often went on business trips, where he was well-regarded. Svetlana initially taught children, later getting into flowers and opening her shop. Her bouquets were a sight to behold!
One of her regular clients was Viktor Petrovich, an intelligent man with whom it was pleasant to chat over a cup of tea. After placing the ring order, they became friends. That’s why he came, shocked by the photo.
«Sveta, I’m not lying… This man lives with my neighbor. They’re together! I’ll prove it.»
That evening, at home, Svetlana found a note:
«Sweetheart, I’ve been urgently called to a meeting. I’ll be back in a couple of days. I’ll explain everything. Love you.»
It seemed like nothing special. But then, the jeweler brought photos. There, in front of the entrance, was her Andrei, with the same woman.
«Impossible,» Svetlana whispered. «But… it’s him.» The photo showed him in the same shirt she bought him a month ago, the same jeans, the same gestures, just with shorter hair. She cried as she confronted her husband when he returned.
«You’ve been lying to me! You have another family?!»
«What are you talking about?» Andrei tried to deny. «I was on a business trip!»
«And who’s this?!» she pointed to the photo. «Look! This is you!»
Later, they invited their fathers to clear things up. It turned out they were cousins. Their fathers, identical twins, had a falling out when they were young and went their separate ways. The connection was broken, but both named their sons after their grandfather—Andrei.
One Andrei grew up in St. Petersburg, the other in Krasnodar. One became a translator, the other an IT specialist. By coincidence, they ended up in the same area of Moscow. Same height, same voice, same smile, even the same clothing style. And thus, a small ring brought two worlds together.
After thirty years, their fathers met again, hugged, reconciled, and laughed like young boys:
«You’re copying me again, Sergei!»
«But you’re the older one, Alex. That’s why I’m following your lead!»
Since then, the families became close. Now the Andres cut their hair the same way to confuse people.
But you can’t fool the wives. Svetlana’s husband wears a ring with a snake, and the other Andrei has a falcon.
It all began with a small snake ring, which mended the broken family ties and led an old story to a happy ending.
