Lena was calm at home after a long shift at the hospital, hours of exhausting work cooped up with upset patients, and preparation for a surgery that, as always, was successful. Soft jazz music filling the room as she read some scientific articles and medical reports to distract herself and kill time while her daughter was upstairs in her room, doing homework as always. But Lena's calmness collapsed when the doorbell rang. Damn, she thought. When she saw the time and date she realized that it was probably {{user}} and that she was coming to see Lena, it was already the fifth time that the idiot tried to talk to her daughter in the month. She reluctantly stood up from the couch, her heels clicking on the marble floor until she reached the main entrance, opening the door only to indeed be met by {{user}}. "What do you want?" She asked bluntly, looking at {{user}} with the usual contempt.

"Well, I told you that Sarah is very busy with her studies, she doesn't need distractions like you. Now leave, and don't come back," she said coldly, trying not to show any emotion. "I have better things to do than deal with your childish attempts at parenthood."

She stepped aside to make it clear that he should leave. But instead of complying, Сeгсей simply leaned in close and whispered something into her ear, making Lena shudder despite herself. His breath was hot against her skin, sending a jolt through her body. "We'll see about that," he murmured before turning to walk away.

Lena felt confused by the encounter, her heart racing in her chest despite herself. What had just happened? And why did it feel so... wrong?

She hated feeling this way, but she couldn't help it. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about what he had whispered in her ear. Something about wanting to be part of their lives again... It was ludicrous, ridiculous. He didn't deserve that after everything he'd done.

Still, the look in his eyes... It wasn't entirely empty or cold like it usually was. There was something there, some emotion she couldn't quite place. Perhaps it was just her imagination, trying to make sense of their twisted relationship somehow. Whatever the case, she had to be strong for Sarah.

Shaking off the unsettling feelings, Lena went back into the living room and picked up where she left off with her reading, hoping that this would help distract herself from the strange encounter with Сeргей.

She could hear his voice calling out to her from the entryway, asking her to talk to him. It took all of her self-control not to snap at him again and simply ignore him like she usually did. But for some reason, this time was different; something about what he'd said earlier still lingered in the back of her mind.

Sighing, Lena pushed herself off the couch and reluctantly made her way back to where he stood by the door. "What is it now?" she asked irritably, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm busy."

"I didn't leave you," she snapped, her words coming out harsher than she intended. "You just weren't part of Sarah's life anymore, that's all. And honestly, it was for the best. You two would never have gotten along." She took a deep breath to calm herself down before continuing. "Besides, I think it's better this way. We both focus on our own lives now."

Her eyes darted away from him, not wanting to see the hurt look she knew he must be wearing right now. It only made her feel more guilty for being so cruel. Why couldn't they have just stayed friends? Friends didn't fight all the time or compete with each other like they did... but it was too late for that now.

She bit her lip, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes as he confessed his feelings to her once again. How could she have ever thought that they could be together? They were too similar, always trying to outdo each other and push each other away... it was a recipe for disaster from the start.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking down at her feet. "But things are different now. I have my career, and you have your life. We just need to accept that our relationship as... whatever it was... isn't meant to be anymore."

She knew her words would only hurt him more, but she couldn't bring herself to lie and say everything was okay when it clearly wasn't. She wanted to believe that someday they might find a way to move past their past, but for now... this was how it had to be.

Tears pricked at her eyes as he pleaded with her to look into his gaze, telling her that she was the most beautiful and wonderful woman he knew. She wanted nothing more than to believe him, to tell him that it wasn't true, that they were better off apart... but instead she simply closed her eyes, unable to face him any longer.

"It's too late for us," she whispered hoarsely, her voice shaking with emotion. "We can't go back and change what happened." She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself before continuing. "Please just let me focus on Sarah and my career. That's all I really want."

As she spoke, a lump formed in her throat, making it difficult for her to swallow past the aching tightness there. She could feel him still standing close by, but she didn't dare open her eyes, afraid of what she might see in his gaze if she did.

Lena took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to make sense of his words. He was offering to help her? After everything they'd been through, he wanted to support her now? She couldn't understand it, didn't trust it... but perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

Slowly, she turned to face him again, her eyes searching his for any signs of deceit or hidden motives. But what she saw there was surprising: determination, and maybe even a hint of vulnerability. It was then that she realized that perhaps they could find a way to work together after all.

"Okay," she said quietly, taking a deep breath as she braced herself for whatever came next. "But only if we can do this together, as a team. No more secrets, no more trying to one-up each other. Understood?"

Despite her resolve, something about his request made her feel a twinge of nostalgia. They had done this before, back when they were young and in love... Or so she thought. With a sigh, she sat down next to him, their knees touching as she looked up at his face.

"Fine," she muttered reluctantly. "But just for today, understand? Tomorrow we go back to our normal lives."

As they sat there together in silence, Lena couldn't help but wonder what the future held for them. Would they ever truly be able to move past their tumultuous history and find some kind of happiness together? Or would they always be doomed to repeat their old mistakes and end up right back where they started? Only time would tell.

She blushed at his words and compliments, unable to hide the smile that crept onto her lips despite herself. It felt strange being this close to him again, but also... a bit comforting in its own way. They'd shared so much together over the years, both good and bad. Perhaps there was hope for them after all.

"Thank you," she murmured softly, squeezing his hand as she looked up at him. "I appreciate that."

For now, they would enjoy this moment of peace and understanding. Tomorrow, they could figure out where to go from here... together or apart, it didn't matter. What did matter was that they had each other in some small way, and perhaps that was enough for now.

Lena sighed but nodded, reluctantly giving him permission to speak with their daughter. "Fine," she said gruffly. "But don't try anything funny, understand?" She stood up and motioned for him to follow her upstairs where Sarah was currently working on her homework in her room.

As they walked up the stairs side by side, an uneasy silence hung between them. Neither of them knew quite what to expect from this conversation or how it would affect their already fragile relationship. But for now, they were forced to face whatever came next together... as a team, if only temporarily.

As they reached Sarah's room and stepped inside, Lena gestured for Сергій to take a seat at the small table beside her daughter. She hovered nearby, listening in but trying not to interfere too much. It was awkward but oddly comforting to see them together like this, however brief it might be.

"So," Сергій began, clearing his throat. "How's school going for you, sweetheart?" His voice sounded less condescending than usual, almost gentle. Lena couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the genuine affection he seemed to be showing towards their daughter.

"Huh?" Sarah looked up from her book in surprise, then glanced back and forth between them before realizing what was going on. "Oh," she said cautiously, a hint of hope in her voice. "Really? You two... you're not fighting anymore?"

"No, sweetie," Сергій assured her with a smile. "We've put our differences aside for now. We want to be there for you, okay? Just like we always have." His eyes met Lena's briefly before returning to their daughter, and she felt a pang in her chest at the look they shared.

"Okay," Sarah said finally, visibly relieved. "I'm glad... I missed having you both around..." Tears glimmered in her eyes as she reached out to hug them both, one arm going around each of their necks.

Lena wanted to pull away, but something stopped her. Perhaps it was the sight of them together, so small and innocent... or maybe it was just the realization that however much they might hate each other, they were still bound by their love for their daughter. With a sigh, she allowed herself to be drawn into the embrace as well, feeling an unfamiliar warmth spread through her chest at the closeness of this rare moment of peace and understanding.

As Sergei spoke, Lena nodded, looking down at her daughter with fondness. Sarah seemed genuinely happy to have them both there and Lena couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for keeping her away from her father all these years. Maybe this was the start of something new, something better.

"Alright," she agreed, ruffling Sarah's hair gently before standing up from the chair. "You should get ready for bed then. School tomorrow, remember?" She glanced at Сергій, waiting to see if he would object or try anything foolish. But instead, he just smiled back at her reassuringly.

It was a strange moment of understanding between them, and despite herself, Lena found that she didn't quite mind it. Maybe, just maybe, they could figure out how to coexist peacefully for their daughter's sake. Time would tell if this fragile truce would last, but for now, they had each other... even if it was only for a little while longer.

As they walked out of Sarah's room, Sergei looked her in the eye and thanked her sincerely before hugging her tightly and planting a kiss on her cheek. Lena felt herself stiffen at first but then relax slightly into his embrace as he seemed to genuinely mean what he said. It was strange how things had turned out like this, but maybe there was hope for them yet. For their daughter's sake, they could try to make this work... somehow.

As they made their way back downstairs and towards the front door, Lena couldn't help but wonder if this newfound understanding would last or if it was just another temporary truce before things inevitably fell apart again. Only time would tell, but she decided to enjoy the moment while it lasted.

It's complicated... we were too young, we didn't understand each other. I wanted to focus on my career, you wanted me to stay home and have kids. And then there was that night... the party where we ended up together and found out about Sarah. It seemed like it would bring us closer, but instead... everything just fell apart.

Maybe if we had been more patient, more understanding of each other's dreams and desires, things would be different now. But hindsight is always 20/20. All I can say is that we should learn from our past mistakes and try to move forward together as co-parents for Sarah's sake.

I... I don't know what to say. It all sounds so romantic, but things aren't that simple anymore. We have our own lives now, separate from each other. But for Sarah's sake... maybe we can try to find a way to make this work. As co-parents, as friends...

Her heart raced at the thought of giving him another chance, of trusting in their love again. But it had been so long since they were together, and so much water had passed under the bridge. Could they really go back? Only time would tell.