When Hayk returned from his business trip to his office, he was greeted by silence. It was that kind of silence in which emptiness becomes especially tangible. He sat down in his chair. The silence was broken only by his deep sigh, after which he immersed himself in work as if nothing had happened in his life.
The desire to see Arevik was strong, but at that moment his pride had been crushed. He could not find any explanation for her disappearance and did not want to show that he had lost his inner balance.
"Nothing happened."
This was the protective barrier Hayk used to hide his feelings.
Time passed. Although Hayk never spoke about his personal life, all his disappointment was reflected on his face. He became gloomy, rough, and cold.
Even when he received a state award for his investments in the country and for the joint project with Chinese partners, his behavior did not change. When he stepped forward to receive the award, his face was cold and motionless, as if he were standing not at a ceremony but at a funeral.
He did not even thank his employees, as if he were afraid to remember the person who had also made a significant contribution to those achievements.
Even Anna lost the ability to speak with him as a friend. Hayk reacted to nothing except work. And if Anna insisted, he either ignored her words or coldly put her in her place.
Meanwhile, Arevik spent the first few days in the hospital. Her condition was so weakened and dangerous for the baby that the doctors decided to keep her under observation.
During that time she tried to contact Hayk, but all the numbers she had were unavailable.
When she was finally allowed to leave the hospital, she even came to the institution hoping to see him. But since she was not an employee, she was not allowed to enter. She also did not dare to request an official meeting with the director because she could not explain why she needed it.
After several unsuccessful attempts, she gave up. By that time her rounded belly had already become noticeable, and she did not want anyone to see a pregnant woman searching for the director.
One day she saw on television how Hayk was receiving a state award. At that moment she finally stopped looking for him.
The Hayk she saw on the screen truly frightened her. His indifferent and stern gaze created the impression of a man with a cold heart.
Arevik shuddered.
For a moment she was afraid to imagine how this man would react when he learned about the child.
Because the person she saw on the screen was no longer someone she recognized.
All of this deeply worried Anna. She did not know how to bring Hayk back to his senses. One day in the cafeteria she accidentally overheard people talking about the work of Meruzhan's department. Employees were discussing how harshly Meruzhan had treated one of the workers.
Anna became interested in this story. The conflict surrounding Meruzhan could shake Hayk and perhaps finally put an end to their long-standing rivalry. So Anna began her own investigation without telling Hayk. She wanted to gather as many facts as possible before speaking to him.
She managed to find quite a lot of information about the case, but the identity of the employee kept slipping away, as if it had been deliberately concealed. After a long search, Anna was forced to put the investigation aside. She did not forget about the matter, but she no longer had the opportunity to move forward with it.
Time passed. Quite a lot of time.
Hayk gradually calmed down, but almost nothing interested him except work. Anna remained loyal to him and continued to support him as much as she could.
Meanwhile, Arevik gave birth to a wonderful son. Some time later, she began looking for a job. Now she already had both qualifications and work experience in a well-known organization. Soon she was promised a position in a government institution; all that remained was to wait for the official response.
After some time, Hayk's institution received an official request asking for a reference for a former employee. The document contained all the necessary information — the name, position, and place of work. When Anna saw Arevik's name, she froze for a moment.
She immediately called the archives. Anna hoped she could clarify some details without violating Hayk's instructions.
"Mrs. Gayane, may we speak?" Anna began.
"Of course," Gayane replied, slightly surprised by the call. "How can I help?"
"We received an official request for a reference for Arevik," Anna said. "Since she worked in your department, I need to clarify a few details before sending the response."
"I have only positive feedback about Arevik," Mrs. Gayane replied. After a short pause she added, "But, to be honest, I'm surprised that you are contacting me about this."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked, puzzled.
"I thought that matter had already been settled long ago," Gayane said cautiously.
Anna wanted to ask a few more questions, but at that moment she was urgently called away.
"All right, Mrs. Gayane, we'll talk about this later," she said before hanging up.
Doubts continued to trouble Anna for a long time, but she never managed to find the time to clarify the situation. In the end, she simply wrote a positive reference and sent it, hoping that it would at least help Arevik a little.