The Banishment

Vera takes her own life because she was already emotionally broken. The flashback reveals she had attempted suicide days before the abortion and was saved by Robert. After the procedure, overwhelmed by guilt, isolation, and her feeling that Alex never truly connected with her, she sees no way out. The abortion itself was coerced by Alex, making it the final betrayal that pushed her over the edge.

Alex believes removing the unwanted pregnancy will save his marriage. He sees the pregnancy as a threat to his family's stability and his honor. He naively thinks that eliminating the evidence of infidelity, without scandal or public knowledge, will allow them to move forward and restore normalcy to their relationship.

Robert, the family's friend, is the biological father. Alex's son Kir inadvertently reveals that Robert visited their home while Alex was away for work. This leads Alex to correctly deduce that Robert is the father, though the confirmation comes too late to change the tragic course of events.

The letter, found in the envelope with the pregnancy test results, exposes Vera's emotional state. In it, she confesses that despite the pregnancy, it never truly felt like Alex's baby, a reflection of the profound lack of communication and emotional connection in their marriage. The flashback shows she confided these fears to Robert, not Alex.

Mark suffers a severe heart attack but refuses to skip Vera's funeral against doctor's orders. He attends anyway, and the physical and emotional strain proves fatal, he dies shortly after returning home. His death adds another layer of tragedy to Alex's already devastating loss.

Consumed by grief and rage after Vera's suicide and Mark's death, Alex decides to kill Robert as an act of revenge. He believes Robert is responsible for the affair that destroyed his family. However, when Robert invites him inside, Alex discovers Vera's letter and pregnancy test, revealing truths that complicate his simplistic narrative of blame.

Vera feels emotionally abandoned by Alex long before the pregnancy revelation. In her letter and flashback conversations with Robert, she expresses that their marriage lacks genuine connection, she never felt Alex truly engaged with her emotionally. This emotional void made her vulnerable to seeking comfort elsewhere.

Vera tells Robert because he represents the only emotional support available to her. After discovering her pregnancy and feeling terrified about her relationship with Alex, Robert becomes her confidant. The fact that she reaches out to him instead of her husband highlights just how fractured communication had become between Vera and Alex.

While traveling to meet Mark at the train station, Alex's young son Kir innocently mentions that their friend Robert was at their house during one of Alex's work absences. This casual remark triggers Alex's realization that Robert had access to Vera while he was away, leading him to conclude that Robert is the unborn child's father.

Vera chooses the countryside retreat to finally disclose her secret, likely hoping the peaceful setting would soften the blow. The isolation of the countryside also means fewer people to hide from, and she may have felt trapped by the secret. Her timing suggests she could no longer bear the weight of hiding the truth.

The children are with a friend's house during the abortion and are present in the countryside when their mother dies. After the funerals and Mark's subsequent death, Alex returns to the city alone. The children's fate remains uncertain, they are left in the wake of profound family trauma.