Revenge by Ivan Bunin. Short summary

5 seconds

On vacation, an artist meets a beautiful woman who has been abandoned by her lover. She goes to the deserted bay every day. The man offers the beautiful woman a ride together, and she agrees.

1 minute

In Cannes, an artist pays attention to a gloomy beauty who leaves the guesthouse every day after her morning coffee until evening. The man discovers that the lady’s companion has disappeared somewhere. One day he boards a train after her. At one of the stations, the lady gets off and walks toward a deserted bay. The woman strips naked and, taking a dip in the sea, lies down on the shore.

A man admires the beautiful tanned body from his hiding place. The lady notices him. She tells a casual acquaintance that her lover left her. A month and a half ago, the woman meets him at a casino. The man invites her to a restaurant, and the couple never part ways again. The money they won quickly runs out. The rascal sells his mistress’s jewelry. Soon he disappears forever.

The artist, jokingly, suggests painting the beauty in the image of the goddess of revenge — Nemesis. But she now thinks revenge is foolishness. The woman explains her feelings for the scoundrel by an obsession, a need for love. The artist offers to go to the bay together, and she agrees.