“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the most important thing. Our Katya’s fiancé has asked her to move into his apartment, can you imagine?” Galina Alekseevna said proudly, sitting in her daughter-in-law’s kitchen with a cup of tea in her hand.
“Artyom invited Katyukha to live with him? Well, that’s something! Poor guy, he’s in trouble now,” Evgeny said in surprise. “He should’ve waited until after the wedding. Could’ve lived like a normal person a little longer, peacefully, without nerves and tantrums. Now my sister will drive him mad with her whims and demands.”
“Nothing of the sort! Our Katya is a modest girl, and that’s exactly why she found herself such a good husband — with money and connections,” Galina Alekseevna said with pride.
“Sure, sure. Only all that wealth belongs to Artyom. And if our Katya ever decides to leave him, she won’t get much of anything,” Evgeny remarked sarcastically to his mother.
Valeria remained silent for the moment, listening to the fascinating conversation between mother and son.
“No, my son, you’re wrong about that. When two people love each other, there should be complete trust and understanding between them. Everything should be shared,” Galina Alekseevna said, throwing a meaningful glance at her daughter-in-law.
Valeria understood perfectly well whose garden her mother-in-law was throwing stones into.
“You, Zhenya, don’t even know the main thing yet!”
Galina Alekseevna paused dramatically, clearly wanting her next announcement to have maximum effect.
“Well, go on then, tell us already. Don’t torture us. I can see you’re bursting to share it,” Evgeny said.
“Yes, it’s very pleasant and joyful news. Artyom is transferring one of his apartments into Katya’s name. A wedding gift. He wants his wife to own property too. That’s how much he loves my girl!” the pleased mother-in-law said, once again looking at Valeria with reproach.
“Well, that’s not certain yet. It’s all written on water, as they say. Anyone can promise anything. Personally, I won’t believe it until I see the documents,” her son replied, clearly stung by his mother’s words.
“There will be documents, there will be everything! I have no doubts about Artyom. My daughter chose the right life partner!”
The mother-in-law fell silent, believing there was nothing more to add. The married couple also said nothing. A heavy pause settled over the kitchen.
Lera understood perfectly who this whole little performance had been staged for. For her — the disobedient daughter-in-law who, in Galina Alekseevna’s opinion, did not care at all that her husband Evgeny had been left with nothing.
Valeria had married a year earlier, for what she believed was a great and beautiful love. They met in the office of a logistics company, where Lera worked and where Evgeny had come to replace the outdated fire alarm system. He smiled broadly at the dark-eyed, friendly young woman sitting in the office with her colleagues. Then, suddenly gathering his courage, he asked for her phone number.
A friendship began, then feelings followed. They often met, went to cafés and the cinema, took long walks, and felt happy. Later, Lera invited Evgeny to celebrate New Year’s Eve at her apartment with her friends.
When the young man discovered that the woman he loved owned a two-room apartment, he was surprised and delighted at the same time.
The small town where Valeria came from and where she had finished school was not considered very promising for building a future. So after graduating from university, she stayed in the city to live and work, and her parents gave her a generous gift — this apartment.
When Lera’s future mother-in-law, Galina Alekseevna, found out about it, she ordered her son to introduce her to his future bride immediately. She wanted to keep everything under control so her son would not miss such a profitable match.
“Have you proposed to her yet?” his mother pressed him. “No? Then what are you waiting for? I don’t understand.”
“Well, I’m still thinking. Lera and I haven’t been dating that long…”
“And what exactly is there to think about? Fate has thrown such a generous gift into your hands, and you’re still hesitating?” Galina Alekseevna said in disbelief.
After listening to his parents’ advice, Evgeny quickly proposed to Valeria. To his surprise, she said yes.
Soon they had a wedding, and the young family settled in his wife’s apartment. From then on, his mother constantly pestered her with the question of when they would make her a grandmother. But the young woman had her own opinion on that subject.
“We have plenty of time. Why rush? We should live for ourselves a little. Zhenya and I are still young,” the daughter-in-law would answer kindly.
“What nonsense — living for yourselves! You are a family now. And I’m starting to feel as if you either don’t love our son, or you’re waiting for something, which is why you don’t want to have his child,” her mother-in-law declared just four months after the wedding.
“You’re mistaken,” the daughter-in-law replied coldly. “And I don’t intend to discuss this subject with you anymore.”
From that moment on, the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law only grew stronger. But it was not only about the future grandchildren Galina Alekseevna dreamed of so much. For some reason, Evgeny’s mother had decided that since he was now Valeria’s legal husband, his wife absolutely had to transfer part of her apartment into his ownership.
“This is wrong, don’t you understand that yourself? You’re one family now, Lera. That means everything should be shared, including the housing. Otherwise, what kind of nonsense is this? You live with my son, use his decent salary, buy expensive furniture and appliances here. Soon you’ll want renovations, and again, you won’t manage without my son’s money. And then you’ll kick him out, and no one will be able to ask you anything. But questions will certainly be asked,” the mother-in-law reasoned with a fake smile on her face.
“I’m not planning to kick my husband out. Unless he deserves it,” Lera replied, stunned by her mother-in-law’s arrogance, but remaining silent for the time being so as not to fuel a scandal.
“If you’re not planning to, then all the more reason to register half the apartment in Zhenya’s name!” Galina Alekseevna declared confidently. “Or even better, a larger share. He is the head of your family, after all. You should understand that. You could have thought of it yourself.”
“I don’t mind him being the head. Let this head earn his own apartment then. Our future children won’t suffer from having extra living space,” Lera answered calmly. And she saw how angry and indignant her mother-in-law became.
“You’re a fool, son. This isn’t how things are done. Put your wife in her place,” she taught her son angrily. “Valeria can throw you out onto the street any day, and you won’t be able to say a word. What kind of family is that, where one spouse is in such a losing position?”
“Mom, leave me alone. And leave Lera alone too. How am I supposed to force her, tell me? The law is on her side,” Evgeny replied without enthusiasm. “The apartment belongs to her from before the marriage, and that says it all. Forget this ridiculous idea.”
But when he spoke to his wife, he increasingly began saying that it would not be a bad idea to include him among the apartment owners.
“You understand, all my relatives are laughing at me. As if I’m some kind of hanger-on,” he told his wife, using a strange argument.
“If they’re laughing, at least they’re not crying. And what exactly are they laughing about? Before the wedding you didn’t have any property, and now nothing has changed. Nobody deceived you, my dear. Nobody forcibly deprived you of housing. You didn’t have it before, and you don’t have it now,” Lera answered, surprised by her husband.
“You know, maybe my mother is right. You don’t want a child with me. You don’t want to share the apartment that I’ve already put so much effort and money into — and will still put more into. Maybe you don’t love me at all, do you?” Evgeny said, worked up by his parents and using their main argument.
“What are you saying? Do you even hear yourself? Then what would be the point of my marriage if I didn’t love you?” his wife asked in disbelief.
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering too — what’s the point?” Evgeny repeated philosophically.
“Well, if we’re going there, then I can ask you the same kind of question. And unlike me, Zhenya, you won’t have anything to answer with. Tell me, maybe you married me because of the apartment? Why not? No need to take out a mortgage and spend half your life paying it off. No need to think about where and how to earn the money for a down payment.”
“Oh, come on, what are you saying? I work, you know. I get a regular salary…”
“Yes, you work, no one is arguing with that. But everything we earn together now, we spend only on ourselves. We buy whatever we want, travel without problems. You even bought yourself a new car, even if it’s on credit. But if you had a mortgage now, Zhenya, you wouldn’t be able to live so freely, would you? So here’s my question to you: did you marry me because of the apartment?”
After that conversation, Evgeny took offense at his wife, though not for long. Soon a relative came to visit his parents — Evgeny’s aunt from another city. And all attention shifted to her.
Tamara Alekseevna was a strong, domineering woman. Lera thought then that even her own sister, Galina Alekseevna, seemed afraid of her.
“So, young people, how are you living?” she asked Evgeny and Valeria when they came to his parents’ house for a festive dinner in honor of the visiting relative.
“We’re doing well,” Zhenya answered. “Bought a two-room apartment, renovated it, furnished it. Well, when I say bought… Most of the money was mine, Lera added a little,” the nephew lied shamelessly and cynically to his aunt.
“Well done, Zhenya, I respect that! That’s our blood — bold and enterprising! Have you heard that my sons are already building their second houses? That’s how capable they are! And you two shouldn’t delay with that either. A family needs a house. Once the children come, there won’t be time for construction,” Tamara Alekseevna loudly told the relatives.
Lera could only stare in amazement at what was happening at the table. Her husband was lying outrageously to his aunt about how successful and wealthy he was and how much he had achieved. His salary was supposedly the highest in the company, his car was expensive and the latest model. And the cherry on top — the apartment supposedly belonged to him. Lera, apparently, was just standing somewhere off to the side.
Meanwhile, her mother-in-law glanced nervously at her daughter-in-law, afraid she would expose her son’s lie. Why they needed this whole performance, Lera never understood. The only thing she could assume was that everyone sitting at that table did not want to look worse than the successful aunt and her equally successful sons.
Valeria decided then that she would say nothing. What difference did it make to this woman, practically a stranger to her, who owned the apartment where she and her husband lived? Let her think the owner was her nephew.
But the same thing happened again when Evgeny’s army friend Oleg came to visit.
“Hello, my friend! Great to see you!” the men hugged tightly in the hallway when his former service buddy arrived straight from the train station. “Glad you came.”
“I thought for a long time about where to go on vacation. Then I decided to travel around and visit my old buddies while I’m still not married,” Oleg said, winking at smiling Lera. “You’re the second on my list, Zhenyok. After you, I’ll go see Marcel and Seryoga.”
“Really?” Evgeny said in surprise.
“Yes, why not? I’m still young. It doesn’t take me long to pack — grab a backpack, and I’m ready.”
“Well, come in. Make yourself at home. After all, your friend’s apartment is practically your apartment,” Zhenya laughed, saying the last words with pride.
“Zhenyok, you’re something else! In just three years, you managed everything — got married and bought an apartment. With my salary, I can only dream of that.”
“Yes, that’s me,” Evgeny said seriously. “You haven’t even seen my car yet, Olezha. And the apartment is only the beginning. I’ll build a house soon too, once the kids come, so they have somewhere to grow up.”
“You’re lucky, Lera, to have such a husband. Hold on to Zhenya — you won’t be lost with him.”
“Yes… lucky,” was all Valeria could say, stunned by the performance.
That time she packed her things and went to her parents for a couple of days, so she would not interfere with the friends catching up. Besides, her mood was terrible. It turned out she had been mistaken, and the husband who had been completely different before the wedding was now showing his true face.
“Lera, maybe you shouldn’t act too hastily?” her mother asked when her daughter began talking about divorce. “Live a little longer. Watch him. Maybe all this is just something superficial. Maybe this showing off will peel away like a shell. And besides, it’s obvious his mother is winding him up. Deep down, he’s not a bad man.”
“I don’t know, Mom, I don’t know anything anymore… But I really don’t like this circus at all. It’s obvious he married me only because of the apartment. And now he’s trying to prove to everyone that the apartment is his. It’s all so stupid, because many people know the truth anyway. And his mother is crafty too — trying to secure her son’s future by demanding that I transfer part of the apartment to him. But why on earth should I? She has already worn me out with it. How much longer can this go on?”
“I don’t know, daughter. It’s your decision, of course. But before getting divorced, think carefully. And as for our apartment — they definitely won’t get it. That much is certain.”
One evening, her mother-in-law appeared suddenly, without calling or warning. She looked terrible, and it was clear she had been crying.
“Evgeny, we have a disaster. Katyusha owes a huge amount of money. We need to save your sister.”
“What happened, Mom? What disaster are you talking about?” Evgeny asked in surprise.
“She borrowed money, took out two loans, bought herself an expensive car, a sable fur coat, some jewelry. Then things for the wedding too — you know, Zhenya, how expensive everything is these days!”
“So what? What’s the problem, Mom? Let Artyom sort out her debts, he’s rich. What does this have to do with us? Why are you so worked up?”
“That’s just it! There is no Artyom anymore! He dumped my poor daughter. Of course, she’s partly to blame herself. She became too proud, started allowing herself too much. So Artyom couldn’t take it anymore. All those girlfriends and friends, parties, outings, expensive purchases without counting…”
“So he canceled the wedding?” Lera joined the conversation.
“Yes, he canceled it. And he told Katya not to bother him anymore,” the mother-in-law began crying again. “She believed him. She thought he had serious intentions… A successful businessman, more money than he knew what to do with. So she started living lavishly. She was sure her husband would cover all her debts after the wedding…”
“Unbelievable. And how much does my sister owe the banks?” Evgeny asked helplessly.
“A lot, son! Several million,” Galina Alekseevna said loudly.
“Wow!” her son whistled. “What a brainless fool.”
“Well then, let her sell the car, the fur coat, whatever else she has. Expensive jewelry too. She can collect most of the amount if she sells everything,” Lera suggested.
She did not like the fact that her mother-in-law had come to them with this problem.
“She tried, of course! She sold some things, but it’s not that quick. Besides, it still won’t cover even close to Katya’s debts. Now everything will have to be sold much cheaper than what my daughter paid for it.”
“And how exactly can we help her?” Evgeny asked, glancing at his wife.
“Let Lera transfer half of her apartment to you. You’ll use your share as collateral, and we’ll pay off the debt. Then we’ll gradually pay you back.”
Lera saw that her mother-in-law even seemed to calm down a little after finally saying what she had come there to say.
“That will not happen. This apartment was bought by my parents, and I’m not transferring even a tenth of it to anyone!” Lera snapped and went into another room so she would not say anything too rude.
“Look how heartless your wife is! She doesn’t care about the problems of our family at all!” her mother-in-law shouted angrily.
Through the closed door, Lera could hear the mother and son discussing something heatedly. Then her mother-in-law got ready to leave. Still, Lera decided to listen to what they were whispering about at the front door.
“Well, that’s it, son. I did everything I could. I can’t think of anything else. Katya really was dumped by Artyom, that part is true. But I made up the debts. As they say, I did everything I could. I twisted and squirmed like a louse on a comb to make your wife believe me. But she’s stubborn. And we’re powerless here, unfortunately.”
“Yes, looks like nothing will work. Though I’ll try to think of something else,” Evgeny whispered back to his mother.
“Oh, so that’s how it is!” Lera burst out into the hallway. “You decided to trick me. You invented debts, made up fairy tales on the spot. And you cried so convincingly! Maybe you should go into theater, Galina Alekseevna?”
“What? You were eavesdropping? How shameless!” her mother-in-law exclaimed.
“It’s a very good thing that Artyom dumped your precious daughter. She deserved it. That’s only fair. But as for my apartment — you’ll see it as much as you’ll see your own ears!” Lera shouted, no longer holding back. “Earn your own apartment first, and then do whatever you want with it! Give it to charity for all I care!”
That very day, Evgeny was forced to pack his things and leave for his mother’s place.
Valeria filed for divorce. She should have done it a long time ago. Otherwise, that sly, dishonest family would have eventually started carrying things out of her apartment under some respectable-sounding excuse.