Inga sat at the kitchen table, sorting through the apartment documents. Two property certificates — the reward for four years of brutal work at the construction company MegaStroy. Back in the 2000s, she had practically pulled the company out of a financial pit on her own, created a new sales strategy, and brought in major investors. Her boss, Viktor Pavlovich, had valued her contribution properly and rewarded her with two one-bedroom apartments in a newly built building.
“Inga, are you staring at those papers again?” Andrey walked into the kitchen and poured himself some juice from the fridge. “How many times already?”
“They are not papers. They are documents for MY property,” Inga emphasized.
“Yes, yes, I know your heroic story by heart. The great savior of a construction empire,” her husband said with a smirk.
Inga said nothing. After seven years of marriage, she had become used to his sarcastic remarks. Andrey worked as a mid-level manager in a logistics company and always reacted painfully to her achievements.
“By the way, speaking of apartments. Masha called,” Andrey said casually.
“What did your sister want?”
“She’s separating from Oleg. The apartment will go to him through the court, and she has nowhere to go. There’s no space at Mom’s place, you know that. It’s a one-room apartment.”
“I’m sorry for Masha, but what does that have to do with me?”
Andrey placed the glass on the table so loudly that Inga flinched.
“It has everything to do with you, because we have a free apartment! The one where your little nephew and his wife have settled in!”
“Maxim has not settled in. He pays the utilities and looks after the apartment.”
“Maxim!” Andrey mimicked her. “Some distant nephew! Practically a stranger! And Masha is my own sister!”
“Maxim is the son of my cousin, who died three years ago. The boy has no one left except me.”
“Oh, come on! He has a wife. Let them go live with her parents!”
“Lena’s parents live in Khabarovsk. Are you suggesting they quit their jobs and studies?”
“And what, my sister is supposed to wander around with nowhere to live?”
Inga stood up from the table and walked over to the window. Children were playing in the courtyard below. The peaceful scene outside stood in sharp contrast to the tension building inside the apartment.
“Andrey, I already told you. The apartment is occupied. Maxim and Lena have been living there for a year and a half.”
“So what? It’s YOUR apartment, as you love to point out so much! You can kick them out anytime!”
“I am not kicking anyone out.”
“So my sister means nothing to you?”
“Don’t twist my words. Masha can rent an apartment. She has a job.”
“Rent? Are you kidding me? When we have an entire apartment sitting there!”
“It is not sitting there. People live there.”
Andrey slammed his fist onto the table.
“Why are you so attached to them? Some distant relatives suddenly became so important?”
“They are not strangers to me.”
“And who am I to you? Your HUSBAND! And my sister should matter more to you than some nephew!”
That evening, Andrey came home ready for battle. Inga was preparing dinner when she heard the front door slam.
“It’s decided!” he announced from the doorway. “Masha is moving in next week. I promised her the keys.”
Inga froze with the knife in her hand.
“You did WHAT?”
“What I should have done a long time ago. I took care of my family.”
“Your family is me. And Maxim and Lena live in that apartment. I will not allow you to throw them out!”
“You won’t allow it?” Andrey stepped closer. “You’re just greedy! You’re clinging to your apartments like your life depends on them!”
“They are MY apartments! I earned them!”
“Oh, enough already! So you sold a few papers! Your boss simply lost his mind in old age, handing out real estate left and right!”
“I worked like a slave for four years! Sixteen hours a day! I didn’t even know what weekends were!”
“So what? Masha works too! But nobody gives her apartments!”
“Then maybe she should work better!”
“You little…” Andrey stopped himself. “Masha is coming tomorrow with her things. End of discussion.”
“NO!” Inga threw the knife onto the cutting board. “I said NO!”
“Don’t shout at me!”
“I will shout as much as I want! This is MY home!”
“Our home! We are married!”
“The apartment is registered in my name! I got it before the marriage!”
“I don’t care about your papers! Masha is my sister, and she will live in that apartment!”
“She will not!”
“We’ll see!”
Andrey took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Masha? Yes, everything is fine. Come tomorrow at ten. Yes, bring your things… What? Don’t listen to her, I’ll handle everything.”
Inga snatched the phone from his hand and threw it onto the sofa.
“Have you lost your mind? What right do you have to make decisions about my property?”
“The right of a husband!”
“A husband? First earn an apartment yourself, and then give orders!”
“Oh, so now you’re going to throw my salary in my face?”
“I’m not throwing anything in your face! But I won’t let you command what belongs to me!”
At that moment, Inga’s phone rang. The screen showed Maxim’s name.
“Hello? Maxim? What happened?” Inga put the call on speaker.
“Aunt Inga, some woman came here. She says she’s moving in tomorrow. She introduced herself as your husband’s sister. We don’t understand what’s going on…”
“Maxim, don’t worry. NOBODY is moving in. This is a misunderstanding.”
“But she said Andrey Petrovich promised her the keys…”
“Andrey Petrovich has no right to promise anything. Live calmly.”
Inga ended the call and turned to her husband.
“You already sent Masha there? Have you completely lost all shame?”
“She wanted to see the apartment!”
“MY apartment! The one where people are living!”
“Why do you keep repeating ‘mine, mine’? We are family!”
“Family does not mean you can dispose of my property!”
“You’re a greedy egoist!”
“And you’re an arrogant brute!”
The next morning, Inga woke up to the sound of the doorbell. Andrey had already left for work. Behind the door stood Masha with two huge suitcases and several boxes.
“Hi, Inga! I’m here!”
“Masha, I clearly told Andrey yesterday…”
“Oh, come on!” Masha walked into the apartment, dragging her suitcases behind her. “We’re relatives! You wouldn’t leave me out on the street, would you?”
“I am not leaving you on the street. You have a job. You can rent a place.”
“Why rent when there is a free apartment?”
“The apartment is NOT free! People live there!”
“Some distant relatives! Andrey said you barely even know them!”
“Andrey says many things. The apartment is occupied, and that is final.”
“Inga, why are you being like this? It’s temporary! Just until I get back on my feet!”
“Masha, you have a job. You’re an accountant at a large company. What exactly is stopping you from getting back on your feet?”
“I’m going through a divorce! It’s hard for me!”
“It’s hard for everyone. Maxim is an orphan, and I am not throwing him out.”
Masha sat down on one of her suitcases right in the hallway.
“Andrey was right. You’re greedy and heartless.”
“I’m not greedy. I’m fair. And I will not allow people to be thrown out onto the street because of someone else’s whim.”
“A whim? I’m suffering! My husband kicked me out!”
“As far as I know, you left Oleg yourself.”
“What difference does it make?”
“A big one. Masha, take your things and leave. You are not getting the apartment.”
“We’ll see what Andrey says!”
“Andrey can say whatever he wants. The apartment is registered in my name.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang again. Behind the door stood a woman of about sixty — Andrey and Masha’s mother, Valentina Sergeevna.
“What is going on here?” she asked sternly as she entered the apartment. “Masha called me in tears!”
“Valentina Sergeevna, your daughter is trying to move into an apartment where people already live.”
“What people? Andrey said the apartment was empty!”
“Andrey lied. My nephew and his wife have been living there for a year and a half.”
“Nephew! What kind of relative is that? Practically nobody! And Masha is your husband’s own sister!”
“Sister. And that does not give her the right to throw people out.”
“How dare you!” Valentina Sergeevna turned red. “We accepted you into our family, and this is how you behave?”
“YOU accepted me into the family?” Inga laughed. “For seven years you haven’t let me breathe! I cook wrong, I clean wrong, I do everything wrong!”
“Don’t exaggerate!”
“I’m stating facts. And the apartment is MINE. I earned it before I married your son!”
“You’re greedy! That’s what you are!”
“GET OUT!” Inga suddenly shouted. “Both of you! OUT OF MY HOME!”
Masha and Valentina Sergeevna recoiled.
“How dare you…”
“OUT!” Inga threw the door open. “And take your suitcases with you!”
“Andrey will hear about this!”
“Let him hear about it! And he can GET OUT too if he doesn’t like it!”
That evening, Andrey stormed into the apartment like a hurricane.
“What did you think you were doing? Throwing out my mother? My sister?”
“I threw out arrogant people who were trying to seize MY property!”
“Seize it? Have you lost your mind? That is my family!”
“Your family should learn to respect other people’s property!”
“Mother said you screamed at them!”
“And I’ll scream again! This is MY home, and I will not let anyone give orders here!”
“Oh, really? You know what? I’m leaving! I’m going to my mother’s!”
“GOOD RIDDANCE!”
“What?”
“You heard me! Run to your mommy! And your dear sister! All of you can live together in that one-room apartment!”
“You’ll regret this!”
“The only thing I regret is marrying you!”
“You… you…”
“I am the owner of MY apartments! And I will not allow anyone to control them! Not you, not your family!”
“Family? We accepted you…”
“ENOUGH!” Inga grabbed his jacket from the coat rack and threw it at him. “Pack your things and GET OUT!”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely. You have one hour.”
“Inga, let’s talk…”
“There is nothing to talk about! You decided you could dispose of my property. Your mother thinks she did me a favor by ‘accepting me into the family.’ Your sister thinks everyone owes her something!”
“But…”
“NO ‘BUTS’! Get out!”
Andrey tried to step toward her, but Inga moved back.
“Don’t come near me! Pack your things and leave!”
“Where am I supposed to go?”
“To your mommy! She’s waiting for you! And Masha is there too! The three of you can live together in her one-room apartment!”
“Inga, this is stupid…”
“What was stupid was thinking you could control my apartments! It was stupid to bring your sister into this! It was stupid to lie to her!”
“I didn’t lie…”
“You LIED! You said the apartment was empty!”
“Well, almost empty… Your nephew…”
“MY nephew has more right to that apartment than your sister because I DECIDED SO! I am the OWNER!”
“You’ve gone crazy!”
“No. I’ve finally come to my senses! For seven years I tolerated your rudeness, your mother’s complaints, your sister’s attacks! ENOUGH!”
“So what now?”
“Now you GET OUT! And don’t you dare show up here again!”
“This is my apartment too! We’re married!”
“It is premarital property. MINE. And I’m filing for divorce tomorrow.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“We’ll see!”
Andrey packed his things and left, slamming the door behind him. Inga sat down on the sofa and cried for the first time in years. But those were tears of relief.
Three weeks passed. Inga filed for divorce and lived peacefully in her apartment. Maxim and Lena visited her every weekend and brought homemade pastries.
“Aunt Inga, how are you?” Lena asked as she poured tea.
“Wonderful. For the first time in many years, I can breathe freely.”
“We were so worried back then… That woman, your husband’s sister…”
“Ex-husband’s sister. And forget about it. Nobody will touch you.”
Just then, the doorbell rang. Inga opened the door. Andrey stood on the threshold. He looked miserable — wrinkled clothes, an unshaven face, dark circles under his eyes.
“Inga, can we talk?”
“About what?”
“Let me in, please.”
“Speak here.”
“In front of everyone?”
Maxim and Lena tactfully went into the kitchen.
“Well?” Inga crossed her arms.
“I… I want to come back.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“I feel terrible without you.”
“And living with Mommy and your sister isn’t sweet enough?”
“Inga, don’t gloat.”
“What happened? Didn’t paradise work out?”
Andrey lowered his head.
“They… they fight all the time. Masha blames me because she doesn’t have an apartment. Mother says I’m weak because I couldn’t control you.”
“So you want to come back not because you love me, but because you are uncomfortable?”
“I love you!”
“You’re lying. You love comfort. A separate apartment. The ability to command.”
“That’s not true!”
“That is exactly true. Andrey, leave.”
“But…”
“Listen carefully. I filed for divorce. The apartment is mine, acquired before marriage. You will get nothing. And don’t try to make me feel sorry for you.”
“You’re cruel!”
“I am fair. You tried to take away my right to manage MY property. You tried to evict my relatives for the sake of your sister. You lied to everyone.”
“I wanted to do what was best!”
“Best for whom? For you and your family. You didn’t think about me.”
“Inga, give me a chance!”
“You had a chance. You had seven years. You wasted it.”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Live with your mommy. She ‘accepted you into the family,’ didn’t she? Let her support you.”
“You’ll regret this!”
“The only thing I regret is the seven years I lost. GET OUT!”
Andrey turned around and left. Inga closed the door and returned to Maxim and Lena.
“Is everything all right, Aunt Inga?” Maxim asked.
“Everything is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.”
A month later, Inga heard from mutual acquaintances that Andrey was living at his mother’s place, sleeping on a folding bed in the kitchen. Masha was still there too. She never found a rental apartment, claiming everything was too expensive. The three of them argued constantly. Valentina Sergeevna complained to the neighbors that her children had driven her mad, that there was no space in the apartment, and that now she would never see grandchildren.
Another month later, Inga received a message from Masha: “Can I at least stay in that apartment sometimes? Andrey, Mom, and I are ready to kill each other.”
Inga replied briefly: “NO.”
Then a message came from Valentina Sergeevna: “You destroyed our family! My children are suffering because of you!”
Inga did not answer. She sat in her apartment, drank tea, and enjoyed the silence. HER silence in HER apartment.
Meanwhile, in Valentina Sergeevna’s cramped one-room apartment, another scandal was unfolding.
“This is all your fault!” Masha shouted at her brother. “If you had talked to your wife properly!”
“She’s insane!” Andrey snapped back.
“You’re the insane one! You couldn’t even sue her for the apartment!”
“It’s premarital property. I consulted a lawyer!”
“Then you shouldn’t have divorced her!”
“She filed for divorce herself!”
“Because you’re weak!”
“Shut up!”
“You shut up!”
“Be quiet, both of you!” Valentina Sergeevna shouted. “The neighbors are complaining!”
“Let them complain!” Andrey yelled. “I don’t care!”
“I have nowhere to live because of you!” Masha continued.
“You have an ex-husband with an apartment!”
“He won’t let me in!”
“Then why did you leave him?”
“That’s none of your business!”
“Then the apartment is none of your business either!”
“Mom, tell him!”
“What am I supposed to say? You’re both impossible! You’ve worn me out! Inga did the right thing by kicking you out!”
“Mom!” the brother and sister exclaimed together.
“What? At least that woman has character! She didn’t let you sit on her neck! Good for her!”
“You’re defending her?” Andrey could not believe it.
“And why should I defend you? You are both adults, but you behave like children! Masha, go make peace with your husband! Andrey, find a rental apartment!”
“With what money?”
“Work more!”
“I already work!”
“Not enough! Inga earned two apartments, and you can’t even afford a room!”
“They were gifted to her!”
“They were gifted because of her work! And who is going to gift you anything? You don’t know how to do anything special!”
The scandal continued late into the night. The neighbors called the police. The local officer wrote up a report for disturbing the peace.
At that same time, Inga was sleeping peacefully in her apartment. In the morning, Maxim called her.
“Aunt Inga, thank you so much! Lena is pregnant, and if we had been left without a place to live…”
“Don’t thank me, Maxim. You are my family. My real family. And real family does not betray.”
Six months later, Inga received a promotion at her new job. She had left MegaStroy and opened her own real estate agency. Business was going wonderfully.
Andrey was still living with his mother. Masha was still there too. All three of them in one cramped apartment. And every day they argued — over space in the bathroom, over the TV remote, over the last piece of bread.
As for Inga, she finally found what she had lacked for all those years — freedom and peace. And she understood one important thing: never, NEVER let other people control what you have earned with your own hard work. Even if those people call themselves family.