Galya slowly lifted her eyes from the evening newspaper. In the living room of their two-room apartment, the usual Friday silence reigned — the television was off, and the lights of neighboring buildings shimmered outside the window. Dmitry stood in the middle of the room with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatpants, carefully studying the pattern on the carpet.
“What did you say?” she asked, placing the newspaper on the coffee table.
“Nadya’s birthday is the day after tomorrow. She’s turning thirty-five. A big milestone,” he shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. “I want to give her something nice. A designer bag or maybe some jewelry.”
“And what does MY card have to do with it?” Galya frowned, studying her husband closely.
Dmitry hesitated, then suddenly straightened.
“Listen, don’t start. Just give me the card, that’s all. I’m not asking for millions. Twenty or thirty thousand at most.”
“THIRTY THOUSAND?!” Galya jumped up from the sofa. “Dima, are you out of your mind? That’s my entire monthly salary!”
“So what?” he shrugged, avoiding her eyes. “You’ll get paid again in two weeks. It’s not a big deal.”
Galya felt anger begin to boil inside her. In eight years of marriage, she had gotten used to the fact that Dmitry adored his younger sister. Nadya worked as a manager at a small company, lived alone, and her brother was constantly looking after her — buying groceries, paying her utilities, slipping her money just because. But that had always been his money, his choice. But now…
“Dima, why don’t you use YOUR own card?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Because…” he stumbled, then waved his hand. “What difference does it make? We’re a family. Shared budget and all that. Don’t be greedy!”
“I’m being greedy?” Galya’s voice rose. “I’M being greedy when you demand my card without even explaining properly why?”
“What is there to explain?” Dmitry snapped. “My sister needs a gift, that’s all! You know how important she is to me!”
“I know. So what? Does that give you the right to spend MY money?”
“Our money!” he barked. “OUR money! We’re husband and wife, remember?”
Galya took a deep breath. Over the past few months, she had noticed strange things — Dmitry had stopped buying the expensive alcohol he liked, canceled a fishing trip with his friends, and even stopped filling the car with a full tank of gas. She had assumed he was saving money, maybe trying to put something aside for a vacation. But now…
“Dima, what is going on?” she sat back down on the sofa, trying to calm herself. “Are you having money problems?”
“There are NO problems!” he flushed. “Just… just give me the card, and that’s it! Why are you interrogating me?”
“I’m interrogating you?” Galya jumped up again. “You come in demanding that I hand over my card, barely explaining why, and I’m the one interrogating you?”
Dmitry began pacing the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. Galya saw the tension in his shoulders, the vein twitching at his temple. He always reacted like this when he felt cornered.
“Listen,” he began, stopping by the window with his back to her. “Nadya… she did a lot for me. When our parents died, she was there. She supported me. Helped me.”
“Dima, she was fifteen back then,” Galya reminded him softly. “You were the one supporting her. You worked two jobs so she could study.”
“That doesn’t matter!” he spun around sharply. “She’s my sister! My only blood!”
The words cut deeply. Galya bit her lip.
“And what am I? A stranger?”
“Don’t twist my words! You know perfectly well what I mean.”
“No, I don’t!” she shouted. “Explain to me why I should hand over my hard-earned money for your sister’s gift. Why can’t you buy it yourself?”
Dmitry turned crimson.
“Because… because it has to be done! And stop interrogating me! Are you my wife or what? You’re supposed to support me, not make scenes!”
“Scenes?” Galya laughed, but there was no joy in it. “I’m making scenes? Listen to yourself!”
“So, are you giving me the card or not?” he stepped closer, looming over her.
“No!” Galya snapped. “And don’t come near me with that tone!”
“What do you think you’re doing?!” Dmitry yelled. “I’m your husband! I have the right!”
“The right to what? To MY money?” she raised her voice too. “Since when?”
“Since we got married! Everything is shared!”
“Oh, of course! When you need something, everything is shared! But when I ask for a new washing machine, suddenly it’s ‘wait, now isn’t the time’!”
Dmitry recoiled as if she had slapped him.
“That’s different…”
“How is it different? HOW? Because it’s for your precious Nadya?”
“Don’t you dare talk about my sister like that!”
“I’m not saying anything bad about her! I’m talking about YOU! About your shameless demand!”
Dmitry clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw tightened.
“You know what?” he hissed. “You’re selfish. A greedy selfish woman who doesn’t understand what family means.”
“I don’t understand?” Galya gasped with outrage. “I don’t understand?! I’ve been putting up with your behavior for eight years! Watching you drag money to your sister, buying her gifts more expensive than anything you ever bought me! Canceling our plans because she asked you for something!”
“She’s my SISTER!”
“And I’m your WIFE!” Galya shouted so loudly her own ears rang. “Or does that mean nothing?”
The silence after her shout was deafening. Dmitry stood with his mouth slightly open, clearly not expecting such resistance. Galya breathed heavily, feeling her heart pound.
“You… you’ve never shouted like that before,” he muttered.
“Because you’ve never pushed me this far!” She walked past him toward the window, trying to calm down. “Dima, what is happening? Why can’t you buy the gift yourself?”
The silence dragged on. Galya turned and saw her husband sitting on the sofa, his head in his hands.
“At work…” he said dully. “They cut our bonuses. And part of my salary. They say it’s a crisis.”
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
“THREE MONTHS?!” Galya could hardly believe what she was hearing. “And you kept silent?!”
“I thought it was temporary. I thought everything would go back to normal. But…” he lifted his head, and she saw fear in his eyes. “Galya, I have almost nothing left. I spent it all.”
“On what?”
“On… everything. Gas, lunches, helping Nadya…”
“HELPING NADYA?!” Galya exploded. “You have no money, and you were still helping Nadya?!”
“She asked! She’s having problems too!”
“And we aren’t?! WE, your own family?!”
“Stop yelling at me!”
“I WILL YELL!” Galya stepped close to him. “You lied to me for three months! Pretended everything was fine! Did you get into debt?”
“I’m not in debt…”
“What about the credit card?”
Dmitry went pale.
“How did you…”
“I’m not stupid! I saw the statements! I just thought you had things under control!”
“I do have things under control!”
“Really?! Is that why you’re demanding MY card for your sister’s gift?!”
“It’s temporary! I’ll pay it back!”
“When? HOW? If your salary was cut?”
Dmitry sprang to his feet.
“What do you understand?! Nadya is sacred! She has always been there for me!”
“And where was I? On Mars?!” Galya jumped up too. “I’ve been here for eight years! Cooking, washing, cleaning! Working! Paying half the bills! And what do I get in return? LIES AND DISRESPECT!”
“It’s not lies! It’s…”
“It’s WHAT?!” she cut him off. “Care? Protection? Don’t make me laugh!”
“You don’t understand…”
“What don’t I understand? That your sister matters more than your wife? That her birthday is more important than our well-being? That you’re ready to lie and humiliate yourself for her?”
“I’m not humiliating myself!”
“No? Then what are you doing right now? DEMANDING money from me that you can’t even pay back!”
Dmitry rushed around the room, waving his hands. Galya stood with her arms crossed, looking at him with such contempt that he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why are you acting like some saint? It’s only thirty thousand! You won’t go broke!”
“It’s not about the money!” she snapped. “It’s about the fact that you LIED! Hid things from me! And now you’re making demands!”
“I’m your HUSBAND!”
“And what does that give you the right to do? Lie? Take my property? Humiliate me?”
“I’m not humiliating you!”
“Oh really?” Galya laughed. “Then what would you call this? You come in and say, ‘Give me your card!’ No explanation! Like I’m your property!”
“Don’t exaggerate!”
“I’M EXAGGERATING?!” her voice cracked. “Go to hell with your accusations!”
Dmitry froze. In all their years of marriage, Galya had never spoken to him like that. She had always been soft, agreeable, willing to compromise.
“What… what do you think you’re doing?” he muttered.
“And what do YOU think you’re doing?” she shot back. “For eight years I’ve endured your neglect! For eight years I’ve listened to how wonderful Nadya is! How talented! How unfortunate! Have you ever spoken about me like that?”
“That’s different…”
“IT’S THE SAME!” Galya screamed. “You chose your sister! You always choose her! And I’m just furniture! I cook, clean, and keep quiet!”
“No one forces you to keep quiet!”
“You do! With your attitude! With your ‘don’t dramatize,’ ‘don’t exaggerate,’ ‘you don’t understand’!”
She headed toward the bedroom, but Dmitry grabbed her arm.
“Where are you going?”
“LET GO!” Galya pulled away. “Don’t you dare touch me!”
“Galya, let’s talk calmly…”
“Now you want to talk? After I refused you? What stopped you before? What stopped you for three months?”
“I didn’t want to upset you…”
“Aren’t you tired of lying?” She turned to him, and he saw such fury in her eyes that he stepped back. “You weren’t afraid of upsetting me. You were afraid I wouldn’t give money to your precious Nadya!”
“Don’t talk about her in that tone!”
“I’LL TALK HOWEVER I WANT!” Galya stamped her foot. “This is my home too! And I have the right to say what I think!”
“You’re insulting my sister!”
“I’m telling the truth! She’s a grown woman! Thirty-five years old! Let her take care of herself!”
“She’s my family!”
“And WHAT AM I?!” Galya shouted. “WHO AM I?”
Dmitry remained silent, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Answer me!” she demanded. “WHO AM I?”
“You’re my wife…”
“Your wife!” she mocked. “A convenient thing, right? She cooks, washes, gives money!”
“Stop it!”
“I WON’T STOP!” Galya stepped right up to him. “You know what? Go to your Nadya! Live with her if she’s so wonderful!”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“You’re the one who lost your mind!” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “Demanding money from your wife for your sister! Lying! Hiding problems! And then getting offended!”
Dmitry backed toward the door, stunned by his wife’s rage. He had never seen her like this — eyes burning with anger, face flushed, fists clenched.
“Galya, calm down…”
“CALM DOWN?!” She grabbed a vase from the shelf and raised it. “I’ll show you what calm looks like!”
“Are you completely insane?!” Dmitry rushed into the hallway.
“Yes!” Galya threw the vase against the wall. “COMPLETELY! Because I’VE HAD ENOUGH!”
The vase shattered into pieces. Dmitry stared at his wife as if she were a stranger.
“That was my mother’s vase…”
“SO WHAT?!” Galya shouted. “Your mother also thought I wasn’t good enough for her precious son! That Nadya was better!”
“Don’t bring my mother into this!”
“I WILL BRING HER INTO THIS!” She grabbed the remote from the table and hurled it at him. “You’re all the same! You use kindness, then wipe your feet on people!”
“Galya, stop this hysteria!”
“This isn’t hysteria!” she moved toward him. “This is the TRUTH! The truth you don’t want to hear!”
Dmitry backed toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Galya shouted. “To Nadya? To complain about your evil wife?”
“You’re out of control!”
“YES! Out of control! Because you pushed me there!” She grabbed his jacket from the hanger and threw it at him. “GET OUT! LEAVE! And don’t come back until you learn to respect your wife!”
“You’re kicking me out of my own home?”
“This is MY home too!” Galya reminded him. “I pay half! And now, apparently, I’ll be paying your half too!”
“I’m not leaving!”
“YOU WILL!” She threw the door open. “Or I’ll make such a scandal the neighbors will call the police!”
“You’re bluffing…”
Galya took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs:
“HELP! SAVE ME!”
“Quiet!” Dmitry jumped out onto the landing. “What are you doing?”
“What I should have done a long time ago!” She slammed the door and turned the lock.
“Galya! Open up!” Dmitry pounded on the door.
“Go to your Nadya! Let her comfort you!”
“Galya! This is my home too!”
“It was!” she shouted through the door. “Until you decided I was an ATM!”
Antonina Petrovna from the neighboring apartment peeked out.
“What’s all the noise?”
“Nothing serious!” Galya shouted through the door. “Just throwing out a shameless man!”
“Galya, open up! Let’s talk!”
“The talking is over! To hell with you and your conversations!”
Footsteps sounded — Dmitry left. Galya leaned against the door, breathing heavily. Her anger slowly faded, replaced by emptiness. She walked into the living room, stepping around the broken vase, and collapsed onto the sofa.
Her phone rang ten minutes later. It was Nadya.
“Hello,” Galya answered tiredly.
“Galya?! What happened? Dima came over completely pale and said you threw him out!”
“I did,” Galya confirmed.
“But why? He only wanted to buy me a gift!”
“With MY money.”
“So what? You’re family!”
Galya laughed.
“Nadya, your brother had his salary cut three months ago. He hid it, got into debt, and now he’s demanding my card for your gift. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”
Silence.
“Nadya?”
“I… I didn’t know about the salary…”
“Of course you didn’t. But he’s been giving you money all these months, hasn’t he?”
“Well… a little…”
“How much?”
“About ten thousand…”
“TEN THOUSAND? Every month?”
“Galya, I didn’t know! Honestly! He said everything was fine!”
“And you didn’t think to ask? Didn’t think he might be lying?”
“I… I’ll pay it back! I’ll return everything!”
“No need,” Galya said wearily. “It’s not your fault. He’s the idiot.”
“Galya, don’t talk about Dima like that!”
“Nadya,” Galya said firmly. “Your brother is thirty-eight years old. It’s time he learned to tell his wife the truth. And not put his sister above his family.”
“But I’m his family too!”
“Yes. But you’re not his wife. There’s a difference. And if he doesn’t understand that, then that’s his problem.”
“Are you leaving him?”
“I’m giving him time to think. About priorities. About honesty. About respect.”
“Galya…”
“That’s it, Nadya. This conversation is over. And I won’t come to your birthday. Sorry.”
She hung up and leaned back against the cushions. The apartment was quiet. Truly quiet for the first time in a long while. No lies, no tension, no humiliation.
In the morning, a message came from Dmitry: “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. Can I come back?”
Galya typed back: “You can. When you pay off all your debts, find a proper job, and apologize. Properly. Until then, live wherever you want. Maybe Nadya will take you in.”
An hour later, he replied: “She kicked me out. Said I’m an idiot.”
Galya smiled. Maybe not everything was lost. Maybe this lesson would do him good. And if not, she would manage. Alone. Without lies and humiliation.
A week later, Dmitry rang the doorbell. He stood there with a bouquet of field daisies — her favorite flowers, which he hadn’t bought her in five years.
“May I come in?” he asked quietly.
Galya stepped aside. He entered the living room and placed the flowers in a new vase.
“I got a second job. I’ll work evenings. I’ve started paying off the debts. I’ll close the credit card in three months.”
“And?”
“And… I’m sorry. For lying. For being arrogant. For not valuing you.”
“Is that all?”
Dmitry raised his head.
“No. Nadya said she won’t take another penny from me. She said I should fix my relationship with you first.”
“Your sister is a smart woman.”
“Yes. Smarter than me. Galya, give me one chance. Just one. I’ll never lie again. And I’ll never put you second again. I promise.”
Galya looked at him for a long time. Then she nodded.
“ONE chance. If you lie again, you’re gone forever. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“And no more secrets. No more ‘I didn’t want to upset you.’ We discuss EVERYTHING together.”
“I agree.”
“And for Nadya’s birthday, we’ll give her something TOGETHER. From OUR shared money. Something we can actually afford.”
“Okay.”
Galya held out her hand.
“Deal?”
Dmitry shook it.
“Deal. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For the lesson. For not letting me fall completely. For your anger.”
“For my anger?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes. If you had stayed silent like usual, I wouldn’t have understood anything. But your rage… it sobered me up. It showed me how low I had fallen.”
Galya nodded.
“Sometimes only anger can break through when words are powerless.”
“I understand. It won’t have to happen again. I promise.”
And he kept that promise. It was difficult, especially at first. But the fear of losing Galya turned out to be stronger than his pride and old habits.
And Nadya… Nadya found a good job and eventually started giving gifts to her brother and sister-in-law herself. Expensive gifts, but honestly earned. Through her own work.