The phone rang for the third time that morning. Irina stared at the screen and sighed. Her mother-in-law again.
“Hello,” Irina answered, already knowing how the conversation would go.
“Irochka, darling, where were you on Saturday?” her mother-in-law asked, reproach clearly audible in her voice. “Your father-in-law and I waited for you all day.”
“Hello, Valentina Petrovna,” Irina said, shifting the phone to her other ear. “I had work to finish. We had an urgent project, and I needed to meet the deadline.”
“Work? On a weekend?” the older woman replied, her tone growing sharper. “Family should always come first! The house is a complete mess, and I can’t manage everything by myself anymore.”
Irina closed her eyes. Here they went again. Every weekend, her mother-in-law expected her daughter-in-law to come over and clean the entire house.
“I understand, Valentina Petrovna, but I really have a lot to do,” Irina said, trying to remain calm. “Perhaps next time—”
“Next time!” her mother-in-law interrupted. “Everything is always ‘next time’ with you! Who is supposed to wipe down the cupboards? Who will wash the floors? I’m already seventy years old!”
“But you recently said you were perfectly capable of handling everything yourself.”
“Don’t argue with me!” Valentina Petrovna’s voice rose sharply. “A good wife takes care of her husband’s family. You only ever think about yourself!”
Irina remained silent and slowly counted to ten. They had this same conversation every week. Her mother-in-law constantly demanded attention and care, but what she truly wanted was an unpaid housekeeper.
“Irochka, are you listening to me?” the woman continued. “I’m explaining something important!”
“I’m listening,” Irina answered briefly.
“Good. Then I expect you at ten on Saturday morning. The windows need washing, and—”
Irina ended the call.
She simply pressed the button and switched off her phone. She no longer had the strength to listen to another list of demands.
Her vacation began that day. She had an entire week without work, deadlines, or endless calls. Irina walked through her three-bedroom apartment and looked around with satisfaction. She had bought it with her own money before getting married. Here, at least, she could relax.
She turned on some music and began tidying up. Not because anyone had ordered her to, but because she felt like doing it. She rearranged the pillows in the bedroom and dusted the shelves in the living room. Her movements were slow and unhurried.
The doorbell rang at half past two.
Irina looked through the peephole and saw a familiar figure. Her mother-in-law stood outside with a cold, severe expression.
“Hello,” Irina said as she opened the door.
“How could you hang up on me?” Valentina Petrovna demanded, walking into the hallway without waiting to be invited. “I hadn’t finished speaking! That was completely disrespectful!”
Irina returned to the kitchen and continued washing the dishes. Let her talk. Her mother-in-law followed, continuing her lecture without pausing.
“Do you honestly believe you can behave like this?” the older woman asked, waving her hands indignantly. “In my day, daughters-in-law knew their place!”
“Would you like some tea, Valentina Petrovna?” Irina offered without turning away from the sink.
“I don’t want your tea!” her mother-in-law snapped, moving closer. “I want you to understand that family is sacred!”
Irina silently rinsed the plates. The hot water stung her hands, but even that was more pleasant than listening to another sermon.
“Remember this, Irochka,” Valentina Petrovna said as she headed toward the door. “When your father-in-law and I become rich, you won’t receive a single kopeck from us. And it will all be because you never respected your elders.”
The door slammed behind her.
Irina remained in the kitchen, holding a wet plate in her hands.
Become rich? How were two pensioners suddenly planning to make a fortune?
She shook her head and put the plate into the cupboard. It made no difference. Their affairs were none of her concern.
That evening, Sergei came home in his usual mood. After dinner, he put down his fork and gave his wife a serious look.
“Ira, Mom called me,” he began, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “She told me how rudely you treated her today.”
“What exactly was rude?” Irina asked as she gathered the plates from the table. “I simply refused to listen to another round of complaints.”
“Hanging up while an older person is speaking is disrespectful,” Sergei said, shaking his head disapprovingly. “Mom was so upset that she cried.”
Irina stopped, still holding the dirty dishes.
Cried? Valentina Petrovna could probably shout loudly enough to wake the entire neighborhood, but Irina had never seen her shed a tear.
“By the way,” Irina said suddenly, “she made a strange comment. She said that when they became rich, I wouldn’t get anything. What was she talking about?”
Sergei smirked and leaned back in his chair. A self-satisfied gleam appeared in his eyes.
“You simply don’t know anything yet, darling,” he said, folding his arms. “One of Dad’s friends offered them a chance to invest in an extremely profitable business. He says that within six months, they’ll be wealthy.”
Irina frowned and turned toward her husband.
There was no such thing as easy money, especially when someone was promising it to elderly people.
“Sergei, you do realize that sounds suspicious, don’t you?” she said, turning on the tap. “People don’t share incredibly profitable business schemes out of pure generosity.”
“It’s completely safe,” Sergei replied dismissively as he stood up. “The man is trustworthy. Dad has known him for years.”
Irina nodded and continued washing the dishes.
It truly was none of her business. They could deal with the consequences themselves.
Four months passed quickly.
Valentina Petrovna regularly visited and bragged about the success of their new family venture. She talked about buying expensive furniture and taking a luxury vacation. Sergei was delighted for his parents and had already begun fantasizing about the inheritance he would eventually receive.
Irina simply continued living her life. She went to the office, took care of her home, and read books in the evenings. Other people’s financial adventures did not interest her.
One summer evening was especially humid. A storm was gathering outside, and heavy clouds slowly covered the sky. Irina settled into the living room with a new novel, enjoying the cool air from the conditioner.
Suddenly, the front door flew open with such force that the glass doors of the cabinet rattled.
Sergei stormed into the apartment, his face darker than the clouds outside.
He threw his keys onto the hallway table and shouted, “You can’t trust anyone in this world! Even the people closest to you are willing to betray you for money!”
Irina put down her book and looked at her furious husband.
Something had happened. Something serious.
“Sergei, what’s wrong?” she asked, rising from the sofa.
“Dad’s friend disappeared!” Sergei exclaimed, pacing around the room and throwing his arms into the air. “He vanished the moment things started going wrong! It turns out the entire business was a scam!”
Irina said nothing and waited for him to continue.
Outside, the storm finally broke. The first drops of rain struck the windows.
“My parents are drowning in debt now,” Sergei continued, stopping in front of her. “Loans, private debts, signed agreements—everything. They’ll have to sell their apartment to pay it all back!”
“I warned you,” Irina said quietly. “I told you there was no such thing as easy money.”
“I don’t care about your warnings!” Sergei roared, glaring at her. “We need to find a solution now, not listen to another lecture!”
For the next several weeks, a suffocating atmosphere hung over the apartment.
Valentina Petrovna and her husband came over almost every day, describing their meetings with banks and lawyers. They complained that they would soon have nowhere to live.
Irina felt sorry for them, but there was nothing she could do. She had only a few hundred thousand rubles in savings, while her in-laws owed more than five million.
Sergei became gloomier with each passing day. Every dinner conversation centered on the same question: how could they save his parents from losing their home?
One evening, Sergei returned especially late. His face was rigid, and every movement seemed tense and abrupt.
“That’s it. They have to move out tomorrow,” he announced as he entered the living room. “The bank seized everything. Their apartment is being sold at auction.”
Irina frowned and put down the magazine she had been reading.
It was a terrible outcome. The thought of two elderly people being left without a home was frightening.
“But you have to help them,” Sergei continued, stopping in front of her. “We can’t abandon our family when they’re in trouble.”
“How exactly am I supposed to help?” Irina asked, standing up. “What do you expect me to do?”
Sergei straightened his back and looked at her defiantly. His expression showed the determination of someone who had already made a decision without consulting anyone else.
“My parents have lost their home,” he said slowly. “You are obligated to give them your apartment.”
Irina froze, unable to believe what she had just heard.
Give them her apartment? The three-bedroom home she had bought entirely with her own money?
“Have you lost your mind?” she asked quietly, stepping backward. “This apartment is my property from before the marriage.”
“You’re a married woman now!” Sergei raised his voice and moved closer. “You have responsibilities toward your husband’s family!”
“What responsibilities?” Irina demanded, clenching her fists. “I didn’t force your parents to trust some suspicious stranger!”
“Don’t you dare speak about my parents that way!” Sergei exploded, waving his arms angrily. “They’re in trouble, and all you can think about is yourself!”
Irina turned away and walked toward the window.
Rain hammered against the glass, creating a bleak picture outside that perfectly matched her mood.
“I worked for years to buy this apartment,” she said without turning around. “I denied myself everything. I saved every possible ruble.”
“And now it’s time to share!” Sergei interrupted as he approached her. “Family comes before everything else!”
“Your family, not mine!” Irina spun around sharply. “I warned all of you that the investment was dangerous, but no one listened!”
“Stop blaming us!” Sergei shouted, pointing a finger at her. “The decision has already been made. My parents are moving in here tomorrow!”
“No one is moving in,” Irina replied firmly, walking past him toward the hallway. “This is my home.”
“Then you can explain to everyone why you abandoned two elderly people and left them to fend for themselves!” Sergei shouted after her.
Irina stopped in the doorway and slowly turned to face him.
All the exhaustion she had accumulated over years of marriage—years of demands, accusations, and pressure—finally came to the surface.
“Pack your things and leave,” she said calmly. “You can deal with your parents’ problems on your own.”
“You wouldn’t dare throw me out!” Sergei protested.
“Oh, I absolutely would,” Irina replied, heading toward the front door. “You have one hour to pack.”
The divorce was finalized quickly.
Sergei tried to claim half of the apartment, but because Irina had purchased it before the marriage, it remained entirely hers.
After her former husband’s legal claim was rejected, he and his parents waited for her outside the entrance to her building.
“You left us without a roof over our heads!” Valentina Petrovna attacked her the moment she appeared. “How can anyone be so heartless?”
“I warned you that the business was dangerous,” Irina replied calmly as she took out her keys. “Now deal with the consequences yourselves—and leave me alone.”