Lena was standing in front of the hallway mirror, adjusting her new haircut, when she heard a familiar cough behind her. Sergei appeared in the doorway wearing an expression she had learned to recognize instantly—a mixture of reproach and barely contained outrage.
“How much did that cost?” he asked without so much as a greeting, nodding toward her hair.
“Good morning to you too, darling,” Lena replied dryly, without turning around. “Three thousand.”
Sergei whistled as though she had just confessed to stealing money from a church donation box.
“Three thousand for a haircut? What, is your hair made of gold? I could have cut it at home with clippers in five minutes.”
“You could have,” Lena agreed, finally turning toward him. “And the result would have looked exactly like a five-minute haircut with clippers.”
“What’s wrong with that? Hair is hair. At your age, no haircut is going to make much difference anyway.”
The words hung in the air like the crack of a whip.
Lena felt something tighten painfully inside her. She was thirty-four years old, and she still considered herself an attractive woman. Or at least she had been trying to.
“I see,” was all she said before walking past him into the kitchen.
Over breakfast, Sergei returned to his favorite subject—the family budget. He spread printed copies of her bank statements across the table like an investigator arranging evidence in a criminal case.
“What’s this?” He jabbed his finger at one of the transactions. “‘Golden Rose,’ seven thousand. What kind of store is that?”
“A shoe store,” Lena answered wearily as she stirred her coffee.
“Seven thousand for shoes? How many pairs do you already have? Twenty?”
“Fourteen. For all seasons.”
“And how many feet do you have? Two! That means two pairs should be enough. One for work and one to wear at home.”
Lena raised her eyes and looked at him.
Sometimes she felt as if she were staring at a complete stranger. What had happened to the Sergei who used to bring her flowers for no reason, take her to restaurants, and tell her she was the most beautiful woman in the world? When had he turned into this petty auditor who examined every ruble she spent?
“And what’s this?” he continued. “‘L’Etoile,’ four thousand. Cosmetics again!”
“I need good makeup for work.”
“Why? You’re not a model. Clients come to you for legal advice, not to admire your face.”
At that moment, Sergei’s mother, Galina Petrovna, floated into the kitchen.
She had been living with them for six months. After her husband died, she had been left alone, and Sergei insisted that she move into their apartment. Ever since then, Lena had felt as though she were walking through a minefield in her own home.
“Good morning,” her mother-in-law said tightly, giving Lena a critical once-over. “What happened to your hair?”
“I had it cut.”
“Oh. I thought you had simply slept badly.”
Galina Petrovna sat down beside her son and immediately joined the conversation.
“Seryozhenka is right, dear. Why waste so much money? I’ve dyed my own hair all my life, and men still used to chase after me.”
Lena remembered the photographs of young Galina Petrovna and wisely said nothing. Arguing was pointless. Her mother-in-law could always find a way to insult her.
“Mom’s right,” Sergei said. “We’re living beyond our means. We need to start saving.”
“Saving on what?” Lena finally snapped. “I don’t buy fur coats for half a million. I don’t spend every weekend in beauty salons. Shoes, haircuts, and cosmetics are ordinary expenses.”
“Ordinary!” Galina Petrovna scoffed. “In my day, women knew how to keep a man without all that decoration.”
“And in your day, women also cooked borscht every day,” Lena replied before she could stop herself.
A tense silence filled the kitchen.
Sergei raised his eyebrows. The meaning was obvious.
Galina Petrovna expected Lena to prepare special meals for her, wash her clothes, and generally wait on her as if she were seriously ill. In reality, the woman was perfectly healthy and remarkably energetic whenever she had an opportunity to criticize her daughter-in-law.
“I don’t understand why you’re reacting so aggressively,” Sergei said. “We’re only discussing the family budget.”
“My budget,” Lena corrected him. “It’s my salary.”
“Our family, our budget,” he said sharply.
After breakfast, Lena locked herself in the bathroom and stared at her reflection for a long time.
When they first married, Sergei had earned more than she did. But during the past two years, Lena’s income had increased significantly. She had become a senior consultant at a respected law firm, while Sergei remained a middle manager.
The more money Lena earned, the more obsessively he tried to control her spending. It was as if he were attempting to preserve his authority in the only way he had left.
The next several days passed in strained silence.
Lena stayed late at work, trying to spend as little time at home as possible. Whenever she returned, she was greeted by her mother-in-law’s meaningful glances and another list of complaints from her husband.
On Thursday evening, while they were sitting in front of the television, Lena finally decided to make an effort.
“Sergei,” she began carefully, “maybe we should go somewhere for a vacation. We haven’t traveled together in a long time.”
Sergei looked up from the news feed on his phone.
“A vacation? And where are we supposed to get the money?”
“I received a bonus. We could go to Turkey and stay at a good hotel. An all-inclusive resort.”
“How much would that cost?”
“For the two of us? Probably somewhere between one hundred and two hundred thousand.”
Sergei whistled.
“That’s expensive. But the idea isn’t bad. There’s just one thing—you’re the one suggesting it, so you should pay.”
Lena felt something break inside her.
She had suggested a holiday together because she wanted to repair their relationship. Sergei, however, was once again thinking only about money.
“All right,” she said quietly. “I’ll pay.”
“Then it’s settled!” Sergei exclaimed happily. “Mom!” he called toward the kitchen. “We’re going to Turkey!”
Galina Petrovna appeared in the doorway holding a dish towel.
“Turkey? How wonderful! I’ve always dreamed of seeing the sights there.”
“We are going,” Lena clarified. “Sergei and I.”
“Oh, darling, what about me? Are you really going to leave me here all alone?”
Galina Petrovna arranged her face into such a tragic expression that Lena immediately understood the battle had already been lost.
“Mom, come on…” Sergei began, but his mother interrupted him.
“Seryozhenka, I understand that young people want time alone. But I’ve been so lonely since your father passed away. Besides, everything is more fun with three people.”
Lena watched the performance as though she were trapped in a bad play.
Galina Petrovna was not upset. She was calculating. She understood perfectly well that Lena could not openly refuse without being portrayed as a heartless daughter-in-law.
“Of course, Galina Petrovna,” Lena said. “We’ll go together.”
The following day, Lena visited her friend Irina, who worked at a travel agency.
“Look,” Irina said as she searched through available packages, “this one is excellent. A five-star hotel in Antalya. All-inclusive, several swimming pools, entertainment programs, everything. It is a little expensive, though. For three people, it would be about three hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Show me something cheaper,” Lena asked.
“This is another good option.” Irina pointed at the screen. “Four stars, but the reviews are very positive.”
Lena nodded, although another plan was already beginning to take shape in her mind.
When she returned home that evening, an unpleasant conversation was waiting for her.
“Lena,” Sergei said as soon as she came in, “Mom and I discussed something.”
“And what did the two of you decide?” she asked, although she could already guess.
“Well, you said yourself that traveling as a group of three would be expensive. Mom and I thought that maybe you could stay home. We need a proper rest, and we already spend so much money on you. You won’t be offended, will you?”
Lena slowly removed her coat and hung it on the rack.
She felt as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff.
“So I pay for the vacation, but the two of you travel without me?”
“We’re saving money!” Galina Petrovna interrupted. “Instead of buying three tickets, we only buy two. And honestly, dear, it would be better for you to stay home and relax in peace. You get tired at work, and traveling would only exhaust you further.”
“I understand,” Lena said.
That night, she did not sleep.
She lay beside her snoring husband and thought about how quietly she had become nothing more than a source of money in her own family.
She earned it; they spent it.
She suggested a romantic vacation; they removed her from the trip.
And somehow, they still managed to behave as though they were doing her a favor.
The following morning, Lena returned to Irina’s office.
“I want to change the reservation,” she said.
“Is something wrong with the hotel?”
“The hotel is excellent. But change it to something simpler. Much simpler and much cheaper.”
Irina looked at her in surprise.
“How much simpler?”
“As simple as possible. Find some kind of hostel. Preferably one for students—noisy, crowded, and without any real conveniences. Remove the airport transfer too. They can find their own way there.”
“Lena, are you serious? It will be awful.”
“That is exactly what I need,” Lena replied.
One week later, Sergei and Galina Petrovna were cheerfully packing their suitcases.
They were convinced that they were traveling to a luxurious resort. They discussed how they would spend their days sunbathing beside the pool and eating shrimp at the buffet.
“Thank you, darling,” Galina Petrovna said warmly. “You are so kind and generous. We will definitely bring you back a souvenir.”
“Yes,” Sergei agreed. “We’ll have a proper rest and return completely refreshed.”
Lena drove them to the airport and even waved goodbye as they disappeared into the terminal.
Then she returned home and, for the first time in six months, felt free inside her own apartment.
The first phone call came twenty-four hours after they landed.
“Lena!” Sergei shouted into the phone.
Behind him, she could hear an incredible mixture of music, voices, and laughter.
“What the hell did you book for us?”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” Lena replied calmly, sipping coffee in her spotless kitchen.
“This isn’t a hotel! It’s some kind of barn! Students are living here, music is blasting all night, and there is mold in the shower!”
“And where was the transfer?” Galina Petrovna screamed somewhere in the background. “The taxi driver cheated us and charged us a fortune!”
“That’s strange,” Lena said. “The agency told me it was a very popular place among young travelers.”
“What young travelers? I’m forty-three years old!” Sergei yelled. “Book us a proper hotel!”
“I can’t. The money has already been spent.”
“Then come here and deal with it yourself!”
“I’m not coming.”
“What do you mean, you’re not coming? You created this mess, so you need to fix it!”
“You wanted to enjoy a vacation at my expense,” Lena said evenly. “I have no intention of rescuing you.”
Then she ended the call.
Her phone rang several more times, but she did not answer.
Eventually, the calls stopped.
Lena spent the next week in paradise.
She went to the theater, met friends for dinner, and slept until noon on the weekend. The apartment remained clean and peaceful. No one criticized what she ate for breakfast or demanded explanations for every purchase she made.
Sergei and Galina Petrovna returned on the scheduled date.
They looked exhausted, furious, and thoroughly defeated.
“You did it deliberately!” Sergei attacked her the moment he crossed the threshold. “You sent us there on purpose!”
“Sent you where?” Lena asked innocently.
“To that cursed hostel! We had to search for a Russian-speaking guide and pay extra for a normal hotel. We spent a fortune!”
“We spent twice as much!” Galina Petrovna shrieked. “It was absolutely disgraceful!”
“I thought you wanted to save money,” Lena said.
“We spent twice what we expected!”
“That is often what happens when people become greedy,” Lena observed thoughtfully.
Sergei stared at her as though he were seeing her for the first time.
“You’ve changed,” he said at last.
“Yes,” Lena agreed. “I have.”
“I’m filing for divorce,” he declared.
“Excellent,” she replied. “The documents are on the table in the bedroom. I have already prepared everything.”
For the first time, both Sergei and Galina Petrovna looked genuinely shocked.
“What do you mean, you’ve prepared everything?” he asked in confusion.
“Exactly what I said. I filed the application and worked out the division of property. The apartment remains mine because I bought it before we married. You keep the car because it is registered in your name. We have no children and no shared debts, so the process should be straightforward.”
“And where am I supposed to live?” Galina Petrovna asked, suddenly looking uncertain.
“That is no longer my concern,” Lena replied. “You have your own apartment.”
“But we rent it out! There are tenants living there!”
“Then you will have to speak with your tenants.”
Lena picked up her handbag and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Sergei asked, bewildered.
“To stay with a friend while you pack your things. I think one week should be more than enough.”
At the door, she turned around one last time.
“And by the way,” she said, “thank you for the vacation. I had a wonderful rest.”
The door closed behind her with a quiet click.
For the first time in a very long while, Lena smiled.