— Who would think of selling their apartment without having another place to live? — Natalia nervously ran her fingers over the edge of the tablecloth, trying not to lose her composure. — Maksim, this is illogical!
Maksim sat across from her, looking down. His shoulders slumped, his hands nervously gripped the cup with the now-cold tea.
— Nat, mom says she needed the money urgently. Something with her health, but she doesn’t want to scare me with the details.
Natalia snorted and turned away to the window. Over the five years of their marriage, she had learned all of Olga Ivanovna’s tricks. Mysterious illnesses always cropped up when the mother-in-law needed attention from her son.
— And how long is this “temporary” going to last? A week? A month? A year? — Natalia tried to sound calm, but her voice betrayed her with a slight tremble.
Maksim looked up:
— You know how hard it is to find a good apartment right now.
— I know, — Natalia nodded. — But that’s not the point. We’re all adults here. Why didn’t she discuss this with us beforehand?
Maksim ran his hand through his hair — a gesture that always revealed his tension.
— Mom didn’t want to bother us.
— Really? — Natalia stood up, pushing her chair back so loudly that the cups on the table jumped. — But springing this on us is not a bother, of course!
In their small two-room apartment, every square meter counted. Natalia had converted the second room into an office. With her mother-in-law’s arrival, everything would have to change.
— Nat, understand, this is my mother. I can’t leave her on the street, — Maksim’s voice sounded pleading.
— Of course you can’t, — Natalia sighed. — But at least admit that we’re trapped.
Her first meeting with her future mother-in-law, she remembered very well. Olga Ivanovna had looked her up and down, pursed her lips, and told her son:
— She’s too thin. The children will be sickly.
Maksim had only laughed and hugged Natalia tighter. But that first comment had started an endless chain of small remarks and jabs.
— She just cares about you in her own way, — Maksim would always defend his mother.
Natalia stopped arguing. Yes, Olga Ivanovna cared about her son. So much that she couldn’t let go even after the wedding.
— When is she moving in? — Natalia asked quietly, looking out the window at the gently falling snow.
— Tomorrow, — Maksim answered just as quietly.
Natalia closed her eyes. Their cozy little nest, their small world where it was just the two of them, would disappear in less than a day.
— Alright, — she finally said. — But it’s temporary. And I need your promise that we’ll actively look for another place for her.
Maksim came over and hugged her from behind. Natalia didn’t pull away, but she didn’t embrace him like usual either.
— I promise, — he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. — We’ll manage.
Natalia didn’t answer. She knew that tomorrow, Olga Ivanovna would ring their doorbell, and their life would change forever.
On Sunday morning, the doorbell rang before Natalia could mentally prepare herself. She took a deep breath and went to open it.
— Good morning, Natasha! — Olga Ivanovna stood at the door with two large suitcases and a bag over her shoulder. Her smile seemed stuck on. — Where’s my darling son?
— Maksim is in the shower, — Natalia stepped aside to let her mother-in-law in. — Let me help with the bags.
— Thank you, dear, I’ll do it myself, — Olga Ivanovna waved her hand, entering the apartment. — Oh, how young and fresh everything is here.
It sounded like a verdict. Natalia clenched her lips.
A week into living together, Natalia sat at her desk, crammed into the corner of the bedroom, trying to focus on her project. From the kitchen, the clattering of dishes and Olga Ivanovna’s humming could be heard.
— Natalia! — the call came. — Where did you put my favorite mug?
— In the top cupboard, where all the mugs are, — Natalia answered without taking her eyes off the monitor.
— Strange, I don’t see it, — came the sound of rummaging. — And why is your dishware on my shelf?
— What shelf of yours? — Natalia pulled away from the computer.
— The second shelf is mine! — Olga Ivanovna’s voice had a touch of offense.
Natalia slowly counted to ten.
On Thursday, Olga Ivanovna caught her daughter-in-law making dinner.
— Are you putting in pepper? — The mother-in-law rushed to the stove. — Maksim has a weak stomach since childhood! No pepper!
— Maksim likes it spicy, — Natalia quietly objected. — We’ve been living together for five years, I know.
— A mother knows better what her son likes, — Olga Ivanovna cut her off and poured the sauce into the sink. — I’ll cook it myself.
Natalia froze, watching her hour of work disappear down the drain.
— By the way, dear, I noticed you’re using frozen vegetables, — her mother-in-law continued, opening the fridge. — In our family, we always cooked with fresh products. Maksim is used to natural food.
Natalia silently left the kitchen. Her hands trembled with anger.
Two weeks later, while Natalia was making coffee, Olga Ivanovna entered the kitchen with a piece of paper.
— Here, dear, — she placed the paper in front of her daughter-in-law. — A list of dishes I will eat. Only my favorites. Don’t make anything of your own. Your trendy recipes are simply awful.
Natalia glanced at the list. Borscht, dumplings, cabbage rolls, casseroles — all of them required hours of preparation.
— I work, Olga Ivanovna, — Natalia tried to speak calmly. — I don’t have time to cook such complicated dishes every day.
— Get up earlier, — her mother-in-law shrugged. — When I was your age, I had time for everything.
For a week, Natalia tried to please her. She got up at six in the morning, cooked, worked, and then cooked again. Her projects began to delay. Clients called, expressing dissatisfaction.
On Monday, Olga Ivanovna tried the dumplings and grimaced.
— The filling is too salty. And the dough is too thick. My mother always made them so thin you could see through them.
Natalia threw the towel on the table and left the apartment. Her patience had snapped.
Since then, she stopped cooking. She had breakfast at a café, worked in the library, and only came back when Maksim was home.
— Your wife is starving us! — Olga Ivanovna complained to her son. — She’s gone somewhere all day and doesn’t think about the family!
Maksim, exhausted from work and domestic conflicts, finally couldn’t take it anymore.
— Natasha, we need to talk, — he said one evening. — Mom didn’t just move in with us. She’s going through a tough time, she needs care. Why can’t you just cook what she likes?
Natalia froze, not believing her ears. Fury flared up inside her, making the blood pound in her temples. It seemed like her husband had come up with a brilliant plan: his mother would live with them forever. But only she would be the one to cook for her! Not happening!
— You cook your mother’s favorite dishes every day! And I’m going to work in an office! — she blurted out, throwing the kitchen towel on the table.
Maksim recoiled, his eyebrows raised.
— What? You always wanted to work from home.
— I’m tired of being a servant in my own home! — Natalia could no longer hold back her emotions. — I worked remotely for five years, but now I’ve decided to return to the office. I have no time or desire to cook for someone who thinks I’m unworthy of their son!
The door to the mother-in-law’s room swung open. Olga Ivanovna emerged, wrapped in her bathrobe. Her face took on an expression of offended innocence.
— What’s all this shouting? — The mother-in-law shook her head. — This is what your wife is like! I always said she didn’t love you!
Natalia turned her gaze to Maksim. His support would have meant everything right now. But Maksim just shrugged.
— Mom’s right. Family should take care of each other. I’m disappointed, Natasha.
Her husband’s words cut deep. Natalia turned and went to the bedroom, slamming the door.
A week later, she was already working at a design studio on the other side of the city. She left home at seven in the morning, returning after nine in the evening. Her relationship with Maksim had turned into strained greetings and casual phrases about the weather.
Olga Ivanovna didn’t miss a chance to remind her son that his wife had abandoned him. And every day, she found new ways to make her daughter-in-law’s life unbearable.
On Wednesday, Natalia discovered her favorite wool sweater had shrunk to doll size.
— Oh, I’m so sorry! — her mother-in-law exclaimed, pretending to throw her hands up. — I thought I set the washing machine to delicate mode.
On Friday, important sketches for a client disappeared from her desk.
— I was just tidying up, — Olga Ivanovna shrugged. — How was I supposed to know they were important?
But the final straw came on Monday when Natalia opened her laptop and discovered that the project she had worked on all week was completely deleted.
— The computer froze, — Olga Ivanovna explained, shrugging her shoulders. — I pressed some buttons to restart it. I’m not an expert.
Natalia silently looked at her mother-in-law, then turned her gaze to her husband.
— This was my work, for which I’ve already received an advance, — her voice trembled. — Maksim, don’t you see what’s happening?
— Mom would never do this on purpose, — Maksim cut her off. — You’re just looking for an excuse to start a fight.
That night, Natalia didn’t sleep a wink. And in the morning, when Maksim and his mother were still asleep, she took the suitcase from under the bed and began methodically packing her things.
— Natasha? — Maksim’s sleepy voice made her turn around. — What are you doing?
— I’m leaving, — she answered simply, locking the suitcase.
— You can’t just leave like this! Let’s talk about everything! — He jumped out of bed, blocking her way.
— For five years, I tried to be a good wife, — Natalia looked him straight in the eye. — But I didn’t sign up to be your mother’s servant. And the most painful thing is — you’ve never once stood on my side.
She picked up the suitcase and walked toward the door. In the hallway, Olga Ivanovna stood frozen.
— I told you she would leave you! — she whispered triumphantly, turning to her son.
Natalia turned around one last time. Maksim was still standing at the bedroom door — bewildered, unable to make a choice.
— Goodbye, — she said quietly and left, slamming the door behind her.
As she descended the stairs, she took a deep breath. Her shoulders relaxed as if a heavy weight had been lifted from them. The future was uncertain, but one thing Natalia knew for sure — no one would ever make her feel like an outsider in her own home again.