This Sunday morning had started like any other, with no hint of trouble ahead.
Marina Nikolaevna, an attractive thirty-eight-year-old woman, woke up when the sun had already begun peeking through the window. She glanced at the clock. It was eight in the morning.
Since it was the weekend, she decided she could afford to stay in bed a little longer. She turned on the TV for background noise, picked up her phone, and started scrolling through the news feed. Just then, the phone vibrated in her hand. It was her former mother-in-law again. Marina winced with irritation, but answered anyway.
“Marina! Come at once! Roma needs help!”
Marina and Roma had separated a month earlier. Their ten years of marriage had been one long stretch of stress for her. Roma, the only son of his mother, had turned out to be unbelievably spoiled and self-absorbed.
For a long time Marina had tried to change her husband, to soften his selfishness, and while they had lived far from his mother, she had managed, at least a little.
But three years earlier, because of financial hardship, the couple had been forced to return to their hometown. That was when the nightmare truly began.
Her husband’s mother, Zinaida Sergeyevna, had clearly been waiting for this moment. She launched a full attack on her son’s household with endless visits. In the seventh year of marriage, Marina suddenly learned that she had apparently been taking care of her husband all wrong, had no idea how to run a home, and was personally to blame for the fact that Zinaida Sergeyevna still had no grandchildren.
Even Roman’s admission that the issue was with him, not Marina, failed to convince his mother of her daughter-in-law’s innocence.
At first Marina tried to ignore the lonely aging woman, but it was difficult. Zinaida Sergeyevna could show up in the evening just as the couple came home from work and stay until late at night.
Or she would arrive early on a weekend morning and remain until evening. The couple’s private life had almost disappeared.
Marina became tense and irritable. Roman, however, saw nothing wrong with his mother’s behavior. He was perfectly happy when she brought him his favorite greasy chebureki on weekends or a bag full of sweet homemade buns. His mother did not bother him in the slightest.
Roma would sprawl on the sofa while Zinaida Sergeyevna sat in an armchair with her feet tucked under her, and the two of them would loudly discuss the latest gossip, not caring at all that Marina had no place to sit except the tiny kitchen, since the rented one-room apartment had nowhere else to retreat.
Marina tried to get through to her husband, but it was as if Roman had become a different person. In his words and opinions, she began hearing his mother.
“You folded the clothes in the closet wrong. The soup is wrong. The table isn’t set nicely…”
The list of complaints grew by the day, multiplying faster and faster. Eventually Marina snapped.
“You can go live with your mother if everything about me is so unacceptable,” she told her husband.
To her surprise, Roman packed his things almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for permission.
Zinaida Sergeyevna, however, clearly had not expected things to go that far. The moment her son appeared on her doorstep with his suitcase, she realized she had made a serious mistake. She had long grown used to living alone, and now she had to share her space with her fully grown son.
What was more, she had completely forgotten what it was like to feed an adult man. The portions she cooked for herself for several days disappeared in a single sitting, and Roman did not care in the least whether anything was left for his mother.
He preferred to spend his salary on himself. He bought a powerful gaming laptop and soon devoted all his evenings and weekends not to conversations with his mother, as he used to when living with his wife, but to virtual battles online.
At night, Zinaida Sergeyevna could not sleep because of Roman’s constant chatter with his gaming teammates. Sometimes, just when she began to drift off, he would suddenly shout so loudly that she would jolt awake in terror, her heart pounding wildly. Her life had turned into a nightmare.
Marina, on the other hand, after a week of anxiety, suddenly felt free and happy. It turned out that even without her husband’s contribution to the household budget, she could live perfectly well on her own salary. In fact, she had enough money now, whereas before even two incomes had somehow never seemed sufficient.
She found herself with plenty of free time and happily started taking care of herself. She got a new hairstyle, had her nails done, and visited a cosmetologist.
When she took a hard look at her feelings, Marina realized she had probably been living with Roman out of habit for a long time. The love had faded long ago. She enjoyed not having to rush home from work, being able to browse shops at her leisure, meeting friends on weekends, or going to the movies.
About a month into her new single life, her former mother-in-law called for the first time.
“So, you’re not even going to apologize to Roma?” Zinaida Sergeyevna shouted into the phone.
“No, I’m not, because I have nothing to apologize for,” Marina replied, trying to stay calm, though inside she was instantly boiling.
On the other end, she heard furious snorting.
“Roman belongs back at home. A husband’s place is with his wife!” It was obvious that Zinaida Sergeyevna had decided to change tactics.
“Well, soon he won’t have a wife at all. I’m filing for divorce,” Marina said.
That was not entirely true. The thought had only just occurred to her. In that moment, she was almost grateful for the call, because it had helped her arrive at the right decision.
“Marina! How can you destroy a family over some foolish disagreements?” her mother-in-law whined.
“Before you forced your way into our marriage, we lived together for many years,” Marina reminded her. “But you helped me see your son’s true nature, and for that I’m actually grateful. Goodbye.”
Her mood was ruined for the rest of the day. Similar calls began happening regularly. Marina considered changing her number, but too many important contacts were tied to it.
And now, today, she had once again heard that same urgent voice:
“Marina! Come quickly! Roma needs help!”
That was something new.
“What happened?”
“He says he’s met a girl and wants to bring her home to live with us!”
“Well, I’m happy for him,” Marina said dryly. “What exactly do I have to do with that?”
“You have to save him—and yourself! Don’t you understand? This may be your last chance to take him back!”
“Zinaida Sergeyevna, there has been no way back for Roman and me for a long time now, and that is largely thanks to your efforts. Don’t call me again. And please don’t make the same mistakes with your next daughter-in-law.”
The moment she hung up, her former mother-in-law called again. Marina did not answer. She realized it would be easier to send everyone she knew a new number than continue these absurd conversations.
She got dressed and headed to the nearest mobile phone store. She had to switch off her phone entirely, because Zinaida Sergeyevna kept calling nonstop.
When Marina returned home, another unpleasant surprise was waiting outside her door. Roman stood in the hallway with the same suitcase he had left with.
“Mom kicked me out. She told me to go back to you,” he muttered instead of saying hello.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to find somewhere else to stay,” Marina replied. “Maybe with that girl you found for yourself.”
“How do you know about that?” Roma asked, startled.
“Your mother told me.”
“There’s nothing serious there. It’s just… for my health.”
“I don’t care what it’s for anymore. I don’t let strangers into my home, so you need to leave,” Marina said firmly.
Then she shut the door in her former husband’s face.
A few hours later, her former mother-in-law came pounding at the door. She kept hammering until Marina threatened to call the police. In the end, Marina had to move apartments too.
She relocated to the far side of the city and hoped that neither her former mother-in-law nor her ex-husband would disturb her peace again.
Half a year after the breakup and her move, Marina’s life had settled into a calmer rhythm. She threw herself into work, trying not to dwell on the stress she had lived through or on her relationship with her ex-husband and his overbearing mother. Her new cozy apartment across town became both a safe haven and a place where she could breathe again.
But one April day, her usual routine was disrupted by something unexpected.
That morning Marina arrived at work later than usual because she had an early meeting outside the office. When she opened the door to her office, she froze. On her desk stood a huge bouquet of lush scarlet roses. Marina stared at the flowers in surprise, trying to remember whether she had forgotten some holiday or special occasion. Nothing came to mind.
“Who brought these?” she asked her colleague Alyona, who peeked into the office.
“A courier dropped them off,” Alyona said with a shrug. “Asked where you were and left them here. Probably from one of your admirers.”
Marina waved it off. Ever since divorcing Roman, she had not thought about new relationships at all. And who among her coworkers would send such an expensive gift? The bouquet was clearly not cheap.
The next day, it happened again. Another enormous arrangement of roses in various shades of red. Soon anonymous romantic messages began appearing on Marina’s phone:
“Good afternoon, beautiful stranger. The weather is lovely today, but your smile is brighter than sunlight.”
“A rose is a symbol of love and passion. Yet no rose could ever compare to your beauty.”
At first Marina deleted the cliché compliments with irritation. But before long, something inside her began to stir. She had been deprived of tenderness and attention for so many years that now, even words from a stranger began warming her heart. Whoever her secret admirer was, he certainly knew how to flatter a woman.
Unable to resist her curiosity, one day she replied:
“Thank you for the flowers and the kind words. But I’d like to know who they’re from.”
The answer came at once:
“I can’t reveal myself yet. I’m simply someone who wants your happiness. Let’s meet, and then you’ll understand everything.”
Marina hesitated. On the one hand, she was flattered by the attention. On the other, she feared new disappointment. But in the end, curiosity won, and she agreed to meet two days later at one of the city’s restaurants.
On the appointed day, Marina entered the restaurant and stopped in the doorway, scanning the room, trying to guess which man had been sending the flowers.
At one of the tables, holding a bouquet of roses, sat… her ex-husband Roman.
He rose to meet her with what looked like a happy smile.
A wave of outrage rushed through Marina. So all these flowers and messages had been his doing? Another manipulation? Another attempt to humiliate her? After everything that had happened, he had the nerve to try this?
“So this is your new game?” she blurted out bitterly.
She was already about to turn and leave, but Roman caught her by the hand.
“Marina, please, just listen to me. I know I was selfish beyond words, and I caused you so much pain. But I really have changed these past months. I want to make things right. Please, give me one more chance.”
Marina looked at her ex-husband with deep suspicion. He was speaking in a way she had never heard before. There truly was something like regret in his eyes. Perhaps the separation and his break from his mother had changed him after all…
She paused for a moment.
Then she sighed tiredly and shook her head.
“No. I’ve seen enough of your attempts to ‘start over’ to know better,” she said, her voice almost weary. “You can’t change, Roma. It simply isn’t in you.”
“What? How dare you!” he snapped.
Marina shook her head again.
“There. You see? The second things stop going your way, your real face comes right back. Don’t waste your energy, Roman. We are not meant for each other. I endured far too much from you and your mother to step into the same trap again.”
With that, Marina turned and walked toward the exit, leaving Roman stunned, the bouquet crushed tightly in his fist.
Outside, she drew a deep breath and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It was as though she had finally dropped a crushing burden and freed herself from that relationship once and for all.
Marina realized she no longer felt anything for Roman—not anger, not resentment, nothing at all except indifference and emptiness. That chapter of her life was finally over.
For the first time in years, Marina felt truly free. She walked forward with an unexpectedly light heart and a fresh sense of strength. It was time to begin a real, happy life without looking back.
One beautiful day, an old acquaintance named Olga came to visit Marina. She looked deeply troubled and began telling a heartbreaking story about how her mother-in-law was forcing the entire family to live under one roof…