Zoya was standing at the stove, stirring a vegetable stew, when she heard the front door slam. From the heavy footsteps alone, she knew Alexey had come home in a bad mood. Only three weeks had passed since their wedding, yet the atmosphere in their home had already become unbearable.
“Why am I only finding out after the wedding that you own a three-room apartment in the city center?” her husband demanded, his voice full of accusation. “Don’t you trust me?”
Zoya slowly turned around. Alexey was standing in the kitchen doorway, his face twisted with hurt and anger. In his hands, he was clutching some documents.
“How did you find out?” she asked quietly, though she already suspected the answer.
“Your friend Marina blurted it out to my mother. They ran into each other at the store. Can you imagine how stupid I looked? My mother knew about my wife’s apartment before I did!”
Zoya turned off the stove and sat down at the table. Yes, she really did own a three-room apartment on Tverskaya Street. Her grandmother had left it to her two years earlier. She had not exactly hidden it on purpose; she simply had not found the right moment to tell him. After meeting Alexey’s family, something inside her had warned her to wait before sharing that information.
“I was going to tell you…”
“When? After the divorce?” Alexey threw the papers onto the table. “This is a copy of the ownership certificate. My mother got it through her contacts at Rosreestr.”
“Your mother checked me through Rosreestr?” Zoya raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t change the subject! You lied to me!”
“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t say anything.”
“That’s the same thing! We’re husband and wife. There shouldn’t be secrets between us! And you… you turn out to be some rich little heiress pretending to be an ordinary music teacher!”
Zoya rose from the table. Irritation began boiling in her chest.
“I am a music teacher. The fact that I own an apartment doesn’t change that.”
“It changes everything!” Alexey slammed his fist onto the table. “You don’t trust me! What, do you think I’m after your apartment?”
“Alexey, let’s talk calmly…”
“No! I want to know what else you’re hiding from me. Maybe you have Swiss bank accounts too? Or a yacht on the French Riviera?”
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Valentina Petrovna, Alexey’s mother, stood behind the door. She was about fifty-five, with a neat hairstyle and a strict suit, always looking as if she were on her way to an important business meeting. Beside her stood Kristina, Alexey’s younger sister, a thin blonde with a permanently dissatisfied expression.
“Mom? Kristina? What are you doing here?” Alexey asked in surprise.
“What do you think? We came to support you,” Valentina Petrovna said, stepping into the apartment without waiting to be invited. “Hello, Zoya. We need to have a serious talk.”
They all moved into the living room. Valentina Petrovna settled into an armchair, while Kristina sat beside her brother on the sofa. Zoya remained standing by the window.
“Here is the situation,” her mother-in-law began. “We discussed this as a family…”
“As a family? Without me?” Zoya interrupted.
“Do not interrupt your elders!” Valentina Petrovna snapped. “As I was saying, this is an unpleasant situation. You deceived my son by hiding important information about your property. That destroys trust in a family.”
“She’s right,” Kristina chimed in. “If my boyfriend did something like that, I’d throw him out immediately. Though unlike some people, I don’t even have a boyfriend — and I certainly don’t lie to my husband while hiding apartments from him.”
Zoya clenched her fists. Kristina was always complaining about her failures in her personal life, and now she had clearly found relief in someone else’s trouble.
“I did not deceive anyone,” Zoya said firmly.
“A lie by omission is still a lie,” Valentina Petrovna said in a lecturing tone. “But we are understanding people. We are ready to forgive you if you correct the situation.”
“Correct it? How?”
“Very simply. You transfer the apartment to Alexey. Or at least register it in both your names. That would be fair. After all, you are a family now, and in a family everything is shared.”
Zoya could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“You want me to give away the apartment my grandmother left me?”
“Not give it away. Make it family property,” Alexey corrected her. “Mom is right. If we’re a family, everything should be shared. Or do you not think I’m worthy?”
“That’s not the point…”
“Then what is the point?” Kristina leaned forward. “Are you afraid of losing your backup plan? Are you already planning a divorce?”
“How dare you?” Zoya raised her voice.
“Don’t shout at my mother!” Alexey jumped up.
“I’m not shouting at your mother. I’m shouting at all of you! You come into my home and demand that I hand over my apartment!”
“This is our home,” Alexey corrected her. “We rent this apartment together!”
“Exactly — rent! And we pay for it equally! And now you want to get my property for nothing?”
“Not for nothing. Because we are a family!”
Valentina Petrovna rose from her chair.
“You know, Zoya, I can understand many things. But such greed and distrust toward your own husband… That crosses every line. Alexey, my son, you should think very carefully about your future with her.”
After his mother and sister left, Alexey locked himself in the bedroom. Zoya could hear him talking on the phone — most likely with his mother again. Fragments of phrases reached her through the door: “you were right,” “from the very beginning,” “I should have listened.”
The next morning, Alexey behaved with deliberate coldness. At breakfast, he pointedly ignored all her attempts to talk, burying himself in his tablet.
“Alexey, we are adults. Let’s discuss this calmly,” Zoya tried again.
“There’s nothing to discuss. You made your choice. The apartment matters more to you than your family.”
“That isn’t true. I just don’t understand why I have to give away my property to prove my love.”
“Not give it away — share it. In normal families, everything is shared.”
“In normal families, people don’t demand an apartment three weeks after the wedding.”
Alexey put down his tablet and looked at her with contempt.
“You know, Mom was right. She told me not to marry you, that you weren’t from our circle. And I was stupid enough not to listen.”
“Not from your circle?” Zoya felt a wave of anger rising inside her. “Is that because I’m an orphan and was raised by my grandmother?”
“That’s not the issue. The issue is upbringing. In our family, we trust one another and share everything. But you… you’re petty and secretive.”
“Petty? I pay half the rent on this apartment even though I have a place of my own. I buy groceries. I cook.”
“Oh, so now you’re throwing that in our faces? Maybe you’d be better off moving into your own apartment.”
“Maybe I would.”
Alexey got up so abruptly that he knocked over his cup of coffee.
“Then go! You’ve finally shown your true face!”
He left, slamming the door behind him. Zoya remained sitting alone, staring at the coffee spreading across the table.
That evening, things became even worse. Alexey came home with Kristina. His sister looked as though she had been crying.
“Can I stay the night here?” she asked pitifully. “Denis dumped me. He said I was too demanding.”
“Of course, Kristina,” Alexey said, hugging his sister. “Make yourself comfortable in the living room.”
Kristina shot Zoya a triumphant look.
“Thank you, brother. It’s good to know there’s someone I can rely on. Unlike certain people who deceive the ones closest to them.”
The following days turned into hell. Kristina settled on the sofa and showed no intention of leaving. She constantly made snide remarks and complained to Alexey about Zoya over every little thing. “Zoya oversalted the soup again.” “Zoya plays music too loudly.” “Zoya looked at me the wrong way.”
Alexey always took his sister’s side.
“She’s going through a difficult time. Show some understanding.”
“And who is going to show understanding toward me?” Zoya asked.
“You brought this on yourself. If you had started with honesty, none of this would have happened.”
By the end of the week, Valentina Petrovna had joined them too — supposedly to “help poor Kristina get through the breakup.” Now four people were living in the small rented two-room apartment, and three of them were united against Zoya.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Valentina Petrovna said over dinner. “Since Zoya has such a wonderful apartment in the center, maybe we should all move there. There would be enough space.”
Zoya froze with her fork in her hand.
“What?”
“Well, why not? You’re not greedy, are you? Kristina needs somewhere to live. It’s hard for her to be alone right now. I could live with you too and help around the house. Besides, Zoya, your cooking is not exactly impressive.”
“That is my apartment. I did not agree to…”
“Here we go again!” Alexey threw down his napkin. “Again with ‘my apartment’! How many times do we have to go through this? We are a family!”
“If we’re a family, then why are all the decisions made without me?” Zoya stood up from the table.
“Because you’re selfish!” Kristina shouted. “You married my brother so you wouldn’t have to pay rent, while secretly owning an apartment the whole time!”
“What? I pay half the rent here!”
“Don’t yell at my sister!” Alexey rose too.
“I’m amazed by your patience, son,” Valentina Petrovna said, shaking her head. “If I were you, I would have divorced her already. A deceitful wife who is greedy and has no respect for your family.”
“Maybe I really should divorce you,” Alexey said, looking at Zoya challengingly. “Only then the apartment will have to be divided. I’ve already spoken to a lawyer. Property acquired during marriage…”
“The apartment came to me before the marriage!”
“That still needs to be proven. And while the court figures things out, I can live there. So can Mom and Kristina. The law doesn’t forbid a man from receiving relatives.”
Zoya stared at her husband and no longer recognized him. Where was the attentive, caring man she had fallen in love with? In front of her stood a greedy, petty person who thought only about profit.
“Go to hell!” she shouted.
“How dare you speak to your husband like that!” Valentina Petrovna exclaimed.
“And all of you can get out of here! This is a rented apartment, I pay half of it, and I don’t want to see your mother or your sister here!”
“We’ll see who gets out,” Kristina hissed. “Brother, you’re not going to let her talk to us like that, are you?”
Alexey stepped right up to Zoya.
“Apologize to my family. Right now.”
“No. Let them get out!”
“You will regret this. I swear, you’ll crawl back on your knees and beg for forgiveness.”
“Go rot!” Zoya pushed him away. “All of you are parasites! You latched on and now you’re demanding what belongs to someone else!”
She ran out of the kitchen and locked herself in the bedroom. Her hands were shaking from anger and humiliation. How could she have been so wrong about this man?
Behind the door, she could hear voices. Valentina Petrovna was comforting her son, telling him he deserved better. Kristina suggested calling a locksmith and forcing the door open — “She has no right to lock herself in here. It’s not her apartment.”
Zoya took out her phone and called her friend.
“Marina? Can I stay at your place tonight? Yes, we had a fight… No, worse than that. Thank you. I’ll come now.”
She quickly packed the essentials into a bag. When she came out of the bedroom, the whole “family” was sitting in the living room, talking animatedly about something.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Alexey asked.
“To a friend’s place. I can’t stay here anymore.”
“That’s right!” Kristina said with satisfaction. “Go. We’ll be better off without you.”
“And leave the keys,” Alexey added. “If you’re leaving, then leave for good.”
Zoya silently placed the keys on the small cabinet and walked out. Already on the stairs, she heard Valentina Petrovna say loudly:
“You’ll see, son. She’ll come crawling back. Where else would she go? She’s gotten used to living off your back!”
Two weeks passed. Zoya lived with Marina and slowly recovered from what had happened. Her friend supported her as much as she could, but it was obvious that Zoya needed to make decisions.
“File for divorce,” Marina advised her. “Why drag it out?”
“I will. It’s just… there’s so much to do. Pick up my things, gather documents…”
“And what about the apartment on Tverskaya? Maybe you should move there?”
“It needs repairs. Grandma was ill in her final years, and nothing was changed for a long time. But yes, I’ll have to move in.”
In the third week, Zoya received a call from an unknown number.
“Zoya Mikhailovna? This is Pavel Sergeevich, the building manager at the apartment on Sadovaya where you used to rent. We have a problem with your relatives.”
“What relatives? I moved out.”
“Your husband and his family. They aren’t paying the rent. They say it’s your responsibility. The debt is already a month overdue. The landlady wants to evict them, but they refuse to leave and are threatening to sue.”
Zoya actually laughed.
“That is not my problem. The rental agreement is in both names. Let my husband pay his half.”
“But they say you should pay the full amount because you have an apartment…”
“Tell them all to go to hell!” Zoya exploded. “This is not my problem!”
She hung up. The phone immediately rang again. It was Alexey.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he yelled into the phone. “We’re being evicted because of you!”
“Pay the rent and you won’t be evicted.”
“You should be paying it! You have money!”
“Why exactly should I? We don’t live together. By the way, I’m filing for divorce.”
“What? You wouldn’t dare!”
“Oh, I absolutely would. And you know what? To hell with you, your mommy, and your precious sister!”
“Oh, so that’s how it is? Fine, just wait. I’ll drag you through the courts. I’ll sue you for half that apartment!”
“Try it. The apartment is premarital property, inherited by will. I have all the documents.”
“We’ll see! You’ll regret this!”
Zoya ended the call. Strangely, she felt light inside. The anger she had been holding in for weeks had finally broken free. And it felt like liberation.
A month later, the divorce hearing took place. Alexey arrived with his mother and sister. He looked awful — unshaven, wearing a wrinkled T-shirt. Valentina Petrovna had also lost her flawless appearance. Her hair was messy, and exhaustion showed on her face.
“Your Honor, my wife hid expensive property from me!” Alexey began. “That is deception. I demand compensation!”
The judge carefully reviewed the documents.
“The apartment was inherited by the defendant before the marriage. I see no grounds for division. Moreover, the documents presented show that the plaintiff has not been employed for four months, while the defendant supported the household during that time.”
“That’s not true!” Valentina Petrovna shouted. “My son is an excellent specialist!”
“Madam, do not disrupt the proceedings,” the judge warned her. “According to the certificate from his former employer, Alexey Vladimirovich was dismissed for repeated absenteeism even before the wedding.”
Zoya looked at her now ex-husband in surprise. So that was it. He had hidden the fact that he had lost his job, lived on her money, and still dared to accuse her of deception.
“Furthermore,” the judge continued, “the plaintiff has accumulated rent debts in the amount of 120,000 rubles. The landlord has filed a lawsuit against him.”
“This is all because of her!” Kristina shouted. “She set us up!”
“One more outburst and you will leave the courtroom,” the judge warned.
The divorce was granted. Alexey received no compensation.
As Zoya left the courthouse, she ran into her former mother-in-law.
“You ruined my son’s life,” Valentina Petrovna hissed.
“No. You ruined it yourselves with your greed and shamelessness. Now all of you can get lost.”
Six months later, Zoya happened to meet Marina at a café.
“You won’t believe who I saw!” Marina exclaimed. “Your ex! He works as a food delivery courier now. And his mother works as a cleaner in the same office where he delivers lunches!”
“And Kristina?”
“She moved out to the countryside to live with some aunt. They say Valentina Petrovna sold her one-room apartment to cover her son’s debts. Turns out he had taken out loans too. Now they rent a room somewhere on the outskirts.”
Zoya shook her head. Their greed and desire to take what belonged to someone else had cost them what little they had of their own.
“You know, I don’t even wish them harm,” she said. “I just want them to stay far away from me.”
“You did the right thing by not giving in. Can you imagine if you had transferred the apartment to them?”
“Then they would have thrown me out of it. That was obvious from the beginning. I just didn’t want to believe Alexey was really like that.”
“People show their true faces when money is involved,” Marina said philosophically.
Zoya finished her coffee and smiled. The apartment on Tverskaya had already been renovated. She lived there alone, taught music to children, and felt happy. Most importantly, she was free from toxic people who had seen her only as a source of profit.
Sometimes you have to get angry enough to send everyone to hell before you can finally start living for yourself.
And that was exactly what Zoya did.