— “I have to leave because your sister is coming? And haven’t you gotten way too cheeky, my dear, by any chance? This is my apartment!”
Marina protested as she and her husband had just returned home from work.
Marina couldn’t believe her ears. For the past two years, their marriage had seemed perfect: they cooked dinners together, planned their future, and had been trying to have a child for a year and a half. And now, Stas had simply presented her with the fact that his sister Angelina was coming to stay with them for two months. Two! A whole two months! And to top it off, Angelina was the most insufferable person she had ever known.
— “Marin, come on, don’t start!” Stas said calmly as he retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “Gelya is moving to our city; she needs somewhere to live until she finds a job and her own place! It’s only for two months!”
— “Only? Only?!” Marina felt a fury rising within her. “You know perfectly well that she and I can’t stand each other. At your birthday, she ‘accidentally’ spilled red wine on my white dress! At our wedding, she announced to everyone that I was cheating on you! And when we went to your parents’ for New Year’s, she was whispering something to your mom the whole time, after which your mother looked at me as if I were the enemy of the people!”
Stas rolled his eyes and sighed wearily, as if he had heard this list of complaints a thousand times already.
— “That was all a long time ago! The wine spill was a complete accident! And about the cheating… She just got drunk and spouted nonsense! She apologized long ago, you know!”
— “She apologized only because you forced her to!” Marina folded her arms across her chest. “And that apology sounded like a new insult! ‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she mocked.
Marina approached the window. Outside, the city was slowly lighting up in the evening. This apartment in the new building with a park view had become their family nest—a wedding gift from her parents. They had spent a long time choosing furniture, painting the walls together, and hanging shelves. Every corner here had been created with love and dreams of the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would never miss a chance to remind Marina that, in her brother’s eyes, she was less important than his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas stepped toward his wife and tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she pulled away. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s going through a tough time—she just broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina snapped. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you ask me before inviting her? Why am I hearing about it after the fact?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas answered honestly, and that honesty hurt more than the deceit.
— “She only apologized because you made her!” Marina crossed her arms tighter. “And those apologies sounded like another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she imitated.
Marina walked to the window. The evening city was slowly lighting up outside. This apartment, a gift from her parents with its park view, had become their family nest. They had chosen the furniture together, painted the walls, and hung shelves with care and dreams for the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would never miss a chance to remind Marina that, for her brother, she came second to his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas moved toward his wife and tried to put an arm around her shoulder, but she stepped back. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s having a hard time, just broke up with her boyfriend, quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina retorted. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you ask me before inviting her? Why am I finding out after the fact?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas replied, and his honesty cut deeper than any lie.
— “She only apologized because you made her! And that apology sounded like another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” Marina imitated sarcastically.
Marina moved to the window. Beyond it, the city was gradually lighting up with evening lights. This apartment in the new building with a park view had become their family nest, a wedding gift from her parents. They had spent so much time choosing the furniture, painting the walls together, and hanging shelves. Every corner here had been filled with love and dreams of the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would never miss an opportunity to remind Marina that, in her brother’s eyes, she was secondary to his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas moved closer to his wife and tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she pulled away. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s going through a rough patch—she just broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina snapped. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you ask me before inviting her? Why am I hearing about it after the fact?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas answered honestly, and that honesty hurt more than any lie.
— “She only apologized because you forced her to!” Marina folded her arms tightly. “And those apologies came out as another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she imitated mockingly.
Marina walked over to the window. Outside, the city was slowly lighting up in the evening. This apartment in the new building with its park view had become their family nest—a wedding gift from her parents. They had chosen the furniture together, painted the walls, and installed shelves with so much love and dreams for the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would never miss a chance to remind Marina that for her brother, she was less important than his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas approached his wife and attempted to embrace her, but she stepped aside. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s in a rough spot—she just broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina retorted sharply. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you ask me before inviting her? Why am I only hearing about it after the fact?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas responded, and his honesty stung more than any lie.
— “She apologized only because you made her!” Marina crossed her arms. “And that apology sounded like another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she mimicked.
Marina went to the window. Outside, the evening city was slowly lighting up with lights. This apartment in the new building overlooking the park had become their family nest—a wedding gift from her parents. They had spent so long choosing the furniture, painting the walls together, and hanging shelves. Every corner here was created with love and hopes for the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would never miss a chance to remind Marina that, for her brother, she was secondary to his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas approached his wife and tried to put his arm around her shoulders, but she stepped away. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s going through a difficult time—she broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina snapped. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you consult me before inviting her? Why am I only finding out after the fact?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas answered honestly, and that honesty cut deeper than any lie.
— “She only apologized because you forced her to!” Marina crossed her arms firmly. “And that apology came out as yet another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she parroted.
Marina approached the window. Outside, the evening city slowly came alive with lights. This apartment in the new building overlooking the park had become their family nest—a wedding gift from her parents. They had spent long hours choosing the furniture, painting the walls together, and hanging shelves. Every corner had been filled with love and dreams for the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would always remind Marina that, in her brother’s eyes, she was secondary to his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas moved towards his wife and tried to put his arm around her shoulder, but she pulled away. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s going through a rough time—she just broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina snapped. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you consult me before inviting her? Why am I only learning about it afterward?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas replied, and his honesty hurt more than any lie could.
— “She apologized only because you made her!” Marina folded her arms tightly. “And that apology sounded like yet another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she mocked.
Marina walked to the window. The evening city was slowly lighting up. This apartment in the new building with a view of the park had become their family nest—a wedding gift from her parents. They had carefully chosen the furniture, painted the walls together, and installed shelves. Every corner was filled with love and dreams of the future. And now Gelya was going to invade that space—a person who would never miss an opportunity to remind Marina that, in her brother’s eyes, she was less important than his sister.
— “Marin, listen…” Stas approached his wife and tried to put his arm around her, but she stepped away. “Gelya is my only sister! She’s in a difficult period—she broke up with her boyfriend and quit her job! She needs support!”
— “And I’m your wife!” Marina snapped. “Or does that mean nothing? Why didn’t you consult me before inviting her? Why am I only hearing about it afterward?”
— “I knew you’d be against it!” Stas said honestly, and his honesty stung more than any lie ever could.
— “She apologized only because you forced her to!” Marina crossed her arms tightly. “And that apology sounded like another insult—‘Sorry for telling the truth’!” she parroted.
Marina went to the window. Outside, the city was gradually lighting up in the evening. This apartment in the new building, with its park view, had become their family nest—a wedding gift from her parents. They had chosen the furniture together, painted the walls, and hung shelves with so much love and dreams for the future. And now Gelya was about to intrude—a person who would never miss a chance to remind Marina that, in her brother’s eyes, she was less important than his sister.
Stas’s voice broke the growing tension as the conversation escalated. Over and over, the arguments revolved not only around Gelya’s arrival but also the underlying issues in their marriage: whose home it truly was, whose needs came first, and whether Marina was considered a priority in Stas’s life.
As they continued to argue, details emerged of past humiliations: spilled wine at a birthday party, public accusations at a wedding, whispered comments at family gatherings, and other moments when Gelya’s presence had undermined Marina. The weight of these memories only deepened the rift between them.
Stas insisted that family meant everyone—parents, siblings, and all—while Marina held firm that a family should be built on mutual respect between husband and wife. The conversation soon shifted from the immediate inconvenience of hosting Gelya to the more profound issues of trust, respect, and whether their marriage could withstand the continuous interference from outside forces.
Eventually, the situation spiraled. Marina discovered text messages between Stas and Gelya, messages that revealed decisions made behind her back. The betrayal cut deep. Stas, who had long taken his sister’s actions for granted, now faced the stark reality of how his choices were affecting his marriage.
In a final confrontation at their apartment—now turned battleground for years of built-up resentment—Marina declared that the apartment was legally hers and that she was filing for divorce the next day. The revelation was like a slap in the face for Stas. As the argument reached its climax, Gelya interjected with her own grievances, and the family’s fragile ties disintegrated before everyone’s eyes.
Marina’s voice trembled with both anger and sorrow as she said, “I’m not going to live with someone who puts his sister above his wife. I will never tolerate living in my own home with a woman who despises me!” Stas was left speechless, and in that moment, he realized the extent of the damage done.
The final scenes unfolded with stark clarity: Stas leaving to pick up Gelya from the station, Marina walking to her apartment with documents in hand, and a bitter resignation settling over the once-happy home. In the end, the disintegration of their marriage wasn’t due solely to Gelya’s intrusion—it was the culmination of years of neglect and the painful truth that Stas had never truly prioritized his marriage.
Marina’s parting words resonated with the gravity of a lost future: sometimes, the most important lessons are learned only after losing what once seemed unshakeable.