Where’s my dinner?” came the hoarse voice from deep inside the apartment as soon as Marina stepped over the threshold.
She froze, still wearing her coat, and sighed heavily. The workday had been especially tough — her boss had overloaded her with reports, the bus had broken down, and she had to walk three stops in the cold autumn rain. And waiting at home was Viktor, who had been out of work for a month after a layoff and had been growing more irritable with each passing day.
“Vitya, I just got off work,” Marina replied tiredly, finally taking off her soaked coat. “Let me at least change and catch my breath.”
“I asked where my dinner is?” Viktor stood up from the couch, where he had been watching TV all day. “I’m hungry as a dog, and here you are with your excuses!”
Marina silently went to the kitchen and turned on the light. The fridge was empty — she hadn’t had time to buy groceries after work. In the sink, a mountain of dirty dishes piled up, which Viktor, as usual, hadn’t bothered to wash.
“Vitya, there’s nothing in the fridge,” she said, returning to the room. “I’ll run to the store…”
“Again?” he interrupted her, jumping up from the couch. “More excuses? I’ve been waiting all day, and you haven’t even bothered to buy food?”
He walked up to her, and Marina could smell the alcohol on him. Viktor had been drinking since lunchtime.
“I’ve been working,” she said quietly, stepping back. “And you could’ve gone to the store yourself, since you’re at home.”
Those words seemed to light a fuse. Viktor grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her.
“Are you giving me orders?” he hissed, spitting. “I said I need dinner! I’m hungry! Now!”
Marina broke free from his grip and backed into the wall.
“Touch me again, and I’ll tell my brother everything! And the last thing you’ll see, darling, will be the trunk of his car!”
Viktor froze. Fear flashed in his eyes. Stanislav, Marina’s brother, had a certain reputation in the city. A few months ago, he had already hinted to Viktor that he was watching how he treated his sister. And those hints had been pretty clear.
“You… You wouldn’t dare,” Viktor mumbled, but his voice no longer had the usual confidence.
“Think so?” Marina asked coldly. “Stas was just asking about us.”
Viktor stepped back, muttering something unintelligible. Marina walked past him into the bedroom, feeling her knees tremble. She knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t tolerate his behavior any longer. A month without work had turned Viktor into some kind of bitter beast, taking out his anger on her.
In the bedroom, she closed the door and pulled out her phone. Her finger hovered over her brother’s number. No, it was too early. But if Viktor tried to hit her again… Marina sighed and put the phone back. She didn’t want to involve her brother in her problems, but she wasn’t going to tolerate abuse either.
From the kitchen came the sound of breaking dishes — Viktor had apparently decided to take out his anger on the plates. Marina closed her eyes. She knew this was just the beginning. And the longer Viktor stayed unemployed, the worse the situation would get.
Friday evening came unexpectedly fast. For Marina, the week had passed in constant tension — every day coming home had become scarier. After that incident, Viktor had kept himself in check, but his eyes, full of hidden malice, spoke for themselves. He was waiting for the moment to get even.
That evening, Marina stayed late at work — finishing her quarterly report. She didn’t even have time to warn Viktor. When she returned home, the apartment greeted her with an unusual silence.
“Maybe he went somewhere?” she thought hopefully, carefully taking off her shoes at the doorstep.
On the kitchen table, there was a note hastily written by Viktor: “Went to Sergey’s. Don’t wait.”
Marina exhaled with relief. An evening without his complaining and demanding looks was a real gift. She quickly took a shower, changed into comfortable clothes, and settled on the couch with her phone. Finally, she could have a peaceful conversation with her friend Lena, who had been trying to reach her for a week.
“Marinka! I thought you disappeared!” Lena chattered happily as soon as she heard Marina’s voice.
“Sorry, been busy with work,” Marina didn’t want to get into the details of her home life. “How are you? How’s everything with Andrei?”
The conversation stretched on. For the first time in a long time, Marina felt relaxed, laughing at her friend’s jokes. She completely lost track of time and didn’t hear the sound of the front door slamming shut.
“…And then I tell him: ‘If you don’t stop your antics, you can forget about…'”
Suddenly, her phone was ripped from her hands. Marina jumped and looked up. Viktor was standing in front of her, flushed, with a wild gleam in his eyes. He reeked of fresh alcohol.
“So this is how it is?” he hissed, squeezing her phone in his hand. “I come home, and you’re here having fun? No dinner, no cleaning, just talking on the phone?”
“Vitya, give me the phone,” Marina said firmly, standing up from the couch. “And don’t yell at me. You wrote that you weren’t coming back.”
“I wrote ‘don’t wait’!” he yelled. “That means ‘don’t sit and wait for me, go do what you’re supposed to’! Where the hell is my dinner?”
“I’m not your servant,” Marina replied, trying to stay calm. “If you’re hungry, I can make something. But don’t you dare yell at me.”
Viktor scoffed, his face twisting into an unpleasant grin.
“Don’t dare?” he asked again. “Don’t dare?! Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?”
He threw Marina’s phone onto the couch and took a step toward her, raising his hand. There was nothing human left in his eyes — only drunken rage.
“I’ll teach you some respect,” he growled.
But this time, Marina didn’t back down. In one swift motion, she grabbed her phone and jumped toward the window.
“Touch me, and Stas will be here in twenty minutes,” she said, already dialing her brother’s number.
“Drop the phone!” Viktor lunged toward her. “I said drop it!”
Marina shook her head and held the phone to her ear. She heard the dial tone, then a familiar voice:
“Marinka? What’s wrong?”
“Stas, come over,” she said, keeping her eyes locked on Viktor. “He’s at it again…”
“On my way,” her brother said shortly before hanging up.
Viktor stopped in the middle of the room. His face turned pale, and his hands dropped. It was as if he sobered up instantly.
“What have you done?” he whispered.
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Marina answered, sitting back down on the couch. “Now sit and wait. Stas will be here soon.”
Viktor helplessly glanced around, as if looking for a way to escape. But he knew — he couldn’t hide from Stas. He would find him anywhere.
All that was left was to wait. Viktor collapsed into the chair, covering his face with his hands. Marina stared out the window, knowing that in a short while, her brother’s headlights would appear. She didn’t feel fear or regret — only exhaustion and the strange sense that the point of no return had already passed.
Twenty minutes of waiting felt like an eternity. Viktor sat in the chair, nervously tapping his fingers on the armrests. Marina stood by the window, watching the empty street. The apartment was silent, except for the ticking of the wall clock.
“Maybe you should call him?” Viktor suddenly said. “Tell him everything’s fine, that we’ve made up…”
Marina didn’t respond. She heard the tremble in his voice, but it didn’t move her to pity or sympathy. Too many times, she had forgiven his actions, too many times she had believed his promises to change.
“Marina, please,” he stood up and took a step toward her. “I won’t do it again. I promise…”
“Sit down,” she said briefly, not looking at him.
At that moment, the sound of a car horn broke the silence. Marina saw a black Toyota with tinted windows pull into the driveway. Viktor jumped to the window and immediately recoiled.
“They… there are three of them,” he whispered.
Marina nodded. She knew her brother wouldn’t come alone. He always brought people with him — for moments like this.
The doorbell rang like a gunshot. Viktor flinched and backed up to the wall. Marina calmly walked to the door and opened it.
Standing on the threshold was Stanislav. Tall, broad-shouldered, in a black leather jacket. Two figures loomed behind him — just as silent and threatening.
“Hello, sis,” Stanislav said, kissing Marina on the cheek. “Where is he?”
“In the living room,” Marina replied, letting her brother inside.
Stanislav entered, and his friends followed. Viktor, seeing them, tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.
“Stas, hey,” he stammered. “I… I didn’t mean to…”
“Shut up,” Stanislav interrupted him. “I didn’t come here to listen to your excuses.”
He walked up to Viktor. Viktor tried to step back, but his back was already pressed against the wall.
“Do you remember what I told you last time?” Stanislav asked in a quiet, but frightening voice. “I said that if you ever raise a hand to my sister, I’ll find you. And here I am.”
“Stas, I was drunk,” Viktor started to defend himself. “I didn’t…”
Stanislav sharply grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
“Drunk?” he asked. “Is that your excuse? You think that changes anything?”
One of Stanislav’s friends stepped closer.
“Stas, maybe we should go outside?” he suggested. “The walls are thin, the neighbors will hear.”
Stanislav nodded and released Viktor.
“Let’s go,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Viktor tried to resist, but two strong guys had already grabbed him by the arms and were leading him toward the door. Marina stood aside, watching what was happening. She knew she should stop her brother, but something inside her wouldn’t let her. Maybe it was because she had been dreaming of this moment — when someone would finally put Viktor in his place.
“Marina!” Viktor screamed as they led him out of the apartment. “Tell them! Tell them I didn’t mean it! Marina!”
The door slammed shut. Marina walked to the window and saw Viktor being shoved into the trunk of the black Toyota. Stanislav spoke to his friends for a moment, then raised his head and caught her gaze. He nodded, as if saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
The car pulled away and left the yard. Marina was left alone in the empty apartment. She knew Viktor would return. But how he would be after that conversation with Stanislav — that was another question.
Marina didn’t know how much time had passed. She sat in the kitchen, aimlessly stirring the now-cold tea. Thoughts swarmed in her mind, but none lingered for long. What should she do next? How to live after this?
The sound of a key turning in the lock made her jump. The door opened, and Stanislav quietly entered the apartment. Alone.
“Where’s Vitya?” Marina asked, getting up to meet her brother.
Stanislav took off his jacket and walked into the kitchen. He looked calm, but Marina knew that expression — it was always like that after “serious conversations.”
“He’ll be here,” Stanislav replied shortly, sitting down at the table. “Give me some water.”
Marina poured her brother a glass of water and sat across from him.
“What did you do to him?”
Stanislav shrugged.
“Nothing he couldn’t handle. We just talked. Man to man.”
Marina knew what “man to man” meant. She didn’t want to imagine the details.
“He won’t raise a hand to you again,” Stanislav continued, sipping the water. “I made sure he knows what will happen if he does.”
“And what will happen?” Marina asked softly.
“You don’t want to know, sis,” Stanislav put the empty glass on the table. “And he doesn’t want to know either.”
There was no anger or threat in his voice — only the calm certainty of someone used to solving problems his way. Marina knew what her brother did for a living, but she never asked for details. It was easier that way for both of them.
“I’m thinking about a divorce,” she suddenly said.
Stanislav looked at his sister intently.
“Are you sure?”
Marina nodded.
“Yes. It can’t be left like this. Today, he didn’t hit me only because I managed to call you. What will happen next time?”
“There won’t be a next time,” Stanislav said firmly. “I guarantee it.”
“You can’t guarantee it, Stas,” Marina replied tiredly. “You won’t be here every day. And he’s getting worse. This job situation has really taken a toll on him.”
Stanislav was silent, thinking over her words. Finally, he nodded.
“It’s up to you. But know this — I’m always on your side.”
At that moment, the front door opened again. On the threshold stood Viktor. His face was pale, a bruise was swelling under his eye, and his lip was split. He stepped into the apartment hesitantly, holding his side.
Stanislav stood up.
“Well, I’ll be going,” he said, heading for the door. “Viktor, don’t forget our conversation.”
Viktor nodded, not lifting his eyes. Stanislav hugged his sister goodbye and left, leaving the couple alone.
Silence fell. Viktor stood by the door, unsure whether to move forward. Marina looked at him — and didn’t recognize him. Where had the self-assured man she once married gone? Before her stood a broken, pitiful man who couldn’t even look her in the eyes.
“Marina, I…” he began, but she raised her hand, stopping the flow of words.
“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t say anything. I’m leaving.”
“Where?” Viktor asked, bewildered.
“To mom’s. For a couple of days. I need to think.”
She went to the bedroom and started packing her things. Viktor followed her like a shadow, but kept his distance.
“It’s all because of him, isn’t it?” he suddenly asked. “Your brother turned you against me?”
Marina turned to him, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and disdain.
“You still don’t get it,” she shook her head. “It’s not about Stas. It’s about you. About what you did. About what you’ve been doing to me.”
“I’ll change,” Viktor whispered. “I swear I will…”
“Yes, you’ll change, but what direction you’re going in is unclear. And I don’t want to find out the hard way.”
She left the bedroom, leaving Viktor standing in shock. A minute later, the front door slammed shut.
Viktor slowly sank onto the bed, feeling the pain from the beatings mix with the pain of realizing that he had probably lost his wife forever. And what was worse — he knew he deserved it…”