Your mother-in-law brought this upon herself, that’s why she got what she deserved! And if you’re so worried about her, buy her some new teeth! I’ll knock them out later.

Nikit, did you forget that we’re starting the renovation in the nursery tonight?” Marina asked, pouring her husband a morning cup of coffee.

“I remember, of course. I promised,” Nikita replied, hurriedly buttoning his shirt. “I bought all the materials yesterday, just as we agreed.”

Marina smiled, looking at her husband. They had been married for five years now, and during this time, she had learned to appreciate his reliability and responsibility. Nikita always kept his word, no matter what happened.

“Great, then I’ll prepare the room for our return,” Marina said, handing Nikita his briefcase.

After seeing her husband off to work, Marina started on her household chores. She cleaned the apartment, washed the laundry, and started preparing lunch. Her mind was preoccupied with the upcoming renovation. She and Nikita had long dreamed of having children, and now, finally, their son had been born. It was time to create a cozy room for the baby.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Marina looked at the clock in surprise—it was only two o’clock in the afternoon. Who could be visiting at this time? She opened the door and saw her mother-in-law, Zinaida Petrovna.

“Hello, Marina,” Zinaida Petrovna said, walking into the apartment without an invitation. “I was passing by, so I thought I’d stop by and see how you’re living.”

Marina tensed. Her relationship with her mother-in-law had never been good. Zinaida Petrovna constantly criticized her, considering her unworthy of her son.

“Hello, Zinaida Petrovna,” Marina replied, trying to stay calm. “Come on into the kitchen, I was just about to have some tea.”

Her mother-in-law walked into the kitchen, carefully eyeing every corner of the apartment. Marina knew that after this visit, there would be another round of comments about her inability to manage the household.

“It’s a bit dirty in here,” Zinaida Petrovna couldn’t help but say, running her finger along the shelf. “And the wallpaper in the hallway should be changed already. You’re not taking care of the house at all?”

Marina sighed deeply, trying not to be provoked. She silently placed the kettle on and took out the cups.

“We’re actually planning to renovate the nursery,” she said, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction.

“Renovation?” Zinaida Petrovna asked. “And do you have money for that? Nikita works so much to support you. Maybe you should save that money?”

Marina felt irritation rising inside her. She opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, the baby started crying.

“Excuse me, I need to go to the baby,” she said, stepping out of the kitchen.

When Marina returned with the baby in her arms, Zinaida Petrovna was already rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.

“You’re still breastfeeding?” she asked, seeing her daughter-in-law. “It’s time to switch to formula.”

“Zinaida Petrovna,” Marina interrupted her, feeling her patience wearing thin. “We’ve decided with the pediatrician that breastfeeding is still the best option for the baby.”

“Oh, what do these doctors know,” her mother-in-law dismissed her. “When I had my children…”

Marina stopped listening. She looked at her mother-in-law and thought about how much her life had changed since this woman came into it. Every visit from Zinaida Petrovna turned into a nerve-wracking test.

“You know,” her mother-in-law suddenly said, “I was thinking, maybe I should move in with you? I could help with the baby, with the house. I see you’re not managing very well.”

These words were the last straw. Marina felt something snap inside her.

“Zinaida Petrovna,” she began, trying to stay calm, “I appreciate your concern, but Nikita and I are doing just fine on our own. You really don’t need to move in with us.”

Her mother-in-law’s face twisted with anger.

“So, this is how you speak to me!” she exclaimed. “I only want to help you, and you’re being ungrateful!”

Marina knew that a new argument was about to erupt. She held the baby closer to her, preparing for another round of conflict with her mother-in-law.

Zinaida Petrovna, her face flushed with anger, continued her tirade:

“You’ve gotten so arrogant, Marina! I come to you with goodwill, and you throw me out? Who do you think you are? You’ve hooked my son, turned him around, and now you’re giving me orders!”

Marina, still holding the baby, tried to stay composed:

“Zinaida Petrovna, let’s not fight. I’m not throwing you out, I’m just saying that we’re managing on our own.”

But her mother-in-law was no longer listening. She was pacing the kitchen, grabbing one thing after another:

“Look! The frying pan is all scratched! You can’t even cook properly! And these towels? They should have been washed ages ago!”

Marina felt anger boiling inside her. She gently laid the baby in the crib and turned to face her mother-in-law:

“Enough! This is our house, and we decide how we live. You have no right to act this way!”

Zinaida Petrovna paused for a second, then burst out laughing:

“You little bitch! How dare you tell me what to do? I’m older than you, I’m your husband’s mother! You should respect me!”

“Respect has to be earned,” Marina replied firmly. “All you do is criticize and invade our life.”

Her mother-in-law turned crimson with rage:

“I’m just trying to help you! You ungrateful snake! I’ll tell Nikita how you treat me!”

Marina felt her hands tremble:

“Go ahead, tell him. Just don’t forget to mention how you barge into our house uninvited and start arguments.”

Zinaida Petrovna suddenly stepped towards Marina:

“Don’t teach me! I’m older and wiser than you!”

She swung her hand, as if about to hit her daughter-in-law. Marina instinctively recoiled, but tripped over a chair and began to fall. At the last moment, she grabbed her mother-in-law’s arm to steady herself.

Zinaida Petrovna, not expecting this, lost her balance and fell along with Marina. They both landed on the floor, breathing heavily and glaring at each other with hatred.

“You… You pushed me!” her mother-in-law hissed, holding her bruised elbow.

“I didn’t want to,” Marina replied, getting up. “You attacked me first.”

Zinaida Petrovna struggled to get up, using the table for support. And, taking advantage of the fact that her daughter-in-law was distracted, she rushed at her again, fists flying. Marina tried to hold her off, but her mother-in-law kept yelling and attempting to hit her. Marina pushed her away, thinking it would help, but her mother-in-law didn’t relent. She lunged at Marina again. But this time, the young woman stopped holding back. She punched her mother-in-law in the face with a forceful blow from her knuckles. This momentarily knocked Zinaida Petrovna off balance. But after that, the older woman spat out two teeth…

“You’ll pay for this! I’ll tell everyone what you’re really like! My son… He’ll…”

Marina felt a lump in her throat:

“Get out. Get out of my house, right now.”

“Your house?” Zinaida Petrovna sneered. “Don’t get too comfortable, you won’t be the mistress here for long. You’ll see, Nikita will find out the truth and throw you out!”

She headed for the door but turned around:

“And don’t think this is the end. I’ll be back, and you’ll regret your behavior!”

The front door slammed shut. Marina slowly sank into a chair, feeling tears run down her cheeks. She didn’t know what to do now or how to explain everything to Nikita. Her mother-in-law’s words, her threats and insults, echoed in her mind.

Suddenly, the baby cried, and Marina flinched. She hurried to the crib, picked up the baby, and hugged him:

“It’s okay, little one. Mommy’s here, Mommy will protect you.”

She looked at her son and realized that she was ready to endure any trial for him. Even if it meant battling with her own mother-in-law.

In the evening, Nikita returned home later than usual. Marina had spent the day on edge, waiting for him to return and not knowing what to say about what had happened. She heard the click of the front door lock and went out into the hallway.

“Hi,” Nikita said, taking off his shoes. His voice sounded tense.

“Hi,” Marina replied. “How was your day?”

Nikita silently walked into the kitchen, and Marina followed him. He sat down at the table and looked at his wife with a heavy gaze:

“My mom called. She said you hit her.”

Marina felt the ground slip out from under her. She had expected something like this, but the reality was even worse.

“Let’s assume that’s true…” she exhaled. “Nikita, she herself…”

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Then why does she have a bruise on her face and a bruised elbow? And you knocked out two of her teeth!”

Marina took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts:

“Listen, it wasn’t like that at all. Your mom came over uninvited, started insulting and criticizing me…”

“And you decided to hit her?” Nikita interrupted.

“No!” Marina exclaimed. “She attacked me first! I was just defending myself!”

Nikita shook his head:

“My mom would never do that. You don’t know her well.”

Marina felt her anger rise:

“I don’t know her well? She’s hated me from the beginning! She constantly invades our life, tells us what to do!”

“She just wants to help,” Nikita said tiredly.

“Help?” Marina couldn’t believe her ears. “You call that help? She insults me, interferes in our life, and now she even attacks me! And you call that help?”

Nikita was silent, not looking at his wife. Marina felt a chasm growing between them.

“Nikita,” she finally said. “If you can’t stand by me, maybe you should go live with your mom.”

Nikita looked at her, surprised:

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said,” Marina answered firmly. “I’m not going to live with someone who doesn’t believe me and supports the one who’s trying to tear our family apart.”

“Are you serious?” Nikita asked.

Marina looked him in the eyes:

“Absolutely. You choose, Nikita. Either me and our child, or your mother.”

A heavy silence fell in the room. Nikita stared at his wife, as if seeing her for the first time. Marina felt her heart racing, but she wasn’t going to back down.

Nikita stood motionless, as if frozen. His gaze darted between Marina and the door, as if searching for a way out of the trap. Finally, he sighed deeply and said quietly:

“I can’t just give up on my mom, Marina. She raised me, took care of me my whole life.”

Marina felt something snap inside her. She looked at her husband, the man she thought she knew so well, and suddenly realized that she was facing a stranger.

“And what about me?” she asked, her voice trembling. “What about our son? Don’t we matter to you?”

Nikita ran his hand over his face, as if trying to wipe away the fatigue:

“Of course, you matter. But my mom does too. Why should I have to choose?”

“Because she’s leaving us no choice!” Marina exclaimed. “She’s interfering in our life, insulting me, trying to turn you against me. She attacked me in our house, where our son sleeps! How can we go on living like this?”

Nikita was silent, his head lowered. Marina felt a wave of despair wash over her. She walked up to her husband and took his hands:

“Nikita, look at me. I love you. We’ve created a family, we have a child. Are you really ready to destroy all of this because of your mom’s whims?”

He looked up at her, and Marina saw pain and confusion in his eyes:

“I don’t know what to do, Marina. I don’t want to lose either you or my mom.”

“Sometimes you have to make a choice,” she said softly. “For the future, for our son.”

At that moment, the baby’s cries were heard from the nursery. Marina and Nikita both turned toward the sound.

“I’ll go,” Nikita said and walked toward the nursery.

Marina stayed in the kitchen, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. She heard her husband talking quietly to their son, calming him. A few minutes later, the crying stopped, and Nikita returned to the kitchen.

He looked thoughtful and somehow determined. Marina held her breath, waiting for him to speak.

“You know,” Nikita began, “when I was holding our son, I suddenly realized something important.”

He walked up to Marina and took her hands:

“You’re right. We are a family. You, me, and our baby. And that’s the most important thing.”

Marina felt a lump form in her throat:

“You really think so?”

Nikita nodded:

“Yes. I love my mom, but she needs to understand that I have my own family now. And if she can’t accept that, then…” he paused for a second, “then we’ll have to limit our communication with her.”

Marina couldn’t believe her ears. She hugged her husband, feeling tears of relief streaming down her cheeks:

“Thank you, Nikita. I was so afraid I’d lose you.”

He hugged her tightly:

“I’m sorry. I should have stood by your side from the start. I promise this won’t happen again.”

They stood there, embracing, and Marina felt the tension of the last few days dissolve. Ahead of them was a difficult conversation with Zinaida Petrovna, but now she knew they would face it together.

“What are we going to do now?” Marina asked, pulling away.

Nikita sighed:

“I’ll talk to my mom. I’ll explain to her that she can’t behave this way. If she doesn’t change, we’ll have to limit our communication with her.”

Marina nodded:

“I’ll support you, whatever you decide.”

Nikita smiled:

“You know, we still haven’t started the renovation in the nursery.”

Marina laughed, feeling the tension lift:

“You’re right. Maybe we should start now?”

“Great idea,” Nikita agreed. “Let’s create the best room for our son.”

They walked together to the nursery, hand in hand. Marina felt that this crisis had made their relationship stronger. They had gone through a test and come out victorious.

Ahead of them were many challenges, but now Marina knew that together, they could handle anything. The most important thing was to love each other and always be on the same side…

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