This apartment doesn’t belong to you! Sooner or later, it will belong to my little girl!” the stepmother said, poking Natalya in the chest. “I will do everything to make it happen as soon as possible. You can be sure of that.”
Natalya was beaming with happiness. She had finally married the man she loved. She and Denis had been together since their eleventh grade, studied at the same university, and as soon as they graduated and found good jobs, he proposed. Natasha didn’t even hesitate to say “yes.” She had been eagerly waiting for this moment.
Even though everything was going well, and nothing seemed amiss, she couldn’t shake off a sense of unease. The words from a nightmare that had woken her up kept echoing in her ears. In it, the stepmother demanded that the apartment be vacated. Natalya had never gotten along with Tatyana Arkadyevna. The woman entered their lives when Natalya was twelve. Her father mourned his deceased wife for five years with the help of his mother and mother-in-law, raising his daughter, and then decided it was time to live for himself. Tatyana Arkadyevna also had a daughter, five years younger than Natalya. Lida turned out to be quite the capricious princess. Everything was wrong for her, and her father went out of his skin just to please his stepdaughter. He started doing more for the girl than for his own daughter, justifying it by saying that Lida was younger and needed more gifts and attention. As they grew older and Lida finished school, she moved into an apartment her father’s mother had gifted her. Somehow, it was registered in Sergey Olegovich’s name, Natalya didn’t understand why all these paper hurdles were necessary, but she was glad not to have to endure sideways glances or listen to her stepmother’s rebukes. Now she could live for herself. And it seemed that everything had settled down, and Tatyana Arkadyevna had become kinder to her stepdaughter. Even now, she was celebrating at the wedding for both of them, saying how glad she was that Natasha had found her happiness. Whether these words came from the heart remained a big question.
Soon the entertainment program ended. The tired husband and wife really wanted to be alone and enjoy their union.
“Where are you planning to go?” asked her father, approaching Natalya as her husband walked away.
“Home, of course. To the apartment. We have a plane in two days. You promised to drive us to the airport, remember?” Natalya asked with a smile.
“I remember. I’ll take you. It’s no problem. But you don’t need to go to the apartment. You’re married now, right? Go to your husband’s parents. You’re more a part of their family now. And I’ve already promised your apartment to our relatives.”
Natalya stared at her father, wondering if he was joking. Her things were there. All the appliances she bought, electronics. Her clothes and jewelry, after all. She didn’t want anyone rummaging through them.
“What relatives? You’re not serious right now, are you? Daddy, I’m so tired… The emcee made enough jokes today, so let’s not have any more, okay?” Natalya kept smiling. Denis approached and took his wife by the hand, inquiring what they were discussing.
“I entrust my daughter to you, Denis. You must understand that you bear all responsibility for her. So take her and protect her. Go to your parents or somewhere else, but don’t count on our apartment. Someone else will live there.”
Natalya couldn’t believe her ears. Denis cleared his throat, looking at his father-in-law as if he were a complete stranger.
“You can’t be serious? Actually, I prepared a surprise for Natasha, which was supposed to be ready by our return to the apartment.”
“Seriously. I don’t know what surprise you’ve prepared, but you should have understood. Since ancient times, a wife went to her husband’s family. And it’s not worth changing traditions.”
Natalya couldn’t even move, shocked by her father’s behavior. She didn’t expect such a terrible wedding surprise; now she blinked and thought she was back in her nightmare.
“Alright. I understand. Give us at least a day to gather our things and rest after the wedding. It’s not nice to kick the newlyweds out of the apartment on their wedding day,” Denis tried to remain composed and speak politely.
Tatyana Arkadyevna joined the conversation, stating that they didn’t have time to wait, and their things would be packed, then they’d call to tell them to pick them up.
“No. That’s not going to work,” Denis protested. “What right do you have to act like this? Have you forgotten that your mother gave the apartment to Natasha?”
“But my daughter didn’t hurry to re-register it in her name,” Sergey Olegovich snorted. “So the apartment wasn’t that necessary after all.”
“And which relatives did you promise it to? Just don’t tell me it’s Lida,” Natalya’s voice rang with hurt.
“If he can’t tell you, I will. The documents have already been re-registered, now the apartment belongs to my daughter. She received the papers today, doesn’t want to wait, and plans to move in late this evening. Sergey, since we celebrated at the wedding, shall we go home? We need to help Lidochka pack her things.”
Her father looked guilty at his daughter. It was clear that Tatyana Arkadyevna held him under a firm heel, and he was completely comfortable with it, not even trying to do anything. They left, and Natalya quietly sobbed. Denis hugged his wife. Sensing something was wrong, Anna Evgenyevna and Alexey Viktorovich, the man’s parents, approached the newlyweds.
“What happened?” asked the mother-in-law, piercingly looking at Natalya. “Why are the young wife’s eyes full of tears? Surely not because of my son?”
Natalya struggled to speak because of the lump in her throat, so Denis explained everything for his wife. His parents just exchanged glances, and the next second Anna Evgenyevna said:
“I understand that everyone is tired, wants to rest and be alone, but no one expected such a blow. Could have at least waited a day. However… I suggest we give a warm welcome to the new owner of the apartment. I’ll call my acquaintances with a van and arrange for the removal of the things. Let’s hurry to pack the suitcases. As far as I remember, almost everything in the apartment was bought by Natalya, replacing old furniture? And we gave some things! It’s not right to leave this. Let the new owner set it up herself. And we did the renovation, right?”
Alexey Viktorovich smiled and gently patted Natalya on the shoulder.
“Your father was right: you are our family, and we stand by our own. So let’s go and have some fun for the last time, so they remember this wedding surprise too.”
Although Natalya was sad, she chided herself for trusting her father and not even thinking about re-registering the apartment, but she smiled. After all, her grandmother had told her to do it. Grandma died two years ago after a prolonged illness, and her father delivered an unforgivable blow. Natalya understood that after this, she wouldn’t even be able to just talk to him. She imagined Lida’s self-satisfied look. She must be delighted that her father had kicked out his own daughter and given everything to her. Her heart ached with resentment. What would her mother have said? She would be disappointed. Her father used to be different, but he got involved with Tatyana Arkadyevna and turned into her stuffed toy. No, not even that – a marionette, performing the puppeteer’s orders. Natalya had even tried to talk to him several times and explain what his behavior looked like from the outside, but her father didn’t even want to listen, brushing her off, claiming she was exaggerating and just couldn’t stand her stepmother and sister.
Sitting in her father-in-law’s car, Natalya remembered how she had gotten into university. She was happy then that she had passed the entrance exams. Her father asked what she wanted as a gift, and Natalya asked for a laptop, something inexpensive, as it would be a good aid in her studies. Sergey Olegovich promised to think about it, as he would soon receive a good bonus. Lida then only looked at Natalya with disdain and smirked, and two weeks later she invited her to her room.
“Look, sister, what dad gave me! A gaming laptop. Now I can play to my heart’s content at maximum settings!”
Natalya was happy, thinking her father had also bought her a laptop for studying. She hadn’t even dreamed of such a powerful one; it was more important to her that the battery lasted longer and that it could open the simplest text editor. However, her father then hung his head.
“Sorry, Natasha. It didn’t work out this time. Lida urgently needed a gaming laptop. I even had to take out a little credit. You understand, she’s at an age where school kids boast about gadgets to each other. They teased her for not having a proper laptop. In general, I didn’t have enough funds to buy you a gift. But it’s nothing. You know, in our student years there wasn’t any of this technology around. And what? We managed just fine! Reports are perfectly handwritten, as is everything else, and to find necessary information on the internet… we didn’t even think about it, didn’t imagine such a beast would appear. There are books in the library where it’s not difficult to find what you need.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. Natalya went to her room, trying not to show her hurt. Then she packed her things to move to the apartment her grandmother had gifted her. The stepmother laughed and said that the girl would soon return because she was used to being served, and everything was ready for her. How she was served remained a mystery to Natalya, as she did most of the household duties, and she often cooked herself.
At first, Natalya was helped by her grandmothers and Denis’s parents. They supported the girl as much as they could, gave her a good comfortable bed, brought groceries. Natalya received an increased scholarship at the university, and on weekends she worked part-time, so she had enough money to live on. Natalya didn’t ask her father for help, knowing that he would definitely find a reason why he couldn’t give his daughter a penny. Their communication was reduced to a minimum, and this suited everyone. After graduating from university, Natalya immediately found a good job. Then her father first asked his daughter for some money because there was a little shortage for Lida’s education payment. Natalya helped, though she didn’t do it with a clear heart. She felt as if she was obligated. And now she received a wedding gift she never expected. Her father had completely abandoned his own daughter, choosing his stepdaughter instead. Although it was hard to realize this, Natalya now only wished for one thing – to achieve justice. And she could do that by emptying the apartment and taking everything that belonged to her.
Arriving at the apartment, looking at the rose petals that littered the floor in the hallway and room, Natalya barely held back tears. While Anna Evgenyevna and Alexey Viktorovich with Denis went to gather things, Natalya took off her wedding dress. This was not how she imagined the continuation of a magnificent day, but it was nothing… There would be a celebration on her street too. Somehow she was sure that Lida’s whims would eventually annoy not only her father but also Tatyana Arkadyevna, as her appetites were sure to grow, and the apartment in the old house wouldn’t please her much, she would want something bigger. Were they ready to go into debt for this? Changing clothes, Natalya joined the general merriment. That’s what Anna Evgenyevna called their evening today.
“At least it’s original! There will be something to remember and tell the children,” the woman chuckled, doing her best to cheer up Natalya.
The girl was glad to have such a wonderful mother-in-law. Anna Evgenyevna seemed like the perfect mother. She always tried to find the positive side in everything, said that you can’t give up and have to fight for your happiness. And happiness can be found in any little thing. That’s how Natalya aspired to live. The suitcases were packed quickly. Natalya didn’t have many things, and Denis hadn’t moved much to her yet. All the appliances were well packed. Anna Evgenyevna’s acquaintances came quickly, loaded all the things into the van, and drove them to her husband’s parents’ house. As the father-in-law said – it’s temporary, and they will definitely come up with something for the young couple to live separately. Since Anna Evgenyevna trusted her acquaintances, they didn’t follow them, knowing they would unload the van, place things under the awning, and not take anything extra.
“Now let’s refresh the renovation we tried to do? We need to hurry before the owner arrives,” Anna Evgenyevna suggested. Her husband supported her initiative, and they started tearing down the wallpapers.
“Why are you sad? Do you think we’re doing something wrong?” Denis asked, approaching his wife.
“I don’t know. I can’t make sense of what’s happening, and this apartment holds so many childhood memories… it’s a shame to leave it to Lida now. But nothing… I’ll cope.”
“Of course, you’ll cope because all the main memories are stored in our hearts, and I’ll be with you to support you. Don’t worry. I understand that we’ve danced our hearts out today and are tired, but let’s finish preparing for the arrival of your sister. I’d love to wait for their arrival and look them in the eye. What do you think, will they show up soon?”
Natalya just shrugged her shoulders.
Laughing and throwing scraps of paper they tore off the walls at each other, Anna Evgenyevna and Alexey Viktorovich reminded Natalya of teenagers. Just as she and Denis fooled around… just as her parents once behaved.
Hearing the door open, Anna Evgenyevna wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at her husband, signaling to be ready for any scandal.
Lida entered the apartment with a wide smile on her lips. She was discussing what and where she wanted to place things, and she was also boasting that Natalya had just bought a coffee machine, and it was just perfect for her. For a few seconds, the girl was shocked at the sight of the “crazy family,” as they appeared in her eyes, and then she squealed, turning towards her mother and stepfather.
“I’m asking you, what is this?” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Who allowed them to boss around here? This is not an apartment now, but some kind of barn! I’m calling the police now because I’ve been robbed.”
“We only took our own,” Natalya shrugged. “I have all the receipts and proof of purchase for the furniture, appliances, and even wallpapers. And you?”
“You’re adults!” Tatyana Arkadyevna wailed, looking at Anna Evgenyevna and Alexey Viktorovich. “What were you looking at! And you not only looked but actively participated in this disgrace! What kind of people are you? Acted like real barbarians.”
“As Natalya already said – we didn’t take anything extra from here. And you should think about the example you’re setting for others. What goes around, comes around. Haven’t you ever heard such a simple rule? You showed an example, and we decided to follow your path. Happy housewarming, Lydia. May this night be unforgettable for you,” Anna Evgenyevna responded, smiling at the flushed girl, ready to tear and throw. It seemed that Lydia would burst from her own anger, so menacingly she looked at that moment.
“Natalya is now our family, and we don’t abandon our own and don’t let them be insulted, so if you decide to start something with any of ours, expect a response,” said Alexey Viktorovich, passing by his daughter-in-law’s father.
Stepping outside, Natalya felt that there was nothing left of the pain in her heart. She felt as if she had freed herself from a heavy burden and was now ready to move on.
“And now, young ones, go to the room I booked for the newlyweds while I briefly left and helped to lower the things into the van,” Alexey Viktorovich said with a smile on his lips. “Tomorrow to us, and then on a journey. During this time, we will definitely come up with something.”
Alexey Viktorovich did as he said. He and his wife bought a plot next to their house from their savings, took out a little loan, and started building a house for the young family.