Diana put the last plate into the dish rack and turned off the water. The kitchen in their two-room apartment was small but cozy. Viktor was sitting on the couch in the living room, scrolling through the news on his phone.
— Vitya, did Inna call? — Diana asked, wiping her hands on a towel.
— Yes, she’ll drop by tomorrow afternoon, — her husband replied without looking up from the screen.
Diana walked into the living room and sat down beside him. Her stomach tightened at the thought of another visit from her sister-in-law. Inna never came just for company — she always found a reason to show off her superiority.
— Maybe we should go to a café? — Viktor suggested, putting his phone aside. — It’s been a while.
— With what money? — Diana gave a bitter smile. — We’ve got another week till payday, and only three thousand left in the wallet.
Viktor nodded silently. Conversations about money had long been a sore subject in their home. Thirty-five thousand for the mortgage swallowed half of their income, and the rest went to groceries and utilities.
The next day, Inna arrived at half past two. She swept into the apartment like a hurricane, flaunting her new designer handbag.
— Hello, my dears! — she sang, kissing Viktor on the cheek. — Diana, how are you? Still working at the school?
— Yes, same place, — Diana answered calmly, taking her coat.
— Why are you still slaving away at that school for pennies? — Inna walked into the living room and tossed her bag carelessly onto a chair. — Vitya’s doing so well, and you’re dragging him down with your teacher’s salary.
Diana froze in the hallway. Always the same. Always those little jabs wrapped in fake concern. Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she kept silent.
— Di, will you make us some coffee? — Viktor cut in quickly.
Diana escaped to the kitchen, overhearing her sister-in-law’s voice.
— Oh, I’ve got news! — Inna pulled out her phone and started flipping through photos. — Andrey bought us a new car. Can you believe it? And this weekend we’re flying to Turkey, five-star hotel.
Diana returned with a tray, her hands trembling slightly as she placed the cups on the table. Inna was gleefully talking about her three-room apartment downtown, the renovation worth a million and a half, the new designer clothes.
— And when was the last time you two had a vacation? — she asked, pausing in her monologue.
— Last year, we went to my parents’ dacha, — Diana said softly.
— That’s not a vacation, that’s working in the garden, — Inna snorted. — Vitya, you do realize a wife should be her husband’s pride, not a burden?
Diana set the cup down harder than intended. Viktor glanced at her uneasily but stayed quiet. The tension in the room grew thicker by the minute.
— Inna, enough, — he finally snapped. — Diana is a wonderful teacher. Her students love her, the parents are grateful.
— And what good is that respect if there’s no money? — Inna waved her hand. — Look at how others live, and draw your conclusions.
Diana quietly gathered the cups onto the tray. Every word from her sister-in-law fell like a stone on her heart. She knew this couldn’t go on.
Inna’s visits continued, each time bringing new ways to highlight their differences. Months blurred together — work, home, bills, and fresh jabs from the sister-in-law.
Then one day Diana got a call from an unknown number.
— Diana Sergeevna? — came a pleasant female voice. — My name is Elena Viktorovna, I’m the director of a private language school “Polyglot.” I’d like to offer you a job — teaching Russian to foreigners. Salary: one hundred thousand rubles a month.
Diana froze by the window. A hundred thousand? Her head spun at the number. Compared to her current salary, it felt like play money.
— Are you serious? — she whispered, gripping the phone tighter.
— Absolutely. Marina Petrovna from your school gave you the highest recommendation, — Elena explained. — Can you come in tomorrow for an interview?
Diana agreed, wrote down the address, and hung up. Viktor looked at her curiously.
— Who was that?
— They offered me a new job, — she said quietly, hardly believing it herself.
That day changed everything.
Six months later, Diana’s life was completely different. Her new job paid well, and she was able to cover Viktor’s programming courses. Every evening he sat at the computer, learning new languages, solving problems.
— Vitya, your last exam is tomorrow? — she asked, placing a bowl of borscht on the table.
He nodded.
— Yes. Three companies already invited me for interviews.
Soon Viktor was working as a developer at an IT company, earning one hundred and twenty thousand rubles. They started saving to pay off their mortgage early, already collecting eight hundred thousand out of the required million.
— Soon we’ll be free of the bank.
— Can you imagine that freedom? — Viktor hugged his wife. — No more monthly payments.
Meanwhile, Inna’s marriage was falling apart. Viktor told Diana about constant fights between his sister and her husband over money. Andrey had grown tired of her endless spending and reproaches.
— She had another tantrum yesterday, — he sighed. — Demanded a new bag for a hundred thousand.
— And what did Andrey say? — Diana asked.
— He said there’s no money. She told him — then what good are you?
The fights reached a breaking point. Andrey filed for divorce, kicking Inna and the children out of the apartment. Child support was set at a meager eight thousand for both kids, as his official salary was small.
Inna began visiting Diana and Viktor often, sitting in their kitchen, complaining about her ex-husband, asking for money. Out of pity, Diana sometimes gave small sums — for groceries, for the children’s clothes.
One day Inna accidentally saw their bank statement left on the table. Diana had stepped away for a phone call. When she returned, Inna was staring at the document.
— Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to, — she said quickly, pushing the paper aside.
But her eyes gleamed with something new. Diana realized Inna had learned about their savings.
The next day Inna came again — but this time with a different tone.
— Di, darling, — she began, settling at the table. — I need to talk to you seriously.
Diana tensed. Her sister-in-law’s voice was no longer pleading — it was demanding.
— The kids need money for school, for clothes. And you’ve got such income, a whole fortune saved up.
— We’re saving for the mortgage, — Diana replied evenly.
— Come on! — Inna waved her hands. — Eight hundred thousand sitting in the bank while my kids starve?
Diana shook her head.
— It doesn’t work like that.
Inna exploded.
— Give me the money! You don’t even have kids! You’re obligated to help me!
Diana recoiled. Inna jumped up, her face twisted with rage.
— My two kids are crammed into a rented one-room apartment, and you’re sitting on a treasure hoard! You’ve got nothing to spend it on! Selfish!
— These are our savings for the mortgage, — Diana tried to explain.
— To hell with your mortgage! My children are more important than your whims!
Diana’s heart pounded. She had never seen Inna like this.
— You always thought you were better than me! — Inna raged. — With your smart talk, your teacher’s pride! And now, rich on top of it!
— I never thought that, — Diana said quietly.
— Liar! You looked down on my new clothes, don’t think I didn’t notice! And now you’ve got money to support my children, but you’re hoarding it!
— It’s our honestly earned money, — Diana’s voice grew firmer.
— So what? We’re family! You’re obliged to provide for me and my kids!
That was the breaking point. Diana stood tall, her voice clear.
— I don’t owe anyone anything.
— Yes, you do! — Inna shrieked. — You’re childless! You’ve got no one to leave an inheritance to!
— This is the result of our labor, — Diana said firmly. — And I will spend it as I see fit.
— You’re heartless! I beg you, and you’re like stone!
Diana strode to the door and flung it open.
— Get out. Now.
— What? — Inna froze.
— I said out. And don’t come back asking for money.
Inna gaped at her, then grabbed her bag and stormed out.
— You’ll regret this! — she shouted, slamming the door.
Diana collapsed into a chair, her hands shaking, her temples throbbing. She had done it — finally stood up for herself.
Half an hour later, the phone rang. Her mother-in-law was screaming on the line:
— How dare you throw Inna out! Heartless! Greedy! She has children starving while you wallow in luxury!
Diana listened silently. Every word cut at her nerves, but she didn’t defend herself.
— I’ll tell Viktor everything! — her mother-in-law threatened before hanging up.
When Viktor came home that evening, tired from work, Diana sat at the table with a cold cup of tea.
— Mom and Inna already called me, — he said, sitting across from her.
Diana looked up, eyes brimming with tears.
— Vitya, let me explain what happened…
— No need, — he interrupted. — I already spoke to them. I told them the money is from our joint effort and is for our goals only.
Diana froze, clutching her cup.
— No one will ever demand money from you again, — he went on. — Enough. You’re not the family ATM.
Relief washed over her in a warm wave. Her husband was on her side. He understood.
— Thank you, — she whispered.
— We’re a family, Diana. Just the two of us. And only we decide what to do.
A month later, they paid off their mortgage early. Inna held a grudge and avoided them, her mother as well. But Diana no longer cared.
Standing by the window of their fully paid-off apartment, she finally understood — their family was just the two of them, and no one else would ever again dictate how they should spend their money.