Today was a big day for Ksenia – a meeting with the company’s management. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. For the past few months, she had worked tirelessly on a new project, and now the moment of truth had arrived. The meeting went by in a blur. Ksenia could hardly believe her ears when the director announced her promotion and a significant salary increase. She sat there, eyes wide, as her colleagues congratulated her.
Leaving the office, Ksenia couldn’t hold back a smile. She took out her phone to share the news with her husband but changed her mind at the last moment. It would be better to tell him in person, over dinner. That evening, as she set the table, Ksenia couldn’t stop smiling. Maxim, entering the kitchen, raised an eyebrow in surprise:
“You’re literally glowing today. Did something happen?” Unable to hold back any longer, Ksenia blurted out:
“I got promoted! And my salary nearly doubled!”
Maxim smiled broadly and hugged his wife tightly:
“Congratulations, dear! You deserve it.”
At dinner, they discussed future plans. Ksenia dreamed of a trip they had long postponed, while Maxim suggested investing the money in remodeling their apartment.
“And we could also dine out more often,” Maxim added. “By the way, my mom invited us to dinner this Saturday. Shall we celebrate your promotion?”
Ksenia nodded, though something inside her recoiled. Her relationship with her mother-in-law had always been tense.
On Saturday evening, they arrived at Maxim’s parents’ house. Elena Viktorovna greeted them at the threshold, kissing her son and giving her daughter-in-law a dry nod.
At the table, the conversation inevitably turned to Ksenia’s work. Elena Viktorovna listened attentively, occasionally throwing evaluative glances at her daughter-in-law.
“And what do you plan to spend your salary increase on?” she asked, as if offhandedly.
Ksenia tensed, sensing a trap in the question.
“Maxim and I haven’t decided yet,” she cautiously replied.
“How so,” Elena Viktorovna exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “A young family should think about the future. For example, Maxim needs a new suit for work. And it’s time to change the car…”
Ksenia frowned, trying to make sense of what she heard. Was her mother-in-law implying that she should spend her salary on her husband’s needs?
“Mom, we’ll figure it out ourselves,” Maxim gently interrupted her.
But Elena Viktorovna was relentless. Throughout the evening, she kept inserting remarks about the importance of helping the family and taking care of the husband. Ksenia felt irritation mounting inside her.
On the way home, she couldn’t hold back:
“Maxim, don’t you think your mom is too intrusive about our finances?”
Maxim shrugged:
“Come on, she just cares about us. Don’t mind her.”
Ksenia wanted to object, but she remained silent. Maybe she was indeed exaggerating?
However, a week later, the situation repeated itself. Elena Viktorovna showed up at their home unannounced, supposedly to drop off some homemade pies.
“Ksyusha, I’ve been thinking,” she began, settling in the kitchen. “Now that you have such a good salary, maybe you could help us with the remodeling? After all, we’ve helped you for so many years.”
Ksenia froze, unsure how to react. She glanced at Maxim, but he pretended to be very busy with his tea.
“Elena Viktorovna, Maxim and I decide how to manage our money ourselves,” Ksenia replied as gently as possible.
The mother-in-law pursed her lips:
“Well of course, who am I to interfere. I just thought a daughter-in-law would want to help her husband’s parents.”
Ksenia opened her mouth to reply, but Maxim beat her to it:
“Mom, let’s not talk about this. How’s dad feeling?”
Elena Viktorovna snorted displeasedly but changed the topic. However, Ksenia saw her mother-in-law occasionally throwing condemning glances her way.
After the mother-in-law left, Ksenia couldn’t hold back:
“Maxim, why did you stay silent? Why didn’t you support me?”
Maxim sighed tiredly:
“Ksyush, why stir up conflict? Mom is just worried about us.”
“Worried?” Ksenia exclaimed. “She’s trying to dictate how I should spend my money!”
“Don’t exaggerate,” Maxim waved it off. “Let’s just forget about it.”
But forgetting was not an option. Tension grew day by day. Elena Viktorovna called almost every day, supposedly to chat, but the conversation always came back to how Ksenia should care more about her husband’s family.
Maxim often avoided the conversation when Ksenia tried to discuss his mother’s behavior. He either joked it off or irritably said that she was overreacting.
One evening, returning from work, Ksenia found Maxim, his parents, and his sister in the living room. Everyone fell silent when she entered.
“What’s going on?” Ksenia asked tensely.
Elena Viktorovna stood up from the sofa:
“Ksenia, we’ve gathered to discuss an important matter. Have a seat.”
Ksenia slowly sank into an armchair, feeling anxiety build inside her.
“Dear,” her mother-in-law began, “we’re all very happy with your success at work. But we think you’re not quite prioritizing correctly…”
Ksenia didn’t get a chance to respond to her mother-in-law’s accusation when Maxim’s phone rang. He went to another room, but his anxious voice could still be heard through the closed door. Returning, Maxim looked pale and distraught.
“I got fired,” he stammered. “The company is downsizing.”
A heavy silence hung in the room. Elena Viktorovna was the first to break it:
“See, Ksenia, how good it is that you now have a high salary. Now you can support the family.”
Ksenia looked incredulously at her mother-in-law:
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Elena Viktorovna continued, “now it’s your duty to take on all expenses. And don’t forget about us, Maxim’s parents. We’ve helped you for so many years.”
Ksenia felt anger boiling inside her. She opened her mouth to object, but Maxim cut her off:
“Mom, not now. We need to think everything through.”
The following weeks turned into a real hell for Ksenia. Maxim spent days at home, supposedly looking for a job, but Ksenia rarely saw him at the computer. Instead, Elena Viktorovna called constantly, reminding her that she now had to take care of everyone.
One evening, sorting through the mail, Ksenia stumbled upon a strange envelope. Inside was a loan agreement for a large sum. Maxim was listed as the borrower, and Elena Viktorovna as the creditor.
Ksenia froze, disbelieving her eyes. The loan amount was enormous, nearly equal to her annual income. When Maxim returned home, she silently handed him the papers.
“What’s this?” she asked, barely keeping the tremor out of her voice.
Maxim turned pale:
“Ksyush, I wanted to tell you… I just didn’t know how…”
“When did you take this money? And most importantly—why?”
Maxim looked down:
“A month ago. I… I lost it on the stock market. I wanted to earn quickly so I wouldn’t depend on your salary.”
All the while, as Ksenia worked, Maxim not only wasn’t looking for a job but also got himself into huge debts.
“And now what?” she asked quietly.
“Mom suggested a way out,” Maxim started uncertainly. “If you agree to take out a loan in your name and pay off the debt…”
Ksenia didn’t let him finish. She grabbed the phone and dialed her mother-in-law’s number:
“Elena Viktorovna, come over immediately. We need to talk.”
An hour later, a real scandal erupted in their small living room. Ksenia, holding nothing back, vented all the frustrations that had accumulated over the months. She accused Maxim of betrayal and her mother-in-law of manipulation.
“You orchestrated all this!” Ksenia yelled. “First, you pressured me, then pushed Maxim into this madness with the stock market, and now you want me to pay for your schemes?”
Elena Viktorovna, lips pursed, coldly stated:
“Either you take on the debt payment, or you’re no longer our family!”
She looked at Maxim, expecting support, but he guiltily looked away.
At that moment, Ksenia’s phone rang. It was her boss:
“Ksenia, I have an interesting offer for you. We’re opening a branch in Saint Petersburg, and we want you to head the IT department there. The salary will be one and a half times higher.”
Ksenia felt a wave of relief wash over her. Here was her chance to start over.
“I need to think about it,” she replied. “I’ll call back tomorrow.”
Hanging up, Ksenia looked around the room. Elena Viktorovna was watching her with barely concealed contempt, and Maxim looked lost and pitiful.
“I’ve made a decision,” Ksenia stated firmly. “I’m going to Saint Petersburg. Alone.”
“What?” Maxim exclaimed. “You can’t leave us!”
“I can,” Ksenia replied. “And you know what? I’m not going to pay off your debt. That’s your problem, deal with it yourself.”
Elena Viktorovna turned purple with anger:
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Ksenia smirked:
“I have nothing left to lose.”
She turned to Maxim:
“You have a choice. You can come with me, start over. Or stay here, in this swamp of lies.”
Maxim looked bewildered:
“But what about the debt? Mom…”
“Choose,” Ksenia said. “Mom or me.”
A week later, Ksenia sat on a train headed to Saint Petersburg. Beside her lay a suitcase with her belongings—the only things she decided to take from her past life. Maxim never found the strength to break away from his mother and stayed to solve his problems alone.
Two years later. Ksenia successfully managed the IT department at the Saint Petersburg branch. She bought a small, cozy apartment and enjoyed her independence.
Maxim tried to contact her several times, but Ksenia remained firm. She learned that he eventually found a job but still lived with his parents, slowly paying off his mother’s debt.
Elena Viktorovna never came to terms with her daughter-in-law’s decision. She spread rumors about how Ksenia abandoned her family in a difficult moment, but few believed these stories.
Ksenia occasionally remembered the past, but those memories no longer caused her pain. She had learned to value herself and her freedom. And although she was sometimes lonely, she knew she had made the right choice.