Larisa sighed heavily, stroking her belly. Since the morning, she had been having contractions, which seemed to be practice ones based on the intervals, but her overall condition was far from pleasant. There was still time before the birth, yet Larisa was terrified that it might start sooner. Although her bag had been packed for a couple of weeks, she was still anxious. A bad feeling had been haunting her since morning, as if something terrible was going to happen. Maybe she should go to the maternity hospital earlier? This was the first child in their family. Even though relatives and friends had already vividly described what childbirth was like, Larisa was nervous. What if something went wrong for her?
“Why are you lying down? Laris, lunch won’t cook itself. Do you remember that my friends are coming today?”
The woman looked at her husband with reproach. In recent months, he had changed beyond recognition, becoming too rude and showing no interest in his wife’s condition. Could he have found someone else? People say that happens when a wife is feeling unwell and keeps her husband at bay. Larisa tried to please Makar in every way, but sometimes she was truly in agony. Constant back pain was excruciating. It was hard enough just to walk around the house, yet Larisa coped well with cleaning and dinner preparation. Though her body was weary, she did not allow herself to lie down. She tried to do everything around the house, keep up with everything, and stretch, not just lie down and wait until her body finally swelled up. Who would do it for her? She even had to go to the store herself because her husband came back from work tired and said that shopping was not a man’s job.
“Makar, maybe you could order something from a cafe today? I’m feeling very unwell. I seriously doubt I can handle cooking,” the woman complained. She rarely complained, but today she really lacked the strength.
A nasty chuckle escaped her husband’s lips before Larisa could even look up at him. He clenched his jaw and shook his head.
“Are you out of your mind, Larisa? What cafe? Am I supposed to feed my friends that crap that could be poisoned? Why did I even get married if you’re this lazy? I warned you about the guests in advance, and I’m not interested in all these excuses. You will cook lunch yourself and you’ll start right now. If you don’t finish, I can’t be held responsible. I’ve been putting up with too much already.”
“What’s wrong with you? Do you regret marrying me? Don’t you want us to have a healthy baby? Why do you act like I’m a servant in this house?” Larisa sobbed.
“You are a servant. First and foremost, you’re a housemaid, then a wife. You’ll do everything I say. I should’ve taken everything into my own hands long ago, just you got complacent, relaxed, that’s why you’re so haughty. Not anymore. The man is the boss in the house, and the woman should keep quiet and do as she’s told. If you want everything to be alright, and the husband not to stray, then get up from the couch and hustle around the house. I don’t like repeating myself. And don’t forget to clean the living room, make everything shine.”
Larisa couldn’t believe her ears, but somehow, on autopilot, forced herself to get off the couch and went to the kitchen. Her lower back hurt even more than before. The baby was too restless, pushing and causing her discomfort. Breathing heavily, Larisa began to cook lunch. Everything felt like a blur, and she didn’t really remember anything. She did everything out of habit, felt sweat trickling down her forehead, and inside, a strong desire to spit on everything, pack her bags, and leave her husband emerged. But where to go? Her relationship with her parents was the worst. They saw her as an unloved daughter whom they dreamed of marrying off as soon as possible. The only person who was happy to see her was her aunt, her father’s sister. She always supported Larisa and told her she could rely on her. What if Lara came with a little child? Would her aunt accept her? And it wouldn’t be just for one day… not even a week. How soon could she recover and start earning a living? Relying on alimony from a stingy husband was hardly an option.
“Do you think it’s tough for you? Understand, Laryonka, if you decide to leave me, you’ll have nowhere to go. Your parents won’t take you in, and your aunt doesn’t need you with a child. You depend on me, no matter what, so do as you’re told, and I won’t even yell at you. Today, serve my friends and don’t complain. Smile and show everyone how happy we are. How happy you are with me.”
Makar took Larisa by the chin, lifting her face to look him in the eyes, but she quickly looked away, recoiling from her husband and taking a deep breath.
“Do you even understand how hard it is for me to stay on my feet? I need to lie down… maybe go to the hospital earlier? I’m feeling very bad. I didn’t complain to you all nine months, but today I really do…”
“Just don’t make things up, okay?” Makar interrupted. “You have a hospitalization in three days. You think I forgot? Don’t shirk your duties, if you don’t want to face major problems.”
Larisa didn’t recognize her husband at all. It seemed that someone had replaced him, brought in an evil copy, and sent Makar into captivity. Could this be possible? Her husband had no twin brothers. In fact, he was an only child. Of course, his mother, Nadezhda Viktorovna, raised her son to be selfish, did everything for him, but it had never been apparent before. What changed now? What made Makar act so cruelly? There were no answers to these questions. When her husband’s friends arrived, Makar glared at his wife and stated that she should not forget everything they had discussed today.
As she set the table, smiling through pain to her husband’s friends, Larisa cursed her fate. She berated herself for making such a terrible mistake and not seeing all the negative aspects in her husband earlier. Or did they only appear now? Maybe he had some problems at work? Makar had always been an impulsive person, perhaps unconsciously transferring his frustrations onto his family. While pondering this, Larisa briefly forgot about the unpleasant sensations until her stomach sharply pulled. Groaning under her breath and doubling over, she felt dizzy.
“Larisa, you should sit down, rest. With such a belly, you’re buzzing around us like a bee. What, are we not men? We have hands, we can serve ourselves, and you’d better lie down!” – not her husband, but his best friend, Anton, suddenly approached her.
“Thank you…” Larisa replied in a hoarse voice. – “I will do just that.”
“Lara, don’t forget our conversation,” her husband hissed through clenched teeth, not soberly. – “And you, Toh, shouldn’t interfere. Why are you telling someone else’s wife how to behave? Lara is a grown girl, she understands everything.”
Arguing with her husband, even listening to what he was saying, left her with no energy. She was running out of oxygen. The painful contractions intensified.
“It seems to be starting,” Larisa said, gripping Anton’s arm in fear.
“Don’t make things up! You still have three days until hospitalization!” Makar snorted from the table, while someone among his friends laughed.
Supporting the woman by the elbow, Anton helped her to the couch and sit down. The pain was becoming unbearable. Realizing that Makar was not in condition to drive, and generally did not plan to do anything, Anton called an ambulance, but since it would take a long time to arrive, he hurried to help Larisa get downstairs. The woman mumbled words of thanks, distracted from the pain. How she got to the maternity hospital, how she gave birth, she barely remembered. She lay in the ward, looking at her son, with tears rolling down her cheeks. Tears of joy? Of course, she was relieved that the child was born alive and healthy, but there was another side to the medal – she had nowhere to go with the baby. Because now she did not want to return to her husband. Larisa replayed the past day over and over again and understood that her husband deeply didn’t care about her. He mocked her. If it weren’t for Anton, who knows how it all would have ended? Perhaps she would have given birth at home, and whether the child would have been healthy was a big question.
Anton wrote to Larisa asking if she was okay. His care was undoubtedly pleasant, but it again reminded her of how much her husband did not care about his own wife. Makar didn’t care – whether she had given birth, whether the baby was alright. And she did not inform him that she had given birth. She sent a message to Anton, her mother-in-law, and her aunt. Her husband didn’t care about what happened to her, so she saw no point in informing him about his son.
The next day, Larisa’s phone was flooded with calls. Acquaintances congratulated her, her aunt and mother-in-law asked what to bring her. Even Anton offered to stop by the store and bring everything she said.
“Laris, I understand that this isn’t how such conversations should be held, but it’s hard for me to stay silent. It’s difficult to be complicit. I see that things between you and Makar are not great. I thought he would dust you off after doing such things… Basically, he’s cheating on you. He’s had a young girl for a long time, with whom he comes to all the parties. I understand that now is not the time to present such news, but I saw yesterday how he behaves with you… If you need any help, just say. You shouldn’t endure such treatment, Laris. Run away from him, because it can only get worse.”
Larisa thanked Anton for telling her the truth. Now she had no doubts that she had made the right decision and should leave her husband. What would she do next? Only time would tell. The only thing she needed to resolve in the next few days was the housing issue, since she no longer wanted to leave the maternity hospital and go to her husband. Larisa had no idea how he would behave next. She shared her worries with her aunt, and she assured her that her niece could count on her.
“You can stay with us for a while. We have a spare room. While I’m on leave, I’ll help with the baby, and we’ll see from there. We’ll get through this, Laroсhka. It’s good that you told me everything.”
Larisa felt a sense of relief. She began to enjoy her little son, looking at him for the first time as if he was her own, such a long-awaited bundle of joy. Even though her relationship with Makar was destroyed, it was not the son’s fault. Lara loved the baby with all her heart. The husband didn’t call, but the mother-in-law started worrying about how the discharge would go. Larisa frankly told the woman that she did not intend to return to her husband.
“I know that Makar has found himself another woman. He has changed a lot lately. While I was pregnant, I didn’t have the strength to say anything against it, but now I’m not going to tolerate such treatment. Your son has changed a lot, Nadezhda Viktorovna. He hasn’t even called me once… What kind of relationship can we talk about then?”
“Laroсhka, is it really all like this? I didn’t think my son could stoop to such baseness. Your relationship always seemed perfect to me. I should have come to you earlier. I would have talked to him and tried to reason with him… I understand that it’s too late now. Where will you go with Oleg? After all, you definitely won’t go to your parents…”
“I’ll go to my aunt’s first, and then I’ll figure something out,” Larisa hastened to reassure her mother-in-law.
“Or maybe to me? I live alone. I’d be glad to help you. After all, Oleg is my grandson. I promise I will protect you from Makar, and he won’t dare come close or hurt you in any way.”
Larisa trusted her mother-in-law. She hadn’t thought, of course, that she would immediately take her side, but now the idea came up – why didn’t she think to go to her son’s grandmother right away? In the end, she didn’t want to burden her aunt. She had a husband… and children. There wasn’t much space, and a little child in the house meant additional noise. Agreeing, Larisa called her aunt and informed her of her decision.
“Are you sure she won’t try to harm you or take the child away?” the aunt asked.
“In such cases, one can never be sure. I thought my husband was incapable of betrayal, but you know what he did. I will be careful. I promise. Thank you very much for your support.”
Larisa was preparing for discharge when she received a message from her husband. Judging by the typos, he had written it in a completely sober state.
Makar: “So when are you planning to come home? There’s no food… Clothes are unwashed.”
Larisa felt disgusted, she cringed and shook her head. How long had Makar changed? Sitting on the bed, looking at her peacefully sleeping baby, Larisa thought. Surely the first warning bells had rung long ago, but she hadn’t noticed them until everything was turned upside down. Now it didn’t matter when it all started – the moment was missed. Larisa couldn’t forgive her husband for such treatment of her, nor the woman he had on the side, who he dragged to parties while Larisa suffered, taking care of the house and not allowing herself to rest even for a moment.
Nadezhda Viktorovna met her daughter-in-law and took them with her son to her apartment, where she had prepared a cozy corner, decorated with balloons. It was clear that the woman had tried. She told that she had spoken with her son. Makar stated that he did not need the child, he was not eager to become a father, and in general, he had not had enough fun yet and was ready to give Larisa a divorce on the condition that she would not demand alimony from him.
“However, I strongly recommend that you don’t fall for this trick, Laroсhka. Let him pay every penny! Look at him! He’ll spend money on a mistress, and you can barely make ends meet. In general, I will help you. We need to find a good lawyer.”
Larisa thought, as Anton worked at a law firm and was a good lawyer. If he didn’t handle divorce cases himself, he could certainly recommend someone? The woman called her husband’s friend – soon to be ex.
“Anton, I understand you might refuse me because you and Makar are friends, but I have no one else to turn to for help.”
“We’re not friends anymore. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately, but Makar said too much last time. I cleaned his clock, and that was it… our friendship ended. I’m not planning to interact with someone who has squandered all his moral standards.”
Makar lost everyone who was dear to him… friends… relatives… Even his mother did not want to communicate with him after facing his cold indifference. She took the side of her daughter-in-law and planned to help only Larisa with the child.
Makar really wasn’t interested in the baby. Larisa remembered how he rejoiced when she announced her pregnancy. Did the new company change his views on life? Anton said that Makar had moved more into the new company, introduced by his mistress… with its own interests and preferences. Larisa’s husband had always been a soft person and easily influenced. It was a pity that someone else had a stronger influence on him than his own relatives.
Anton handled the divorce process. All this took a lot of time. Since Makar did not want to pay child support, even tried to deny paternity, the process dragged on for three months, but in the end, the decision was made in favor of Larisa and the child.
Nadezhda Viktorovna actively helped Larisa with little Oleg, and after a couple of months, she was able to return to work. They didn’t live in luxury, but they had everything they needed. Larisa couldn’t even imagine that she would be so lucky with her mother-in-law, and she would take her side. The woman closely communicated with Anton. They found it interesting to walk in the evenings and on weekends with little Oleg in the park. They had many common topics. It seemed that Larisa had returned to the times when her relationship with Makar was just beginning. She was afraid that events would repeat, so while communicating with Anton, she did not expect their relationship to cross the boundaries of friendship. However, unnoticed by both, it still happened. Anton invited Larisa on a date, and Nadezhda Viktorovna declared that there was no need for her to sit within four walls and waste her youth.
Anton didn’t beat around the bush. Understanding that it would be difficult for Larisa to plunge into new relationships, he didn’t press, but at the same time, he immediately expressed the seriousness of his intentions and promised to take care of the woman and her son.
Only when Oleg turned one did Larisa realize that she was ready to try and agreed to move in with Anton. Watching him fuss over her son, the woman understood that she couldn’t imagine a better father. It was unlikely that Makar could become such.
Anton found out from acquaintances that Makar had gone down the wrong path, got involved with illegal drugs, and had even been at the police station. Larisa couldn’t help but worry about the father of her son, because the warm feelings she once had for her husband still reminded her of themselves. It was impossible to simply erase a person from your life and pretend that you had absolutely nothing in common with them. Larisa felt sorry for people who ruin their lives, devalue it, and waste it on vague joys, but you can’t put your brain in someone else’s head, you can’t teach them to think correctly.
Anton and Larisa got married. Oleg started calling Anton “daddy,” which was his first word. The man was immensely happy. He was especially overjoyed when he learned that their family would grow even bigger, as Larisa was pregnant again. Anton doted on his wife and showed what a real loving husband could be. As for Makar… he never showed up. His new life appealed to him too much. Nadezhda Viktorovna tried to talk to her son, but he wouldn’t even listen to her. He set up a den in his apartment and believed that he was living right and truly, while others simply didn’t understand him. Two and a half years later, he died, and the apartment… his mistress tried to fight for it, who never managed to become his wife, but the inheritance went to the man’s mother and son. Nadezhda Viktorovna renounced her share in favor of her grandson, but with the calculation that Larisa would definitely sell the apartment, which harbored so much negativity, and buy her son a new home.