Nina was signing the last document at the notary’s office and could hardly believe her happiness. The apartment was hers. Completely hers. A bright three-bedroom place in a good neighborhood. She had saved for it for five years, denying herself everything, and then took out a loan for the remaining amount.
“Congratulations on your purchase,” the notary smiled, handing her the papers. “I wish you happiness in your new home.”
“Thank you,” Nina said, clutching the folder of documents and barely holding back a smile.
She left the office and got into her car. She started the engine but didn’t drive off right away. She just sat there, staring out the window, trying to process what had happened. She had her own apartment. Her own home. It felt unreal.
That evening she showed the documents to Alexey, her fiancé. They had been together for a year and a half and were planning a wedding for the summer.
“Look—everything’s оформлено! Now it’s officially my apartment!”
Alexey hugged her and kissed the top of her head.
“Well done, sunshine. You’re so smart. We’ll live in your apartment like in our own little nest.”
“Our nest,” Nina corrected him.
“Of course—ours.”
The wedding took place in July. Small but cozy. About fifty guests, a restaurant, a white dress, happy faces. Nina felt like she was on cloud nine.
After the wedding Alexey moved in with her. He brought a couple of boxes of clothes, his computer, books. Not many things, but Nina was happy. Now they were a family. A real family.
The first weeks of living together felt like a fairy tale. They cooked dinner together, watched movies, cuddled on the couch. Nina walked around the apartment and felt absolutely happy.
A month after the wedding, her mother-in-law, Tatyana Petrovna, called.
“Ninochka, I was thinking it’s been a while since I visited you. May I stop by tomorrow for some tea?”
“Of course, Tatyana Petrovna! Come over, I’ll be glad to see you!”
Nina spent the evening preparing for the visit. She baked an apple pie, bought good tea, and cleaned the apartment until it shone. She wanted to make a good impression.
Tatyana Petrovna arrived Saturday afternoon. Nina greeted her with a smile, set the table, and brought out the best dishes.
“How lovely you have it here!” her mother-in-law exclaimed, looking around the apartment. “So spacious, so bright. Alyoshenka did well finding such a wife!”
Nina smiled and poured the tea. They talked for hours. Tatyana Petrovna asked about work, about plans for the future, shared memories of Alexey’s childhood.
The visit went well. Nina was pleased.
A week later Alexey’s sister, Maria, called.
“Hi, Nina! I was thinking—should I come by this weekend? I miss my brother so much!”
“Of course, come! We’ll be happy to see you!”
Maria arrived Friday evening and stayed until Sunday. Nina cooked for her, kept her entertained with conversation, showed her the neighborhood. She tried to be a good hostess.
Then Alexey’s brother, Dmitry, started dropping by too—sometimes for one evening, sometimes overnight.
“Mind if I crash at your place? I’ve got a meeting nearby early tomorrow.”
“Of course not! Make yourself at home!”
Nina changed the sheets in the guest room, made breakfast, cleaned up after the guest. Alexey was happy his family visited so often.
For the first few months Nina genuinely enjoyed her husband’s relatives coming over. It felt important to build good relationships with them. She always set a generous table, cooked the dishes they liked, tried to create a warm atmosphere.
When Tatyana Petrovna came, Nina made her favorite cutlets with mashed potatoes. When Maria came, she baked a charlotte cake that her sister-in-law adored. When Dmitry came, she bought good sausage for sandwiches.
Alexey watched his wife’s efforts and was pleased.
“You’re doing great,” he said. “My family really loves you.”
Nina smiled. It felt good to hear her husband praise her.
But little by little the visits became more frequent. Tatyana Petrovna came almost every week. Maria started showing up for weekends. Dmitry stopped by on his way back from business trips.
Nina began to get tired. After work it wasn’t just dinner for two anymore—it was a full spread for guests. Weekends turned into endless cooking and cleaning instead of rest.
She tried to talk to Alexey about it.
“Listen, maybe we could ask your mom to come a bit less often? I’m really exhausted…”
“What do you mean, less often?” her husband said, surprised. “She’s my mother! She has the right to visit her son!”
“I’m not against her visiting. Just not every single week…”
“You’re exaggerating. It’s not a big deal if Mom drops by sometimes.”
Nina fell silent. She didn’t want to argue.
Over time, Alexey’s relatives’ attitude started to change. They stopped thanking Nina for the food, the clean sheets, the hospitality. They treated everything as if it were owed to them.
Tatyana Petrovna began making remarks.
“Nina, you oversalted the cutlets. Last time they were tastier.”
“Nina, why is the bathroom mirror dirty? You should wipe it more often.”
“Nina, you should buy proper tea, not this cheap stuff.”
Maria and Dmitry relaxed too. After eating they didn’t offer to help with the dishes—they just got up and went to the living room to watch TV. Nina washed everything alone.
One day Maria showed up with a huge bag of groceries.
“Nina, could you cook this?” She unloaded meat, vegetables, grains onto the kitchen table. “I want to take it home with me. You cook so well!”
Nina was taken aback.
“Masha, but I still need to make dinner…”
“So what! You’re the хозяйка! You’ll manage quickly!”
Maria went to the living room, and Nina stayed in the kitchen with a mountain of food. She cooked until late at night, until her sister-in-law left with containers packed with food.
Alexey didn’t see a problem.
“So you helped my sister—so what? She’s family.”
“But I’m tired! I worked all day, then spent the whole evening cooking!”
“Don’t dramatize. It’s just cooking.”
Nina tried to have a serious talk with her husband. She sat him down at the table when they were alone.
“Alexey, I need to talk to you.”
“About what?”
“About your relatives. They’re taking advantage of my hospitality.”
Alexey grimaced.
“Not this again. No one’s taking advantage of anything.”
“They are. They come all the time, and I have to cook, clean, entertain them. And they don’t even say thank you.”
“Because you’re supposed to do it! You’re the wife! It’s your duty—to host my family!”
Nina flinched at his tone.
“My duty?”
“Of course. You have to respect my relatives. They’re older, wiser. You should cater to them.”
“I don’t have to cater to anyone! I just want to be respected!”
“You are respected. You’re just too sensitive.”
Alexey stood up and left the room. The conversation was over.
Nina stayed sitting in the kitchen. She felt helpless. Her husband didn’t hear her. He didn’t want to.
The next week Tatyana Petrovna came again. Nina greeted her as usual, but this time she hadn’t bought the cake her mother-in-law normally ate with tea. There simply hadn’t been time—she’d been late at work.
Tatyana Petrovna opened the fridge, looked inside, and frowned.
“Where’s the cake?”
“Sorry, Tatyana Petrovna—I didn’t have time to buy it.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t have time?! You knew I was coming!”
“I was at work until late…”
“So what?! You should have managed! This is disrespect! It’s contempt for family traditions!”
Her mother-in-law worked herself into a fury. She shouted for twenty minutes, accusing Nina of every possible sin.
Finally Nina couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed her jacket and ran to the nearest store. She bought the cake her mother-in-law liked and came back.
“Here,” she said, putting the box on the table.
Tatyana Petrovna nodded without thanking her.
“Finally. You could’ve brought it earlier.”
Nina stood in the kitchen, breathing heavily. Exhaustion came down on her like a weight. She’d worked all day, then sprinted around to shops, and now she was listening to complaints.
Alexey sat in the living room with his mother, calmly drinking tea. He didn’t even come into the kitchen to support his wife.
That night Nina couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. She lay with her eyes open and thought about what was happening to her life. She had turned into a servant. A free servant for her husband’s family.
In the morning she got up broken and tired. Her head hurt, her throat was scratchy. By evening she had a fever.
“Alexey, I feel awful,” she told her husband. “I think I’m getting sick.”
“Lie down, rest. I’m leaving on a business trip tomorrow, so you’ll be able to sleep.”
He left the next day. Nina stayed alone. Her fever rose to thirty-nine degrees Celsius. She lay in bed under two blankets, shaking with chills.
For three days she barely got up. She drank tea, ate whatever she could find in the fridge, slept. She felt terrible.
On the fourth day the fever began to drop. Nina got out of bed, took a shower, tidied up a little. Her strength returned slowly.
And on that very day, Tatyana Petrovna called.
“Ninochka, I’m stopping by today! I missed you!”
“Tatyana Petrovna, I’m just recovering… Maybe another time?”
“Oh come on! I’ll help you! I’ll come, clean, cook something!”
Nina doubted it, but stayed quiet. Her mother-in-law had never helped before. But maybe this time would be different?
Tatyana Petrovna arrived two hours later—with a big bag. Clearly she intended to stay for a few days.
Nina met her in a bathrobe, pale, with dark circles under her eyes.
“Hello, Tatyana Petrovna. Come in.”
Her mother-in-law gave her a critical look.
“What, you’ve been in a robe all day? You could’ve dressed up a little!”
“I was sick…”
“So what? That’s no reason to look like a slob.”
Tatyana Petrovna walked in and began inspecting the rooms. She peeked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, checked the bathroom.
“Nina, where’s dinner? I warned you I was coming!”
“I didn’t have time to cook. I only got out of bed today…”
“What do you mean, you didn’t have time?! What have you been doing all day?!”
“I was sick! I had a high fever!”
Her mother-in-law waved a hand.
“So what, a fever. That’s no reason to lie around doing nothing. A real хозяйка should always be ready to receive guests!”
Nina leaned against the wall. Her head spun with indignation and lingering weakness.
“Tatyana Petrovna, I physically can’t cook right now. I still feel bad.”
“What do I care about your ‘bad’! I came all this way to visit you, and you can’t even set the table!”
Nina felt anger boiling inside, but she held it back. She took a deep breath and tried to explain again.
“I was seriously ill. Three days with a thirty-nine-degree fever. I’m not fully recovered.”
“And what, am I supposed to treat you? I’m not a doctor! I’m a guest! And I have the right to a proper welcome!”
Tatyana Petrovna went into the living room, sat down on the couch, crossed her arms, and looked at Nina defiantly.
“Well? Why are you standing there? Go cook!”
Nina stood in the doorway, staring at her mother-in-law. She couldn’t believe this was really happening. Could this woman truly be that callous?
“I’m not going to cook,” Nina said quietly.
“What?! What do you mean, you’re not?!”
“I’m sick. I need rest. If you want to eat, you can order delivery.”
Tatyana Petrovna jumped up.
“How dare you tell me what to do?! I’m your husband’s mother! You’re obligated to serve me!”
“I’m not obligated to anyone!”
“You are! You’re Alexey’s wife—so you must respect his family!”
Nina shook her head. She had no strength to argue. She turned and went to the bedroom, lay down, and closed her eyes.
Tatyana Petrovna walked around the apartment, loudly commenting on every little thing—scolding unwashed dishes, complaining about disorder, criticizing the furniture arrangement.
Nina lay there trying not to listen, but her mother-in-law’s voice seeped through the closed door.
An hour later Tatyana Petrovna came into the bedroom.
“Nina, stop lying around! Get up and make dinner!”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?!”
“I’m not going to cook. I feel bad.”
Her mother-in-law sat on the edge of the bed and launched into another tirade—about what a bad housewife Nina was, what a bad wife, how unlucky Alexey was.
“In my day daughters-in-law knew how to behave! They respected their mothers-in-law, listened to them! And you? Lying there, turning up your nose!”
Nina opened her eyes and looked at her.
“Tatyana Petrovna, I really feel awful. Please leave me alone.”
“I won’t! You must get up and do your duties!”
“I have no duties toward you!”
“You do! I’m your husband’s mother—you must respect me!”
Nina sat up. Her head spun again, but she forced herself not to lie back down.
“Respect has to be earned. And you’re behaving in a way that makes it impossible to respect you.”
Tatyana Petrovna turned red.
“What?! How dare you?!”
“I do dare. Because you’ve crossed every line. You come without proper notice, demand cooking and cleaning, criticize me constantly. You act like the хозяika here, even though this is my apartment!”
“What do you mean, yours?! You’re Alexey’s wife, so it’s his apartment too!”
“No. I bought it before the wedding. It’s my property. Mine alone.”
Her mother-in-law began pacing around the room.
“There you go! That’s your true face! You’re selfish! Greedy, petty, selfish!”
Nina stood up. She was weak, but anger gave her strength.
“I’m selfish? Really? I’ve put up with your visits for half a year—cooking, cleaning, entertaining you! And you don’t even say thank you!”
“I don’t have to say thank you! It’s your duty!”
“No. It was my hospitality—something you took advantage of.”
Tatyana Petrovna stepped right up to Nina.
“I’m your husband’s mother! You’d better respect me, or I’ll complain to my son and he’ll put you in your place—or divorce you!”
Nina recoiled—not from fear, but from outrage.
“Complain? Go ahead. I don’t care.”
“What do you mean, you don’t care?! He’ll leave you! You’ll be alone!”
“Better alone than with a mother-in-law like you.”
Tatyana Petrovna looked utterly shocked.
“Do you hear yourself?! You’re destroying the family!”
“No. You’re destroying it. You and your endless visits, complaints, demands.”
Her mother-in-law straightened up and looked at Nina coldly.
“You know what? There’s nothing good in you at all except this apartment! Alexey married you only because of the living space! He told me so himself!”
Nina froze. Those words hit harder than any insult.
“What?”
“That’s what I’m saying. He doesn’t love you. He just married you so he could move out from my place and live in your apartment for free. You’re useful to him only as free housing and a servant!”
Something snapped inside Nina. All those months of patience, all her attempts to build relationships, all her hope for a happy marriage—everything collapsed in a single moment.
Nina looked her mother-in-law straight in the eyes.
“Get out of my apartment. I don’t want to see anyone here anymore.”
Tatyana Petrovna’s mouth fell open in surprise.
“What?!”
“Get out. Right now. And never come here again.”
“You can’t throw me out!”
“Yes, I can. This is my apartment. My property. And I decide who stays here and who doesn’t.”
Her mother-in-law tried to pull herself together.
“Nina, you don’t understand what you’re doing! You’re ruining your relationship with your husband’s family!”
“What relationship? You don’t respect me. You use me as a maid. And now you’re telling me my husband married me only for the apartment. What kind of relationship can there be after that?”
Tatyana Petrovna realized she’d gone too far and tried to soften her tone.
“I didn’t mean it… I was just angry…”
“It doesn’t matter. Leave. Right now.”
“But I have nowhere to go!”
“Not my problem. You have your own apartment. Go there.”
Her mother-in-law understood Nina wasn’t joking. She burst into tears—dramatically, with sobs and wailing.
“You’re heartless! Ungrateful! I wanted to help you, and you’re throwing me out!”
“You wanted me to serve you. Those are different things.”
Tatyana Petrovna began packing her bag, doing it demonstratively slowly, sobbing and lamenting.
“My poor Alyoshenka! He got involved with such a woman! She’s ruining our family!”
Nina stood in the bedroom doorway, watching silently. She felt no pity, no regret—only relief.
At last Tatyana Petrovna gathered her things. She headed for the exit, stopping every few steps to glare at Nina reproachfully.
“You’ll regret this! Alexey will find out what you did to me! He’ll punish you!”
“Let him.”
“He’ll leave you! And he’ll be right to!”
“Maybe.”
Her mother-in-law slammed the door and left. Nina stood in the hallway. Silence washed over her like a warm wave.
She went back to the bedroom and lay down. She closed her eyes. For the first time in months, she felt calm.
Alexey returned from his business trip that evening. He walked into the apartment, dropped his bag in the hallway, and went to the kitchen.
“Nina, I’m home! What’s for dinner?”
Nina came out of the bedroom.
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing?”
“I didn’t cook. I was sick.”
Alexey frowned.
“Yeah, Mom called. She said you threw her out.”
“That’s right.”
“What do you mean, that’s right?! Have you lost your mind?!”
Nina leaned against the wall.
“No. I just don’t want to put up with rudeness from your family anymore.”
“What rudeness?! Mom came to help you!”
“She came to demand I serve her. I refused. And I asked her to leave.”
Alexey stepped toward his wife.
“You offended my mother! Do you understand what you did?!”
“I understand. And I don’t regret it.”
“You have to apologize to her! Immediately!”
“I don’t. And I won’t.”
Alexey stared at her in disbelief. He wasn’t used to seeing her this firm.
“Nina, you don’t understand. That’s my mother. You’re obligated to respect her.”
“I’m tired of being a servant to your relatives.”
“What relatives?! What are you even talking about?!”
Nina straightened.
“Listen carefully. For half a year I put up with visits from your mother, your sister, your brother. I cooked, cleaned, entertained them. They took it for granted. They criticized me, demanded things, didn’t thank me. I’m tired.”
“So what now?”
“Now I’m giving you an ultimatum. Either your relatives never cross the threshold of my apartment again—or you leave too.”
Alexey laughed.
“You’re joking.”
“No.”
“You’re throwing me out?”
“Yes—if you don’t agree to my conditions.”
He shook his head.
“You’ve really lost the plot. You think I’ll let you tell me how to live?”
“This is my apartment. I’m the one in charge here. And I decide who will live here.”
“Our apartment! We’re husband and wife!”
“It’s registered in my name. I bought it before we got married. It’s my property.”
Alexey fell silent. The meaning finally seemed to hit him.
“So you’re saying…”
“That if you don’t accept my conditions, you can pack your things and go to your mother’s.”
His face twisted with anger.
“Fine. If that’s how you want it, I’ll go. We’ll see how you sing when you’re alone!”
He went into the bedroom and began stuffing his clothes into a duffel bag, not folding anything, slamming closet doors.
Nina stood in the doorway and watched. Inside her was a strange emptiness—no pity, no regret, only exhaustion.
“You’ll regret this!” Alexey threw over his shoulder as he zipped the bag. “You’ll realize what you’ve lost! You’ll beg me to come back!”
“I won’t.”
“Oh, you will! In a couple of days you’ll crawl back on your knees!”
He grabbed the bag and went to the exit, put on his jacket, and pulled on his shoes.
“Last time I’m asking—have you changed your mind?”
“No.”
“Fine. It’s on you.”
He slammed the door and left. Nina stood in the hallway. Silence wrapped the apartment.
She went to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Took out a cup, brewed tea, sat by the window and looked at the dark city.
A strange feeling. She should have felt sadness, longing, loneliness. But instead, there was relief—an incredible, almost physical relief.
She exhaled. For the first time in months, she exhaled fully.
The next day Nina woke up late. No one woke her, no one demanded breakfast. She got up, had breakfast slowly, took a shower.
She called work and said she was still on sick leave. Then she sat on the couch with a book she’d been wanting to read for a long time.
Silence. Peace. No visits, no complaints, no demands.
A week passed. Alexey didn’t call. Nina didn’t call him either. She recovered, came back to herself, enjoyed being alone.
The apartment felt more spacious. The air felt cleaner. Life felt lighter.
She met a friend, went to yoga, read books—did everything she’d never had time for before because of endless cooking for her husband’s relatives.
On the tenth day the doorbell rang. Nina opened it—Alexey stood on the doorstep.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
“Can I come in?”
“Why?”
“We need to talk.”
Nina let him in. Alexey went to the living room and sat on the couch.
“So? Have you come to your senses?”
Nina looked at him. Had she expected that question? Yes. That was exactly how he would ask.
“No. I haven’t.”
“What do you mean you haven’t? You must have been miserable without me!”
“No. I felt very good.”
Alexey frowned.
“Don’t lie. You can’t live without me.”
“I can. And I’m doing just fine.”
He stood and came toward her.
“Nina, stop messing around. Let’s forget this fight. I’ll come back, and everything will be like before.”
“No. It won’t be like before.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to live like before. I don’t want to be a servant for your family. I don’t want to put up with rudeness and disrespect.”
“No one was rude to you!”
“They were. And so were you.”
Alexey took a step back.
“I was rude to you?!”
“You were. You didn’t defend me from your mother. You were always on her side. You said I had to endure, had to cater, had to serve. That’s rudeness too.”
“I just wanted you to respect my family!”
“And I wanted you to respect me. But you didn’t.”
Alexey fell silent. He seemed to realize he couldn’t talk her out of it.
“So what now?”
“Now I want a divorce.”
He flinched.
“What?!”
“I’m filing for divorce.”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
Alexey sat back down. His face went pale.
“Nina, let’s not rush…”
“I’m not rushing. I thought about it for ten days. And I made my decision.”
“But we love each other!”
Nina shook her head.
“You don’t love me. Your mother said you married me only because of the apartment. And I believe her.”
“She lied! I love you!”
“No. If you loved me, you’d have protected me. Respected me. You wouldn’t have let your mother insult me.”
Alexey stood up.
“Fine. If that’s how it is, I’m leaving. But you’ll regret it. I promise—you’ll regret it.”
“I don’t think so.”
He left, slamming the door. Nina remained standing in the living room. She looked at the door and smiled.
Regret it? No. She already didn’t regret it. Not for a second.
The following week Nina went to a lawyer. She filed the divorce paperwork. The process was simple—there were no children, no property to divide, and the apartment was in her name.
“In a month you’ll receive the divorce certificate,” the lawyer said.
“All right. Thank you.”
Nina left the office and got into her car. She started the engine but didn’t drive off right away. She sat there, staring out the window.
Divorce. She was getting divorced. The marriage had lasted less than a year. But it was better to divorce now than to endure it for years.
She drove home. On the way she stopped at a store and bought groceries. At home she cooked herself dinner—not for guests, not for a husband, but just for herself. Whatever she wanted.
She sat at the table, turned on music, and ate slowly, enjoying the taste and the silence.
After dinner she called her friend.
“Hi! How are you?”
“Good. I filed for divorce today.”
“Seriously? Well done! I’m proud of you!”
“Thank you. I feel lighter myself.”
They talked for an hour. Her friend shared news; Nina talked about her plans—work, travel, life.
When she hung up, Nina felt happy. Real, deep happiness.
She put on a movie and settled onto the couch. No one interfered, no one criticized her choice, no one demanded she switch to sports.
Freedom. That’s what she felt. Freedom.
A month later Nina received the divorce certificate. Holding the document in her hands, she felt no negative emotions—only relief.
Alexey tried calling a few times. Nina didn’t answer. He sent messages—she didn’t read them. Eventually he gave up.
Nina returned to a full life: work, friends, hobbies. She signed up for drawing classes, started exercising, went on vacation to the sea.
The apartment remained her quiet refuge. No one criticized, demanded, or ordered her around. Here she was in charge—truly in charge of her own life.
One day she ran into one of Alexey’s former colleagues at a café.
“Nina! Hi! Long time no see!”
“Hi!”
“I heard you and Alexey got divorced?”
“Yes, we did.”
“That’s a shame. You seemed like a good couple.”
Nina smiled.
“Sometimes appearances are deceiving.”
“Yeah, I guess… And how are you? Managing?”
“I’m doing great. Even better than I was in marriage.”
The colleague nodded and soon left. Nina finished her coffee and looked out the window. Spring sunshine shone beyond the glass; people walked along the streets; the city lived its life.
And she lived her life too—free, happy, full of possibilities.
Nina understood one important thing: it’s better to be alone than with someone who doesn’t respect you. Better loneliness than toxic relationships. Better to start over than to endure humiliation for years.
She took back control of her life. And that was priceless.
Nina smiled and stepped out of the café. A new life was waiting ahead—and she was ready for it