“Liz, we need to talk,” Roma said as he walked into the apartment and headed straight for the kitchen, where Liza was making dinner.
“Did something happen?” she asked, turning around and wiping her hands on a towel.
“Mom called. She wants to come stay for a week,” he said, sitting down on a stool without meeting her eyes.
“So? Let her come,” Liza shrugged. “The sofa in the living room pulls out.”
Roma hesitated, drumming his fingers on the countertop.
“Well… here’s the thing. She asked… Basically, she’d feel more comfortable if you stayed with your parents while she’s here.”
Liza froze. For a second, she thought she had heard him wrong.
“Wait. Let me get this straight. You want me to let your mother move in here while I leave?” she stared at him in disbelief.
“Don’t make it sound so harsh, Liz. Mom just wants to feel comfortable. She wants some time with me, to talk about something important.”
“So I’m in the way? In my own home?”
“You’re twisting it,” Roma said, rubbing his forehead. “She’s going through a difficult time. She says she needs personal space.”
“In our apartment?” Liza felt anger flare inside her. “Roma, we’ve been paying off this mortgage together for three years. I picked out every little thing in here to make it feel like home. And now I’m supposed to leave because your mother feels like it?”
“It’s only for a week, Liz. What’s the big deal?”
“What’s the big deal?” she repeated, crossing her arms. “Are you seriously asking me that? What if I told you to leave because my mother wanted to stay here?”
“That’s different,” he said with a dismissive wave.
“How exactly?”
“My mother has always been demanding. You know what she’s like. It’ll just be easier for me if—”
“If your wife quietly disappears,” Liza finished for him. “Sorry, but no. I’m not going anywhere.”
Roma stood up.
“Liza, I’m asking you nicely. Mom already bought the ticket.”
“I’m not against her coming. But I’m staying here.”
“Why do you always make everything harder?” irritation crept into his voice.
“I make things harder?” Liza could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Your mother is demanding that I vanish from my own home, and you think that’s normal?”
“She didn’t demand it. She asked.”
“And of course, you agreed right away,” Liza said, shaking her head. “Without even talking to me first.”
“I’m talking to you now.”
“No. You’re informing me.”
They looked at each other, and in that moment Liza understood with perfect clarity that this was not just an ordinary domestic argument. It was a test of their marriage.
“I’m not going anywhere, Roma,” she said firmly. “And we need to have a very serious conversation about why you think it’s acceptable to push me out of my own home just because your mother wants it.”
“It’s not just because she wants it!” Roma snapped. “You’ve never even tried to understand her!”
“And have you ever tried to understand me?”
Without another word, Roma grabbed his jacket and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
“He actually said that?” Marina, Liza’s best friend, stared at her in disbelief through the video call. “He told you to move out for a week?”
“Yes. Can you imagine?” Liza sat curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees. “We’ve lived together for three years, and suddenly this.”
“What’s the situation with your mother-in-law? I thought you two were at least civil.”
“Civil?” Liza gave a bitter laugh. “You haven’t seen the way she looks at me. To her, I’ve never been good enough for her precious son. ‘Elizabeth, surely you’ve read Proust? How can a person be so uncultured?’” she said, imitating her mother-in-law’s affected voice. “And now, apparently, she’s decided to remove me completely.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m definitely not leaving.”
“And Roma still hasn’t come back?”
“No. Probably staying at a friend’s place,” Liza sighed. “Marina, I just don’t get it. We always used to make decisions together. And now this…”
“Men are weak when it comes to their mothers,” Marina said philosophically. “Especially mothers as controlling as your Veronika Igorevna.”
“Oh please, ‘Igorevna,’” Liza scoffed. “She changed her patronymic when she moved from the village to the city. She used to be Verka Nikitina, and suddenly she became Veronika Igorevna. Now she acts like she was born into nobility.”
“How do you know that?”
“One of her former coworkers told me. Olga Petrovna. They used to work together years ago. She said Veronika Igorevna spent her whole life trying to seem more refined than she really is. Even her late husband came from a simple background. He just happened to make money in the nineties.”
The doorbell rang.
“Someone’s here. Let’s talk tomorrow?”
Liza ended the call and went to answer the door. Standing there was the last person she wanted to see: Veronika Igorevna herself. Tall, thin, perfectly styled, with a cold smile fixed on her face.
“Good evening, Elizabeth,” she said, brushing past the stunned Liza and stepping inside. “I decided to come a day early. I hope you don’t mind.”
Liza silently shut the door and turned toward the uninvited guest.
“Veronika Igorevna, where’s Roma? Does he know you’re already here?”
“I texted him. He’ll be here soon,” her mother-in-law replied, surveying the apartment. “So you still haven’t done the renovation? These wallpaper patterns clash terribly with the furniture.”
Liza took a slow, deep breath. Not even an hour, and it had already begun.
“Veronika Igorevna, Roma told me you want me to leave while you’re visiting. Is that true?”
Her mother-in-law looked at her with theatrical surprise.
“Roman must have misunderstood me. I simply said that we need some time alone. Mother and son, you understand? There are family matters we need to discuss.”
“Roma and I are family too,” Liza said steadily. “And this apartment is our home. I’m not going anywhere.”
Veronika Igorevna pressed her lips together.
“How rude, Elizabeth. I always told Roman he deserved a woman with more refined manners.”
“My name is Liza,” she replied, feeling anger rise in her chest. “And if you want to stay here, you’ll have to accept the fact that I live here too.”
At that moment the doorbell rang again. Roma.
“Mom? You’re already here?” he asked, looking from his mother to his wife in surprise.
“I decided to come early, darling,” Veronika Igorevna said warmly, her whole face softening into a smile. “I missed you.”
Roma hugged his mother, then turned to Liza.
“Have you two already talked?”
“Yes,” Liza said. “I explained to Veronika Igorevna that I’m staying here.”
“Elizabeth is being very inhospitable,” his mother cut in immediately. “Not exactly the upbringing I would expect from my son’s wife.”
“Mom, please,” Roma said with a grimace. “Let’s all calm down.”
“I am perfectly calm,” Liza said sharply. “I just want to understand why your mother thinks she has the right to push me out of my own home.”
“Elizabeth!”
“Liza. My name is Liza!”
“I will never get used to such a vulgar little nickname,” Veronika Igorevna said with visible disdain.
“That’s enough!” Roma raised his voice. “Liza, can I talk to you for a second?”
They stepped out into the hallway.
“What are you doing?” he hissed. “Mom just got here and you’re already starting a scene.”
“I’m starting a scene?” Liza was breathless with outrage. “She showed up without warning and immediately started insulting me!”
“She’s tired from traveling.”
“So now I’m supposed to tolerate every rude thing she says?”
“Keep your voice down,” Roma said, glancing toward the living room door. “Liza, please. Just one week. Do this for me.”
“No, Roma. This is my home. I’m not leaving.”
He looked at her with open disappointment, and that hurt more than anything else.
“Fine,” he said at last. “Stay. But please try not to fight with her.”
The next two days turned into a nightmare. Veronika Igorevna criticized everything, from the apartment itself to the way Liza arranged plates on the dinner table.
“In decent homes, cutlery is placed very differently, Elizabeth,” she remarked during dinner.
“In my home, this is how it’s done,” Liza shot back.
“Your home?” Veronika Igorevna arched an eyebrow. “As far as I understand, Roman is the one paying the mortgage.”
“We both pay it.”
“Yes, of course. Your modest salary as a logistics coordinator must make such a great contribution to the family budget,” her mother-in-law replied with a condescending smile.
“Mom,” Roma interrupted. “Let’s not talk about that.”
But Veronika Igorevna carried on as if she hadn’t heard him.
“You know, Roman, I recently ran into Lenochka Vorontsova. Do you remember her? Professor Vorontsov’s daughter. Such a lovely girl. She works at a contemporary art gallery now. She asked about you.”
Liza stood up from the table.
“I’m going for a walk,” she said, forcing her voice to stay steady.
“So early?” Veronika Igorevna asked with mock surprise. “What about dessert?”
“I’ve lost my appetite,” Liza replied, grabbing her bag and walking out without looking back.
She wandered through the evening streets without paying attention to where she was going. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. A message from Anton, one of Roma’s coworkers.
“Hey. How are you? Haven’t seen you in a while. Want to meet tomorrow after work? Need to discuss something about the project.”
Anton had always been attentive to her. Maybe a little too attentive. But right then, the invitation felt like an escape. Liza quickly typed back:
“Hi. Sure. Let’s meet at 6 at the café on Lesnaya.”
The café was quiet and nearly empty. Anton was already there, waiting at a table by the window.
“You look exhausted,” he said as she sat down.
“It’s been a rough week.”
“Something happened?”
She had not planned to tell him anything about her marriage, but to her own surprise, she ended up telling him everything: the visit, the demand that she move out, the strange way Roma had been acting.
Anton listened carefully without interrupting.
“You know, this really isn’t normal,” he said when she finished. “What she’s asking. And the fact that Roma is backing her.”
“That’s exactly what I thought,” Liza admitted, relieved that someone else saw it the same way. “But Roma keeps saying I’m making a big deal out of nothing. That it’s just for a week.”
“It’s not about the week,” Anton said, shaking his head. “It’s about the principle. Today she pushes you out for a week. Tomorrow what? A month? Forever?”
Liza had never looked at it that way before. The thought that Roma might one day choose his mother over her made her stomach tighten.
“Liz,” Anton said suddenly, placing his hand over hers, “I’ve wanted to tell you something for a long time. You deserve better than this. Roma… he’s a decent guy, but he’s always been a mama’s boy. Everybody at work knows it.”
“What do you mean?” Liza asked, gently pulling her hand back.
“Just that… I like you, Liz. A lot. And it hurts to watch you being treated like this.”
She felt herself blush. She had always suspected how he felt, but she had never encouraged it.
“Anton, I’m married. And I love my husband, despite everything.”
“I know,” he said, leaning back. “Just remember that you have friends. People who value you more than he seems to.”
They talked a little longer about work before parting ways. On her way home, Liza kept replaying Anton’s words in her mind. Did Roma really not value her? And what exactly was happening to their marriage?
When she got home, she found Roma and Veronika Igorevna talking animatedly in the kitchen. The conversation stopped the moment she walked in.
“Oh, Elizabeth is back,” her mother-in-law said, lips tightening. “How was your walk?”
“Fine,” Liza replied, heading toward the bathroom, but Roma stopped her.
“Where were you for so long?”
“I met a colleague,” she said without turning around. “We discussed work.”
“With which colleague?” suspicion sharpened his voice.
“With Anton.”
“With Anton?” Roma’s voice rose. “Seriously?”
Liza turned to face him.
“What’s wrong with that? We’re working on the same project.”
“At eight in the evening? In a café?”
“How do you—?”
Roma pulled her phone from his pocket.
“You left it on the table. He kept calling.”
“You read my messages?” Liza stared at him in disbelief.
“I just wanted to know where you were,” he said defensively.
“You could have called and asked!”
“I did call. You didn’t pick up.”
“My phone was on silent. That still doesn’t give you the right to go through my messages!”
“You see, Roman,” Veronika Igorevna cut in, “I told you so. Only a wife with a guilty conscience would react like that.”
“What?” Liza snapped, turning toward her. “What exactly are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything, dear. I’m simply stating a fact. You meet another man while my son works to provide for you.”
“It was a work meeting! Ask Anton if you don’t believe me!”
“Oh yes, and naturally he’d tell the truth,” Veronika Igorevna said sarcastically.
Liza looked back at Roma.
“Do you really believe I would cheat on you?”
He said nothing, and that silence spoke louder than words ever could.
“I see,” she whispered, feeling her throat tighten. “Three years of marriage, and you’re ready to believe I’m unfaithful because I had coffee with a coworker.”
“Liza, wait—”
But she had already disappeared into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
The next morning she woke up to a phone call. It was Kirill, Roma’s brother.
“Hey, sister-in-law. How are you holding up?”
“Awful,” Liza answered honestly. “Your mother is trying to destroy my marriage.”
“I know. Roma called me last night, complaining that you were meeting some guy.”
“It was a coworker. We were talking about work.”
“I believe you,” Kirill said calmly. “And deep down, Roma believes you too. Mom just knows how to manipulate people.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Listen, I’m coming into town tomorrow. Let’s meet. I have a plan to open Roma’s eyes to Mom’s games.”
“What plan?” Liza asked doubtfully.
“I’ll tell you later. Just be ready tomorrow at seven. And don’t say anything to Roma.”
The day passed in tense silence. Liza left for work early and came home late. Roma slept in the living room, claiming he did not want to wake his mother.
The next day Liza got a message from Kirill:
“Tonight at 7 at Beluga. I’ll be waiting for the three of you. Tell Roma I invited everyone for a peace talk.”
When Liza passed on the invitation, Roma looked surprised but agreed. Veronika Igorevna did too, although not without remarking that “in respectable circles, such gatherings are arranged in advance.”
Kirill was already seated at the table when they arrived. He hugged his brother, kissed his mother on the cheek, and gave Liza a friendly side hug.
“I’m glad you all came,” he said once they sat down. “It’s been too long since we were all together.”
At first, the conversation dragged awkwardly. Roma was gloomy, Liza was tense, and Veronika Igorevna remained icy and restrained. Only Kirill seemed relaxed, joking and telling stories about work.
After the second course, he suddenly grew serious.
“Mom, I wanted to ask you something. Is it true that you told Tanya Kravtsova you were planning to split Roma and Liza up?”
Veronika Igorevna nearly choked on her wine.
“What nonsense is this? Where did you hear that?”
“From Tanya herself,” Kirill replied evenly. “She called me yesterday. She’s worried about you. Said you’d been bragging about how cleverly you were manipulating Roma into turning against Liza.”
“That’s… that’s not true!” Veronika Igorevna went pale. “Tanya twisted everything!”
“Really?” Kirill pulled out his phone. “What if I play the recording of your conversation with her? Tanya records all her calls. It’s a habit.”
“What recording? This is absurd.”
Kirill pressed play.
“…Of course, Tanya, everything is going according to plan. I already got him to check her phone. Soon he’ll believe she’s unfaithful. And once they split, I’ll introduce him to Larisa’s daughter. Now that would be a proper match.”
Roma slowly turned to his mother.
“Mom… what is this?”
“It’s taken out of context!” she stammered. “We were joking!”
“No, Mom,” Roma said quietly. “This isn’t a joke. You really were trying to ruin my marriage. And you almost succeeded.”
Then he turned to his wife.
“Liza, I… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”
Suddenly Veronika Igorevna burst into tears.
“I only wanted what was best for you, Roma! That girl is beneath you! She doesn’t even know how to behave in society!”
“And you do, Mom?” Kirill asked suddenly. “You, Verka from Nizhniye Koty, who changed her name and patronymic to sound aristocratic?”
“What?” Veronika Igorevna jumped to her feet. “How dare you!”
“I dare to tell the truth. The truth you should have told yourself a long time ago. Instead, you pretended to be something you’re not and tried to destroy your son’s happiness.”
She snatched up her handbag and stormed out of the restaurant. Roma sat there with his head bowed.
“I’m sorry, Liza. I was such an idiot.”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “You were. So what now?”
“Now…” He reached for her hand. “Now I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness. If you’ll give me a chance.”
Liza glanced at Kirill, who gave her an encouraging smile.
“Thank you,” she said. “If it weren’t for you…”
“I’ve always known Mom was a schemer,” Kirill said with a shrug. “I was just waiting for the right moment to expose her. And by the way, there is no Tanya Kravtsova. The recording was voiced by an actress friend of mine. Mom gave herself away with her reaction.”
“So what do I do now?” Roma asked. “How am I supposed to handle Mom?”
“Set boundaries,” Kirill said firmly. “Clear, unmistakable boundaries. Otherwise she’ll never stop.”
Two months later, Liza and Roma were sitting in the kitchen, discussing Veronika Igorevna’s upcoming visit.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Liza asked.
“She’s still my mother, no matter what,” Roma sighed. “But this time everything will be different. She’s staying in a hotel. And the moment she starts manipulating again, the visit is over.”
“Okay,” Liza said, squeezing his hand. “I trust you.”
“I won’t let you down,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I will never put anyone above you again. I promise.”
The doorbell rang.
“She’s here,” Liza said, taking a deep breath.
Roma went to answer the door while she remained in the kitchen, staring out the window. Their marriage had been through a real trial. The wound had not fully healed, but both of them had changed. Roma had learned to stand up to his mother. Liza had learned to stand up for herself. And Veronika Igorevna… well, she would have to accept the new rules if she wanted to remain part of their lives.
“Liza!” Roma called. “Come here!”
She smiled and went to greet her mother-in-law, her head held high, certain now that no one would ever drive her out of her own home again.