“Larisa Alexandrovna, why are you deciding, without me, who gets to live in MY house?! On what grounds?!”
Lida picked up her phone again. A small notification vibration made her heart tighten. Another message from the banking app. A delay in the rent payment. Again. Usually, guests transferred the money right after booking, but this time everything had somehow dragged on strangely.
“How can this be?” she thought, looking at the screen.
It was not just a house, not just real estate. It was a piece of her childhood, left to her by her grandmother. She kept it in order as best she could. It was the place where every tree, every corner reminded her of how she and her grandmother once sat on the veranda, breathing in the scent of the fresh wind.
“Why should a good house stand empty?” Lida thought aloud.
She opened a new rental listing for the house. Either way, it would bring in at least some profit.
With every passing year, the house became more and more popular. The reviews were glowing. People returned again and again. Lida was proud. It was not just her grandmother’s inheritance — it was her way of sharing happiness with others. She controlled every detail, monitored the cleaning, hired a housekeeper, and prepared instructions for guests.
But Larisa Alexandrovna, her mother-in-law, would not leave her alone.
“What kind of habit is this, letting strangers into a family home?” she would scold sternly. “What if they damage something? This is not a hotel, understand?”
“Don’t worry, everything is under control,” Lida tried to reassure her.
But as usual, her words disappeared into the abyss of Larisa Alexandrovna’s dissatisfaction.
“In my day, people didn’t do such things! A house is sacred. It belongs to the family! And you’ve turned it into a public passageway! You’re even making money from it! As if there are no other ways!”
Lida only sighed, knowing her mother-in-law would never understand. But it was her house. And perhaps someday, when her mother-in-law realized that happiness sometimes required taking a small risk, everything would fall into place.
Maxim always stayed on the sidelines. He did not like arguing with his mother. He preferred to remain silent whenever the conversation turned to family. Of course, Lida felt hurt by this. She wanted her husband to support her somehow. But he was an only son, raised under the wing of a strict mother, and he always agreed, never argued.
Then, at the last family dinner, Larisa Alexandrovna casually began talking about Kirill.
“Do you know Kirill got into university in our city?” she said, proudly puffing out her chest. “Such a good boy. He even got a state-funded place!”
Maxim sat as if on pins and needles.
“Really? Where?”
“At the polytechnic. Computer programming,” his mother said. “Only there’s a problem with housing. He didn’t get a dorm room, and apartments are expensive. He’s a smart boy. He wants to study.”
Lida noticed the meaningful look her mother-in-law gave her, but at that moment she paid no attention to it. After all, Kirill was only a distant relative whom she had seen a couple of times at family celebrations. What did that have to do with her? Nothing.
A week passed.
Anna Pavlovna, the housekeeper, called.
“Lidochka, there’s something I need to tell you…” Her voice sounded tense. “Your mother-in-law came by and told the tenants that the house was urgently needed for relatives. They left. What could I do? She’s your husband’s mother…”
“What do you mean, they left?!” Lida could not believe it. “They had a booking! They paid an advance!”
“Well, that’s what happened… And then some young man arrived with his things. He said he lives here now. He brought so many belongings that he filled all the rooms. He even set up a computer in the living room.”
Lida felt icy fear spread through her body. So that was why the money had not arrived — because of her mother-in-law! And now this young man? The house was registered in Lida’s name. All the agreements were official. What was she supposed to do now? How was she supposed to explain this to the tenants — and to herself?
“Anna Pavlovna, you have no idea what this means to me!” Her voice trembled with rage. “I cannot just leave this as it is!”
The feeling of helplessness grew stronger. The house that was so dear to her had become an arena for someone else’s games.
“Maxim, did you know?” Lida could barely contain her anger. Her heart was pounding as she dialed her husband’s number.
“Know what?” Maxim answered vaguely, as usual, his tone evasive. He could already sense trouble.
“That your mother kicked out our tenants and moved Kirill in!”
Silence.
He did not know how to answer. And Lida understood that something was wrong.
“Oh, that…” Maxim finally said, as if searching for the right words. “Well, Mom said it wouldn’t be bad to help the boy. He’s family… And the house is standing empty anyway.”
“You agreed? Without asking me?! This is my house, Maxim! My grandmother’s inheritance!”
“Lida, it won’t be for long. Just until he finishes studying. We need to help relatives, you understand.”
“Four years?!” Lida felt anger boiling in her chest. “You’re suggesting that I support your nephew for four years? What about our plans? We wanted to renovate the apartment! And besides, I have a business, Maxim!”
“Don’t exaggerate,” Maxim tried to calm her. “Kirill will pay rent. He’s a responsible guy.”
“Really? How much?” Lida felt her patience slipping away.
“Well, Mom said five thousand a month. That’s normal for a student.”
Lida almost dropped the phone. Five thousand? Ten times less than the usual rent! And now what? Her tenants had been thrown out, and instead of them there was some boy who was not even really going to pay rent?
“I’m going to check the house,” Lida said, taking a decisive step. “And tell your mother…”
Lida clenched the car keys in her hand and rushed out of the pastry shop without saying goodbye. Her assistant stayed behind to manage things; Lida had to go. The forty-minute drive felt like an eternity — her head was splitting with anger and dark premonitions. In every gap between the trees, in every turn of the road, she felt something collapsing.
When she pulled up to the house, Lida saw an unfamiliar car in the yard. Through the large living-room window, she noticed a young man setting up some equipment, and her heart clenched.
“Hello, Aunt Lida!” Kirill exclaimed cheerfully, waving when she entered the house. “I’m slowly settling in here. Aunt Larisa said you didn’t mind if I stayed for a couple of weeks until the dorm issue gets sorted out.”
Lida looked around the living room and felt everything inside her sway. This was not the cozy house she remembered. There was a computer with two monitors on the table, wires lying everywhere, and the sofa was covered with belongings. It all looked like a student dormitory.
“Kirill, who gave you the keys?” Lida tried to speak calmly, but panic slipped into her voice.
“Aunt Larisa brought them,” the young man shrugged, not understanding the situation. “She said you knew. It’s family helping family…”
“And the previous guests? What happened to them?” Lida felt anger begin to boil.
“Well, Aunt Larisa explained the situation to them,” Kirill looked embarrassed, but clearly did not grasp the seriousness of what was happening. “That the house urgently had to be freed up for relatives. They seemed to understand…”
Lida took out her phone. Her hands were trembling as she dialed her mother-in-law’s number. Every ring felt like an eternity.
“Yes, Lidochka?” Larisa Alexandrovna’s voice sounded as if she had absolutely no idea what was going on.
“Larisa Alexandrovna, this has gone beyond every boundary! How could you dispose of my house without asking me?” Lida felt her voice breaking.
“What do you mean, your house?” There was steel in her mother-in-law’s voice. “It is a family home! And in a family, people must help one another. Kirill is a capable boy. He needs to study. I couldn’t leave my nephew without a roof over his head!”
“You kicked out my tenants!” Lida felt her voice shaking. “You ruined my reputation! We had agreements. People paid money!”
“Money, money…” her mother-in-law stretched out the word as if it had no importance. “That is all you think about! Have you thought about family ties? About the fact that the boy needs help?”
Lida clenched her teeth, not knowing how to respond. She could not believe what was happening.
“What do family ties have to do with this? This is my house, my inheritance! You had no right…” Her voice grew quieter, but with every word the desperation in it became stronger.
“I am your husband’s mother!” Larisa Alexandrovna raised her voice, and Lida felt the tension rising with every word. “And if I see property being handled incorrectly, I am obliged to interfere! What kind of thing is this — letting strangers in when a relative needs help?”
Lida closed her eyes, trying to gather her thoughts. Two feelings raged inside her: disappointment and fury. She knew this conversation would not end peacefully, but she could not simply surrender.
Barely holding back her anger, Lida dialed her husband again.
“Maxim, can you come? We need to resolve this urgently.”
“Lida, I’m in an important meeting,” Maxim replied, sounding tired. “Let’s discuss everything tonight?”
“No, Maxim, this has to be resolved now! Your mother has completely lost all sense of boundaries. She threw people out of my house!” Lida felt her breathing quicken.
“Well, not your house — our house,” Maxim suddenly said, irritation appearing in his voice. “Mom just wanted to help Kirill. He isn’t a stranger.”
Lida felt a chill run down her spine.
“So you knew? You knew everything and supported this lawlessness?”
“Lida, don’t exaggerate. So what if the guy stays there for a couple of weeks?”
“A couple of weeks?” Lida gave a bitter laugh. “Then why did he bring all his belongings? Why did he set up a computer? Why is your mother talking about four years?”
“Well, maybe he’ll stay a little longer…” Maxim mumbled, sounding confused. “Listen, let’s really talk this evening, okay? I have an important meeting right now.”
Lida looked around at the familiar walls. Her grandmother’s rocking chair, the old paintings on the walls, the china set she treasured… This house was her life, a part of her.
“Kirill,” she said, turning to the nephew, who was standing in the corner with his eyes lowered. “I understand that you are not to blame. But this house is not a free hotel. I have a business here, regular clients. I cannot destroy everything.”
“But Aunt Larisa said…” the young man began, but Lida interrupted him.
“Aunt Larisa had no right to promise anything,” she said firmly. “This is my house, and only I decide who lives in it.”
Lida sat in the armchair, feeling cold thoughts race through her and squeeze her chest. Inside, everything seemed to have melted away, leaving only emptiness and the feeling that she had failed to protect something important in time. Questions spun in her head — why, what for, who had given anyone the right?
The house. Her family home, which had always seemed like such a reliable fortress. And now what? A student dormitory? A rental property taken over by someone else?
The phone rang, cutting through the heavy silence like a knife. Larisa Alexandrovna, of course, would not leave her in peace.
“Lidochka, what are you doing? Understand, the boy needs help. Five thousand a month — isn’t that enough?” Her voice was like sweet syrup, but poison rang beneath it.
“Five thousand?!” Lida could not hold back, as if someone had splashed icy water over her. “Do you even understand that I am losing ten times more? You are damaging not only the house but also my reputation!”
“Again with the money…” her mother-in-law exhaled in irritation. “I always told Maxim he should not marry such a mercenary girl…”
It was like a lightning strike, as if the world suddenly shrank and stood on the edge of something terrible. Lida felt the last of her patience leave her.
“Larisa Alexandrovna, I demand that you stop this self-willed behavior! You have no right to dispose of my property. Neither morally nor legally!” Lida said it like a verdict, as if placing a final period in empty space now filled with anger.
“Oh, really?” her mother-in-law snapped, her voice rising. “So you’re going to kick out your own nephew? Throw him into the street?”
Lida took a deep breath, feeling anger boiling inside her. It was time to settle everything.
“Kirill, listen,” she said, turning to the nephew, who stood in the corner looking lost. “I understand your situation. But this house is not just a place to live. I have work here, contracts. You cannot simply stay here like this.”
“But Aunt Larisa said…” he tried to justify himself, but Lida interrupted him.
“You have twenty-four hours to pack your things,” her voice was firm as stone. “I will help you find another place. I will smooth things over with the guests, but this house is not for indefinite guests.”
The phone rang again. Larisa Alexandrovna’s name was on the screen.
“Lidochka, could you at least once act like a human being? The boy needs help, and all you think about is money!” Her words scraped like a razor against the skin.
“Like a human being?” Lida felt something inside her suddenly boil over. “And throwing people out in the middle of their vacation — is that humane? Undermining the business I spent a year building — is that normal?”
The anger that had been growing in her soul burst out, and Lida understood: this was not merely a conversation about a house. It was about her life, her right to decide what happened to what was dear to her.
A quiet hum of an engine was heard, and finally Maxim arrived. He looked like a man who had just heard a sentence pronounced. His eyes darted between his wife and his nephew, and Lida understood — he was still not ready to choose a side.
“Lida, maybe we can still find a compromise?” His words sounded like an attempt to sweep tracks under the rug.
“What compromise?” Lida did not hide her irritation. “Your mother took control of someone else’s house without permission! I lost clients, I lost money, and you are suggesting a compromise?”
Maxim was silent. He simply stood there, not knowing what to say. Lida saw how he could not find the right words, as if a prick of conscience still lingered beneath his fingernails. And in that moment she felt the full weight of her situation — she was a woman who could not allow herself weakness even now.
“I should have told you right away…” he finally forced the words out. But they sounded flat and empty.
“Should have?” Lida nodded coldly. “But you kept silent. As always.”
The next morning, while Larisa Alexandrovna continued her complaints over the phone, Kirill found a solution himself. He wrote that one of his classmates had an apartment and that he no longer needed to stay in the house.
“See?” Lida sighed with relief, as if taking off a heavy suit of armor. “A solution can always be found when people don’t hide everything from each other.”
The phone rang again. Larisa Alexandrovna was furious.
“Well, are you satisfied now? You drove the boy out! And if you had a son…” Her voice was full of resentment.
Lida cut her off.
“I manage this house, and this is no longer up for discussion. No unauthorized decisions, no keys in the hands of outsiders. Everything goes through the agency. Everything official!”
“You have always been heartless!” her mother-in-law screamed, as if she had been summoned to trial.
Maxim, who had heard her words, suddenly said:
“That’s enough, Mom. This is none of your business. You were wrong. It is Lida’s house, and only she decides what to do with it.”
Silence.
After those words, dead silence hung on the line. Larisa Alexandrovna did not answer. She simply hung up.
And although Lida understood that much would never return to the way it had been, she felt calm growing inside her. And when the day passed, and Kirill found an apartment as promised, she realized she had won. Not in a fight, but in the right to be the master of her own life.
That evening, when the house was once again filled with comfort and silence, Maxim embraced her. She felt him apologizing without words. And Lida smiled, realizing that this time, they had finally learned to be honest with each other.
“Forgive me, Lida. I promise this will never happen again.”
“Do you promise?” Lida looked into his eyes. “You won’t stay silent when something is wrong?”
He nodded. And on his face was a confidence she had never seen there before.
The business recovered. Everything fell back into place. But the most important thing Lida understood was this: sometimes you have to go through conflict in order to restore respect for yourself.