“The apartment is ours now! My son said so!” my husband’s parents declared as they showed up at the door with suitcases.
Nadezhda stood by the bank window, clutching the account statement in her hands. The numbers blurred before her eyes from excitement. Seven million. A full seven million rubles.
“Nadya, well? What does it say?” Evgeny came up behind her and looked over his wife’s shoulder. “Is everything correct?”
“Yes, Zhenya…” Nadezhda’s voice trembled with joy. “We did it. We saved it!”
Evgeny wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. Nadezhda closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne. For five years they had saved every penny. They had denied themselves vacations, entertainment, new clothes. And now, finally, their dream had become reality.
“We’ll buy a three-room apartment in a quiet neighborhood,” Evgeny whispered in her ear. “No more rented flats.”
“No more landlords with their endless inspections,” Nadezhda added, turning around in his arms.
Nadezhda remembered all the humiliations they had endured. The landlady’s sudden visits in the middle of the night. The ban on pets. The constant demands not to make noise after nine in the evening.
Two weeks later, they were standing in the spacious living room of a three-room apartment. Sunlight poured into the room through large windows. The fresh renovation pleased the eye with calm pastel tones.
“This is ours,” Nadezhda could hardly believe it. “Zhenya, this is really ours!”
“Now you can even stand on your head,” Evgeny laughed, spinning his wife around the room. “No one will come with complaints!”
Nadezhda walked through the rooms, touching the walls as if making sure they were real. A spacious bedroom overlooking a quiet courtyard. A cozy children’s room — still empty for now, but Nadezhda could already imagine a crib there. A kitchen with new appliances.
“Where should we put our sofa?” Evgeny asked, pulling out a tape measure.
“Here, by the window,” Nadezhda pointed to the corner of the living room. “And we’ll hang the TV opposite it.”
The move went quickly. Every box brought them closer to a new life. A life in their own home.
That evening, when the last box had been unpacked, Nadezhda collapsed onto the sofa and spread out her arms. Evgeny sat beside her and placed her feet on his lap.
“Tired?” he asked, massaging her feet.
“Happy,” Nadezhda corrected him. “Just unbelievably happy.”
The first months in the new apartment flew by like a single day. Nadezhda devoted herself joyfully to arranging their little nest. On weekends, she and Evgeny drove around furniture stores, choosing a coffee table one day and new curtains the next. Every little thing brought them happiness.
“You know what I’m thinking about?” Nadezhda said one evening, nestled in her husband’s arms on their new sofa.
“What?” Evgeny stroked her hair.
“Maybe it’s time to think about children?” Nadezhda looked up at him. “We have our own place now. We have a children’s room.”
Evgeny thought for a moment, then smiled.
“You’re right. It’s the perfect time,” he kissed the top of her head. “Can you imagine how wonderful it will be? A little one taking their first steps in our apartment.”
Nadezhda closed her eyes, imagining the scene. Children’s laughter, scattered toys, drawings on the refrigerator. Their family would finally feel complete.
Six months passed. Saturday morning turned out especially cozy. Nadezhda was setting the table for breakfast, humming softly to herself. Evgeny had gone to the bakery for fresh buns — their little Saturday tradition.
The doorbell caught her by surprise. Nadezhda wiped her hands on her apron and went to open it, thinking Evgeny had forgotten his keys.
Behind the door stood her husband’s parents. Beside them were five huge suitcases and several boxes.
“Hello, Nadya,” her mother-in-law, Galina Petrovna, squeezed past her frozen daughter-in-law. “It’s not proper to keep guests standing at the door!”
Her father-in-law, Viktor Ivanovich, began carrying the suitcases inside. Nadezhda stood there, unable to move. What was happening? Why were they here? With all their things?
“Don’t just stand there like a post, help us!” Galina Petrovna commanded, taking off her coat.
Viktor Ivanovich dragged in the last box and slammed the front door shut. Only then did Nadezhda find her voice.
“Wait… What… What is going on?!” Her voice broke into a scream.
Galina Petrovna gave her a condescending look.
“The apartment is ours now! My son said so!”
Nadezhda staggered. Her ears began to ring. This had to be a mistake. It was impossible. Evgeny couldn’t have…
The front door swung open. Evgeny stood on the threshold with a bag of buns.
“Mom? Dad?” He looked in surprise at his parents, then at his pale wife. “You’re already here?”
“Zhenya, what does this mean?!” Nadezhda rushed toward her husband. “You knew? You knew they were coming?!”
“Nadya, let’s go into the living room,” Evgeny took her by the elbow. “We’ll discuss everything calmly.”
Nadezhda pulled her arm away, but still followed him. In the living room, she sat down on the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest. Evgeny settled into the armchair opposite her. His parents stayed in the hallway — apparently, Evgeny had asked them not to interfere.
“Nadya, listen,” Evgeny began. “I really did agree to let them move in.”
“You… what?!” Nadezhda jumped up. “How could you?! This is our apartment! Ours!”
“Please sit down,” Evgeny said calmly. “Let me explain. Andrey and Lena are going to have a baby soon.”
“So what? What does your brother have to do with me?” Nadezhda did not sit down, staring at her husband in bewilderment.
“Our parents gave them their apartment. They need more space,” Evgeny spread his hands. “And my parents had nowhere to go.”
“Nowhere?!” Nadezhda’s voice broke. “And what about asking me?! What about my opinion?!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Nadezhda did not try to wipe them away. Everything collapsed in one instant. Their cozy little nest, their plans for the future.
“Nadya, why are you being so dramatic?” Evgeny stood up and tried to hug his wife, but she pulled away. “Everything will be fine. Mom is an excellent cook, she’ll cook for us. Dad will help with repairs on the balcony.”
“I don’t want anyone cooking for me!” Nadezhda cried out. “I want to live in my own home! Just the two of us!”
“They’re not strangers,” Evgeny frowned. “They’re my parents.”
“And who am I to you?!” Nadezhda looked at him through her tears. “Nothing?”
Evgeny was silent. Nadezhda understood — there was nowhere for her to turn. The apartment was registered in both their names, but in reality, Evgeny had already made the decision. For her. Without her.
Life changed completely. Galina Petrovna took over the kitchen, cooking according to her own taste and schedule. Viktor Ivanovich occupied the living room, constantly watching television at full volume.
“Nadya, why isn’t the coffee ground?” her mother-in-law would ask in the mornings. “Zhenya only likes ground coffee.”
“Nadya, you came home late again,” her father-in-law would reproach her. “Decent wives are home by seven.”
Nadezhda stayed silent. What could she say? This was no longer her home. It was Evgeny’s parents’ apartment, where she was graciously allowed to remain.
“Look at the curtains I bought for your bedroom!” Galina Petrovna proudly displayed bright yellow curtains with ruffles.
“But we already have curtains,” Nadezhda objected weakly.
“Yours?” her mother-in-law waved dismissively. “They’re boring. These are something else!”
Nadezhda watched as the interior she had so carefully chosen disappeared under the assault of her mother-in-law’s taste. Little things dear to her heart were replaced by tasteless figurines. Her favorite framed photographs gave way to portraits of Evgeny’s distant relatives.
“Zhenya, talk to your mother,” Nadezhda begged in the evenings. “She rearranged all the furniture in the living room.”
“So what?” her husband brushed her off. “It’s more convenient for her that way.”
“And what about me?!” Nadezhda tried to reach him. “It’s not convenient for me!”
“Don’t invent problems,” Evgeny turned toward the wall. “You’ll get used to it.”
But Nadezhda did not get used to it. Every day it only got worse. She stopped smiling. Her laughter disappeared completely. In the evenings, she locked herself in the bedroom and lay face down in the pillow.
“You look so pale,” a colleague noticed. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” Nadezhda forced a smile. “I’m just tired.”
She tried to stay late at work. Home. Could you really call a place home when you were no one there?
A year passed like that. Nadezhda lost weight, and shadows appeared under her eyes. She moved around the apartment like a ghost, trying not to be seen by anyone.
Her birthday crept up unnoticed. Nadezhda did not prepare for it. What was the point? No one would remember anyway.
At work, her colleagues did not know about her birthday — Nadezhda had not told anyone. Her phone stayed silent all day. Only in the evening did a message come from her parents: “Happy birthday, our dear daughter! Come visit us!”
Nadezhda did not hesitate. She got into the car and drove. Her parents lived an hour away, in a small two-room apartment.
“Nadyusha!” her mother hugged her daughter at the door. “You’ve become so thin! Come in quickly!”
A cake with candles was waiting on the table. Her father poured tea, while her mother bustled around with plates.
“Make a wish!” her mother lit the candles.
Nadezhda closed her eyes. “I want to be happy. I want to be happy one year from now, on my next birthday.” She blew out the candles in one breath.
“What did you wish for?” her father asked.
“If I tell you, it won’t come true,” Nadezhda tried to smile.
Her parents exchanged glances. They saw what their daughter had become. But they stayed silent, not wanting to interfere.
Nadezhda returned home late. The lights were on in the apartment, and voices came from the kitchen.
“Finally!” Galina Petrovna looked out into the hallway. “Where have you been wandering around? Who is supposed to clean and wash the dishes?”
“I was at my parents’,” Nadezhda answered quietly.
“You could have warned us!” Viktor Ivanovich said indignantly.
“Where is Zhenya?” Nadezhda took off her coat.
“Lying on the sofa,” her mother-in-law waved her hand. “He’s tired from work.”
Nadezhda went into the living room. Evgeny did not take his eyes off the television.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” her husband muttered. “Where were you?”
“At my parents’.”
Nadezhda stood there, looking at her husband. He had not remembered. None of them had remembered that it was her birthday.
“Zhenya,” she called softly.
“What?” He finally looked at her.
“Do you know what day it is today?”
“Saturday,” Evgeny shrugged. “Why?”
Nadezhda silently turned around and went to the bedroom. A wave of anger rose in her chest. A year ago, she had made a wish. Now she understood — she would have to make it come true herself.
In the morning, Nadezhda woke up with a clear decision. Enough. Enough enduring. Enough staying silent.
“I’m leaving,” she said at breakfast.
“Where are you going?” Galina Petrovna did not understand.
“I’m leaving for good. From you. From Zhenya,” Nadezhda said calmly.
“What nonsense is this?!” Evgeny flared up. “Nadya, what are you saying?”
“Yesterday was my birthday,” Nadezhda looked him in the eyes. “No one remembered. No one cares.”
“All this fuss over a birthday?” her mother-in-law snorted. “As if it’s such a big event!”
“It’s not about the birthday,” Nadezhda rose from the table. “It’s about the fact that I no longer want to be nobody in my own home.”
“This is not your home!” Galina Petrovna blurted out. “This is my son’s home!”
“Exactly,” Nadezhda nodded. “That is why I’m leaving.”
She went to the bedroom to pack her things. Evgeny rushed after her.
“Nadya, stop! You can’t be serious!”
“I am more than serious,” Nadezhda said, folding clothes into a suitcase.
“Where will you go?!” Evgeny tried to snatch the suitcase away.
“To my parents. And then… we’ll see.”
“Nadya, don’t be foolish!” her mother-in-law stood in the doorway. “A married woman can’t just get up and leave!”
“She can,” Nadezhda snapped the suitcase shut. “And she is.”
“You’re destroying the family!” Viktor Ivanovich shouted.
“No,” Nadezhda walked past him toward the exit. “You destroyed it. A year ago, when you moved in here without my consent.”
The door slammed. Nadezhda went down the stairs, the suitcase painfully hitting her legs. But she did not stop. A strange calm spread through her chest. She had made her choice.
The divorce went through court. Evgeny did not want to divide the apartment, but Nadezhda insisted. By law, half the value of the apartment belonged to her.
“You’ll leave my parents without a roof over their heads!” Evgeny shouted in the courtroom.
“They have only themselves to blame,” Nadezhda answered calmly.
The apartment had to be sold. With her share, Nadezhda bought a small one-bedroom apartment in a new neighborhood. Bright, cozy, and her own.
Her phone rang nonstop. Galina Petrovna, Viktor Ivanovich, Evgeny — they all accused her of destroying the family.
“You’re selfish!” her former mother-in-law shouted into the phone.
“You have only yourselves to blame,” Nadezhda replied and ended the call.
Standing by the window of her new apartment, Nadezhda smiled. For the first time in a long while. She would celebrate her next birthday happy. In her own home. Where she was the mistress of her own life.