“Could you stop counting the money in my wallet? I earn more than all of you put together,” I finally snapped at the family dinner.
Alexandra’s cheeks were burning, her lips pressed into a thin line. Irritation spread through her body, tightening her muscles and making her breathing quicken. Across the table sat Galina Petrovna, her mother-in-law, once again delivering one of her endless lectures.
“You’re making the cutlets all wrong,” Galina Petrovna said instructively, pushing her plate away with distaste. “You’re supposed to add soaked bread to the minced meat, not breadcrumbs. And you should fry them over medium heat, not high heat. You really don’t know how to cook at all.”
Alexandra gripped her fork tightly. Three years of marriage, and nothing had changed.
“Have you ever even bothered to find out what my son likes?” her mother-in-law asked, primly adjusting her perfectly styled gray hair. “Andryusha has loved juicy cutlets since he was a child. And these…” She lifted one of the cutlets with her fork. “These are like shoe leather.”
“Galina Petrovna, I cook them the way Andrei likes them,” Alexandra replied calmly.
“Don’t make things up!” her mother-in-law snapped. “I know what my son likes better than you do. I raised him for twenty-eight years, while you’ve only been married to him for three and still haven’t learned the simplest things.”
Galina Petrovna put down her fork and rose from the table.
“And another thing,” she continued. “Look at yourself. You’re always disappearing somewhere, staying late at work. The house is a mess. Is that how a normal wife is supposed to behave? In our day, women had a completely different attitude toward marriage.”
Without saying anything, Alexandra got up and began clearing the dishes.
“Are you even listening to me?” her mother-in-law exclaimed indignantly. “This is exactly why I keep telling Andrei that you’re not right for him. You have no respect for your elders!”
“I need to go to work, Galina Petrovna,” Alexandra said quietly, glancing at her watch.
“Of course! Running away again!” her mother-in-law threw up her hands. “And what kind of work is that anyway? You sit in front of a computer all day playing around with your little programs! Is that really a proper occupation for a woman?”
Alexandra chose not to answer. She quickly gathered her things and left the apartment. Only when the elevator doors closed did she finally breathe freely.
At the office, the familiar atmosphere was waiting for her: a cozy workspace, five employees, and a major project that had to be completed by the end of the week. Her small IT company was gradually gaining momentum, and larger clients had begun coming in.
“Sasha, the client called,” Pavel, the lead developer, told her. “He wants to meet today to discuss the interface details.”
“All right. Please prepare the mockups,” Alexandra said with a nod as she turned on her computer.
The day flew by: a client meeting, design revisions, a team meeting. Alexandra loved her work. Here, people valued and respected her. Here, they listened to what she had to say.
It was completely different from home.
She returned home late. Andrei was sitting in the living room, frowning at something on his phone.
“Hi!” Alexandra tried to smile. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” her husband replied coldly. “Mom called.”
Alexandra’s smile vanished immediately.
“And what did she say?”
“That you were rude to her again.” Andrei looked up from his phone. “Sasha, how long is this going to continue? She’s an older woman. She’s only trying to help.”
“Andrei, I wasn’t rude,” Alexandra said, sitting beside him. “I was just in a hurry to get to work.”
“You’re always in a hurry!” her husband raised his voice. “You don’t have time for me, you don’t have time for my mother! All you ever think about is work!”
“That’s unfair,” Alexandra objected quietly. “My work brings us a good income. It’s because of that income that we were able to buy the car last year.”
“What does the car have to do with anything?” Andrei jumped to his feet. “This is about you not respecting my mother!”
There was no point arguing. Alexandra sighed wearily and went to the bathroom.
A week later, the weekend arrived. Alexandra had planned to work quietly on a new project, but someone rang the doorbell. Galina Petrovna stood outside holding a pie.
“I decided to come visit you,” her mother-in-law announced as she walked into the apartment. “Andryusha called and said he’d be staying late at work. So I baked a pie. I thought I’d teach you how to make one.”
Alexandra forced a smile and invited her into the kitchen. Galina Petrovna looked around the room and pursed her lips disapprovingly.
“Still not cleaned,” she said, shaking her head. “And the dishes haven’t been washed. Oh, Sasha, Sasha…”
Her mother-in-law sat down at the table and suddenly noticed a new gold bracelet on Alexandra’s wrist.
“What’s that?” Galina Petrovna’s eyes widened. “Wasting money again?”
“I bought it for myself,” Alexandra explained. “With the fee from my last project.”
“Of course!” her mother-in-law said sarcastically. “And the fact that Andryusha is paying off a loan doesn’t matter at all! You can just keep buying yourself jewelry!”
“Galina Petrovna,” Alexandra said, struggling to remain calm, “Andrei and I keep separate finances. I spend my own money.”
“Your own money?!” her mother-in-law exclaimed. “You’re a family! All money should be shared! Instead of helping your husband, you waste it on trinkets!”
“But I—”
“Be quiet!” Galina Petrovna interrupted her. “Women like you are exactly the ones who destroy families! You only think about yourself! Andryusha works like a horse while you…”
Alexandra’s eyes filled with tears. She abruptly stood up from the table.
“Where are you going?” her mother-in-law demanded.
“I need some air,” Alexandra said quietly. Grabbing her jacket, she hurried out of the apartment.
The cold spring wind burned her face. Alexandra wandered through the park without paying attention to where she was going. Tears streamed down her cheeks. For three years, she had endured humiliation. For three years, she had tried to please everyone and adapt to their expectations.
A sense of determination began rising inside her.
She couldn’t go on like this anymore.
Alexandra wandered the streets without noticing the time. The cool wind tossed her hair, but she made no attempt to zip up her jacket. Her phone kept vibrating in her pocket, but she didn’t want to take it out. Her husband had probably returned home already, and his mother had undoubtedly told him her version of what had happened.
“Why does she think she has the right to decide what I do with my money?” The same question kept circling in Alexandra’s mind.
She sat down on a park bench and watched the people passing by: a married couple with a child, two girlfriends laughing about something, an elderly man walking his dog. They were all living their own lives, free from constant scrutiny and criticism.
Her phone vibrated again. Alexandra sighed but didn’t answer. She watched the water in the pond and the reflection of the clouds on its surface. For the first time in a long while, she thought about herself instead of wondering how to please her husband or his mother.
By the time she returned home, it was already dark. The hallway light was on. Andrei sat in an armchair with his arms crossed.
“Where have you been?” he asked through clenched teeth as Alexandra entered the room.
“Walking,” she replied calmly, taking off her jacket.
“Walking?!” Andrei sprang out of the chair. “Are you kidding me? Mom is hysterical, I’ve been calling you all day, and you were just… walking?”
“Yes. Walking,” Alexandra repeated. “Your mother started lecturing me again about how I spend my own money. I needed to clear my head.”
“My God, Sasha!” Andrei threw up his hands. “How long is this going to go on? Mom is only worried about our future!”
“No, Andrei,” Alexandra said firmly. “She interferes in my life. She tells me how I’m supposed to live. And you encourage her.”
“You’re just selfish!” Andrei blurted out. “You only think about yourself!”
Alexandra silently walked into the bedroom. Her shoulders sagged from exhaustion. She lay down on the bed without even changing her clothes. Andrei continued pacing around the apartment for a long time, loudly expressing his displeasure, but Alexandra did not respond.
For the next two weeks, tense silence filled their home. Andrei barely spoke to his wife, and she made no effort to restore communication. They lived like roommates, politely greeting each other in the mornings before leaving to attend to their own affairs.
Then, on Saturday evening, Andrei suddenly announced:
“Mom invited us to dinner. It’s her and Dad’s twentieth wedding anniversary.”
Alexandra wanted to refuse, but the look on her husband’s face left little room for discussion.
“All right,” she agreed quietly.
She wore a new blue dress she had recently bought. Galina Petrovna greeted them with a strained smile.
“Come in, come in,” she said, hugging her son while giving her daughter-in-law nothing more than a nod.
The whole family had gathered around the table: her father-in-law Viktor Mikhailovich, Andrei’s brother and his wife, and their children. The atmosphere was tense, but everyone pretended that everything was perfectly fine.
“What an interesting dress you’re wearing, Sasha,” Galina Petrovna suddenly remarked, examining Alexandra closely. “It’s new, I suppose? How much did it cost?”
“Mom, what difference does it make?” Andrei interrupted.
“A great deal!” his mother objected. “If our dear Sasha is spending family money on clothes while you still haven’t finished paying off your loan, then it matters very much!”
Alexandra slowly put down her fork.
“The dress cost fifteen thousand,” she replied calmly. “And I bought it with my own money.”
“Your own money!” Galina Petrovna mocked her. “Everything in a family should be shared! Isn’t that right, Vitya?”
Her father-in-law gave an uncertain nod without looking up from his plate.
“Fifteen thousand!” Galina Petrovna continued. “You could have bought something useful with that money! But instead you…”
Alexandra suddenly slammed her palm against the table.
“Could you stop counting the money in my wallet?” Her voice trembled with tension. “I earn more than all of you put together!”
A deathly silence descended over the table.
“What did you just say?” Galina Petrovna hissed.
“You heard me.” Alexandra straightened in her chair. “I’m tired of your constant criticism. I work extremely hard, my company earns good money, and I have every right to spend my own money however I see fit!”
“How dare you!” Galina Petrovna’s face turned crimson. “There is no such thing as your money and his money in a family! Everything belongs to both of you!”
“That’s an outdated idea,” Alexandra shot back. “Andrei and I agreed to keep separate finances before we even got married. And I’m not going to report every penny I spend to you!”
Andrei grabbed Alexandra by the arm.
“Sasha, stop!” he hissed. “You’re embarrassing us!”
“No, Andrei.” She pulled her arm free. “This has been going on for three years. For three years, I kept quiet because I was trying to keep the peace. But I can’t do it anymore! Your mother constantly interferes in our lives, and you enable her!”
“How dare you!” Galina Petrovna jumped up from the table. “I always knew you weren’t right for my son! Andryusha, say something to her!”
Andrei looked confused.
“Sasha, apologize to Mom,” he said quietly.
“No,” Alexandra replied firmly. “I won’t. I’m leaving.”
She rose from the table and headed toward the door.
“Andrei, if you want to save our marriage, come home with me,” she said, turning around. “If you don’t, stay here. But you’ll never see me again.”
Galina Petrovna clutched at her chest.
“Andryusha, do you see what she’s doing? She’s destroying our family!”
Alexandra did not wait for her husband’s answer. She left the apartment and went home alone.
Andrei did not return until morning, when he came to collect his belongings.
“I can’t choose between Mom and you,” he said, avoiding his wife’s eyes. “You’ve put me in an impossible position.”
“I only wanted respect,” Alexandra replied quietly. “But apparently, that was asking too much.”
The divorce went through quickly and without unnecessary arguments. Andrei made no claim on the property. They parted like strangers, and there was a certain bitterness in that.
During the first few months after the divorce, Alexandra threw herself completely into her work. Her company continued to grow, new clients appeared, and the number of employees increased.
Gradually, the pain began to fade. Alexandra started smiling again, spending time with friends, and traveling. She bought herself a beautiful red dress simply because she liked it.
And no one criticized her for spending the money.
One day, while sitting in a café with a friend, Alexandra saw Andrei with his mother. Galina Petrovna was lecturing her son about something while he sat there with his head lowered, meekly nodding.
At that moment, Alexandra knew she had made the right choice.
“To your freedom,” her friend said, raising her glass.
“To my freedom,” Alexandra replied with a smile. “And to the right to control my own life.”