Elizaveta was sweeping up the pieces of a broken cup when the apartment door lock clattered loudly in the hallway. Her husband, Andrey, was home from work. He wearily kicked off his shoes and walked into the kitchen.
“Be careful, don’t cut yourself,” Elizaveta warned, pushing the dustpan with shards to the side.
Andrey nodded silently. Deep lines on his forehead betrayed his worries. Elizaveta knew that look all too well.
“Did your mother call?” she asked, taking a seat across from him.
“Yeah,” Andrey replied slowly. “Vitya needs money again.”
Elizaveta pressed her lips together but said nothing. This happened with alarming regularity. Viktor, her husband’s younger brother, was thirty-two and still hadn’t managed to stand on his own two feet.
“How much this time?” Elizaveta tried to keep her voice calm.
Andrey twisted a napkin in his hands.
“Twenty thousand. For a new jacket and boots.”
“Last month we gave him money for a phone,” Elizaveta reminded him. “And before that for computer repairs.”
Andrey just shrugged.
“Liz, you know how Mom is. For her, Vitya will always be the little boy who needs to be looked after.”
“And you’re always going to be the sponsor for that care?” Elizaveta turned towards the window. “We were talking about taking a vacation.”
Andrey sighed.
“Mom promised, this is the last time before…”
He stopped, leaving the sentence unfinished.
“Before what?” Elizaveta turned around sharply.
Andrey lowered his eyes.
“Vitya’s decided to get married.”
Elizaveta froze, staring at her husband in disbelief.
“Wait. Your brother? The same Vitya who can’t even buy himself a jacket? He’s decided to get married?”
“Yes, to Masha from accounting,” Andrey said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “He proposed to her yesterday.”
“And who exactly is going to pay for this wedding?” There was a steely edge to Elizaveta’s voice.
Her husband just shrugged.
“Mom said she’s got some savings. Everything’s under control.”
Elizaveta shook her head, not convinced.
“Andrey, do you really believe Lyudmila Sergeyevna can afford a wedding with her savings? She’s been asking you for money for your brother every month.”
“Liz, please don’t start,” Andrey pleaded. “Mom called so happy. She said at last her youngest is settling down.”
Elizaveta closed her eyes, trying to keep calm. Their three-bedroom apartment, which she’d inherited from her grandmother, seemed to shrink under the weight of these endless conversations about money for Viktor.
“You know, I just don’t get it.” Elizaveta suddenly raised her voice. “Why do I have to hear about your brother, who’s in his thirties and still can’t provide for himself? Why does your mother think it’s okay to take money from one son to give to the other?”
“Liza!”
“No, seriously!” Elizaveta stood up. “We live in my apartment. We both pay the bills. We’re saving for a vacation. But money keeps slipping away to Vitka, who can’t even live on his own and still stays with his mom.”
Two weeks later, Lyudmila Sergeyevna invited them and Andrey for a family dinner. Viktor was beaming as he introduced his fiancée—a sweet brunette with a shy smile.
“The wedding is set for July,” Lyudmila Sergeyevna announced as she poured tea. “I’ve already found a hall and a restaurant.”
“Mom, maybe we shouldn’t rush?” Andrey asked gently.
“Rush?” his mother exclaimed. “Your brother is thirty-two. It’s time for him to start a family.”
“Lyudmila Sergeyevna, can you… handle all those expenses?” Elizaveta tried to ask the question delicately.
Her mother-in-law frowned.
“I’ve been saving for a rainy day all my life. Looks like the sun is finally out.” She patted her youngest son’s cheek. “I’d spare nothing for my Vitya.”
Elizaveta was silent the whole way home. She noticed how her mother-in-law fussed over Viktor and barely paid any attention to Andrey.
“Are you okay?” her husband asked as they walked into their apartment.
“No, I’m not,” Elizaveta admitted honestly. “Your mother is about to spend all her savings on Vitka’s wedding. Then she’ll start asking you for money all over again.”
“Liz…”
“I’m not saying another word.” Elizaveta raised her hands. “But just know that I don’t approve.”
Two weeks after Viktor and Masha’s lavish wedding flew by. Elizaveta enjoyed the peace and quiet, until one morning the doorbell rang. Standing at the doorstep was Lyudmila Sergeyevna with a large bag.
“Lizochka, I baked some pies,” her mother-in-law cooed, gliding into the apartment. “Help yourself, dear.”
Elizaveta took the goodies, surprised. Usually her mother-in-law didn’t spoil her with homemade treats.
“Thank you, Lyudmila Sergeyevna. Come in.”
Her mother-in-law sat down heavily at the kitchen table, looking around the spacious kitchen.
“It’s nice here, so roomy,” she sighed. “But our place feels cramped now.”
Elizaveta quietly made tea, sensing an uncomfortable conversation was coming.
“Vitia and Masha are crammed into his tiny room. It’s so small,” my mother-in-law continued, looking up at the ceiling. “Can you imagine, our Masha is already expecting. It’s just the first month, but still.”
Elizaveta nearly dropped her teacup.
“So soon? They just got married.”
“Love, dear!” Lyudmila Sergeyevna exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “And besides, they’re not getting any younger, they can’t delay.”
Elizaveta set the tea in front of her mother-in-law and sat down across from her.
“So how are all three of you going to fit in that two-room apartment? And when the baby arrives, that’ll be four people?”
Her mother-in-law pressed her lips together.
“That’s what I’m saying. It will be so hard for us. My Vitia is already getting stressed. Masha’s been crying. But what can we do? We don’t have money.”
“They could rent an apartment,” Elizaveta suggested. “A lot of people do that.”
Lyudmila Sergeyevna waved her hands, sloshing her tea.
“Oh no! Renting? That’s so expensive! Not an option at all.”
Elizaveta fell silent, clearly understanding where her mother-in-law was going with this, but she didn’t voice her guess.
In the following days, Lyudmila Sergeyevna started visiting more often. Sometimes she’d bring pies, sometimes jam or pickles. She always found a reason to stop by and inevitably sighed while looking around:
“My goodness, you have so much space here! My Vitia is suffocating in his little cubby…”
Andrei kept quiet awkwardly, while Elizaveta grew more anxious with each of her mother-in-law’s visits.
A week later, Lyudmila Sergeyevna invited them over for dinner. Viktor and Masha sat at the table looking unhappy. Masha kept straightening the tablecloth, as if she needed to occupy herself.
“Mom, do you need help?” Viktor asked when Lyudmila Sergeyevna walked past with dishes for the third time.
“Just stay put, son. I’m fine.”
“Stop fussing already!” Viktor snapped unexpectedly harshly. “There’s barely enough space as it is, and you keep running around.”
Elizaveta and Andrei exchanged glances. Viktor had never spoken to his mother like that before.
“Sorry, son,” Lyudmila Sergeyevna murmured, embarrassed. “I’ll sit down now.”
Dinner continued in a tense atmosphere. Viktor kept shooting annoyed looks at his mother.
“Mom, pass the salt,” he said to her.
Lyudmila Sergeyevna reached for the salt shaker, but accidentally knocked over a glass. Water spilled on the tablecloth.
“Oh, come on!” Viktor jumped up. “Can’t even eat in peace!”
“Vitya, calm down,” Masha said quietly, dabbing the tablecloth with napkins.
“How can I stay calm?” Viktor gestured at the room. “There’s no space at all! Mom’s always bustling around, tripping over things. We can’t even talk or relax properly!”
Lyudmila Sergeyevna looked down, ashamed. Elizaveta felt uneasy at the scene.
After dinner, the men went out to the balcony, and Masha headed to the bathroom. Elizaveta stayed in the kitchen, scrolling through her phone.
“Lizochka,” her mother-in-law sat down next to her and lowered her voice. “You see how hard it is for us?”
Elizaveta nodded, not looking up from her phone.
“Vitia isn’t sleeping well at all, he’s nervous. He started arguing with Masha. And in her condition, she really shouldn’t be stressed.”
Lyudmila Sergeyevna laid her hand on Elizaveta’s wrist.
“I’ve been thinking a lot and finally found a solution!” My mother-in-law smiled as she pulled out some papers folded in quarters from her apron pocket. “Here, take a look.”
Elizaveta took the documents. She quickly glanced through them and felt a chill run down her spine.
“Is this… a deed of gift? For my apartment?”
“Exactly, dear!” her mother-in-law nodded happily. “Give the apartment to my son. I’ll let you both stay with me.”
Elizaveta looked up, completely unable to believe what she was hearing.
“Are you seriously asking me to give my apartment to Viktor and move in with you?”
“Absolutely!” Lyudmila Sergeevna clapped her hands. “Just picture it: Vitya, Masha, and the baby could live in your three-room place. The three of us could fit nicely in my two-bedroom. Isn’t that the perfect solution?”
“This is insane,” Elizaveta put the papers down. “Lyudmila Sergeevna, that apartment is mine. I inherited it from my grandmother.”
“So what?” her mother-in-law frowned. “You’re still young, you’ll earn another place. But Vitya and his family need a home more urgently right now.”
At that moment, the men came back into the kitchen.
“So, did you tell her?” Viktor asked, putting his hand on his mother’s shoulder.
“Yes, I told her,” Lyudmila Sergeevna nodded. “Liza’s thinking it over now.”
“There’s nothing to think about,” Viktor cut her off. “The two of them don’t need a big three-bedroom, and my family really does.”
Elizaveta stood up, feeling her face flush with anger.
“I think there’s plenty to think about. Like why I’m supposed to just give away my apartment.”
“Liza,” Andrey put his hand on her shoulder. “Let’s at least talk about this.”
Elizaveta pushed his hand away.
“You’re part of this too?” She looked at her husband with disbelief.
“Mom called me earlier and told me about her idea,” Andrey admitted, looking embarrassed. “I said we needed to talk about it, but…”
“But you just stayed quiet and waited for them to spring it on me?” Elizaveta backed up against the wall. “Are you all out of your minds?”
Masha walked into the kitchen, glancing around at everyone’s tense faces, clearly confused.
“What’s going on?”
“Liza’s refusing to help our family,” Viktor said through clenched teeth. “She’s being stingy.”
“I’m not being stingy,” Elizaveta tried to stay calm. “I just don’t see why I’m supposed to hand over my apartment.”
“Because I’m expecting a child!” Masha suddenly burst out. “And my baby needs a home!”
“Your child needs a home—not mine,” Elizaveta clarified.
“What’s the difference?” Lyudmila Sergeevna jumped in. “We’re one family!”
“Family?” Elizaveta laughed bitterly. “Family doesn’t take the last thing from each other!”
“It’s not the last thing,” Andrey objected. “You’ll still have somewhere to live.”
“In your two-bedroom place? With three people? Where you and your brother always fought over how cramped it was?” Elizaveta rolled her eyes. “And now I’m supposed to squeeze in there too?”
“Liza, but this is only temporary,” her mother-in-law fussed. “We’ll figure something out later.”
“Like what, exactly?” Elizaveta crossed her arms.
“Well… maybe we’ll buy another apartment,” Lyudmila Sergeevna said, but didn’t sound convinced.
“With what money?” Elizaveta shook her head. “You could barely afford the wedding.”
“Why are you being so difficult?!” Viktor snapped. “Would it really kill you to help family?”
“Liza,” Masha joined in, gently rubbing her belly. “You have to understand. I can’t get upset.”
“So I’m just supposed to let this happen?” Elizaveta threw up her hands. “You’re trying to take away the only home I’ve got and think I’ll just accept it calmly?”
“We’re not kicking you out!” Andrey exclaimed. “We’re offering for you to stay at Mom’s place!”
“You’re all putting pressure on me!” Elizaveta scanned the room. “It’s like you’ve formed a whole conspiracy against me!”
“There’s no conspiracy,” Lyudmila Sergeyevna shook her head. “My uncle’s a notary, he can take care of everything quickly. First thing tomorrow.”
“What?!” Elizaveta couldn’t believe her ears. “You’ve already scheduled the time?”
“Well, we thought you’d agree,” Andrey muttered, looking away.
Elizaveta slowly looked around the kitchen. Viktor nervously drummed his fingers on the table. Masha clutched her stomach dramatically. Her mother-in-law folded her hands in a pleading gesture. And Andrey… he just stood there, unable to meet her eyes.
“You know what,” Elizaveta said quietly. “First you all complained that it was too cramped for three people. Now you expect me to live there too. Well, that’s not happening.”
“Liza,” Andrey started, his voice warning.
“No, let me finish,” Elizaveta cut him off. “Now the four of you can live in that cramped apartment together! Because I’m filing for divorce and kicking you out of my apartment. Tonight.”
Andrey opened his mouth to speak, but Elizaveta had already turned on her heel and headed for the door.
“I’ll walk home,” she called back. “If you haven’t packed your things by the time I return, you’ll find them on the landing.”
The door slammed behind her so loudly that a porcelain figurine—a last gift from Elizaveta to her mother-in-law—fell off the shelf and shattered. This chapter of her life was broken too.