Who Is the Odd One Out?
— Mom said you’re cheating on me, — her husband said without looking up from his plate. — She read your messages with another man.
— Another man? — Elena put down her fork and looked carefully at Oleg. — Interesting. Do you want to see those messages yourself?
Galina Ivanovna got up at six in the morning, as always. First, she made breakfast—oatmeal cooked in water, without sugar, because it was healthier. Then she started cleaning, although there was hardly anything to clean. She simply needed something to occupy her time until Oleg left for work and Elena went to the clinic.
Then she would be able to inspect their room in peace.
Not out of curiosity, of course. Out of concern. Galina Ivanovna’s maternal intuition had been telling her for a long time that there was something wrong with her daughter-in-law. Elena was simply too perfect—she kept the house tidy, cooked delicious meals, and was affectionate with Oleg.
And everyone knew there were no perfect people.
So she had to be hiding something.
During three years of living together, Elena had never once raised her voice or spoken rudely. Even when Galina Ivanovna accidentally broke her favorite mug—a gift from a university friend—Elena merely smiled sadly and swept up the pieces.
Unnatural.
Any normal woman would at least have gotten upset.
That morning, as usual, Galina Ivanovna had been listening to the sounds coming from their room. Oleg had left earlier because he had an important meeting. Elena, however, was taking longer and was talking on the phone. There was something tense about her voice.
— Sveta, I don’t know what to do, — her daughter-in-law said as she paced around the room. — I can’t go on like this anymore… Yes, I’m seriously thinking about it.
Galina Ivanovna froze outside the door, pressing her ear against the wood.
— Of course he doesn’t know. Oleg doesn’t suspect anything. But if I tell him… No, he won’t be able to handle it.
Galina Ivanovna’s heart skipped a beat.
There it was!
At last, the mask had slipped.
So there really was a secret. And judging from Elena’s words, it was something serious.
— Meet today? No, I can’t. I’m on duty until late, and at home… — Elena lowered her voice to a whisper. — That woman is constantly eavesdropping on everything. I’m afraid she’ll suspect something.
Galina Ivanovna felt her ears burn.
What nerve!
She was the one being accused of eavesdropping? In her own apartment?
Well, they would see who outsmarted whom.
Footsteps sounded from inside the room. Elena was getting ready to leave for work. Galina Ivanovna hurried away from the door and began wiping down a table that was already perfectly clean.
— Good morning, Galina Ivanovna, — her daughter-in-law said, appearing in the kitchen in her white medical coat. As always, she looked neat and composed. — Has Oleg already left?
— He has, — Galina Ivanovna answered shortly without turning around.
Elena poured coffee into a travel mug and glanced at the clock.
— I’ll be late today. I’m on duty.
— On duty, — Galina Ivanovna echoed.
Why had these shifts suddenly become so frequent?
Before, Elena had worked an extra shift maybe once a month. Now it seemed to happen almost every week. And she always came home exhausted but with a strange sparkle in her eyes.
Almost as if she had not been working at all, but had been on a date.
When the door closed behind her daughter-in-law, Galina Ivanovna breathed a sigh of relief.
Now she could act.
The plan formed immediately.
She would wait until lunchtime. Oleg always came home to eat. Then, carefully, like a concerned mother, she would hint at the strange changes in his wife’s behavior.
She would not accuse Elena directly.
She would simply plant a seed of doubt.
And then she would see what grew from it.
By lunchtime, Galina Ivanovna had prepared all her son’s favorite dishes—fried potatoes with meat patties, tomato salad, and dried-fruit compote. There were even candies on the table, the kind she normally bought only for holidays.
— Mom, what’s with the feast? — Oleg asked in surprise as he sat down. — Is it somebody’s birthday?
— Oh, nothing. I just thought I’d spoil you a little, — Galina Ivanovna said as she fussed around the stove, though inside she was trembling with excitement. — We hardly get to spend any proper time together anymore.
— That’s true, — Oleg said, reaching for a meat patty. — Either I’m at work or Lena is on duty…
— Exactly! — Galina Ivanovna immediately picked up the thread. — Those shifts of hers… They’ve become very frequent.
Oleg shrugged.
— It’s autumn. There’s an epidemic going around. The clinic is overwhelmed.
— Does she tell you what happens during those shifts?
— Of course. Why?
Galina Ivanovna sat opposite her son and looked him carefully in the eyes.
— Oleg, you’re a grown man. You should understand… When a woman suddenly starts spending a lot of time away from home, stays late often, and then comes back looking so… inspired…
— Mom, — Oleg frowned. — What are you getting at?
— Nothing. I’m just your mother, and I worry about you. I notice things you might overlook. Elena has become… secretive. She whispers on the phone, hides her messages…
— Are you sure?
There was doubt in her son’s voice.
Galina Ivanovna understood that the seed had fallen into fertile soil.
— This morning I heard her talking to someone. She said she couldn’t live like this anymore, that you didn’t know anything, and that if you found out, you wouldn’t survive it.
Oleg stopped chewing.
— She actually said that?
— I heard it with my own ears. And she also talked about meeting someone… Just not today, because she was afraid I might suspect something.
Her son’s face became serious. He put down his fork and fell into thought.
— Maybe she just… — Oleg began, then stopped.
— What?
— I don’t know. Maybe she’s having some problems at work that she doesn’t want to tell me about.
— Or maybe the problem has nothing to do with work, — Galina Ivanovna said quietly. — Oleg, I don’t want to upset you. But a mother’s heart doesn’t lie.
Her son remained silent for a long time, staring at his plate.
Finally, he looked up.
— Fine. I’ll talk to her tonight.
Elena came home at half past eight. She looked tired, but not depressed—more thoughtful than anything else.
Galina Ivanovna, pretending to watch television, secretly observed her daughter-in-law.
— How was your shift? — Oleg asked without looking away from his laptop.
— Fine. Lots of patients, but nothing particularly difficult.
Elena went to the bathroom, then to the kitchen and heated up her dinner.
Everything was as usual.
No signs of nervousness or guilt.
“Good actress,” Galina Ivanovna thought.
After dinner, Oleg stood up and said decisively:
— Lena, we need to talk. Seriously.
— About what? — Elena looked up in surprise.
— About something I need to know.
Silence filled the room.
Elena slowly placed her cup on the table.
— I don’t understand what you mean.
— Lena, please. Let’s not play games. Mom said…
— Ah, — Elena nodded and looked at her mother-in-law. — Galina Ivanovna heard something?
There was neither fear nor confusion in her voice.
Only slight exhaustion.
— I heard your conversation this morning, — Galina Ivanovna leaned forward. — You said you couldn’t live like this anymore, that Oleg didn’t know anything, and that if he found out, he wouldn’t survive it. What else could that mean besides you having a lover?
— A lover? — Elena raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise. — Seriously?
— What else could you possibly have been talking about?
Elena sighed and took out her phone.
— Oleg, do you want to see the messages your mother was talking about?
She unlocked the screen and handed the phone to her husband.
— Here. My conversation with Svetlana.
Oleg took the phone, and Galina Ivanovna immediately moved closer.
— Read it aloud, — she demanded.
— “Sveta, I can’t live like this anymore,” — Oleg read slowly. — “I need to make a decision, but I’m afraid. Oleg doesn’t suspect anything, but if he finds out…”
Oleg stopped reading and looked at his wife.
— Finds out what?
— Keep reading, — Elena said quietly.
— “…if he finds out that I have cancer, he won’t be able to handle it. You know how badly he reacts to any health problems involving the people close to him. I want to start treatment first, understand the prognosis, and only then tell him.”
Oleg turned pale and dropped the phone onto the table.
— What? — he breathed.
— Breast cancer, — Elena said calmly. — Stage two. They found it three weeks ago.
— Why didn’t you tell me?
— Because I know you. Do you remember how you reacted when they suspected I had appendicitis? You didn’t sleep for three days and lost five kilograms in a week. And this…
Oleg stood up and began pacing around the kitchen.
— My God… Lena, how could you hide something like this?
— I wanted to speak to the oncologist first and understand the treatment plan. I have a consultation tomorrow. I was going to tell you everything afterward.
Galina Ivanovna sat frozen, feeling as though the world was collapsing around her.
Cancer.
Her daughter-in-law had cancer.
And she had accused her of cheating.
— I’m sorry, — she managed to force out. — I didn’t know…
— You know, Galina Ivanovna, — Elena turned toward her, and for the first time in three years Galina Ivanovna saw genuine anger in her eyes, — you weren’t supposed to know. You were simply supposed to trust me.
— Lena… — Oleg began.
— No. Let her listen, — Elena said, never taking her eyes off her mother-in-law. — For three years, I have endured your suspicions, your control, and your insinuations. For three years, I have been trying to prove that I’m a good wife and daughter-in-law. And at the first opportunity, you were ready to believe the worst about me.
— I was only trying to protect my son…
— From what? From a loving wife? From a happy marriage?
Elena stood up from the table.
— You know what? Maybe it really would be better if Oleg and I found a place of our own. Living under constant suspicion when you have cancer… It’s more than I can handle.
She left the kitchen.
Oleg gave his mother a look filled with disappointment and followed his wife.
Galina Ivanovna remained alone in the kitchen with her cold tea and the bitter realization that her suspicions had nearly destroyed her son’s family during one of the hardest periods of Elena’s life.
And now it was already too late to undo what she had done.
The following morning, Galina Ivanovna woke to the sound of the front door closing.
Oleg was leaving for work earlier than usual.
When she entered the kitchen, Elena was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. Her face was calm but tired.
— Good morning, — her daughter-in-law said without looking up.
— Good morning, — Galina Ivanovna replied and sat down opposite her. — Lena… Forgive me.
— For what?
— For everything. For not trusting you, for my suspicions… For not being able to simply accept you as a daughter.
Elena finally raised her eyes.
— Galina Ivanovna, I don’t want your pity. I need your respect. And your trust.
— You’ve earned it.
— Earned it? — Elena gave a bitter smile. — For three years, I tried to earn something that should have been given freely. Simply because I’m your son’s wife and the mother of your future grandchildren.
Galina Ivanovna felt a lump rise in her throat.
— And now there may not even be any grandchildren, — Elena added quietly. — The treatment could affect my fertility.
— Lena…
— Do you know what the most frightening thing is? It isn’t the cancer. The most frightening thing is realizing that even now, when I need the support of my family, I can’t rely on it. Because instead of support, I’m being accused of having an affair.
Elena finished her coffee and stood up.
— I’m going to the doctor. Oleg is coming with me today. And tonight, we’ll discuss moving out.
She reached the door and turned around.
— And yes, Galina Ivanovna. Next time, before you accuse me of something, think about whether perhaps the problem isn’t me—but you.
The door closed.
Galina Ivanovna remained alone in the silence of the apartment, which suddenly seemed far too large and far too empty.