“Liza, we need to talk,” Roma said as he entered the apartment and went straight into the kitchen, where Liza was making dinner.
“Did something happen?” she asked, turning around and wiping her hands on a towel.
“Mom called. She wants to come for a week,” he said, sitting down on a stool and avoiding his wife’s eyes.
“And? Let her come,” Liza shrugged. “The sofa in the living room folds out.”
Roma was silent for a moment, drumming his fingers on the countertop.
“Well, the thing is… she asked… Basically, it would be more comfortable for her if you stayed with your parents during that time.”
Liza froze. For a second, she thought she had misheard him.
“Wait. Did I understand you correctly? I’m supposed to let your mother stay here, and I’m supposed to leave?” she asked, staring at her husband in disbelief.
“Don’t put it so harshly, Liz. Mom would feel more comfortable. She wants to spend time with me, talk about something important.”
“So I’m in the way? In my own apartment?”
“You’re misunderstanding everything,” Roma said, rubbing his forehead. “She’s just going through a difficult time right now. She says she needs personal space.”
“In our apartment?” Liza felt everything inside her begin to boil. “Roma, we’ve been paying the mortgage on this apartment for three years. I chose every little thing here to make it cozy for us. And now I’m supposed to leave because your mother wants it that way?”
“It’s only for a week, Liz. What’s the big deal?”
“What’s the big deal? Are you seriously asking me that?” Liza crossed her arms. “What if I suggested that you leave because my mother wanted to visit?”
“That’s different,” Roma waved it off.
“How?”
“My mother has always been demanding. You know that. It’ll be easier for me if…”
“If your wife obediently disappears,” Liza finished for him. “Sorry, but no. I’m not going anywhere.”
Roma stood up.
“Liza, I’m asking you nicely. Mom already bought the ticket.”
“I don’t mind her coming. But I’m staying home.”
“Why do you always make everything so complicated?” irritation appeared in Roma’s voice.
“I make things complicated?” Liza could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Your mother is demanding that I disappear from my own home! And you think that’s normal?”
“She didn’t demand it! She asked!”
“And you, of course, immediately agreed,” Liza shook her head. “Without even talking to me first.”
“I’m talking to you now!”
“No. You’re presenting me with a done deal.”
They stared at each other, and suddenly Liza clearly understood that this was not just a domestic quarrel. It was a test of the strength of their relationship.
“I’m not going anywhere, Roma,” she said firmly. “And we need to have a serious conversation about why you think it’s normal to kick me out of my home because of your mother’s whim.”
“It’s not a whim!” Roma raised his voice. “You’ve never even tried to understand her!”
“Have you tried to understand me?”
Roma silently grabbed his jacket and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
“He really said that?” Marina, Liza’s best friend, stared at her through the video call in disbelief. “That you should move out for a week?”
“Yes, can you imagine?” Liza was sitting on the sofa with her knees pulled up to her chin. “We’ve been living together for three years, and suddenly this.”
“What’s going on between you and your mother-in-law? I thought you got along normally.”
“Normally?” Liza gave a bitter laugh. “You haven’t seen the way she looks at me. To her, I was never good enough for her precious son. ‘Elizabeth, surely you haven’t read Proust? How can one be so uneducated?’” she mimicked her mother-in-law’s affected manner of speaking. “And now, as you can see, she’s decided to get rid of my presence completely.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m not leaving, that’s for sure.”
“Has Roma come back?”
“Not yet. He’s probably spending the night at a friend’s place,” Liza sighed. “Marina, I just don’t understand. We always used to decide everything together. And now…”
“Men are weak when it comes to their mommies,” Marina said philosophically. “Especially with someone as domineering as your Veronika Igorevna.”
“What ‘Igorevna’?” Liza snorted. “She changed her patronymic herself when she moved from the village to the city. She used to be Verka Nikitina, and then she became Veronika Igorevna. Now she acts like some aristocrat!”
“How do you know that?”
“Her former colleague told me, Olga Petrovna. They worked together once. She says Veronika Igorevna spent her whole life trying to seem more refined than she really was. And her late husband was from simple people too; he just managed to make good money in the nineties.”
The doorbell rang.
“Listen, someone’s here. Let’s talk tomorrow?”
Liza ended the video call and went to open the door. Standing on the threshold was Veronika Igorevna herself. Tall, thin, with perfectly styled hair and a cold smile.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” she said, walking past the frozen Liza. “I decided to come a day early. I hope you don’t mind.”
Liza silently closed the door and turned toward the unexpected guest.
“Veronika Igorevna, where is Roma? Does he know you’re already here?”
“I wrote to him. He’ll be here soon,” her mother-in-law said, looking around the apartment. “You still haven’t renovated? This wallpaper absolutely does not match the furniture.”
Liza took a deep breath. It had only been the first hour, and it was already starting.
“Veronika Igorevna, Roma told me that you want me to leave during your visit. Is that true?”
Her mother-in-law looked at her with feigned surprise.
“Roman must have misunderstood me. I only said that we needed to be alone for a while. Mother and son, you understand? We need to discuss family matters.”
“Roma and I are also family,” Liza said firmly. “And this apartment is our shared home. I’m not going anywhere.”
Veronika Igorevna pursed her lips.
“How rude, Elizabeth. I always told Roman he deserved a girl with more refined manners.”
“My name is Liza,” she said, feeling anger boiling inside her. “And if you want to stay here, you’ll have to accept my presence.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang again. Roma. He looked tired and tense.
“Mom? You’re already here?” he looked at his mother in surprise, then at his wife.
“I decided to come earlier, son,” Veronika Igorevna blossomed into a smile. “I missed you.”
Roma hugged his mother, then turned to Liza.
“Have you two already talked?”
“Yes,” Liza nodded. “I explained to Veronika Igorevna that I’m staying home.”
“Elizabeth is extremely inhospitable,” her mother-in-law immediately interrupted. “Not at all the kind of upbringing I would like to see in my son’s wife.”
“Mom, please,” Roma winced. “Let’s all calm down.”
“I am perfectly calm,” Liza cut in. “I just want to understand why your mother thinks she can kick me out of my own home.”
“Elizabeth!”
“Liza! My name is Liza!”
“I will never get used to that plebeian shortening,” Veronika Igorevna shuddered demonstratively.
“Enough!” Roma raised his voice. “Liza, can I speak to you for a minute?”
They stepped into the hallway.
“What are you doing?” he hissed. “Mom just arrived, and you’re already making a scene.”
“I’m making a scene?” Liza gasped with indignation. “She showed up without warning and started insulting me!”
“She’s just tired from the trip.”
“So now I’m supposed to tolerate every one of her outbursts? She’s demanding that I leave!”
“Keep your voice down!” Roma glanced back at the living room door. “Liza, I’m begging you. Just one week. Do it for me.”
“No, Roma. This is my home. I’m not going anywhere.”
He looked at her with undisguised disappointment, and that hurt more than anything.
“Fine,” he finally said. “Stay. But try not to argue with her. Please.”
The next two days turned into real hell. Veronika Igorevna criticized everything: from the apartment’s interior to the way Liza arranged the plates on the table.
“In respectable homes, cutlery is placed quite differently, Elizabeth,” she remarked during dinner.
“In my home, it’s placed this way,” Liza replied.
“Your home?” Veronika Igorevna raised her eyebrows. “As far as I understand, Roman is the one paying the mortgage.”
“We both pay it.”
“Of course, your modest salary as a logistics specialist contributes so much to the family budget,” her mother-in-law smiled condescendingly.
“Mom,” Roma interrupted. “Let’s not talk about that.”
But Veronika Igorevna seemed not to hear him.
“You know, Roman, I recently ran into Lena Vorontsova. Do you remember her? Professor Vorontsov’s daughter. Such a wonderful girl. She works in a contemporary art gallery now. She asked about you.”
Liza got up from the table.
“I’m going for a walk,” she said, trying to keep her voice even.
“So early?” Veronika Igorevna asked with fake surprise. “What about dessert?”
“I’ve suddenly lost my appetite,” Liza picked up her bag and left without looking back.
She walked down the evening street without paying attention to where she was going. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a message from Anton, Roma’s colleague.
“Hi! How are you? Haven’t seen you in a while. Maybe we could meet after work tomorrow? I need to discuss something about the project.”
Anton had always been attentive to her. Sometimes even too attentive. But right now his offer felt like salvation. Liza quickly typed a reply.
“Hi! Let’s meet at six at the café on Lesnaya Street.”
The café was quiet and not very crowded. Anton was already waiting for her at a table by the window.
“You look tired,” he said when Liza sat down across from him.
“It’s been a difficult week.”
“Did something happen?”
Liza had not intended to tell him about her family problems, but unexpectedly, she laid everything out: her mother-in-law’s arrival, her demand, and Roma’s strange behavior.
Anton listened carefully without interrupting.
“You know, that isn’t normal,” he said when Liza finished. “What she’s demanding. And the fact that Roma is supporting it.”
“That’s what I thought,” Liza felt relieved that someone shared her point of view. “But Roma says I’m making everything complicated. That it’s only for a week.”
“It’s not about how long it is,” Anton shook his head. “It’s about the principle. Today she’s kicking you out for a week. Tomorrow what? A month? Or forever?”
Liza had never thought about it that way. And the thought that Roma might one day choose his mother over her made her uneasy.
“Liz,” Anton suddenly covered her hand with his. “I’ve wanted to say this for a long time… You deserve better treatment. Roma… he’s a good guy, but he’s always been a mama’s boy. Everyone at the office knows it.”
“What do you mean?” Liza carefully pulled her hand away.
“I just… I like you, Liz. A lot. And it hurts me to see how you’re being treated.”
Liza felt herself blush. She had always suspected Anton had feelings for her, but she had never given him any reason to act on them.
“Anton, I’m married. And I love my husband, no matter what.”
“I understand,” he leaned back. “Just know that you have… friends. People who value you more than he does.”
They talked a little more about work, then went their separate ways. On her way home, Liza thought about Anton’s words. Did Roma really not value her? And what was actually happening in their family?
When Liza returned home, she found Roma and Veronika Igorevna animatedly discussing something in the kitchen. Their conversation abruptly stopped when she entered.
“Ah, Elizabeth is back,” her mother-in-law pursed her lips. “How was your walk?”
“Fine,” Liza headed toward the bathroom, but Roma called after her.
“Where were you for so long?”
“I met with a colleague,” she answered without turning around. “We discussed work matters.”
“Which colleague?” suspicion sounded in Roma’s voice.
“Anton.”
“Anton?” he raised his voice. “Seriously?”
Liza turned around.
“What’s wrong with that? We’re working on the same project.”
“At eight in the evening? In a café?”
“How do you know…?”
Roma pulled her phone out of his pocket.
“You left it on the table. He kept calling.”
“You read my messages?” Liza could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“I just wanted to know where you were!” Roma defended himself.
“You could have called and asked!”
“I did call! You didn’t answer!”
“I had my sound turned off! But that doesn’t give you the right to dig through my messages!”
“You see, Roman,” Veronika Igorevna interrupted. “I told you. Only a wife with a clear conscience would not be so outraged.”
“What?!” Liza turned her gaze to her mother-in-law. “What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything, dear. I’m simply stating a fact. You’re meeting another man while my son works to provide for you.”
“It was a work meeting! Ask Anton if you don’t believe me!”
“Oh, and of course he’ll tell the truth,” Veronika Igorevna sneered.
Liza turned to Roma.
“Do you really believe I could cheat on you?”
He was silent, and that silence was more eloquent than any words.
“I see,” Liza felt a lump rise in her throat. “Three years of marriage, and you’re ready to believe I cheated because I had coffee with a colleague.”
“Liza, wait…”
But she had already disappeared into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
In the morning, Liza woke up to a phone call. It was Kirill, Roma’s brother.
“Hi, sister-in-law. How are you?”
“Couldn’t be worse,” Liza answered honestly. “Your mother is trying to destroy my marriage.”
“I know. Roma called yesterday, complaining that you met some guy.”
“He’s a colleague! We were discussing work!”
“I believe you,” Kirill said calmly. “And deep down, Roma believes you too. Mom just knows how to manipulate people.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Listen, I’ll be in town tomorrow. Let’s meet. I have a plan to open Roma’s eyes to Mom’s manipulation.”
“What plan?” Liza asked doubtfully.
“I’ll tell you later. Just be ready tomorrow at seven in the evening. And don’t say anything to Roma.”
The day passed in tense silence. Liza left for work early and came home late. Roma slept in the living room with his mother, saying he didn’t want to wake her.
The next day, Liza received a message from Kirill.
“Today at seven, at the Beluga restaurant. I’ll be waiting for the three of you. Tell Roma I invited you for reconciliation.”
When Liza passed along the invitation, Roma looked surprised but agreed. Veronika Igorevna did not object either, though she remarked that “in decent society, such meetings are arranged in advance.”
Kirill was already waiting for them at a table in the restaurant. He hugged his brother, kissed his mother on the cheek, and gave Liza a friendly half-embrace.
“I’m glad you all came,” he said when they sat down. “It’s been a long time since we all gathered together.”
At first, the conversation did not flow. Roma was gloomy, Liza was tense, and Veronika Igorevna was restrained. Only Kirill seemed to enjoy the evening, joking and telling stories about his work.
After the second course, he suddenly became serious.
“Mom, I wanted to ask you something. Is it true that you told Tanya Kravtsova you were planning to separate Roma from Liza?”
Veronika Igorevna choked on her wine.
“What nonsense? Where did you get that from?”
“From Tanya herself,” Kirill replied calmly. “She called me yesterday. She was worried about you. She said you told her how cleverly you were manipulating Roma so he would become disappointed in Liza.”
“That… that’s not true!” Veronika Igorevna turned pale. “Tanya twisted everything!”
“Really?” Kirill took out his phone. “What if I play the recording of your conversation with her right now? Tanya records all her calls. It’s a habit of hers.”
“What recording? What absurdity?”
Kirill pressed a button on his phone.
“…of course, Tanechka, everything is going according to plan. I’ve already made him check her phone. Soon he’ll believe she’s unfaithful. And once they break up, I’ll introduce him to Larisa’s daughter. Now that would
be a match!”
Roma slowly turned to his mother.
“Mom, what is this?”
“It… it’s taken out of context!” Veronika Igorevna babbled. “We were just joking!”
“No, Mom,” Roma said quietly. “This isn’t a joke. You really tried to destroy my marriage. And you almost succeeded.”
He turned to his wife.
“Liza, I… I don’t know what to say. Forgive me.”
Veronika Igorevna suddenly burst into tears.
“I only wanted the best for you, Roma! This girl isn’t worthy of you! She doesn’t even know how to behave properly in society!”
“And you do, Mom?” Kirill suddenly asked. “You, Verka from Nizhniye Koty, who changed her name and patronymic to seem like an aristocrat?”
“What?” Veronika Igorevna jumped up. “How dare you?!”
“I dare to tell the truth, Mom. Just as you should have. Instead of pretending to be someone you’re not and destroying your own son’s happiness.”
Veronika Igorevna grabbed her handbag and ran out of the restaurant. Roma sat with his head lowered.
“Forgive me, Liza. I was such an idiot.”
“Yes, you were,” she agreed. “So what now?”
“Now…” he took her hand. “Now I’ll try to earn your forgiveness. If you give me a chance.”
Liza looked at Kirill, who smiled encouragingly.
“Thank you,” she said. “If it weren’t for you…”
“I always knew Mom was quite the schemer,” Kirill shrugged. “I was just waiting for the right moment to expose her game. And by the way, there is no Tanya Kravtsova, and the recording was voiced by an actress friend of mine. But Mom gave herself away with her reaction.”
“So what now?” Roma asked. “What am I supposed to do about Mom?”
“Set boundaries,” Kirill said firmly. “Clear and definite ones. Otherwise, she’ll never stop.”
Two months passed. Liza and Roma were sitting in the kitchen, discussing Veronika Igorevna’s upcoming visit.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Liza asked.
“She’s my mother, despite everything,” Roma sighed. “But now everything will be different. She’ll stay in a hotel. And at the first attempt at manipulation, I’ll end the visit.”
“Good,” Liza squeezed his hand. “I trust you.”
“I won’t let you down,” he looked into her eyes. “I will never put anyone above you again. I promise.”
The doorbell rang.
“She’s here,” Liza took a deep breath.
Roma went to open the door, and she stayed in the kitchen, looking out the window. Their marriage had gone through a serious test. And although the wound had not fully healed yet, they had both grown. Roma had learned to defend his boundaries with his mother. Liza had realized that she could stand up for herself. And as for Veronika Igorevna… well, she would have to accept the new rules if she wanted to remain part of their lives.
“Liza!” Roma called. “Come join us!”
She smiled and went to meet her mother-in-law. With her head held high and the certainty that no one would ever be able to drive her out of her own home again.