— We need to have a serious talk, Nik! — Maxim put down his fork and looked at his wife across the table.
Veronika lifted her eyes from her dinner plate. Something in her husband’s voice made her wary.
— About what? — she asked, continuing to eat.
— About our future! About an apartment! — Maxim took a deep breath, as if gathering his courage. — I’ve calculated everything, and it turns out we’ll need at least five years to save up for a mortgage down payment!
— And? We knew this wouldn’t be a quick process!
— But we can speed it up! — Maxim straightened. — If we rent out your apartment, and we… temporarily move in with my parents…
Veronika froze with the fork in her hand. For a moment, she stared at her husband, trying to understand whether he was joking. But his face remained serious.
— You’re suggesting I live with your mother? — she said slowly, lowering the fork, though she already felt the urge to stab him with it for such a proposal.
— It’s only for a year, a year and a half! — Maxim hurried to explain. — Renting out your two-room apartment in this district would bring us about forty thousand a month! In a year and a half, we’ll have enough for a good down payment!
— Maxim… — Veronika folded her arms across her chest. — Your mother openly said I wasn’t good enough for you! That I married you for your money and prospects! Although, let me remind you, this is my apartment, the one my grandmother left me!
— Mom can be harsh sometimes, but…
— Harsh? — Veronika interrupted. — At our wedding she gave a toast saying she hoped I would be able to “grow up to her son’s level”! And then, when we lived with them for the first two months, she criticized everything — from my cooking to the way I folded towels!
— I know, it was a difficult period! — Maxim sighed. — But this is for us! Imagine, in a year and a half, we’ll have our own apartment! No twenty-year loan!
— And what guarantee do I have that in a year and a half you won’t come up with some new reason to stay with Mommy? — Veronika’s voice grew louder. — Or that your mother won’t drive me out of there before then?
— You’re exaggerating! — Maxim shook his head. — Mom isn’t that terrible!
— Maybe not to you! To me, she is the embodiment of everything I ever feared in a mother-in-law!
Veronika got up from the table and began clearing the dishes, loudly stacking the plates in the sink. Maxim winced at the noise.
— Listen! — he stood up too. — I’m only suggesting we think about this option! We could try it for a month and see how it goes!
— A month? — Veronika snorted. — And then the tenants refuse to move out, and we get stuck there indefinitely! No, thank you! I’d rather save for three more years than spend one month under the same roof as Irina Nikolaevna!
— She’s changed! — Maxim tried to defend his mother. — After that conversation we had, she promised to treat you better!
— She promised you! — Veronika emphasized. — And she still sends me articles about how to be a good wife! And lately, about how a woman can survive a divorce! Can you imagine what it would be like if we lived in her house?
Maxim walked up to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders.
— Nika, this matters to me! I want us to have OUR OWN apartment! I’m tired of living in yours, where you decide everything!
— So that’s what this is about! — Veronika turned sharply, throwing his hands off. — It’s not about the apartment or the money! You’re simply uncomfortable living in my space! You need something of your own, or at least something that belongs to your mother!
— I didn’t say that… — Maxim began defending himself.
— But you thought it! — Veronika cut him off. — This conversation is over! I am not moving in with your parents! Period!
She left the kitchen, leaving Maxim alone with the half-washed dishes and his thoughts.
Later that evening, when Veronika was already asleep, Maxim opened his laptop and began searching for information about rental prices in their area.
“She just doesn’t understand what kind of profit we’re missing out on,” he thought, scrolling through listings. “I need to show her actual numbers. Then she’ll definitely agree.”
Veronika noticed the changes in her husband’s behavior a week after their conversation. Maxim kept hiding his phone the moment she entered the room, stayed late after work, and gave vague answers to her questions. Suspicion began gnawing at her from the inside.
— Is there someone else? — she asked directly one evening, when Maxim once again placed his phone face down.
— What? No! — he looked genuinely surprised. — Why would you think that?
— You know why! You’re hiding your phone, constantly texting someone, coming home late! Classic signs!
— You’re exaggerating! — Maxim tried to hug her, but Veronika pulled away.
— Don’t dodge the question! What’s going on?
Maxim sighed, giving in.
— I’m just gathering information about rental prices, talking to agents…
— After I gave you a clear “no”?! — Veronika folded her arms across her chest. — You decided to act behind my back?
— I wanted to prepare a precise picture for you, with numbers and facts, to show you how profitable my proposal is!
— You decided I’d agree if you figured out exactly where to push me? — Veronika shook her head. — This is my apartment, Maxim! Mine! I don’t want strangers here! I don’t want to move in with your mother! How many times do I have to repeat it?
— And did you think about me? About our shared goals? This is selfish of you! — Maxim said with a stony face.
— Selfish? — Veronika gave a bitter laugh. — You know what’s selfish? Demanding that I give up a comfortable life in my own home and move in with a woman who can’t stand me! All so you can get what you want faster!
She left the room, slamming the bathroom door. Maxim remained sitting in the living room, gripping his phone in his hand. A message from the realtor glowed on the screen:
“Found a great tenant for your apartment. When can we arrange a viewing?”
On Saturday, Veronika decided to go to the shopping center to clear her head and distract herself from the tense atmosphere at home. Near the supermarket entrance, she unexpectedly ran into Irina Nikolaevna.
— Veronika! What a surprise! — her mother-in-law smiled sickeningly sweetly. — Alone? Where’s Maxim?
— At home. Working on something… — Veronika replied dryly, hoping to end the conversation quickly.
— And I’m here looking at curtains! — Irina Nikolaevna continued, as if not noticing her daughter-in-law’s coldness. — For your room! Maxim said you’ll be moving in with us soon!
— Excuse me? — the daughter-in-law froze in confusion.
— Well, of course! — her mother-in-law raised her eyebrows in surprise. — Maxim said you decided to live with us while you rent out your apartment! His father and I are already preparing the room for you!
— He said… that we already decided? — anger began boiling inside Veronika.
— Of course! He came by yesterday and helped move the furniture! He said you’d be moving in at the end of the month!
Veronika took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
— Irina Nikolaevna, you’re mistaken. We are not moving in with you. I never agreed to that!
Her mother-in-law’s face changed. The smile became strained.
— But Maxim was so certain…
— Apparently, for no reason! — Veronika snapped. — Excuse me, I need to go!
She turned around and hurried toward the exit, dialing her husband’s number as she walked. Maxim did not answer. Then she sent him a message:
“Ran into your mother. Interesting news about the move. We need to discuss all of this urgently.”
When Veronika returned home, Maxim was not there. She called him again, but his phone was unavailable. Boiling with outrage, she began preparing dinner, loudly pulling dishes out of the cupboards.
Maxim appeared only in the evening.
— Did you tell your mother we’re moving? — Veronika asked instead of greeting him.
— I told her we were discussing the possibility… — he avoided her eyes.
— She’s already choosing curtains for us! — Veronika’s voice trembled with restrained fury. — You and she are preparing a room! That doesn’t sound like discussing a “possibility”!
— I wanted to create conditions that would make it easier for you to agree! — Maxim admitted.
— Easier? — Veronika burst into laughter. — Present me with a done deal so I’d feel awkward refusing? That’s manipulation, Maxim, not concern for my comfort!
— I just want you to understand: this is our chance to get closer to the dream of owning our own place faster!
— And I want you to understand: I am not moving in with your mother! Never! And if you can’t respect my decision, then we have problems far more serious than not owning an apartment!
Maxim pressed his lips into a thin line.
— Hm… You’re probably… right! We really do have problems! And the main one is your selfishness!
He turned and left the kitchen, leaving Veronika alone with the cooling dinner and the thought that her marriage was cracking at the seams over an apartment issue.
On Wednesday, Veronika came home from work earlier than usual — the power had gone out at the office because of some malfunction. Opening the door with her key, she heard voices in the living room. A man’s voice — familiar, Maxim’s — and another one she didn’t know.
— Excellent layout! — the stranger was saying. — And the neighborhood is good, near the metro! When can I move in?
— At the beginning of next month! — Maxim replied. — The owner is already packing her things!
Veronika froze in the hallway, unable to believe her ears. Her heart pounded wildly, and her hands clenched into fists. She took a deep breath and entered the living room.
— Hello! — she said in an icy tone.
Maxim flinched, and an unfamiliar man of about thirty with a fashionable haircut looked at her in confusion.
— Nika… You’re early… — Maxim turned pale. — Meet Stepan. He’s…
— Interested in renting my apartment! — Veronika finished for him. — The very apartment that, according to you, I’m already preparing to vacate!
— You’re the owner? — Stepan asked in surprise. — But Maxim said…
— Maxim says a lot of things! — Veronika interrupted. — For example, that I agreed to rent out the apartment and move in with his parents! Although I am categorically against it!
Stepan looked from Veronika to Maxim.
— Um… Do you two have some kind of misunderstanding?
— There is no misunderstanding! — Veronika folded her arms across her chest. — My husband simply decided to rent out my apartment without my knowledge or consent!
— Stepan, could you give us a minute? — Maxim grabbed the man by the elbow and pulled him toward the exit.
— Wait! — Veronika blocked their path. — Stepan, have you already given my husband any money? A deposit? First month’s rent?
The man shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable.
— Yes, we agreed on a deposit. I gave him thirty thousand.
— Excellent! — Veronika nodded. — Where is that money, Maxim?
— Stepan, wait for me downstairs! — Maxim requested. — I need to talk to my wife!
— He’s not going anywhere! — Veronika cut him off. — Don’t send away the witness to your fraud!
— Fraud? — Maxim smirked. — I simply sped up the process! I knew that if I found a good tenant, you’d agree!
— What made you think I would move in with your parents and rent out my own apartment? If you want to live with them again so badly, then go there alone, without me!
— I should probably leave… — Stepan said awkwardly.
— Wait! — Veronika turned to him. — You paid a deposit for an apartment I have no intention of renting out! You need to get your money back!
— I don’t have it right now! — Maxim began making excuses. — I already gave part of it to Mom for the room renovation…
Veronika laughed dryly, without a trace of amusement.
— Wonderful. Just wonderful! You took someone else’s money and gave it to your mother! And I’m supposed to clean this up?
— Don’t dramatize! — Maxim grimaced. — I’ll handle everything!
— No, I’ll handle everything! — Veronika took her phone out of her bag. — Stepan, please write down this address! — she turned the phone toward the unfamiliar man. — This is the address of Maxim’s parents! You can demand your money there! Better yet, go straight to the police and report fraud!
— What are you doing?! — Maxim burst out indignantly.
— You took the money, so you’re responsible! I didn’t sign anything, and I didn’t make any agreement with anyone! This is MY apartment! And this is your scam!
— I’m sorry… — Stepan muttered. — But I really do need my money back… I turned down another option…
— I understand! — Veronika nodded. — But I don’t have it! Either he has it, or his mother does! And now, Maxim, pack your things and go to your parents! They already have a room waiting for you with new curtains!
— You’re kicking me out? — her husband stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing.
— Exactly! — Veronika confirmed. — You have one hour! Stepan, come to the kitchen. I’ll make you some tea while my soon-to-be ex-husband packs his things!
Maxim stood in the middle of the living room, unable to believe that his plan had collapsed so disastrously. And Veronika, passing him on her way to the kitchen, added quietly:
— Tomorrow, I’m filing for divorce!
Three weeks passed. Veronika was sitting in the kitchen when the doorbell pulled her out of her thoughts. Reluctantly, she got up and looked through the peephole — Maxim was standing on the threshold.
— What do you want? — she asked, opening the door slightly but leaving the chain on.
— To talk! — he replied. — Nika, let’s settle everything like civilized people!
She hesitated for a few seconds, then finally removed the chain and let her former husband into the apartment. They went into the kitchen together, and Maxim sat down on the chair across from his wife.
— What did you want?
— To talk about the divorce! I don’t agree to it! So we need to do something about this! But…
— Did you want to talk about something else?
— Nika! — Maxim leaned forward. — I understand that I did wrong! But can one mistake really erase three years of marriage?
— One mistake? — Veronika smirked. — You tried to rent out my apartment behind my back, took money from a stranger, turned your mother against me by pretending I had agreed to move! And all of that after I clearly said no! That’s not a mistake, Maxim! That’s… What was the word you used? Selfishness!
— I was thinking about our future…
— No! — she interrupted. — You were only thinking about what you wanted! If you had been thinking about us, you would have respected my opinion!
Maxim rubbed his face with his hands.
— These weeks haven’t been easy for me, you know! Stepan and his friends came to my parents’ place demanding money!
— I know! — Veronika nodded. — Your mother called me and accused me of every mortal sin! What were her words again? “You destroyed our family, you set some thugs on us!” Although all I did was point Stepan toward the person who took his money!
— Mom didn’t know about my plan! — Maxim said quietly. — She thought you really had agreed to move in!
— Of course! — Veronika rolled her eyes. — That’s why she was so eager to prepare the room! Because she wasn’t involved in the conspiracy at all!
— It wasn’t a conspiracy! — Maxim objected. — Mom just… got carried away…
— It doesn’t matter! — Veronika pushed a folder of documents toward him. — Is that all?
— I love you, Nika! I don’t want to get divorced!
— And I don’t love you anymore! — Veronika cut him off. — Do you think you can betray someone and then simply say “sorry”? In my eyes, you’re no longer the man I married! So…
— Give me a chance to fix everything! — desperation rang in Maxim’s voice. — We can start over! I’ll never again…
— No! — Veronika replied firmly. — When I found out you had brought a stranger into my home to show him my things and discuss how soon I would move out of here… I can no longer look at you without remembering that betrayal!
Maxim silently looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.
— I didn’t think you would take it like this…
— Seriously? — Veronika folded her arms across her chest. — And how exactly did you expect me to take it? “Oh, darling, you’ve already found tenants for my apartment? How thoughtful! Of course I’ll pack my things and move in with your mother, who hates me!”
Maxim lowered his head.
— I got confused! I really wanted what was best!
— I don’t care anymore what you wanted! — Veronika looked him straight in the eyes. — I don’t even understand why you needed this so badly! We had a good life here! But your pride couldn’t bear the fact that we lived in my apartment! You couldn’t accept that I didn’t want to bow down to your mother! So you decided to take everything into your own hands, ignoring my feelings and my wishes!
— I’m not proud of what I did… — Maxim said quietly.
— Good! — Veronika nodded. — And I’m not proud that I chose you as my husband! We both made mistakes! But yours was bigger! Anything else?
— Nik, I honestly want to fix everything!
— We’re done!
Maxim looked at his wife, the last trace of hope visible in his eyes. But Veronika’s face remained unshakable.
— Fine, choke on your divorce!!! — he said, standing up. — I told you! Selfish!
Nika did not answer. Why waste her breath? No one needed that. And she did not want to provoke Maxim into anything else either — who knew what might come into his head?
When the door closed behind Maxim, she leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Inside, there were no tears and no regrets — only relief and the certainty that she had made the right decision. This apartment was her fortress, her safe place. And no one — neither Maxim nor his mother — had the right to decide how she should manage her life and her home.