Why is your mother living in my daughter’s house?! Is she homeless?” my mother asked calmly.
Alina stood in the kitchen, watching as someone else’s hands rummaged through her jars of grains. Her mother-in-law, Valentina Ivanovna, took out the buckwheat, turned it over in her hands, and put it back with a dissatisfied expression.
“What kind of buckwheat is this? Hulled buckwheat should be lighter. This is obviously old. Tomorrow I’ll bring proper buckwheat from home.”
Alina clenched her fists but said nothing. A week had passed since Igor had announced that his mother would be staying with them “temporarily.” Valentina Ivanovna had arrived with two enormous bags and a box containing her favorite pillows, a blanket, and a set of pots.
“Mom, you said it would only be for a couple of days,” Igor tried to remind her when the woman began unpacking her things in the living room.
“So what? A couple of days have already passed. The renovation is still going on there. The neighbor says it may drag on for another two weeks. What am I supposed to do, live on the street?” Valentina Ivanovna unfolded her blanket and threw it onto the sofa. “Alinochka, do you have any better sheets? These are completely worn out.”
Alina opened her mouth, but Igor spoke before she could.
“Mom, please, don’t. The sheets are fine.”
Valentina Ivanovna only snorted and continued settling in.
In the first three days, her mother-in-law managed to rearrange half the apartment. Alina’s cosmetics were moved from the bathroom shelf to under the sink because “that’s where they belong.” The books that had been standing on the living room shelves were stacked in a pile in the corner “so they wouldn’t collect dust.” And Alina’s favorite vase, which she had brought back from a trip to Italy, disappeared into a cabinet “so it wouldn’t get broken.”
“Igor, talk to her,” Alina asked one evening when they were alone in the bedroom.
“Talk about what? She’s trying to help.”
“Help? She has turned the whole apartment upside down! I can’t find half my things!”
“Alina, just be patient for a little while. The renovation at the neighbors’ place will be finished soon, and she’ll leave.”
“And if it isn’t finished? What then?”
Igor sighed and turned away toward the wall.
“Please don’t start. I already have a headache.”
Alina bit her lip. There was no point in continuing the conversation.
The next morning, Valentina Ivanovna got up before everyone else and started making breakfast. Alina woke up to the smell of fried onions. She threw on her robe and went into the kitchen, where her mother-in-law was happily stirring something in a frying pan.
“Good morning! I decided to make you an omelet. With onions and tomatoes. Igoryosha loved it when he was little.”
“Valentina Ivanovna, thank you, but I don’t eat anything fried in the morning…”
“Well, imagine that! Igor told me you like a hearty breakfast. I made the effort especially for both of you.” Her mother-in-law continued stirring the omelet without looking at Alina.
“I usually eat cottage cheese or porridge cooked in water. My stomach isn’t very good…”
“That’s because you eat wrong! You need to eat meat, dairy. My Igoryosha was always healthy because I fed him properly.”
Alina sighed and poured herself some water. She had no strength to argue. She took her phone and wrote to her friend: “I’m going to lose my mind. She has no intention of leaving.”
The days dragged on slowly. Valentina Ivanovna behaved like the rightful mistress of the home. She did the laundry, cooked lunches, cleaned the apartment — and constantly commented on how Alina did everything wrong.
“How do you wash dishes? You need to soak them first, then scrub.”
“That’s not how you mop floors. First you vacuum, then use a damp cloth.”
“Igor, tell your wife not to set the air conditioner so low. We’ll all catch a cold.”
Igor either kept silent or nodded, but he did nothing. Alina felt everything inside her tighten with helplessness. This was her apartment. She had bought it with her own money before the marriage. Every square meter had been earned and paid for through her own work. And now another woman was ruling the place as if Alina were the guest.
One evening, Alina came home from work and saw that the living room looked different. Her mother-in-law had rearranged the furniture.
“Valentina Ivanovna, what is this?” Alina stopped in the doorway.
“Oh, you’re already home! I thought the sofa would look better by the window. There’s more light that way, and it’s cozier in general. Igoryosha helped me. Right, son?”
Igor was sitting on that very sofa, watching television. He cast a guilty glance at his wife but said nothing.
“I don’t want the sofa by the window. Put it back.”
“Oh, come on! It looks prettier this way!” Valentina Ivanovna waved her hand. “Just get used to it. You’ll see, you’ll like it.”
“I don’t need to get used to it. This is my apartment, and I want everything the way it was before.”
Silence fell. Valentina Ivanovna slowly turned toward Alina.
“Your apartment?” She narrowed her eyes. “Well, yes, of course. Yours. And my son lives here, so he’s nobody?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“No, no, I understood everything. You made it clear that I’m unwanted here. Well, forgive me for bothering you. Igor, pack my things. Since your wife is throwing me out, I’ll have to find somewhere to spend the night.”
“Mom, don’t,” Igor jumped up from the sofa. “No one is throwing you out.”
“Oh, she absolutely is! She said it straight out — this is her apartment! That means there’s no place for me here!”
Alina stood there watching the scene with growing indignation. Her mother-in-law was playing the victim, and Igor was acting as if Alina had truly done something terrible.
“Igor, we need to talk,” Alina said firmly.
“Not now. Let’s do it tomorrow. Mom is upset.”
“Now.”
Igor reluctantly went into the bedroom. Alina closed the door behind them and leaned against it.
“How long is this going to continue?” she asked quietly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mother. She has been living here for two weeks. You promised she would stay for a couple of days and then leave.”
“Alina, the renovation really is—”
“I called the neighbor on her floor. The renovation was finished more than a week ago. The water was turned back on the day after your mother moved in with us.”
Igor went pale.
“How do you know the neighbor’s number?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you lied to me. You knew perfectly well that the renovation was over, but you kept quiet. Why?”
“Because Mom really wants to spend time with us! She’s lonely by herself! And anyway, what’s the big deal? She’s my mother!”
“This is my apartment.”
Igor jerked his shoulder.
“There you go again! Everything is yours! So that means I’m a stranger here!… Continued just below in the first comment.
Alina stood in the kitchen, watching someone else’s hands rummage through her jars of grains. Her mother-in-law, Valentina Ivanovna, took out the buckwheat, turned it over in her hands, and put it back with a displeased expression.
“What kind of buckwheat is this? The kernels should be lighter. This is obviously old. Tomorrow I’ll bring proper buckwheat from home.”
Alina clenched her fists but said nothing. A week had passed since Igor had announced that his mother would be staying with them “temporarily.” Valentina Ivanovna had arrived with two huge bags and a box containing her favorite pillows, a blanket, and a set of pots.
“Mom, you said it would only be for a couple of days,” Igor tried to remind her when she began laying out her things in the living room.
“So what? A couple of days have already passed. The renovations there are still going on. The neighbor says it might drag on for another two weeks. What am I supposed to do, live on the street?” Valentina Ivanovna unfolded the blanket and tossed it onto the sofa. “Alinochka, do you have any better sheets? These are completely worn out.”
Alina opened her mouth, but Igor spoke first.
“Mom, please don’t. The sheets are fine.”
Valentina Ivanovna merely snorted and continued settling in.
During the first three days, her mother-in-law managed to rearrange half the apartment. Alina’s cosmetics were moved from the bathroom shelf to under the sink because “that’s where they belong.” The books that had stood on the shelving unit in the living room were stacked in a pile in the corner “so they wouldn’t gather dust.” And Alina’s favorite vase, which she had brought back from a trip to Italy, disappeared into the wardrobe because “it might get broken.”
“Igor, talk to her,” Alina asked one evening when they were alone in the bedroom.
“Talk to her about what? She’s trying to help.”
“Help? She’s turned the whole apartment upside down! I can’t find half of my things!”
“Alina, just be patient a little longer. The neighbors’ renovations will be finished soon, and she’ll leave.”
“And if they aren’t finished? Then what?”
Igor sighed and turned toward the wall.
“Please don’t start. My head already hurts.”
Alina bit her lip. There was no point in continuing.
The next morning, Valentina Ivanovna got up before everyone else and began making breakfast. Alina woke up to the smell of fried onions. She threw on her robe and went into the kitchen, where her mother-in-law was stirring something in a pan with a satisfied look.
“Good morning! I decided to make you an omelet. With onions and tomatoes. Igoryosha loved it when he was little.”
“Valentina Ivanovna, thank you, but I don’t eat fried food in the morning…”
“Well, imagine that! Igor said you liked a hearty breakfast. I was trying especially hard for both of you.” Her mother-in-law kept stirring the omelet without looking at Alina.
“I usually eat cottage cheese or porridge cooked in water. My stomach isn’t very strong…”
“That’s because you eat incorrectly! You need meat and dairy. My Igoryosha was always healthy because I fed him properly.”
Alina sighed and poured herself some water. She had no strength to argue. She picked up her phone and wrote to her friend: “I’m going to lose my mind. She has no intention of leaving.”
The days dragged by slowly. Valentina Ivanovna behaved like the full-fledged mistress of the house. She washed laundry, cooked lunches, cleaned the apartment — and constantly commented on how Alina did everything wrong.
“How do you wash dishes? You have to soak them first, then scrub them.”
“That’s not how you mop floors. First vacuum, then use a damp cloth.”
“Igor, tell your wife not to set the air conditioner so cold. We’ll all catch a cold.”
Igor either remained silent or nodded, but he did nothing. Alina felt everything inside her tighten from helplessness. This was her apartment. She had bought it with her own money before the marriage. Every square meter had been earned through her labor and paid for by her own effort. And now a strange woman was ruling here as if Alina were the guest.
One evening, Alina came home from work and saw that the living room looked different. Her mother-in-law had rearranged the furniture.
“Valentina Ivanovna, what is this?” Alina stopped in the doorway.
“Oh, you’re home already! I thought the sofa would be better by the window. There’s more light that way, and it’s cozier in general. Igoryosha helped me. Didn’t you, son?”
Igor was sitting on that very sofa, watching television. He gave his wife a guilty glance but said nothing.
“I don’t want the sofa by the window. Put it back.”
“Oh, come on! It looks prettier this way!” Valentina Ivanovna waved her hand dismissively. “Just give it a chance. You’ll see, you’ll like it.”
“I don’t need to give it a chance. This is my apartment, and I want everything the way it was.”
Silence fell. Valentina Ivanovna slowly turned toward Alina.
“Your apartment?” She narrowed her eyes. “Well, yes, of course. Yours. And my son lives here, so he’s nobody?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“No, no, I understood perfectly. You made it clear that I’m unwanted here. Well then, forgive me for bothering you. Igor, pack my things. Since your wife is throwing me out, I’ll have to find somewhere to spend the night.”
“Mom, don’t,” Igor jumped up from the sofa. “Nobody is throwing you out.”
“She certainly is! She said it directly — this is her apartment! That means there’s no place for me here!”
Alina stood there, watching the scene with growing indignation. Her mother-in-law was playing the victim, and Igor was acting as if Alina had truly done something terrible.
“Igor, we need to talk,” Alina said firmly.
“Not now. Let’s do it tomorrow. Mom is upset.”
“Now.”
Igor reluctantly went into the bedroom. Alina closed the door behind them and leaned against it.
“How long is this going to continue?” she asked quietly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mother. She’s been living here for two weeks. You promised she would stay for a couple of days and leave.”
“Alina, the renovations really…”
“I called the neighbor on her floor. The renovations ended more than a week ago. The water was turned back on the day after your mother moved in with us.”
Igor turned pale.
“How do you know the neighbor’s number?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you lied to me. You knew perfectly well that the renovations were finished, but you stayed silent. Why?”
“Because Mom really wants to spend time with us! She’s lonely by herself! And anyway, what’s the big deal? She’s my mother!”
“This is my apartment.”
Igor jerked his shoulder.
“There you go again! Everything is yours! So I’m a stranger here, then!”
“I didn’t say that…”
“You did! And you said it to Mom too! Now she won’t sleep all night because she’s upset!”
Alina covered her face with her hands. Talking was pointless. Igor did not hear her. He did not want to hear her.
She left the bedroom and went to the kitchen. She poured herself some tea and sat by the window. It was raining outside. Alina watched the drops run down the glass and thought about how the life she had built so carefully was collapsing before her eyes. And there was nothing she could do about it.
The next day, Alina came home from work later than usual. She had a client meeting that had dragged on. When she opened the door, the apartment was quiet. Igor was not home, and Valentina Ivanovna was sitting in the living room watching television.
“Good evening,” Alina said dryly.
“Good evening,” her mother-in-law replied just as dryly, without taking her eyes off the screen.
Alina went into the bedroom, changed clothes, and began gathering laundry. She stepped into the hallway and headed toward the bathroom when the front door swung open. Alina’s mother stood in the doorway.
Alina froze. She had not expected her mother. They were supposed to speak on the phone that evening, not meet in person.
“Mom? What are you doing here?”
“I stopped by on my way home from work. I wanted to bring you a jar of jam.” Her mother took off her jacket and entered the apartment. She looked around the hallway, noticed the unfamiliar slippers by the door, then turned to her daughter. “Do you have guests?”
“It’s… my mother-in-law. She’s temporarily living with us.”
Her mother raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She went into the kitchen, placed the jar of jam on the table, and looked around. Valentina Ivanovna had just come out of the living room.
“Let me introduce you. This is my mother, Olga Nikolaevna. Mom, this is Valentina Ivanovna, Igor’s mother.”
“Nice to meet you,” Alina’s mother nodded.
“Likewise,” Valentina Ivanovna answered dryly.
An awkward pause followed. Olga Nikolaevna slowly looked around the kitchen, noticed the unfamiliar pots on the stove and the unfamiliar mug on the table. Then she looked toward the living room, where a blanket that had never been there before lay on the sofa.
“Alina, can I speak to you for a minute?” her mother said quietly.
They went into the bedroom. Olga Nikolaevna closed the door and turned to her daughter.
“What is going on?”
Alina sank onto the bed.
“Mom, don’t start…”
“I’m not starting anything. I simply see that a strange woman is living in my daughter’s apartment. And judging by the way everything looks, she’s been living here for quite some time.”
Alina sighed.
“Two weeks. Igor said a pipe burst at the neighbors’ place and his mother had nowhere to live. But it turned out the repairs ended a long time ago. She just wants to live with us.”
“And you agreed?”
“I couldn’t not agree! Igor didn’t even ask me! He just presented it as a fact!”
Olga Nikolaevna frowned. She silently walked to the window, stood there looking outside, then turned back to her daughter.
“Alina, is this your apartment?”
“Yes. I bought it before the marriage.”
“Is Igor on the documents?”
“No. Everything is registered in my name.”
“Then tell me, why is a strange woman living in my daughter’s home?”
Alina flinched. Her mother spoke calmly, without shouting, but there was steel in her voice.
“Mom, I can’t just throw her out…”
“Why?”
“Because she’s my husband’s mother!”
“So what? Does that give her the right to run your home? Rearrange your things? Boss you around in your own apartment?”
Alina said nothing. Her mother sat down beside her on the bed and took her hand.
“Listen to me carefully. I am not against you helping relatives. But help is one thing, and being used is something else entirely. This woman has no intention of leaving. She feels like the mistress here. And your husband is supporting her in that.”
“What should I do?”
“For starters, go out there and ask directly why his mother is living in my daughter’s home. Is she homeless or what? Doesn’t she have her own place?”
Alina laughed quietly through her tears.
“Mom…”
“I’m serious. Come on.”
They left the bedroom. Valentina Ivanovna was once again sitting in her spot in the living room. Olga Nikolaevna stopped in the doorway and looked at her calmly.
“Valentina Ivanovna, please tell me, why are you living here?”
Her mother-in-law flinched.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m asking why you are living in my daughter’s apartment. Do you not have your own home?”
“I do have my own home! But there were renovations…”
“Which ended more than a week ago. So why are you still here?”
Valentina Ivanovna opened her mouth but could not find an answer.
“I’ll tell you why,” Olga Nikolaevna continued. “Because it is convenient for you. Because here you are fed, cleaned up after, and you don’t have to worry about anything. You decided that since your son lives here, you have the right to live here too.”
“How dare you…”
“I dare because this is my daughter’s apartment. Not your son’s. My daughter’s. She bought it with her own money, and she is the mistress here. She never gave consent for you to live here.”
Valentina Ivanovna jumped up from the sofa.
“Igor!” she shouted. “Igor, where are you?!”
“Igor is not home,” Alina said calmly. “And it doesn’t matter. Valentina Ivanovna, tomorrow you will pack your things and leave. You have your own apartment. Go back there.”
“Are you throwing me out?!”
“I am asking you to return to your own home. What you called a temporary stay has turned into permanent residence. And I am no longer willing to put up with it.”
“This is what it means to be a stranger! This is what it means not to be family! I always knew you were cold and calculating! Igoryosha told me you didn’t know how to love family!”
Olga Nikolaevna stepped forward.
“Enough. You will leave this apartment now, or I will call the police.”
“The police?! Are you out of your mind?!”
“Completely sane. This is private property. You are not registered here and have no right to reside here. The apartment owner is asking you to leave the premises. That is a lawful demand.”
Valentina Ivanovna clutched at her heart.
“My blood pressure! I feel ill!”
“Should I call an ambulance?” Olga Nikolaevna asked calmly.
Her mother-in-law fell silent. She stood in the middle of the living room, breathing heavily, looking from Alina to her mother. Finally, she turned around and went to her things.
“I’ll tell Igor everything. Everything! You’ll regret this!”
“Tell him,” Alina replied calmly.
Valentina Ivanovna began packing. She threw things into her bags, slammed cabinet doors loudly, and muttered something under her breath. Twenty minutes later, she stood in the hallway with two bags and a box.
“You will lose your son,” she threw out as a final remark.
“If my son is ready to lose his wife because she defended her right to her own home, then there is nothing worth losing,” Alina replied.
Valentina Ivanovna slammed the door.
Silence settled over the apartment. Alina sank onto the sofa and covered her face with her hands. Her mother sat beside her and hugged her shoulders.
“You did the right thing.”
“I’m scared. Igor will be angry.”
“Let him be angry. You did nothing wrong. You simply protected your space.”
Alina nodded. Everything inside her was still trembling from what had happened, but at the same time she felt a strange relief. For the first time in two weeks, the apartment was quiet. For the first time, she could simply sit and breathe without expecting another remark or complaint.
Igor returned late that evening. He opened the door and immediately felt the change. The apartment seemed empty. He went into the living room — the sofa was no longer where his mother had put it. He turned and saw that the furniture was back the way it had been before. The blanket was gone. The pillows were gone.
“Alina?” he called.
“I’m here.”
She was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea. Igor came in and stopped in the doorway.
“Where’s Mom?”
“She went home.”
“What do you mean, she went home?!”
“She packed her things and left. She has her own apartment.”
“You threw her out?!”
“I asked her to go back to where she lives. Igor, she was deceiving us. The neighbors’ repairs ended long ago. She simply didn’t want to leave.”
“So what?! She’s my mother! She needs support!”
“Support is one thing. Permanent residence here is another. I did not agree to her living here permanently.”
Igor clenched his fists.
“Do you understand what you’ve done? You insulted my mother! You threw her out onto the street!”
“I didn’t throw her onto the street. She has a home. And she returned to it.”
“This is our apartment!”
“No, Igor. This is my apartment. I bought it with my own money before our marriage. You are not registered here. You have no rights to this property.”
Igor turned pale.
“So that’s how it is… So now you’re going to use that as your trump card? That it’s yours? That I’m nobody here?”
“I am simply reminding you of the facts. If you had asked my opinion before moving your mother in here, we wouldn’t have reached this conversation.”
“You’re choosing! Either me or Mom!”
Alina slowly placed her cup on the table.
“I’m not forcing anyone to choose. Your mother may come as a guest. But she will not live here permanently. That is my final decision.”
Igor stood there, breathing heavily, then turned and left the kitchen. A few minutes later, the front door slammed.
Alina was left alone. She sat in the kitchen in silence, thinking that difficult conversations lay ahead. Perhaps even divorce. But she no longer felt helpless. She was no longer silent.
An hour later, her mother called.
“How are things? Has Igor come back?”
“He came. Made a scene and left.”
“Where did he go?”
“I don’t know. Probably to his mother. Mom, what if I ruined everything? What if he never comes back now?”
“Alina, listen to me. If a man is ready to abandon his wife because she defended her territory, then that man is not ready to be a husband. Family is not only about compromise. It is also about boundaries. About respect. If Igor does not understand that, time will show what choice he makes.”
Alina wiped her eyes.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Always, my dear. Always.”
They said goodbye, and Alina was left alone with her thoughts. She got up and walked through the apartment. Everything was in its place. Her books were back on the shelf. The vase from Italy stood on the dresser again. The cosmetics in the bathroom were where they belonged.
Alina stopped in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her face was pale, her eyes red from tears, but there was determination in her gaze. She was no longer going to endure.
Igor did not return that night or the next day. He did not answer calls or messages. Alina went to work, handled her affairs, and tried not to think about what would happen next. On the evening of the third day, he finally appeared.
He entered the apartment quietly, without a scandal. His face was tired, with shadows under his eyes. He went into the kitchen, where Alina was preparing dinner.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
They stood opposite each other, not knowing where to begin. Finally, Igor spoke first.
“Mom is very hurt.”
“I understand.”
“She says you insulted her. That you humiliated her in front of your mother.”
Alina put the knife down on the cutting board.
“Igor, your mother lived in my apartment for two weeks without my consent. She rearranged my things, changed the order I had established, and bossed me around in my own home. And all that time, you stayed silent. Not once did you take my side.”
“She’s my mother…”
“And I’m your wife. Does that mean nothing?”
Igor lowered his gaze.
“I just wanted everyone to be okay.”
“Everyone except me. Igor, I am not against your mother coming to visit. I am not against helping her if she truly needs help. But she was not living here because she had nowhere to go. She was living here because it was convenient for her. And you knew that perfectly well.”
“Maybe…”
“Not maybe. You knew. You knew the repairs had ended long ago. You knew she was lying. But you stayed silent because it was easier for you not to get involved.”
Igor clenched his fists.
“What was I supposed to do? Throw my mother out onto the street?”
“Tell her the truth! Tell her she has her own home and it is time to go back there! Igor, you did not protect me. You chose your mother’s comfort over my peace.”
“I didn’t think it was that serious…”
“It is serious. This is my apartment. My home. And I have the right to decide who lives here and who doesn’t.”
Igor said nothing. Alina could see him struggling with himself, trying to find arguments but failing.
“If you want our marriage to continue, you need to make a choice,” Alina said. “Either you respect my boundaries, or we separate.”
“Are you giving me an ultimatum?”
“I am telling you what matters to me. I am not going to live in a home where I am not respected. Where my opinion means nothing. If you are not ready to stand by my side, if you are not ready to protect our marriage, then we are not on the same path.”
Igor stood with his head lowered. Alina saw how tense his shoulders were, how he clenched and unclenched his fingers. Finally, he looked up.
“I don’t want a divorce.”
“Then we need to agree on rules. Your mother may come to visit. But only to visit. On weekends, on holidays. Not to live here permanently. And she has no right to manage anything here without my permission.”
“She won’t accept that.”
“That is not her concern. Igor, either you talk to her, or I will. Choose.”
He sighed.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. I’ll go to her tomorrow and explain everything.”
Alina nodded. She was not sure Igor would keep his word, but it was a first step. At least a first step.
The next day, Igor really did go to his mother. He returned late in the evening, tired and drained.
“So?” Alina asked.
“It was hard. She cried. She said I was betraying her. That you had turned me against her.”
“And what did you say?”
“That it was my decision. That I understood her hurt, but you and I have our own family. And that your opinion matters to me.”
Alina felt something warm stir inside her. They were simple words, but they meant a great deal.
“Thank you.”
“She’s still hurt. She says she’ll never forgive it.”
“Igor, your mother is an adult. She chooses how to react. You cannot control her feelings. You can only do what you believe is right.”
He nodded. They stood in the kitchen, and Alina suddenly realized that this was the first time in a long while they were speaking honestly. Without omissions. Without trying to smooth over sharp edges.
In the following weeks, life gradually returned to normal. Valentina Ivanovna was indeed offended and did not call. Igor visited her himself but no longer brought her home. Alina did not insist on meetings. She understood that her mother-in-law needed time to accept the new rules.
One evening, Igor said:
“Mom wants to apologize.”
Alina looked up from her book.
“Seriously?”
“Yes. She said she realized she had gone too far. That she behaved wrongly.”
“And what did you say?”
“That the decision is yours. If you’re ready to receive her, she’ll come. But only for a couple of hours. She’ll have tea and leave.”
Alina thought about it. Part of her did not want to see her mother-in-law. She did not want to sink back into that atmosphere of tension and reproach. But another part of her understood that if she wanted to preserve the marriage, she needed to give Valentina Ivanovna a chance.
“All right. Let her come. But I don’t promise everything will be like before.”
“I understand.”
A week later, Valentina Ivanovna came. She sat in the kitchen, holding a cup of tea in her hands, and looked at Alina with an unfamiliar uncertainty.
“I want to apologize,” she finally said. “I behaved wrongly. I thought I was doing good, but I didn’t think about your feelings.”
Alina nodded.
“I accept your apology. But it’s important to me that you understand: this is my home. I am the mistress here. And any decisions connected to this apartment are made by me.”
Valentina Ivanovna pressed her lips together but nodded.
“I understand.”
They finished their tea in silence. Then her mother-in-law stood up, said goodbye, and left. When the door closed behind her, Alina exhaled. It was a small step, but still a step forward.
Several months passed. Valentina Ivanovna no longer tried to move in with them. She came on holidays, called Igor, and sometimes stopped by for tea. But she no longer crossed boundaries. Alina could see that it was hard for her. She saw how Valentina Ivanovna caught herself wanting to make a remark or give advice. But she held back.
And Alina finally felt that the home belonged to her again. That she could breathe freely. That her voice mattered.
The home had become her home again. And that was the most important thing.