Yana pushed open the apartment door and immediately heard voices coming from the kitchen. Her husband, Igor, was talking to his mother, Valentina Stepanovna. The woman had arrived in the morning and settled herself in the kitchen, as usual.
“So what’s going on with the TV?” Igor asked.
“It’s gotten completely old,” his mother-in-law complained. “The picture is bad, the sound comes and goes. It’s been time to replace it for ages.”
Yana took off her shoes and walked into the kitchen. Her mother-in-law was sitting at the table with a cup of tea, and Igor was turning his phone over in his hands.
“Ah, Yana’s here,” her husband said, brightening. “We were just discussing Mom’s television.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Yana asked tiredly.
“It’s completely broken. She needs a new one,” Valentina Stepanovna replied.
Igor put his phone aside and looked at his wife.
“You always pay for things like this. Buy Mom a television. We don’t want to spend our own money.”
Yana froze while taking off her jacket. Her husband said it so naturally, as if they were talking about buying bread at the store.
“You don’t want to spend your money, but I’m supposed to want to spend mine?” Yana asked.
“Well, you have a good job, you earn decent money,” Igor explained. “And my salary is small.”
Yana frowned and looked at her husband as if checking whether he was serious. He was. Igor’s face showed complete confidence that what he had said was perfectly reasonable.
“Igor, I’m not a bank,” Yana said slowly.
“Oh, come on,” her husband waved her off. “It’s just one television.”
Yana sat down at the table and remembered the last few months. Who paid for the apartment? Yana. Who bought the groceries? Yana. Who paid the utilities? Also Yana. And then there were Valentina Stepanovna’s medicines, since she constantly complained about her blood pressure and joints. And the loan her mother-in-law had taken out for renovations but had stopped paying after three months.
“Remembering something?” Igor asked.
“I’m remembering who has been paying for everything in this family for the last two years.”
Valentina Stepanovna joined the conversation.
“Yana, you’re the mistress of the house, so the responsibility falls on you. Is it really so hard to buy Igor’s mother a television? It’s a purchase for the family.”
“For the family?” Yana repeated. “And where is the family when it’s time to spend money?”
“We’re not loafers,” Igor objected. “I work, and Mom helps around the house.”
“What help around the house?” Yana asked in surprise. “Valentina Stepanovna comes over to drink tea and talk about her illnesses.”
Her mother-in-law took offense.
“What do you mean, talk? I give you advice on how to run a family properly.”
“Advice that I’m supposed to support everyone?”
“Well, who else?” Igor asked, sincerely surprised. “You have a stable job and a good income.”
Yana looked at her husband carefully. He truly thought it was normal for his wife to carry the entire family financially.
“And what do you do with your money?” Yana asked.
“I save it,” Igor replied. “Just in case.”
“In case of what?”
“Well, you never know. A crisis, being laid off. You need to have a safety cushion.”
“And where is my safety cushion?”
“You have a reliable job. You won’t get fired.”
Yana calmly noted:
“Maybe it’s time for you and your mother to decide for yourselves what to buy and with whose money?”
Igor smirked.
“Why are you saying it like that? You’re good with money. And we already try not to burden you with unnecessary expenses.”
“Not burden me?” Yana felt blood rush to her face. “Igor, do you seriously think you don’t burden me?”
“We don’t demand something every day,” Valentina Stepanovna defended her son. “Only when it’s really necessary.”
“A television is really necessary?”
“Of course! How can you live without a television? Watching the news, programs.”
“You can watch things online.”
“I don’t understand the internet,” her mother-in-law snapped. “I need a proper television.”
Yana realized the conversation was going nowhere. Valentina Stepanovna and Igor sincerely believed Yana was supposed to provide for everyone and everything. Meanwhile, they saved every kopeck of their own.
“Fine,” Yana said. “Tell me how much the television you want costs.”
“Well, you can find a good one for around forty thousand,” Igor said, perking up. “A big one, with internet.”
“Forty thousand rubles,” Yana repeated.
“Yeah. It’s not that much.”
“Igor, do you know how much I spend on our family every month?”
“Well… a lot, probably.”
“About seventy thousand rubles every month. The apartment, groceries, utilities, your mother’s medicines, her loan.”
Igor shrugged.
“We’re family. That’s normal.”
“And how much do you spend on the family?”
“Well… sometimes I buy milk. Bread.”
“Igor, you spend a maximum of five thousand rubles a month on the family,” Yana calculated. “And not even every month.”
“But I save for a rainy day.”
“Whose rainy day? Yours?”
“Ours, of course.”
“Then why is the money sitting in your personal account instead of a joint one?”
Igor fell silent. Valentina Stepanovna also quieted down.
“Yana, you’re saying something wrong,” her mother-in-law finally said. “My son provides for the family.”
“With what?” Yana asked in surprise. “Valentina Stepanovna, the last time Igor bought groceries was six months ago. And only because I was sick and asked him to go to the store.”
“But he works!”
“So do I. Only for some reason, my salary goes to everyone, and his goes only to him.”
“Well, that’s how it’s done,” Igor said uncertainly. “The woman manages the household.”
“Managing the household doesn’t mean carrying everyone on your neck,” Yana objected.
“And what are you suggesting?” Valentina Stepanovna asked.
“I suggest that everyone support themselves.”
“What do you mean?” her mother-in-law protested. “And what about family?”
“What about family? Family is when everyone contributes equally, not when one person drags everyone else along.”
Igor looked at his wife in confusion.
“Yana, you’re reasoning strangely. We’re husband and wife. We have a shared budget.”
“Shared?” Yana laughed. “Igor, a shared budget is when both people put money into one pot and spend it together. What do we have? I put money in, and you spend yours on yourself.”
“I don’t spend it on myself. I save it.”
“For yourself. Because when money is needed, you’ll spend it on your own needs, not on common ones.”
“How do you know?”
“I know. Right now your mother needs a television. You have forty thousand saved. Will you buy it?”
Igor hesitated.
“Well… those are my savings.”
“Exactly. Yours.”
Valentina Stepanovna decided to turn the conversation around.
“Yana, you shouldn’t talk to your husband like that. A man needs to feel like the head of the family.”
“And the head of the family should support the family, not live off his wife.”
“Igor does not live off you!” his mother protested.
“He does. For the last two years, I’ve paid for the apartment, food, utilities, your medicines, and your loan. And Igor saves money for his personal needs.”
“It’s temporary,” her husband tried to justify himself. “There’s a crisis now. Times are hard.”
“Igor, our crisis has been going on for three years. And every month, you shift more and more expenses onto me.”
“I’m not shifting them. I’m asking for help.”
“Help?” Yana smirked. “Have you paid for the apartment in the last six months?”
“No, but…”
“Bought groceries?”
“Sometimes.”
“Igor, milk once a month is not buying groceries.”
“All right, I didn’t buy them. But I work and bring money into the family.”
“You bring it in and immediately hide it in your personal account.”
“I don’t hide it. I save for the future.”
“For your future.”
Valentina Stepanovna cut into the argument again.
“Yana, what’s gotten into you? You never complained before.”
“Before, I thought it was temporary. I thought my husband would soon start properly participating in family expenses.”
“And now?”
“Now I understand that I’m being used like a cash cow.”
“How can you say that?” Igor was outraged.
“What else do you call a situation where one person supports everyone else, and they still demand gifts from her?”
“What gifts? Mom needs a television!”
“Igor, if your mother needs a television, let your mother buy it. Or you buy it for her from your savings.”
“But her pension is small!”
“And is my salary made of rubber?”
“Well, you can afford it.”
“I can. But I don’t want to.”
Silence fell. Igor and Valentina Stepanovna exchanged glances.
“What do you mean you don’t want to?” her husband asked quietly.
“I mean I’m tired of supporting this family alone.”
“But we’re family. We should help each other.”
“Correct. Each other. Not one person helping everyone else.”
Yana stood up from the table. She understood that they saw her as an ATM that was supposed to hand out money on demand.
“Where are you going?” Igor asked.
“To settle matters.”
Without saying another word, Yana took out her phone and opened the banking app right at the table. Her fingers moved quickly across the screen. She blocked the joint card Igor had access to. Then she went into the transfers section and began moving all her savings to a new account she had opened a month earlier, just in case.
“What are you doing?” Igor asked warily.
“Settling financial matters,” Yana answered briefly.
Her husband tried to peek at the phone, but Yana moved the screen away. Within five minutes, all the money had moved to a personal account that neither her husband nor her mother-in-law could access.
“Yana, what’s going on?” Igor asked, alarmed.
“What should have happened a long time ago.”
Yana went into the card settings and permanently blocked access for everyone except herself. Igor stared at his wife in confusion, not understanding the scale of what was happening.
Valentina Stepanovna sensed something was wrong and jumped up from her chair.
“What have you done? We’ll be left without money!”
“You’ll be left with the money you earn yourselves,” Yana replied calmly.
“What do you mean, ourselves? What about family? What about the shared budget?” her mother-in-law shouted.
“Valentina Stepanovna, we never had a shared budget. There was only my budget, which everyone fed off.”
“You’ve lost your mind!” her mother-in-law kept shouting. “We’re family!”
Without raising her voice, Yana said clearly:
“From today on, we live separately. I’m not obligated to pay for your whims.”
“What whims?” Igor protested. “These are necessary expenses!”
“A television for forty thousand is a necessary expense?”
“For Mom, yes!”
“Then let Mom buy it with her pension. Or you buy it with your savings.”
Valentina Stepanovna rushed toward her son.
“Why are you silent? Put her in her place! She’s your wife!”
Igor mumbled something incoherent, afraid to look Yana in the eye. He understood that his wife was right, but he did not want to admit it out loud.
“Igor,” Yana said quietly, “do you really think I should support your entire family?”
“Well… we’re husband and wife.”
“Husband and wife means partnership. Not a situation where one person provides for everyone else.”
“But my salary is smaller!”
“Your salary is smaller, but you have more savings. Because you don’t spend them on anything except yourself.”
Igor fell silent again. Valentina Stepanovna realized her son would not pressure his wife and decided to act on her own.
“Yana, return the money immediately! I’m running out of medicine!”
“Buy it with your own money.”
“My pension is small!”
“Ask your son. He has savings.”
“Igor, give me money for medicine!” Valentina Stepanovna demanded.
Her son hesitated.
“Mom, I’m saving for the family.”
“I am family!” his mother screamed.
“But those are my savings.”
“You see,” Yana remarked. “When it comes to spending, everyone’s money suddenly becomes personal.”
Valentina Stepanovna realized the situation was serious and changed tactics.
“Yana, let’s talk calmly. You’re a kind woman. You’ve always helped.”
“I helped until I realized I was being used.”
“You’re not being used. You’re appreciated!”
“Appreciated for what? For paying all the bills?”
“For supporting the family.”
“I don’t support a family. I support two adults who can work and earn money themselves.”
The next morning, Yana went to the bank and opened a separate account in her own name. She also printed statements for the last two years so it would be clear that all the money had been spent only on her husband and mother-in-law. Groceries, rent, utilities, medicines, Valentina Stepanovna’s loan — everything had been on Yana’s shoulders.
When she returned home, Yana took out a large suitcase and began packing Igor’s things. Shirts, trousers, socks — she packed everything neatly.
“What are you doing?” her husband asked when he came home from work.
“Packing your things.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t live here anymore.”
“What do you mean I don’t live here? This is my apartment too!”
“The apartment is registered in my name. And I decide who lives in it.”
“But we’re husband and wife!”
“For now, yes. But not for long.”
Yana rolled the suitcase into the hallway and held out her hand.
“The keys.”
“What keys?”
“To the apartment. All sets.”
“Yana, are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
Igor reluctantly handed over the keys. Yana checked them: the main set and the spare.
“Does your mother have keys?”
“Yes, she comes over sometimes.”
“Call her. Tell her to return them.”
“Why?”
“Because Valentina Stepanovna no longer has the right to enter my apartment.”
An hour later, her mother-in-law arrived. She understood the matter was serious when she saw the suitcase in the hallway.
“What is this supposed to mean?” Valentina Stepanovna asked threateningly.
“It means your son is moving out.”
“Moving where? This is his home!”
“This is my home. And I no longer want to support freeloaders.”
“How dare you!” her mother-in-law exploded.
“I dare. Hand over the keys.”
“What keys?”
“To the apartment. I know you have a duplicate.”
“I won’t give them back!”
“Then I’ll call the police.”
Valentina Stepanovna caused a real scene. She screamed that Yana was destroying the family, that relatives were not treated this way, that she had always considered her daughter-in-law a good girl.
“The good girl is gone,” Yana said calmly and dialed the police.
“Hello, I need assistance. Former relatives are refusing to return the keys to my apartment and leave the premises.”
Half an hour later, two officers arrived. They clarified the situation and checked the apartment documents.
“Ma’am,” they addressed her mother-in-law, “return the keys and leave the apartment.”
“But my son lives here!”
“Your son is not the owner of the property and has no right to control it.”
In front of witnesses, Valentina Stepanovna reluctantly took the keys out of her purse and threw them onto the floor.
“You’ll regret this!” her mother-in-law shouted as she left. “You’ll end up alone!”
“I’ll be alone, but with my own money,” Yana replied.
Igor silently took the suitcase and followed his mother out. At the door, he turned around.
“Yana, maybe you’ll think about it?”
“There’s nothing left to think about.”
A week later, Yana filed for divorce. There was almost no jointly acquired property: the apartment had belonged to Yana from the start, and she had also bought the car with her own money. There was nothing to divide.
Igor tried calling her, asking to meet and talk. He promised everything would change, that he would pay all the expenses himself.
“It’s too late,” Yana replied. “Trust can’t be restored.”
“But I love you!”
“Do you love me or my wallet?”
“You, of course!”
“Then why did you live at my expense for three years without feeling any remorse?”
Igor could not find an answer to that question.
The divorce was finalized quickly. Igor did not object, understanding that arguing was pointless. The court dissolved the marriage.
For another month, Valentina Stepanovna kept calling Yana. Sometimes she cried into the phone, sometimes she threatened her, sometimes she asked for money for medicine. Yana listened silently and hung up.
“My blood pressure went up because of you!” her mother-in-law complained.
“Get treatment at your son’s expense. He has savings.”
“He says he hates spending money!”
“Wonderful. Now you understand what I felt for three years.”
Six months later, Yana ran into Igor at a store. Her ex-husband looked tired, and his clothes had lost their former freshness.
“Hi,” Igor greeted her uncertainly.
“Hello.”
“How are you?”
“Excellent. And you?”
“Fine… I’m living with Mom for now.”
“I see.”
“You know, I realized I was wrong. I really did dump too much on you.”
“You realized?”
“Yes. Now I pay for all of Mom’s expenses myself, and I understand how hard it is.”
“But you have savings.”
“I did. I spent them on Mom’s medicine and repairs to her apartment.”
“And how does it feel? Do you hate spending the money?”
Igor was silent for a moment, then answered honestly:
“I do. Very much.”
“Now imagine it going on for three years straight.”
“I understand. Forgive me.”
“I already have. But it changes nothing.”
“What if I fix everything? Become different?”
“Igor, you only became different when you were left without my money. That isn’t change. That’s forced circumstance.”
“But I understood my mistake!”
“You understood it when you had to pay yourself. If I had continued supporting everyone, you still wouldn’t have understood.”
Igor nodded. He knew Yana was right.
“I have to go,” Yana said and went to the checkout.
At home, Yana brewed tea and sat by the window with a book. The apartment was quiet. No one demanded money for televisions, medicines, or any other needs. There was money in her account that belonged only to Yana. No one dictated how she should use it.
After closing the door behind her ex-husband six months earlier, Yana had felt real lightness for the first time in a long while. It turned out that freedom from financial parasites was worth more than any family ties. Now every kopeck she spent was a conscious choice, not coercion.
Yana never again allowed anyone to sit on her neck. She learned to say “no” and not feel guilty for refusing to support other people’s grown adults. Money once again became a tool for fulfilling her own plans, not a means of survival for the dependents around her.