— “What money? Are you out of your mind? Your son and I have kids, a mortgage, and two loans—and you’re saying we should give you another fifty thousand a month? Are you serious?!”
— Tamara Petrovna? And you… didn’t call. Alina said it as she stepped back into the hallway—and immediately scolded herself for it. It hadn’t sounded welcoming, almost like a reproach. But the exhaustion—sticky, heavy—built up over a day spent bouncing between laundry, cooking, and scrubbing floors, made her reaction slow and honest. Her mother-in-law showing … Read more