“Alina, please don’t start, okay? Sveta is bringing the children over now.”
After her shower, Alina had already changed into comfortable clothes and was finally about to enjoy a quiet cup of tea. Her husband’s words stopped her in the middle of the kitchen.
“What children?”
Sergey stood by the refrigerator, choosing some sausage for a sandwich. He spoke casually, as though it were no big deal.
“Our niece and nephew. Sveta’s children. For the weekend.”
“What do you mean, for the weekend?”
He looked at her and immediately averted his eyes. Alina realized at once that Sergey was hiding something.
She had been looking forward to Friday all week. For the past ten days, they had been finishing the quarterly report at work. Her boss had returned the spreadsheets twice, and a sick colleague had left Alina with some of her responsibilities as well. She planned to finish a few minor work tasks on Saturday and catch up on sleep, while she wanted to leave Sunday completely free.
Sergey knew that. That morning, he had even texted her: “Get some rest. I’ll make dinner tonight.”
He never made dinner, but Alina decided not to argue about it and ordered delivery instead.
“Sergey, explain it properly,” she said. “What do you mean, Sveta is bringing the children?”
“What’s so difficult to understand? She and the girls are going to a concert in Nizhny Novgorod. They’ll be back late Sunday night. She has no one to leave the children with.”
“And?”
“So I told her they could stay with us.”
Alina placed her mug on the table.
“You told her?”
“Yes. What’s the problem? Vanya is already a big boy—he’s seven. Polina is very quiet, and she’s four. You know them.”
“I do know them. What I don’t understand is what any of this has to do with me.”
Sergey grimaced.
“Alina, don’t act like it’s a catastrophe. It’s only two days. They’ve stayed with us before.”
“For three hours, Sergey, when Sveta went to the dentist. And you were home then.”
“I’ll be home this time too… partly.”
“What does ‘partly’ mean?”
Sergey hesitated.
“I was planning to go to the garage tomorrow. Max and I arranged a long time ago to put the car up on the lift. We might visit the guys afterward. But I won’t disappear completely. I’ll have my phone.”
Alina stared at him.
“So you promised your sister that her two children could spend the entire weekend here, while you’re planning to go to the garage and then hang out with your friends?”
“Why do you have to put it like that?” Sergey said irritably. “I’m not dumping them on you. They’ll simply be here. All you have to do is feed them a couple of times, put on some cartoons, and get them to bed.”
“No big deal, right?”
“Exactly! You’re acting as though you’ve just finished a shift in a coal mine. You’ll be home anyway.”
“So because I’m at home, you decided that means I’m free?” she asked. “And you can give my weekend away to anyone you like? Were you even planning to ask me?”
“I was going to tell you today.”
“Today? How long before your sister rang the doorbell? Ten minutes?”
Sergey opened his mouth, but at that exact moment, the doorbell rang.
He looked toward the hallway.
“There. They’re here. Let’s not make a scene in front of the children.”
“Sergey, don’t open the door.”
“Oh God, Alina…”
“I’m serious. Don’t open it.”
He was already walking into the hallway.
“They’re standing out there with a suitcase, do you understand? I’m not going to make my sister wait on the landing because you’re in a bad mood.”
“My bad mood?”
But Sergey had already opened the lock.
Svetlana, Sergey’s older sister, stood on the landing with Vanya and Polina beside her. The boy had a backpack hanging from one shoulder, and the girl was holding a stuffed fox. A small blue suitcase stood against the wall.
“Finally,” Sveta said, squeezing past him into the apartment. “I’ve already sent the taxi away. Sergey, everything is in the suitcase—their clothes, pajamas, and Polina’s allergy medicine. Give her the syrup after meals and half a tablet before bed. Vanya needs to be taken to English class by noon on Saturday. I sent Alina the address. He also has practice on Sunday, but it’s not a big deal if you can’t make it.”
Alina looked at her husband.
“What exactly did you tell her?”
Sveta stopped mid-sentence.
“What do you mean?”
Sergey quickly answered, “Nothing special. I told her she could leave the children with us.”
“With us?” Alina repeated. “Or with me?”
Sveta looked from her brother to Alina and frowned.
“Sergey, didn’t you two agree on this?”
“We did,” he said hastily. “Alina is just tired and in a bad mood.”
Alina stepped forward.
“No, we didn’t agree. I found out five minutes ago that two children were being brought to me for two days because your sister decided to go to a concert.”
Sveta pursed her lips.
“Alina, I’m not exactly going to a resort. We bought these tickets six months ago, and Sergey offered to help.”
“Sergey can help. Let him stay with them.”
“I’m busy tomorrow,” he immediately interjected.
Sveta looked at her brother. Judging by her expression, she had only just realized that Sergey had never discussed any of this with his wife.
“Listen, my train leaves in two hours,” she said. “Let’s not make a problem out of nothing. The children are well-behaved. It’s not going to kill you.”
“It’s not going to kill us?” Alina gave a bitter smile. “It won’t kill you either if you miss the concert and stay with your own children.”
“Alina, are you serious?” Sveta raised her voice. “I’m a mother of two. I have the right to rest occasionally too.”
“You do—at your own expense, not mine.”
“Who’s forcing you to do anything? They play perfectly well on their own.”
“Then leave them home alone if they’re so independent.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Sergey stepped between them.
“That’s enough. Sveta, bring the children inside. I’ll talk to Alina.”
“No,” Alina said.
He turned toward her.
“What do you mean, no?”
“The children are not coming in here with their things. Sveta can turn around right now and take them wherever she thinks is appropriate—to your mother’s, to a friend’s, or back home. I don’t care. But she is not leaving them here.”
Sveta gave a short, indignant laugh.
“Have you completely lost your mind? They’re your family.”
“They’re your family and your children. Sergey is their uncle. He can go to your house and look after them there if he wants to help so badly.”
“I told you, I’m busy tomorrow!” Sergey shouted.
Alina stared at the husband who had just repeated that he was busy.
“Don’t you ever promise anyone something on my behalf again—especially your relatives! I’m not everyone’s errand girl! I have my own life, and I need time to rest too! I’m not going to spend it taking care of them anymore. If your sister needs someone to watch her brood for the weekend, she can hire a babysitter!”
Polina pressed the stuffed fox against her chest, while Vanya lowered his eyes. Alina regretted saying all of that in front of the children, but she had no intention of taking back her words.
“Don’t insult my children,” Sveta said sharply.
“I’m not insulting the children. I’m telling you that I will not be the free babysitter my husband appointed for you.”
“Sergey, are you going to say anything?” Sveta turned toward her brother. “Or does your wife control everyone now?”
Sergey’s face reddened.
“Alina, are you really throwing my sister and her children out?”
“I didn’t invite them.”
“This is my apartment too!”
“You pay half the utilities, and now you think you own it?” Alina asked coldly.
The apartment belonged to Alina. Her parents had bought it before the marriage. Sergey had lived there for five years, paid half the utility bills, and purchased various household items. Alina had never reminded him whose name was on the property—but she would not allow him to invite people to stay for several days without her consent.
“Don’t bring the apartment into this,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m your husband, not a tenant.”
“Then behave like a husband. Talk to me first, and make promises afterward.”
Sveta was nervously checking the time.
“Sergey, make a decision. I’m going to miss my train.”
Alina stepped toward the suitcase, took it by the handle, and pushed it back onto the landing.
“The decision has been made.”
“Alina!” Sveta screamed so loudly that Polina flinched.
“I don’t want to argue in front of the children. Honestly. But they are not sleeping here tonight.”
Sveta stopped arguing. She merely glared at Alina.
“I won’t forget this.”
“Neither will I.”
“Come on, Sergey,” she snapped at her brother. “At least help me call a taxi.”
Sveta grabbed the suitcase, called the children, and went out onto the landing. Sergey remained in the hallway. Alina closed the door.
A few seconds later, the elevator arrived, and their voices faded away.
Sergey turned toward his wife.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“No.”
“You humiliated me in front of my sister.”
“You humiliated yourself when you promised her my weekend without even asking me.”
“It’s two days with a couple of children! It’s not hard labor!”
“Great. Then why didn’t you stay with them?”
“Because I have plans!”
“And apparently I don’t?”
Sergey walked into the living room. Alina followed him.
“Your plans are a report and sleeping,” he threw over his shoulder. “You can postpone those.”
“But going to the garage with Max can’t be postponed?”
“We arranged it a month ago.”
“I made arrangements with myself too, Sergey. I’m not obligated to cancel my life every time your family wants something.”
He spun around.
“There you go again—‘your family.’ You’ve been married to me for five years. How long are you going to keep dividing everyone into yours and mine?”
“As long as your relatives think they can control my time through you.”
“No one is controlling anything! Sveta asked for help.”
“She asked you?”
“Yes.”
“And you agreed on my behalf.”
Sergey fell silent.
“I knew you’d be home.”
“Exactly.”
Then Alina remembered that this was far from the first time he had done something like this.
Six months after their wedding, Sergey had once called her on a Saturday morning and asked her to “quickly set the table” because his parents were already on their way over after visiting the market. It turned out that he had invited them on Thursday and had simply forgotten to tell her.
Alina had been planning to attend a friend’s birthday party. The gift was already in her bag. Instead, she spent two hours cooking, washed the dishes after the guests left, and reached her friend’s party late in the evening.
Sergey had merely shrugged.
“We couldn’t exactly tell my parents not to come.”
Later, Sergey promised Sveta that Alina would help organize things at the country house after renovations. According to him, it would be “just a couple of boxes.”
Instead of one day, it took the entire weekend. Sveta told everyone where to carry things, Sergey spent half the day dealing with the wiring, and Alina carried boxes, wiped down shelves, and sorted the children’s jackets by size. She returned home on Sunday evening with an aching back, and Sergey was surprised that she was unhappy.
Before his mother’s birthday, Sergey announced to everyone that Alina would bake her signature honey cake for twenty people. Alina herself learned about this when her mother-in-law called and asked whether she had bought the walnuts.
Alina was working on an important report that week, but she still went out to buy honey in the evening, worked on the cake layers until nearly midnight, and assembled the cake in the morning.
Afterward, Sergey hugged her and said, “See? Everything worked out.”
To him, this proved that he could make the promise first next time too.
There were smaller things as well: collecting a parcel for Sveta, watching the children for an hour, helping her father-in-law write an official application, or driving her mother-in-law to the clinic because, “You have a car, so it’s easier for you.”
Once, Sergey even promised his mother that Alina would go shopping for curtains with her, even though Alina had planned to visit her own parents that day.
She became angry and sometimes refused, but more often than not, she agreed because each individual incident did not seem serious enough to cause a major conflict.
Only now had there been too many such incidents.
“Do you even understand what you’re doing?” she asked.
“What am I doing? Helping my family?”
“First, you tell everyone that you’ll help them. Then I’m the one who has to provide that help.”
He gave an angry laugh.
“Of course. Now I’m some terrible villain who exploits his wife.”
“That’s exactly what you did today.”
“You could have simply said you were tired instead of throwing the children out.”
“I did say that. Before the doorbell even rang. You opened the door anyway.”
Sergey sat on the edge of the sofa.
“Sveta had tickets. She had planned everything.”
“So had I.”
“She has two children. It’s harder for her.”
“She has two children, and they are her responsibility. If she needs a babysitter for the weekend, she can arrange it with relatives in advance or pay someone. But she can’t appoint me five minutes before she arrives.”
“You sound like a stranger.”
“And you didn’t even talk to me.”
He jumped to his feet.
“What do you want from me? Am I supposed to ask your permission every time I sneeze?”
“If that ‘sneeze’ takes two days of my time, then yes.”
Sergey paced around the room and pushed aside a stray building block left behind by previous guests.
“Sveta is right. You never loved my family.”
Alina was tired of arguing.
“I’ve been helping them for five years.”
“With an expression that says you’re doing them a favor.”
“Because I was doing them a favor.”
“That’s not how families think!”
“Normal families ask first.”
Sergey looked at her with something close to hatred.
“You’re selfish.”
“Call me whatever you want. But I’m not giving my weekend away to anyone.”
“Oh God, how dramatic.”
“I want to sleep. I want to drink my coffee in peace tomorrow morning, finish my report, and then spend the entire day watching a TV series if I feel like it. It’s my weekend, Sergey.”
Sergey grabbed his phone from the armchair. The screen immediately lit up. Sveta was sending one message after another. He quickly read them and snapped:
“She’s returning the tickets because of you. Do you have any idea how much money she’ll lose?”
“She can send the bill to you. You were the one who made the promise.”
“I was trying to do a good deed.”
“You were trying to do a good deed with my weekend.”
Sergey frowned.
“What have you done for my family lately anyway? You keep track of everything—who asked you for what and how long it took. Maybe I should start counting how many times I’ve picked you up from work or driven your mother to the country house.”
“Go ahead and count. The difference is that I asked you in advance. I didn’t make promises on your behalf.”
“There’s no point talking to you.”
He went into the bedroom. A minute later, Alina heard the wardrobe opening. Sergey returned carrying a travel bag.
“What are you doing?”
“Removing one unnecessary person from your life.”
“Don’t put on a performance.”
“You said you were being used. So live alone if being with me is so terrible.”
He began stuffing T-shirts, jeans, underwear, and a charger into the bag. This had happened before. During two serious arguments, Sergey had announced that he was “leaving for the night.” Both times, Alina had stopped him and had been the first to suggest making peace.
This time, she did not stop him.
“Where will you go?” she asked.
“What difference does it make to you?”
“None. I was just wondering whether you’d go to Sveta’s or your mother’s.”
He stopped.
“See? You don’t care.”
“It’s not that I don’t care. I simply won’t keep agreeing to everything because you’ll get offended otherwise.”
Sergey zipped up his bag.
“Do you seriously think we’re going to break up over two children?”
“It isn’t about the children. It’s because you made another decision for me, and even after this argument, you still don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“That sounded very impressive.”
“It’s the truth.”
He went into the hallway and put on his sneakers and jacket. Then he paused beside the door.
“Last chance, Alina. Apologize to Sveta, she’ll bring the children back, and we’ll calmly forget this nightmare ever happened.”
Alina remained silent for several seconds.
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then I’m absolutely serious too. Sveta isn’t bringing the children back here. You’re leaving.”
Sergey frowned.
“What?”
“The apartment is mine. Since you’ve already packed your bag, go. And not just for one night. I need some time without you to decide whether I even want to continue this marriage.”
“You’re throwing me out?”
“Yes.”
Sergey waited for her to add, “until tomorrow,” at the very least.
Alina remained silent.
“Fine,” Sergey said quietly and bitterly. “Remember this moment. Don’t ask me to come back later.”
He left. This time, Alina did not follow him or look out the window to see where he went.
Alina barely slept that first night. One phrase Sergey had said kept echoing in her mind:
“You’ll be home anyway.”
She woke at seven the next morning out of habit, remembered it was Saturday, and went back to sleep. She slept for another two hours. When she finally got up, her phone was full of messages.
Sveta had sent long, angry texts:
“You could have settled this with your husband instead of humiliating me in front of my children.”
“Vanya is asking why his aunt doesn’t love them.”
“I’ll never ask you for anything again.”
Alina replied only to the last message:
“Good.”
Sergey’s messages were shorter:
“I’m at my mother’s.”
Then: “Mom is shocked.”
Then: “I hope you’re satisfied.”
After lunch: “Sveta didn’t go anywhere in the end.”
And that evening: “We could have handled this normally.”
Alina did not respond. She finished her report in the morning, went to a café, bought a book, and spent the evening home alone.
She did not immediately feel relieved. Sergey’s shirts still hung in the wardrobe, his shower gel stood in the bathroom, and his favorite mug was still in the kitchen.
There had been good moments during their five years together. He had visited her in the hospital when she had her appendix removed, renovated the apartment, met her at the bus stop in winter, and sometimes surprised her with her favorite pastries in the middle of the week.
That was why ending the relationship did not bring instant relief. On Sunday, she even absentmindedly took out two plates for dinner before putting one back.
Sergey called on Sunday evening.
“I’ll collect my things tomorrow.”
“All right.”
“Is that all?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. That you’ve thought about things.”
“I have.”
“And?”
“I don’t want you to come back right now.”
Sergey was silent.
“Mom says you’re just trying to prove that you’re in control.”
Alina closed her eyes.
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t come back yet. You’ve spent two days discussing everything with your mother, and now you’re repeating her opinion to me.”
“She’s my mother, and I’m staying with her. Who else am I supposed to talk to?”
“Think for yourself, Sergey. Without your mother and without Sveta.”
He hung up.
Sergey came to collect his belongings on Monday evening. Alina had packed two boxes in advance. He looked tired and angry, but he was no longer shouting.
“Sveta isn’t speaking to me,” he said.
“That’s because you let her down.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You promised her something you couldn’t guarantee.”
Sergey shook his head.
“Amazing. You still don’t think you did anything wrong.”
“No.”
“I don’t recognize you.”
“Maybe that’s because I used to give in more often.”
He picked up the first box, then put it down again.
“If I apologize, will you let me come back?”
Alina looked at him carefully.
“What are you apologizing for?”
Sergey exhaled irritably.
“For not telling you about the children in advance.”
“For not telling me—or for making the decision for me?”
“What’s the difference?”
“A huge one.”
Sergey fell silent again. It was clear from his face that he wanted to come home, but he still did not understand the difference between failing to warn her and making a decision on her behalf.
“Then don’t come back yet,” she said.
“I see.”
He took the boxes and left.
Two weeks passed. Sergey did not stay with his mother for long. During the first few days, she felt sorry for her son and cooked his favorite meat patties. Then she began asking when he planned to find somewhere else to live, why he left his jeans on the chair, and why he always occupied the bathroom in the morning when she needed to get ready too.
Several times, Sergey argued that he was an adult and should not have to account for everything he did. Eventually, he rented a small room from a colleague who lived near his workplace.
Alina learned this from Sergey himself. He called one evening and said without any introduction:
“I moved out of Mom’s place.”
“All right.”
“Aren’t you going to ask why?”
“If you want to tell me, go ahead.”
“Because it’s impossible for an adult to live under constant control.”
Alina gave a bitter smile.
“Really?”
He immediately understood what she meant.
“Don’t start.”
“So now you understand why I didn’t like it.”
“That’s a ridiculous comparison. She’s my mother.”
“And I was your wife.”
He could not think of an answer.
Sveta never wrote to Alina again and blocked her on the messaging app. Sergey’s relatives told their own version of the story, claiming that Alina had “thrown the children out onto the landing.”
She did not bother arguing with them.
Something else mattered far more. Sergey had not simply asked her for help once. Time after time, he made promises to his relatives first and then presented Alina with a fait accompli.
Whenever she refused, he would say:
“Why is it so difficult for you?”
“They’re family.”
“It’s only a couple of hours.”
Whenever she agreed, no one remembered that she had plans of her own.
Previously, Alina had viewed each incident separately. Now she realized that they were all part of the same pattern.
A month later, Sergey suggested that they meet at a café. Alina agreed.
Sergey said he missed her. He complained that his room at his colleague’s apartment was cramped, that three people had to share the kitchen, and that he missed home most of all in the evenings. He told her he did not need anyone else and that they could not simply throw away five years together.
Alina listened calmly until he added:
“But you could also admit that you went too far with Sveta. The children weren’t to blame.”
After that sentence, Alina knew exactly how the conversation would end.
“That’s why we aren’t getting back together, Sergey.”
“Because of Sveta?”
“Because you still think the main problem was my refusal. I’m talking about the fact that you made the entire decision for me.”
“You can’t end a marriage over one mistake.”
“It wasn’t one mistake. It was a habit.”
Sergey continued arguing and asked her not to rush into anything. Alina was upset too, but she did not want to return to her old life.
Three months later, they filed for divorce. Sergey no longer shouted. He sat beside her in the hallway, staring at the floor.
“Mom says you’ll regret this,” he said quietly.
“Maybe I will. People regret many things.”
“I already regret it.”
Alina turned toward him.
“What do you regret?”
He remained silent for a long time.
“Opening the door that day.”
She shook her head.
“No, Sergey. You still only regret that everything ended in a scandal. All you needed to do was ask me first.”
Sergey said nothing.
The divorce went smoothly. The apartment remained Alina’s because it had belonged to her before the marriage. Sergey took his personal belongings, electronics, and the pieces of furniture he had purchased himself.
Six months later, Alina ran into Sveta outside a shopping center. She was carrying several bags, and the children were with her.
Vanya recognized Alina and waved. Alina smiled and waved back.
Sveta turned away.
Alina did not feel happy about the encounter. She felt sorry for the children, for the five years of marriage, and even for Sergey. But she had no intention of returning out of pity.
That Friday, Alina had wanted only to catch up on sleep and finish her report. A few months later, she no longer had a husband or the relationship she once had with his relatives.
Sometimes she thought that she could have avoided shouting in front of the children and spoken to Sveta more calmly. She felt ashamed of that part.
But she still would not have sacrificed that weekend simply to keep the peace.
At least now she no longer discovered on Friday evenings that someone else had already decided how she would spend her Saturday.
Her phone could ring as much as it liked. Whether she answered it was now entirely up to her.
