Larisa was sitting in the kitchen, scrolling through her feed on her phone, when Roman burst in with big news. He looked agitated, his face flushed from walking quickly.
«Mom signed the apartment over to my sister,» Roman blurted out as he dropped onto the chair across from her.
Larisa looked up from her screen. Tatiana Lvovna decided to hand the apartment to her daughter? Strange, but kind of understandable. Her mother-in-law had always trusted her daughter more than her son.
«So what?» Larisa asked calmly. «It’s her decision.»
Roman rubbed his face with his hands and sighed.
«Her sister kicked her out. The very next day after they changed the paperwork. She said the apartment is hers now, and Mom needs to find somewhere else to live.»
Larisa put her phone aside and leaned back in her chair. That was unexpected. Tatiana Lvovna had always been proud of her daughter, considered her a model of decency. So much for that.
«Seriously?» Larisa asked again.
«Absolutely,» Roman nodded. «Mom is in shock. She has no idea where to go. I told her she could stay with us.»
Larisa felt something tighten inside. With us. In her apartment. The two-bedroom place she had bought before the marriage with her own money.
«Roman, this is my apartment,» his wife said slowly. «You could have talked to me first.»
Roman waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away a fly.
«Come on, it’s just temporary. Until Mom finds somewhere. What, should she sleep on the street?»
Larisa bit her lip. There was no point arguing now. Tatiana Lvovna really was out on the street. It would be cruel to turn her away. Still, something told her that this «temporary» arrangement could last a long time.
«Alright,» Larisa agreed. «But not for long. She needs to look for other options.»
Roman lit up and jumped out of his chair.
«Thank you, sunshine! I knew you wouldn’t say no!»
Tatiana Lvovna moved in two days later. She brought three huge suitcases, boxes of dishes, houseplants, and even her old armchair. Larisa looked at the mountain of things and felt a growing sense of unease.
«Mom, why so much stuff?» Roman asked as he helped carry in another box.
«Roma darling, this is just the essentials,» his mother looked over the apartment critically. «I can’t live without my things. I’m used to a certain comfort.»
Larisa silently watched as Tatiana Lvovna started settling into the living room. Her mother-in-law hung her own curtains, arranged her figurines, and spread her blanket on the sofa. The room transformed, and now felt foreign.
The first week went by relatively peacefully. Tatiana Lvovna kept to her room and only came to the kitchen for meals. But then things started to change.
Larisa came home from work and found the living room rearranged. The armchair was against a different wall, the coffee table had been moved to the window, and the TV was turned to a new angle.
«What happened here?» Larisa asked, standing frozen in the doorway.
Tatiana Lvovna came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
«Oh, Larisa, you’re back. I just rearranged things a bit. For feng shui. This way the energy flows better.»
His wife glanced at her husband, who was sitting in the armchair with his phone. Roman didn’t even look up.
«Roman,» Larisa called. «Do you think this is okay?»
“Hmm?” Her husband finally tore his eyes from the screen. “Oh, right. Mom really put in effort. It looks nice.”
Larisa clenched her fists. Nice, he said. The furniture in her own apartment had been rearranged without her knowledge, and her husband thought that was perfectly normal.
“Tatyana Lvovna,” Larisa addressed her mother-in-law, doing her best to stay calm, “please ask for permission next time. This is still my apartment.”
Her mother-in-law pursed her lips, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.
“Well excuse me, generous hostess. I was only trying to help. But if you’re against improvements…”
“I’m not against improvements,” Larisa interrupted. “I just don’t like not being asked.”
Tatyana Lvovna sniffed, turned on her heel, and went off to her own room. Roman sighed and shot his wife a reproachful look.
“Why did you upset her? Mom was only trying to help.”
Larisa didn’t answer. She walked to the bedroom and closed the door. Anger was bubbling inside, but showing it was pointless. Roman would always take his mother’s side.
Day by day, things got worse. Tatyana Lvovna criticized Larisa’s cleaning, finding dust in the most unexpected places. She complained about the cooking, saying the soup was too salty or the cutlets were too dry. She meddled in everything—from the choice of laundry detergent to when the rooms should be aired out.
Larisa put up with it. She kept telling herself it was temporary. Tatyana Lvovna would soon find somewhere to stay and move out. But her mother-in-law didn’t even try to look at other options. She got comfortable in Larisa’s apartment like it was her own and clearly had no intention of going anywhere.
And then it all came crashing down.
Roman came home earlier than usual one evening. Larisa knew right away—something bad had happened. He looked defeated, his shoulders slumped, his eyes tired and dull.
“I got fired,” Roman said, sinking onto the couch. “Downsizing at work. They gave me a two month severance and that’s it.”
Larisa sat down next to him. Fired. Roman used to work as a sales manager, and his salary was good. Now, only Larisa’s income was left.
“It’s okay,” she tried to reassure him. “You’ll find a new job. The important thing is to start searching right away.”
Roman nodded, but not very confidently.
“Sure. But I was thinking… maybe I should take a short break? Rest a bit, figure out what I really want from life. Find myself.”
Larisa frowned. Find himself. At thirty-eight, sitting at home with no job and a dependent mother.
“Roman, we have expenses,” his wife reminded him. “Utilities, groceries, your mother. We need money.”
“But you have a salary,” her husband shrugged. “It’s enough for now. I’m really tired. I want to reflect on life.”
Larisa gave her husband a long look. Reflect on life. While she would be working for two, Roman would be philosophizing on the couch.
“Fine,” Larisa said shortly and went to the kitchen.
A month went by. Roman truly didn’t look for a job. He spent his days at home, watching TV and reading self-help books. Tatyana Lvovna encouraged him, saying a man needed time to recover his strength. Meanwhile, Larisa worked, came home exhausted, cooked dinner for three, and listened to her mother-in-law’s complaints about the food quality.
And then the spending began.
Larisa stumbled upon the first purchase by accident. She walked into the bathroom and spotted a set of expensive French cosmetics on the shelf—creams, serums, masks. The price tags were still attached—over twenty thousand rubles spent on all of it.
«Tatyana Lvovna,» Larisa called out to her mother-in-law. «Where did this come from?»
Her mother-in-law stepped out of her room and glanced at the cosmetics.
«Oh, I bought that,» Tatyana Lvovna replied. «At my age, your skin needs care. You shouldn’t cut corners on yourself.»
«With what money?» Larisa asked.
«Romochka gave it to me,» Tatyana Lvovna calmly replied. «From his severance pay. He said his mom should look her best.»
Larisa closed her eyes. Severance pay. The money that was supposed to go towards family expenses while Roman looked for a new job. Twenty thousand spent on cosmetics.
She found her husband in the living room.
«Roman, did you give your mother twenty thousand rubles for cosmetics?»
Her husband nodded, eyes never leaving the TV.
«Yeah. Mom asked. She needed it.»
«Needed it?» Larisa repeated. «Roman, that’s the severance money. It should go toward essential expenses, not fancy creams!»
«Mom is important too,» her husband argued. «What, would you rather she went around looking haggard?»
Larisa spun around and walked away. Talking was pointless.
But that was only the beginning. A week later, Tatyana Lvovna brought home new curtains for fifteen thousand. A few days after that—a set of dishes for ten. Then jewelry, paintings, figurines. The money was disappearing like water.
Larisa checked their joint account. The savings she and Roman had built up had been cut in half. Two hundred thousand rubles gone in just two months.
«Roman, we need to talk,» Larisa said in the evening after her mother-in-law had gone to her room.
Her husband looked up from his book.
«About what?»
«About the money,» Larisa said, sitting down across from him. «Do you know how much your mother has spent in the last two months?»
Roman shrugged.
«Well… a little. Mom needed things.»
«Two hundred thousand,» Larisa stated clearly. «Two hundred thousand rubles on cosmetics, dishes, jewelry, and who knows what else. That’s half our savings, Roman.»
Her husband put down the book and frowned.
«Mom has the right to spend money on herself. Life has been hard for her since what my sister did.»
«She’s spending our money?» Larisa raised her voice. «Roman, these were our savings! We spent three years building up that safety net!»
«So what?» her husband snapped. «You have a job. We’ll save up again.»
Larisa stood up and paced the room, hands shaking with anger.
«I’m not going to keep saving while you sit at home, not looking for work! And I won’t let your mother waste our last bit of money on pointless purchases!»
Roman stood up too, his face flushed with anger.
«Don’t you dare talk about my mother like that! She’s been through betrayal from her daughter, she needs support!»
«Support doesn’t mean two hundred thousand on trinkets!» Larisa yelled. «Support is helping her look for a place to stay, giving her emotional support! But not throwing away all our family money!»
Tatyana Lvovna stepped out of her room. She stood in the doorway, arms crossed.
«I heard everything,» Tatyana Lvovna said coldly. «Larisa, you are an incredibly greedy woman. To begrudge your mother-in-law money after she lost her home.»
Larisa turned to her mother-in-law, anger flashing in her eyes.
Selfish? I’m selfish just because I don’t want to spend my savings on your whims?
«Whims?» Tatiana Lvovna protested. «These are essential things!»
«French cosmetics worth twenty thousand—an essential?» Larisa smirked. «Gold earrings for thirty—also essential?»
Her mother-in-law pressed her lips together and stepped closer.
«You just don’t understand what it means to be a woman of a certain age. I need to look respectable.»
«With my money?» Larisa crossed her arms over her chest. «Tatiana Lvovna, this is my apartment, my savings. Roman hasn’t worked for three months. I’m the only one supporting the whole family. I have the right to decide how the money is spent.»
Roman stepped between his wife and his mother.
«Enough! Larisa, you’re crossing the line! This is my mother, and I decide whether to help her or not!»
«With what money?» Larisa shot back. «You have no money, Roman! You don’t have a job! Everything we have is mine!»
Her husband clenched his fists, his face twisted with anger.
«We’re a family! What’s yours is ours!»
«No,» Larisa cut him off. «Not in this case. I won’t let you and your mother leech off me.»
The argument exploded into a real scene. Roman shouted about family values. Tatiana Lvovna cried about ingratitude. Larisa stood her ground, clenched her jaw, and felt everything boiling inside.
Finally, Larisa tiredly waved her hand.
«That’s it. I’m done. Tomorrow, Roman, you start looking for a job. Seriously—not just pretending. And you, Tatiana Lvovna, stop spending money on nonsense. Or I’ll kick you both out.»
Her mother-in-law gasped and clutched her heart.
«Roman, did you hear that? She’s threatening to kick your mother out!»
Roman hugged Tatiana Lvovna around the shoulders, looking at his wife reproachfully.
«Larisa, you’ve gone too far.»
Larisa didn’t answer. She turned and went to the bedroom, slammed the door, and leaned against it. That was it. Her patience was gone.
In the morning, Larisa woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. An unfamiliar number. Reluctantly, she picked up.
«Hello?»
«Good morning, this is notary Anna Petrovna Smirnova. You need to come to our office to receive an inheritance.»
Larisa sat up in bed. Inheritance?
«Sorry, what inheritance?»
«From your cousin, Elena Ivanovna,» the notary explained. «She left you some money. Please come by today at two o’clock.»
Larisa hung up and stared into nothingness. Aunt Elena. They’d only seen each other a few times when Larisa was a child. The woman lived in another city and barely kept in touch with relatives. And now, she’d left money to Larisa.
At two o’clock, Larisa sat in the notary’s office. Anna Petrovna handed her some documents.
«Elena Ivanovna left you three million rubles. The money will be transferred to your account within a week, once the paperwork is complete.»
Three million. Larisa stared at the papers, unable to believe it. Three million rubles. A whole fortune.
That evening, Larisa came home in high spirits. Roman was sitting on the couch and Tatiana Lvovna was making dinner in the kitchen. Larisa walked into the living room and sat in an armchair.
«I’ve got news,» she announced.
Roman looked up from his phone.
«What is it?»
«I’ve received an inheritance. Three million rubles.»
Her husband froze, staring at his wife. From the kitchen came a loud crash—Tatyana Lvovna must have dropped something.
“How much?” Roman asked again.
“Three million,” Larisa repeated. “From my cousin’s aunt.”
Her mother-in-law burst into the living room, her face flushed red.
“Three million? Oh my goodness, what luck! Roma, we’re saved!”
Larisa frowned. We’re saved?
Roman jumped up from the couch and walked over to his wife.
“This is wonderful! Now we can finally relax and stop worrying about money!”
“I can relax,” Larisa corrected him. “It’s my inheritance.”
Tatyana Lvovna sat down across from her, eyes suddenly full of cunning.
“Larisa, you’re family. Of course, the money is shared. We just need to distribute it properly.”
Larisa leaned back in her chair and looked at her mother-in-law.
“Distribute? How exactly?”
“Well, for example,” Tatyana Lvovna spoke quickly, “you could sign over part of the apartment to Roma. For fairness. Or open a joint account. You understand, a husband should feel like an equal.”
Larisa smirked. So that’s how it is. She’d barely received the money and already they had demands.
“Tatyana Lvovna, I bought the apartment before I was married. It’s mine by law. And the money is mine too. An inheritance is personal property.”
Her mother-in-law pursed her lips, a hint of anger flickering in her eyes.
“How can you say that? Roman is your husband! You should share!”
“Should?” Larisa repeated. “Why should I? Roman hasn’t worked for three months. You’ve been living off me for three months. I’m the only one supporting the family. And now you want my inheritance too?”
Roman stepped toward his wife, his face tense.
“Larisa, we’re a family. Of course the money should be shared.”
His wife stood up from her chair and looked him straight in the eye.
“No, Roman. This is my inheritance. My apartment. My savings. All mine. Because I earn, and you and your mother—spend.”
Tatyana Lvovna leapt up and waved her arms.
“How unfair! Roma, do you hear her? She refuses to help the family!”
“Help?” Larisa laughed. “I’ve been supporting both of you for three months! I pay for the apartment, the groceries, the utilities! You spend the last of the savings on cosmetics and jewelry! And I’m the one expected to help?”
Her mother-in-law came closer and pointed a finger at Larisa.
“You’re greedy! Heartless and selfish! How can you be like this… Three million, and not a single penny for the family.”
Larisa felt something snap inside her. That’s it. Enough. She was done putting up with this.
“Stop living off me!” Larisa shouted. “I won’t sign over the apartment, I won’t give you the money, and you can take your mother and support her yourself!”
Silence fell over the room. Roman and Tatyana Lvovna stood frozen, staring at Larisa.
“What?” her husband asked.
“You heard me,” Larisa crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve had enough of both of you. Roman, you’ve been at home ‘finding yourself’ for three months. Your mother spends the last of our money on nonsense. And I’m supposed to put up with this? No. Enough.”
Tatyana Lvovna clutched her heart and sank onto the couch.
“Roma, defend your mother! She’s insulting me!”
Roman stepped toward his wife, anger twisting his face.
“How dare you speak to my mother like that?!”
«It’s very simple,» Larisa cut her off. «Tatyana Lvovna, start packing your things. I want you out of my apartment by tomorrow.»
Her mother-in-law gasped and covered her face with her hands.
«She’s throwing me out! My goodness, how cruel!»
Roman stepped right up to his wife, fists clenched.
«You have no right to kick my mother out!»
«I do,» Larisa replied calmly. «This is my apartment. I decide who lives here. And you, Roman, can also start packing your bags. I’m filing for divorce.»
Her husband recoiled as if he had been slapped.
«Divorce? Over money?»
«Not over money,» Larisa replied. «Because you don’t respect me. You let your mother boss around in my apartment. You don’t work and demand that I share my inheritance. This isn’t a family, Roman. This is parasitism.»
Tatyana Lvovna sobbed and looked at her son.
«Roma, she’s kicking us out! What are we going to do?»
Roman turned to his mother, then back again to his wife.
«Larisa, you can’t do this! We are husband and wife!»
«Were,» Larisa corrected him. «I’m filing tomorrow. You and Tatyana Lvovna should start looking for a new place. You have twenty-four hours.»
She turned and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door and leaning against it. Her hands were shaking, her heart was pounding, but the relief was immense. Finally, she had let out everything she’d kept inside for months.
Roman and Tatyana Lvovna spent the whole night trying to pressure Larisa. They knocked on the bedroom door, begged her to reconsider, accused her of being greedy and heartless. But she stood firm. In the morning, she left her bedroom, passed her tearful mother-in-law and gloomy husband, gathered her documents, and went to work.
On the way, she stopped at a legal advice office. The lawyer listened, nodded.
«You bought the apartment before marriage—it’s your property. The inheritance is your personal asset and cannot be divided. Your husband has no claim to it. Only jointly acquired funds can be split.»
Larisa nodded, feeling the tension ease away. Everything was right. The law was on her side.
When she returned home in the evening, Larisa found Roman and Tatyana Lvovna still there, both sitting gloomily in the living room.
«Here, take your share and get out. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore.»
«We’re not leaving,» Roman announced. «You have no right to kick us out.»
Larisa took out her phone and dialed a number.
«Hello, police? I need assistance. There are people in my apartment whom I have asked to leave.»
Roman turned pale and jumped up from the couch.
«You’re calling the police?!»
«Yes,» Larisa nodded. «This is my apartment, and I have the right to decide who stays here.»
Tatyana Lvovna started crying and clutched at her heart. Roman paced the room, unsure what to do. Half an hour later, the police arrived. They listened to both sides and checked the ownership documents.
«The apartment belongs to Ms. Larisa,» announced the senior sergeant. «You are required to leave.»
Roman and Tatyana Lvovna packed their things under police supervision. His mother sobbed, Roman clenched his jaw and stayed silent. Finally, they left, dragging their suitcases. Larisa closed the door behind them.
Silence. Larisa walked to the living room and sat on the couch. It’s done. They’re gone. The apartment is hers again.
The divorce was finalized in a month. Roman tried to claim part of the money and the apartment through the courts. He hired a lawyer and filed a lawsuit, insisting he had contributed to renovations and helped out financially. But he had no proof. The apartment was bought before the marriage, and all the receipts and documents were in Larisa’s name. The inheritance was personal property—off-limits for division.
The court ruled in Larisa’s favor. Roman and Tatyana Lvovna were left with nothing. After the session, his mother approached her former daughter-in-law, her face twisted in anger.
“You’ll die alone!” Tatyana Lvovna hissed. “No one will ever want someone as greedy and cold as you!”
Larisa looked calmly at her ex-mother-in-law.
«I doubt it. But it’s better to be alone than with you.»
She turned around and walked away. She never saw Roman or Tatyana Lvovna again.
Five years passed. Larisa stood at the playground, watching her daughter on the swings. Nearby, her husband Andrey was pushing their son on the carousel. A family. A real, happy family.
Larisa smiled, recalling Tatyana Lvovna’s words after the court. Not once in five years did she regret divorcing Roman. Life without him and his mother became easier, calmer, and far happier.
With her inheritance, Larisa bought a three-room apartment in a nice neighborhood. She married Andrey and had two kids. She worked, built her career, and enjoyed life—with no reproaches, no freeloaders, no endless demands to share what was hers.
Andrey came over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Larisa leaned against her husband. “Just thinking about the past.”
“Do you regret anything?”
Larisa looked at their children, at her husband. She shook her head.
“No. I don’t regret a single thing.”
And that was true. Kicking out Roman and Tatyana Lvovna was the best decision of her life. It made space for real happiness, a real family, and true love. No more manipulation, freeloading, or endless demands to give up everything for someone else’s whims.
Her daughter jumped off the swing and ran over to her parents.
“Mom, can we go home? I’m hungry!”
Larisa took her daughter’s hand and smiled.
“Of course, sweetheart. Let’s go.”
The family headed home. Their home, where it was always warm, cozy, and peaceful. Where no one invaded their personal space, demanded the impossible, or accused them of being greedy just for wanting to hold onto what was theirs. Where there was love, respect, and support. A real family.
