“Get out of the apartment! I’m going to live here with Masha now!” her husband declared — but he had badly miscalculated…
“How tired I am of your constant reproaches! You’re always whining, always unhappy with something!” Anton exploded, nervously tapping his fingertips against the countertop. His voice trembled with irritation, and there was such anger in his eyes that Olga involuntarily stepped back.
She looked at her husband, and a void began to spread inside her chest. When had she ever whined or reproached him? Even in the hardest times, when they barely had enough money for bread and utilities, she had stayed silent. Clenching her teeth, she looked for side jobs and saved on everything so as not to burden him with her worries. Unlike her friends, Olga had never nagged her husband; she believed they were supposed to achieve everything together, to support one another. And now… the moment she brought up his employment, she had suddenly turned into some monster who constantly complained and blamed him.
“And what exactly did I say to make you so angry right now?” Olga asked softly, almost in a whisper. Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to speak evenly. “I only asked you not to sit at home too long and to look for a new job. Did I reproach you for being fired? Did I blame you for anything? Did I demand money from you for expenses?”
Anton abruptly jumped up from the chair, and it crashed to the floor with a loud bang. His face twisted with rage, and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“That’s exactly what you did — you blamed me! I barely got fired and you’re already pushing me to look for another job!.. Am I not even allowed to rest?”
Olga let out a heavy sigh. The air in the room seemed to thicken, becoming heavy, almost tangible. Two months. Two long months he had been “resting.” At first he complained that his old job had completely wrecked his nerves and that he needed time to recover. Then he said the job market was bad and there were no vacancies. But what about the mortgage? What about the bills? What about their dreams of having a child, dreams that had remained just dreams because they could barely make ends meet themselves?
“All right. If you think you haven’t rested enough, then rest,” the woman said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Inside, everything was tightening from pain and hurt.
Anton laughed in a way that was too sharp and unpleasant, as if he had poured all his contempt into that laugh. He shook his head as he looked at his wife, as though she were a stranger who had somehow harmed him in a past life.
“You really are hopelessly naïve. I look at you and honestly don’t understand how I lived with you all these years. Always so self-sacrificing, right? That’s just an image you created, but in reality you’re nothing like that. You know, I’m tired of you. I’m sick of constantly arguing and figuring out which of us is right and which is wrong. Get out of the apartment! I’m going to live here with Masha now. Masha isn’t like you. She’s a real woman! She’s caring and understanding, unlike some people.”
“Masha?” flashed through Olga’s mind, and for a moment the whole world seemed to freeze. The very same Masha he used to call an annoying coworker? The one who often called him, and he brushed it off, saying she was pestering him with requests to help her with work?
Something inside her chest tore, like a thin fragile thread connecting her to reality had snapped. Had they really been together all this time while she noticed nothing? Had she been as blind as her mother said, always insisting that Olga was denying the obvious?
Blurred spots swam before her eyes. Olga gripped the edge of the table so she would not fall. A dull roar filled her ears, drowning out her husband’s words, his laughter, his contempt. She did not want to believe it, but it was impossible to deny what she had heard, because her husband had just confessed it himself. He had not been caught red-handed… No. He had said it all with his own mouth.
“Masha? Are you serious right now? You’ve had someone else this whole time?” Her dull half-whisper was filled with bitterness.
“More serious than ever. We started seeing each other almost right away. She’s affectionate, gentle. She says things to me that I’ve never heard from you in all our years of marriage. I want to marry her, so I’m filing for divorce. Go to your mother’s right now and stop showing your face around here. I don’t want to see you. I’m tired of your constant lies and pretending. You don’t suit me. Too bad I didn’t realize that right away and married you. Such a waste of time.”
Five years… They had been married for five years, and dated for two before that. Olga loved her husband and had been sure that feeling was mutual, but… as it turned out, it was nothing of the sort. In their relationship, one of them had simply allowed themselves to be loved. That was exactly why there had never been complete harmony or mutual understanding in their marriage. Olga had always looked for the reasons in herself, always tried to adapt to her husband, but in doing so she had only spoiled him.
“So, Masha… And I was wondering why you’d grown so cold and indifferent lately. Fine. Have it your way. Live with Masha, or with Sveta for all I care… it makes no difference to me. But don’t try to reach above your station. This apartment is mine. The only one who should leave here is you.”
Anton smirked. He planted his hands on his hips and looked at his wife defiantly. He had been sure she would break down in tears when she heard his confession, that she would run away and grieve for a long time, curled into a ball under a blanket where no one would hear or see her crying. She often did that before when she was upset. But now not even a single tear rolled down Olga’s cheek. That hurt his male pride. He wanted to hurt her more, to say so many nasty things that she would never recover.
“Don’t you talk back to me! Property acquired during marriage gets split in half. I’ll pay you compensation at market value, so don’t worry about that. I won’t leave you completely penniless. After all, as a real man, I should show respect for a weak woman. I pity you, Olga. I’ll be with Masha, enjoying life, while things are going to be hard for you. Who’s even going to look at you? A woman like you will have a hard time finding a man. You’re not that young anymore, and your beauty has faded.”
Olga smiled. If only her husband knew how much male attention she received at work. She ignored it, of course, turned everyone down, but… she had never lacked compliments. In fact, those other men — strangers — had said far more warm things to her than her own husband, who now seemed more of a stranger than they were.
“Don’t worry about me. And don’t pity me either. You’re right, Anton. Right about everything. Finding a man is difficult, and I don’t need that anyway. Why would I need a man who could behave like a spineless creature like you at any moment? I need a real man. Someone who will care for me and surround me with care.”
Anton clenched his teeth. He wanted to hurt his wife. He himself did not know where this feeling had come from. Expecting her to get upset and throw a hysterical fit, he became furious at the cold calm and indifference he got from her instead. Olga seemed not to be surprised, as if she had been expecting this and had wanted the divorce herself. But she had always loved him. And now it was not her who hurt, but him, because every word the woman spoke struck somewhere deep inside. She was right about everything. That very spineless creature — that was him. No. He could not allow her to come out the winner. He had decided to leave. He had found someone else.
“If I’m right about everything, then pack your things. Don’t make a scene, Olya. I understand you’re in pain, but don’t humiliate yourself. Enough has already been said.”
Olga nodded and went into the room to pack her things, just as her husband had asked. She was still in a kind of stunned daze, she felt awful, but she could not just give up. Breathing heavily, she moved mechanically, putting clothes and personal belongings into a suitcase.
“That’s a good girl! I knew you’d understand everything correctly. Don’t be scared. I’ll think about how to pay you compensation for the apartment as soon as possible,” Anton said, peeking into the room from the hallway. “Wait! I don’t get it — why did you take my watch? And my shirts?”
“You asked me to pack things. This will be the last thing I do for you,” Olga answered, still hiding the true emotions blazing inside her chest. Never in her life had she felt as тяжело as she did now. Everything inside her was tearing apart, but she kept herself under control.
“You’re supposed to pack your things and get out. Still don’t get it? What kind of circus are you putting on here?”
Olga sighed and looked at her husband with a determined gaze.
“Me? Putting on a circus? You know the law, don’t you, since you’re saying that property acquired during marriage is divided in half? Well then… we haven’t acquired much during the marriage — a new refrigerator, a washing machine, and a wet vacuum cleaner. Don’t worry, you’ll get your compensation for them.”
“What are you up to? I’m talking about the apartment, not that junk.”
“We did not acquire the apartment during the marriage. If you remember, I bought it before we got married. My parents helped me with the down payment. Later, yes, you helped with the monthly payments, but you also lived here. Consider that rent. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to предъявить anything against me, nor get even a small share of this apartment. You’re still officially registered at your mother’s place. You can try your luck, but you’ll only waste money you don’t even have on a lawyer.”
Anton fell silent in thought, because Olga was right. For some reason he had been sure he had a right to the apartment, but now he understood that was far from true. It was not he who had thrown his wife out and made her panic — it was she who had cornered him.
“So you thought of everything, huh? Fine. All right. I’ll leave. I don’t need to stay with such a loser! We’ll see how sorry you’ll be later that you couldn’t save the marriage and keep your husband by your side,” Anton spat out resentfully. “Get out! I’ll pack my own things… Continuation just below in the first comment.”
“How tired I am of your constant reproaches! You’re always whining, always dissatisfied with something!” Anton exploded, nervously drumming his fingertips on the tabletop. His voice trembled with irritation, and there was such anger in his eyes that Olga involuntarily stepped back.
She looked at her husband, and an emptiness began to spread inside her chest. When had she ever whined or reproached him? Even in the hardest times, when they barely had enough money for bread and utility bills, she had stayed silent. Clenching her teeth, she took on side jobs and saved on everything so as not to burden him with her worries. Unlike her friends, Olga had never nagged her husband. She believed they should achieve everything together and support each other. And now… all it had taken was for her to bring up the subject of his employment for her to turn into a monster who constantly criticized and complained.
“And what exactly did I say to make you so angry right now?” Olga asked quietly, almost in a whisper. Her voice shook, but she forced herself to speak evenly. “I only asked you not to stay at home for too long and to look for a new job. Did I reproach you for being fired? Or blame you for anything? Did I demand money from you for expenses?”
Anton abruptly jumped up from his chair, knocking it over with a loud crash. His face twisted with rage, and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
“That’s exactly what you did—blame me! I’d barely lost my job, and you were already pushing me to look for a new one! Am I not even allowed to rest?”
Olga let out a heavy sigh. The air in the room seemed to thicken, becoming heavy, almost tangible. Two months. Two long months he had been “resting.” At first, he complained that his previous job had frayed his nerves and that he needed time to recover. Then he said the job market was bad and there were no vacancies. But what about the mortgage? What about the bills? What about their dreams of having a child, which had remained only dreams because they could barely make ends meet themselves?
“All right. If you think you haven’t had enough rest, then rest,” the woman said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. Inside, everything was tightening with pain and resentment.
Anton laughed, too sharply and unpleasantly, as though he had poured all his contempt into that laugh. He shook his head as he looked at his wife, as though she were a stranger who had somehow wronged him in a previous life.
“You really are hopelessly naïve. I look at you and can’t understand how I lived with you for so many years. So self-sacrificing, right? That’s just an image you created—deep down, you’re nothing like that. You know, I’m tired of you. I’m sick of the endless arguments and figuring out who’s right and who’s guilty. Get out of the apartment! I’m going to live here with Masha now. Masha isn’t like you. She’s a real woman! She’s caring and understanding, unlike some people.”
“Masha?” flashed through Olga’s mind, and for a moment the world seemed to freeze. The very same Masha he had called an annoying coworker? The one who often called him, and he brushed it off, saying she pestered him with requests for help at work? Something tore inside her chest, like a thin fragile thread that had tied her to reality. Had they been together this whole time, and she hadn’t noticed? Had she really been as blind as her mother said, always insisting that Olga was denying the obvious?
Blurred spots swam before her eyes. Olga gripped the edge of the table so she wouldn’t fall. There was a ringing in her ears that drowned out her husband’s words, his laughter, his contempt. She didn’t want to believe it, but it was impossible to deny what she had heard, because her husband had just confessed it himself. He hadn’t been caught red-handed, no… he had told her everything on his own.
“Masha? Are you serious right now? You’ve had someone else all this time?” Her muffled half-whisper was full of bitterness.
“Dead serious. We started seeing each other almost right away. She’s affectionate, gentle. She says things to me that I’ve never heard from you in all our years of marriage. I want to marry her, so I’m filing for divorce. Go to your mother’s right now and stop showing your face here. I don’t want to see you. I’m sick of your constant lies and pretending. You’re not right for me. It’s a shame I didn’t realize that earlier and married you. I wasted so much time.”
Five years… They had been married for five years, and before that had dated for two. Olga loved her husband and had been sure that feeling was mutual, but… as it turned out, it wasn’t like that at all. One of them had simply allowed themselves to be loved. That was exactly why there had never been complete harmony and understanding in their marriage. Olga had always looked for the reasons in herself, trying to adapt to her husband, but all she had really done was spoil him with that attitude.
“So it’s Masha… And I was wondering why you’d become so cold and indifferent lately. Fine. Have it your way. You can be with Masha, or Sveta, or whoever you want—I don’t care. But I wouldn’t advise you to bite off more than you can chew. This apartment is mine. The only one who needs to leave here is you.”
Anton smirked. He stood there with his hands on his hips, looking at his wife defiantly. He had been sure she would choke on her sobs when she heard his confession, that she would run off and grieve for a long time, curled up under a blanket where no one could hear or see her tears. She had done that often before when she was upset. But now not even a single tear rolled down Olga’s cheek. It wounded his male pride. He wanted to hurt her more, to say so many vile things that she would never recover.
“Don’t you talk back to me! Property acquired during marriage gets split in half. I’ll pay you compensation at market value, so don’t worry about that. I won’t leave you completely penniless. After all, as a real man, I should show respect to a weak woman. I feel sorry for you, Olga. I’ll be with Masha, enjoying life, while things are going to be hard for you. Who’s even going to look at you? A woman like you will have a hard time finding a man. You’re not that young anymore, and your beauty has faded.”
Olga smiled. If only her husband knew how much male attention she got at work. She ignored it, of course, and turned everyone down, but… she had never lacked compliments. In fact, those other men had said far more kind words to her than her own husband, who now seemed more like a stranger than any of them.
“Don’t worry about me. And don’t pity me either. You’re right, Anton. Right about everything. Finding a man is hard, and I don’t need that anyway. Why would I need a man who could behave like a spineless creature like you at any moment? I need a real man. Someone who will care for me and surround me with love.”
Anton clenched his teeth. He wanted to hurt his wife. He didn’t even know where that feeling had come from. Expecting her to break down and throw a hysterical fit, he became even angrier at the cold calm and indifference that came from her instead. Olga seemed unsurprised, as if she had expected this and even wanted the divorce herself. But she had always loved him. And now it wasn’t her who was in pain, but him, because every word the woman spoke hit home. She was right about everything. The spineless creature—that was him. No. He could not let her remain the victor. He was the one who had decided to break up. He was the one who had found someone else.
“If I’m right about everything, then pack your things. Don’t make a scene, Olya. I understand that you’re hurting, but don’t humiliate yourself. Enough has already been said.”
Olga nodded and went into the room to pack, just as her husband had asked. She was still in a kind of mute shock, felt awful, but could not simply give up. Breathing heavily, she moved mechanically, folding clothes and personal belongings into a suitcase.
“Good girl! I knew you’d understand everything correctly. Don’t be afraid. I’ll think of a way to pay you compensation for the apartment as soon as possible,” Anton said, peeking into the room from the hallway. “Wait! I don’t get it—why did you take my watch? And my shirts?”
“You asked me to pack things. This will be the last thing I do for you,” Olga replied, still hiding the true emotions blazing in her chest. Never in her life had it been this hard. Everything inside her was being torn apart, but she held herself together masterfully.
“You’re supposed to pack your things and get out. Haven’t you understood that yet? What kind of circus are you putting on here?”
Olga sighed and looked at her husband with determination.
“Me? Putting on a circus? You seem to know the law, since you say property acquired during marriage is divided in half. Well then… we didn’t acquire much during the marriage—a new refrigerator, a washing machine, and a wet vacuum. Don’t worry, you’ll get your compensation for those.”
“What are you up to? I’m talking about the apartment, not those little trinkets.”
“We didn’t acquire the apartment during the marriage. If you remember, I bought it before we got married. My parents helped me with the down payment. You did help make the monthly payments later, of course, but you also lived here. Consider that rent. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to claim anything from me or get even a small share of this apartment. You’re still officially registered at your mother’s place. You can try your luck, but you’ll only waste money you don’t even have on a lawyer.”
Anton fell silent, because Olga was right. For some reason he had been sure he had a right to the apartment, but now he understood that was far from the truth. It was not he who had driven his wife out and made her nervous—it was she who had driven him out.
“So you thought of everything, huh? Fine. All right. I’ll go. As if I need to stay with such a loser! We’ll see how sorry you’ll be later that you couldn’t save the marriage and keep your husband by your side,” Anton spat resentfully. “Get out of the way! I’ll pack my own things.”
Olga stepped aside. Time dragged painfully slowly until the door finally slammed shut behind Anton. Slowly sinking onto the bed, the woman buried her face in her hands and burst into bitter tears. Only now could she pour out all the bitterness and pain that had been tormenting her soul. She had been deceived, but she had not let herself be broken. She had not shown her husband the tears that had been so hard to hold back. Yes, she had loved him, but… even if he had tried to stay, she could never have forgiven the betrayal. Things like that are neither forgiven nor forgotten. You cannot simply erase them from your memory.
Olga did not wait for her husband to take the first step—she filed for divorce herself. She decided to burn all the bridges at once, leaving the man no chance to retreat. Anton could not lay claim to the apartment, not even to the household appliances they had bought together, because he had no receipts. The man was left with nothing. He thought his wife had treated him unfairly, but it was she who had earned everything all that time, while he had brought home only scraps, constantly complaining about management or how hard the work was. If he had lived alone and rented an apartment, he would have ended up on the street long ago.
Understanding that it would be hard to let go of her feelings and forget the man she had loved, Olga threw herself completely into work. Only that could keep her mind occupied so she wouldn’t think about whether Anton was eating properly or had everything he needed. Gradually the habit began to loosen its grip, and the woman thought of her ex-husband less and less often. She finally paid off the mortgage and decided to sell the apartment so she could buy herself a small house. That was when Olga met Maxim. The realtor helping her with the transaction turned out to be a pleasant man. He and Olga found common ground so quickly, as though they were kindred spirits. Though she was afraid, the woman decided to open her heart again and try for happiness once more. A year later, she got married again and became pregnant.
Olga did not see Anton again, but one day she ran into a mutual friend and learned from him that Anton was living with his mother. He had not changed at all and still continued to avoid getting a proper job. Things never worked out with “Masha,” because she had expected a groom with an apartment, and with empty pockets he was of no use to her. From time to time Anton dated other women, but he complained to his friend that in all of them he was trying to find his ex-wife. What was once so close was now out of reach. Only after losing something do you begin to value what you had. Olga, however, regretted nothing. She had long since let go of her ex-husband and was now building a new happiness with a man who truly loved her and surrounded her with care.
