Natalya was drying the dishes when Andrey came into the kitchen and stopped by the refrigerator. It was getting dark early outside — autumn had fully come into its own, the days were growing shorter, and the evenings longer. Her husband took out some water, poured it into a glass, and sat down at the table.
“Mom is coming to stay with us,” Andrey said, scrolling through something on his phone.
Natalya nodded, continuing to dry the plates.
“For the weekend?”
“Yeah. Probably for a week.”
“All right,” Natalya replied. “I’ll make up the bed in the living room and put out fresh towels.”
Andrey mumbled something in response and left the kitchen. The conversation was short, ordinary. Her mother-in-law came once every few months, stayed for a couple of days, and went back home. No problems, no conflicts. Valentina Sergeyevna behaved quietly, did not interfere in the young couple’s affairs, and tried not to get in the way.
Natalya had been living in this two-room apartment for five years. She had bought the place before she even met Andrey — she had saved for a long time, taken out a mortgage, and paid it off ahead of schedule. The apartment was registered in Natalya’s name, and it had never been a subject of dispute. Andrey had moved in after the wedding and often said how lucky he was. It was cozy, orderly, and everything was close at hand.
Natalya had a stable job with a flexible schedule. Sometimes she had to stay late, sometimes she could leave early. Andrey worked for a construction company and earned well, though irregularly. Natalya did not attach much importance to that. The main thing was peace at home, mutual understanding, and the absence of unnecessary drama.
A week passed. Natalya remembered her mother-in-law’s upcoming visit only occasionally, in passing. She prepared the guest room and bought the groceries Valentina Sergeyevna liked. Everything was going along as usual.
On Friday, Natalya stayed late at work. A project required urgent revisions, and her manager asked her to remain. Natalya did not object — work was work. She finished around eight in the evening, gathered her things, and left the office.
Her phone rang just as she was getting into the car. It was Andrey. Her husband’s voice sounded tense.
“Where are you?”
“I’m driving home. I was held up at work,” Natalya replied, starting the engine.
“Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“It was on silent. I was in a meeting. What happened?”
Andrey exhaled, and Natalya heard irritation in that breath.
“My mother is standing at the station. I asked you to pick her up.”
Natalya frowned.
“You asked me? You didn’t say anything.”
“I did! This morning! I said Mom was arriving today and needed to be met!”
Natalya tried to remember. The morning had been ordinary. Breakfast, coffee, getting ready for work. Andrey had muttered something while standing in front of the mirror, but Natalya had not been listening closely — she had been running late for a planning meeting.
“Andrey, you didn’t say anything clearly. I didn’t understand that I needed to go to the station.”
“How could you not understand?! I told you!”
“You said it unclearly. I thought you were going to meet her yourself.”
Andrey fell silent. Then his voice grew harder.
“Natasha, my mother is standing at the station with her bags. Alone. Do you understand how that looks?”
“I understand. But I couldn’t have known if you didn’t tell me clearly.”
“I told you! You just weren’t listening!”
Natalya tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
“All right. Where are you now?”
“At work. The site is far away. I can’t leave.”
“Then I’ll pick up Valentina Sergeyevna. Tell me which station.”
Andrey gave her the address and hung up. Natalya exhaled, turned the car around, and drove toward the station. Fatigue hit her all at once, but there was no point arguing now. She needed to pick up her mother-in-law and sort things out later.
Valentina Sergeyevna was standing near the central exit with two large bags. The woman looked tired, her face drawn, her lips pressed together. When she saw Natalya, her mother-in-law nodded but did not smile.
“Hello, Valentina Sergeyevna,” Natalya said, taking one of the bags. “I’m sorry I made you wait. I didn’t know I was supposed to meet you.”
Her mother-in-law said nothing. Natalya picked up the second bag and led the woman to the car. Valentina Sergeyevna silently got into the front seat, while Natalya loaded the bags into the trunk.
There was no conversation on the way. Natalya tried several times to start one, but her mother-in-law answered in monosyllables. The woman’s mood had clearly been spoiled.
At home, Natalya helped her mother-in-law take off her coat, led her into the living room, and offered her tea. Valentina Sergeyevna silently nodded and sank onto the sofa.
“I’ll heat some water,” Natalya said and went to the kitchen. While the kettle was boiling, Natalya glanced at her mother-in-law’s bags. Two enormous bags. Usually Valentina Sergeyevna came with one small bag for a couple of days. Natalya frowned but said nothing.
The tea was ready. Natalya brought two cups into the living room. Valentina Sergeyevna took a cup, sipped from it, and finally looked at her daughter-in-law.
“Did Andryusha not warn you?”
“About what?” Natalya asked cautiously.
“That I’m moving in. With you. Permanently.”
Natalya froze. The cup nearly slipped from her hands.
“What do you mean… permanently?”
“Well, yes. Andryusha said there was room, that you didn’t mind. I’ve already rented out my apartment. I’ll move the rest of my things next week.”
Natalya slowly set her cup down on the table. Her thoughts tangled, and the words would not come together.
“Valentina Sergeyevna, I… I didn’t know. Andrey didn’t tell me anything.”
Her mother-in-law frowned.
“How did he not tell you? He promised he would discuss everything.”
“He didn’t,” Natalya shook her head. “I only found out today that I had to meet you. And even that was by accident.”
Valentina Sergeyevna put her cup down.
“So you weren’t expecting me?”
“We didn’t know,” Natalya answered honestly.
Her mother-in-law turned toward the window. Natalya saw the woman’s shoulders tense and her lips press together. The situation was getting worse by the minute.
“Valentina Sergeyevna, let’s wait for Andrey. We’ll all talk together. We’ll sort it out calmly.”
“Sort it out,” her mother-in-law repeated dully. “I’ve already rented out my apartment. There’s no way back.”
Natalya did not know what to say. Her mother-in-law got up from the sofa and went into the guest room. The door closed. Natalya remained sitting in the kitchen, staring into her empty cup.
Andrey came home around ten. He entered the apartment noisily, kicked off his boots, and tossed his jacket onto the hanger. Natalya met him in the hallway.
“Did Mom arrive?” Andrey asked without looking at his wife.
“Yes. She’s in the living room.”
“Well, good. Why did you pick her up so late?”
Natalya crossed her arms over her chest.
“Andrey, we need to talk.”
“Later. I’m tired.”
“Now,” Natalya said firmly.
Andrey turned around. His face was tired, his gaze heavy.
“What happened?”
“Valentina Sergeyevna said she is moving in with us permanently. Is that true?”
Andrey looked away.
“Yes. It’s true.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did.”
“When?!”
“A week ago. I said Mom was coming to stay.”
“Coming to stay and moving in are two different things!” Natalya raised her voice. “You didn’t say a word about Valentina Sergeyevna staying here permanently!”
Andrey ran a hand through his hair.
“Natash, what difference does it make? She’s my mother, the apartment is big, there’s enough room.”
“The apartment is mine,” Natalya replied coldly. “It is registered in my name. And decisions about who lives here are made by me. By us together.”
“She needs me,” her husband raised his voice. “She’s alone, she has nowhere to go. She already rented out her apartment.”
“Without my consent?!”
“With my consent! I’m her son. I have the right to decide!”
Natalya took a step back. Everything inside her was boiling, but her voice remained even.
“Andrey, you should have discussed this with me. In advance. Properly. Not presented it as a done deal.”
“I thought you would understand.”
“How can I understand if you don’t tell me anything?!”
Andrey turned and went into the room. Natalya remained standing in the hallway. Her hands were trembling, her breathing uneven. For the first time in all their years together, Natalya felt that her husband did not think it necessary to ask his wife’s opinion. He had decided on his own, announced it as fact, and expected her to accept it.
The night passed in silence. Andrey slept with his back turned to the wall. Natalya lay with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts kept circling. Valentina Sergeyevna had moved in. Without asking. Her husband had not warned her. The apartment belonged to Natalya, yet Andrey had decided to dispose of it as if it were his own.
In the morning, Natalya got up first. She made breakfast and set the table. Valentina Sergeyevna came out of the living room quietly, sat at the table, and thanked her for the food. Andrey appeared later, washed up, got dressed, and sat beside his mother.
“Mom, how was the trip?” Andrey asked, pouring tea.
“Fine. I’m just tired.”
“That’s all right, you’ll rest. It’s peaceful here, comfortable.”
Natalya ate in silence, not joining the conversation. Andrey and his mother discussed everyday matters and plans for the day. As if nothing had happened. As if the move had been agreed upon, discussed, and approved.
After breakfast, Andrey left for work. Valentina Sergeyevna stayed in the apartment. Natalya cleared the dishes, got dressed, and also prepared to leave. Her mother-in-law stopped her at the door.
“Natashenka, forgive me for yesterday. I really thought Andryusha had discussed everything.”
Natalya turned around.
“He didn’t discuss it, Valentina Sergeyevna. But that is not your fault.”
“I don’t want to be a burden. If anything, tell me. I’ll understand.”
Natalya nodded and left the apartment. Her mother-in-law’s words sounded sincere, but that did not change the situation. Valentina Sergeyevna was already here. Her things were in the living room. Her apartment had been rented out. There was no way back.
At work, Natalya could not concentrate. Her thoughts kept returning to the morning conversation, to Andrey’s words, to the way her husband had disposed of someone else’s home without asking. The apartment belonged to Natalya. It had been registered before marriage and fully paid off. Andrey had moved in later, but he had never claimed any ownership rights. Until today.
That evening, Natalya came home later than usual. Valentina Sergeyevna was sitting in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for dinner. Her mother-in-law looked up and smiled.
“Natashenka, sit down, I’ll feed you in a moment. Andryusha isn’t home yet.”
Natalya sat down at the table. She did not want to talk, but silence also felt awkward.
“How was your day?” Natalya asked.
“Good. I walked around a little, looked at the shops. Your neighborhood is nice and quiet.”
“Yes, it’s quiet.”
“Andryusha told me you bought the apartment yourself. Well done. Not everyone could manage that.”
Natalya nodded. The conversation was polite, but strained. Valentina Sergeyevna clearly sensed the tension but pretended everything was normal.
Andrey came home around eight. He ate dinner, watched television with his mother, and went to bed. Natalya lay down beside him, but sleep would not come. A decision was forming inside her. Firm and clear.
The next morning, Natalya woke before everyone else. She got dressed, gathered the apartment documents, and put them in her bag. Andrey was still asleep. Valentina Sergeyevna had not yet come out of the living room either. Natalya quietly left the apartment and drove to work.
The day passed in tense anticipation. Natalya knew they would have to talk that evening. Seriously, without evasions. The situation had gone too far for her to keep silent any longer.
She returned home around six. Valentina Sergeyevna met her at the door with a smile.
“Natashenka, I was thinking. It would be more convenient for me to have the bedroom with the balcony. It’s brighter and more spacious. You and Andryusha can move into the living room, right?”
Natalya slowly took off her jacket. Her mother-in-law’s words sounded so casual, as if they were talking about rearranging furniture, not redistributing rooms in someone else’s apartment.
“Valentina Sergeyevna, the bedroom is occupied. Andrey and I live there.”
“Well, then you’ll move. Young people can sleep anywhere, but at my age I need comfort.”
Natalya went into the kitchen, and her mother-in-law followed her. Valentina Sergeyevna kept talking, listing the bedroom’s advantages and explaining why that room suited her best. Natalya listened silently while taking the documents from her bag.
“Valentina Sergeyevna, please sit down,” Natalya said, placing the documents on the table.
Her mother-in-law sat down, still smiling. Natalya opened the folder and took out the ownership certificate.
“These are the documents for the apartment. It is registered in my name. Bought before marriage. Fully paid off.”
Her mother-in-law’s smile faded.
“I know. Andryusha told me.”
“Then you understand that no one is moving anywhere without my decision.”
Valentina Sergeyevna frowned.
“Natasha, I don’t understand. Andrey agrees. He is my son.”
“Andrey agrees, but he didn’t ask me. And the apartment is mine. Decisions are made together.”
“But I’ve already rented out my apartment! Where am I supposed to go now?”
“Valentina Sergeyevna, that should have been discussed in advance. With me. Not presented as a done deal.”
Her mother-in-law jumped up from her chair.
“Are you throwing me out?!”
“I am asking you to find another option,” Natalya replied calmly. “I did not give my consent for you to move in. Andrey decided on his own, without consulting me.”
Valentina Sergeyevna grabbed her phone and called her son. The conversation was short but loud. Her mother-in-law complained, expressed outrage, and demanded that Andrey come immediately and deal with his wife.
Andrey rushed over half an hour later. He burst into the apartment, his face red, his breathing uneven.
“What is going on?!” her husband shouted, looking at Natalya.
“We’re talking,” Natalya replied. “Calmly.”
“Mom says you’re throwing her out!”
“I’m not throwing her out. I’m explaining the situation.”
“What situation?! Mom came here, she needs a place to live!”
Natalya stood up and went to the table. She picked up the documents and handed them to her husband.
“Look. The apartment is registered in my name. Before marriage. Andrey, did you know that?”
“I knew,” her husband looked away.
“Then why didn’t you ask before deciding for me?”
Andrey threw the documents onto the table.
“Because she is my mother! She should live with us!”
“Should?” Natalya crossed her arms over her chest. “Why should she?”
“Because I decided so!”
“Without my consent?”
“Mother is more important!”
Natalya exhaled. Her husband’s words sounded like a verdict. Not a discussion, not a request. A demand. An order. A fact.
“Andrey, you made a decision for me. In my apartment. Without my knowledge. That is wrong.”
“What’s wrong is leaving your mother on the street!”
“No one is leaving her on the street. Valentina Sergeyevna needs to find another option. A rental, for example.”
Her mother-in-law sobbed.
“A rental? I don’t have that kind of money!”
“Andrey can help,” Natalya looked at her husband. “You earn money.”
“This is my decision! Mom is living here!” Andrey raised his voice to a shout.
“No,” Natalya replied firmly. “She is not. I did not give my consent.”
Andrey stepped forward, his fists clenched. Natalya did not step back. She stood calmly, looking him in the eye. Everything inside her was trembling, but outwardly there was only calm.
“You’ll regret this,” her husband hissed.
“Maybe,” Natalya nodded. “But it is my right.”
Valentina Sergeyevna took out her phone and called a taxi. Her movements were sharp, her face twisted with hurt. Her mother-in-law packed her things without looking at Natalya. Andrey helped his mother, casting angry glances at his wife.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll take you to Larisa’s now. You’ll spend the night there, and tomorrow we’ll sort it out,” Andrey said, fastening the bags.
Valentina Sergeyevna was silent. When the taxi arrived, her mother-in-law left the apartment without saying goodbye. Andrey followed his mother, stopped at the threshold, and turned around.
“I’ll be back. We’ll sort this out,” her husband snapped and slammed the door.
Natalya remained standing in the hallway. Silence descended all at once, heavy and dense. Her hands were trembling, her breathing uneven. Natalya went into the kitchen, sat at the table, and closed her eyes. The apartment documents were still lying on the table. Natalya put them back into the folder and placed it in a drawer. Then she got up, went to the door, and took the spare keys off the hook. She put them in the same drawer and locked it.
The phone rang around ten in the evening. Andrey. Natalya did not answer. The call repeated several more times. Natalya turned off the sound and placed the phone on the table.
The night passed sleeplessly. Natalya lay staring at the ceiling, replaying the events of the day. The conversation with Valentina Sergeyevna, Andrey’s shouting, the slam of the door. It all seemed unreal, as if it had happened to someone else.
In the morning, her husband did not come home. Natalya got ready for work as usual. The day passed in a fog. Her colleagues said something, asked questions, but Natalya answered automatically, without thinking about the words.
That evening, the phone rang again. This time Natalya answered.
“Yes.”
“Natasha, we need to talk,” Andrey’s voice sounded tired.
“I’m listening.”
“Let’s meet. At a café. Neutral territory.”
“All right. When?”
“Tomorrow evening. At seven.”
“Agreed.”
Natalya hung up. Nothing stirred inside her. No fear, no hope. Only calm.
The next day, they met in a small café not far from home. Andrey was sitting at a table by the window, his face drawn, shadows under his eyes. Natalya sat down across from him.
“Hi,” her husband said.
“Hi.”
The silence stretched. Andrey turned a cup of cold coffee in his hands, while Natalya looked out the window.
“Mom is staying with Larisa,” Andrey finally said. “Temporarily.”
“I see.”
“Natash, let’s discuss it after all. Maybe we can find a compromise?”
Natalya looked at her husband.
“What compromise?”
“Well, Mom could live with us for a month or two until she finds an apartment. She really has nowhere to go.”
“Andrey, one month will turn into six months, six months into a year. Valentina Sergeyevna will not look for an apartment if she has free housing.”
“You think she’s using us?”
“I think you didn’t ask my opinion. You decided everything yourself. And that is the main problem.”
Andrey lowered his head.
“I wanted to help my mother.”
“Then help her. But not at my expense. Not in my apartment. Not without my consent.”
“It’s my apartment too.”
“No,” Natalya replied calmly. “It is registered in my name. Before marriage. You know that perfectly well.”
Andrey clenched his fists.
“So now you’re going to keep reminding me of that?”
“Not keep reminding you. Remind you when you forget.”
Her husband stood up.
“I need to think,” Andrey said and left the café.
Natalya remained seated. She finished her tea, paid the bill, and went home. The apartment welcomed her with silence. No one else’s belongings, no чужие voices. Only Natalya and her space.
Two weeks passed. Andrey did not come back. He called occasionally and spoke briefly, without emotion. Natalya did not insist on meeting. She gave her husband time.
One evening, Andrey came. He rang the doorbell, and Natalya opened it. Her husband stood on the threshold with a small bag in his hands.
“May I come in?”
“Come in.”
Andrey entered the apartment and took off his outerwear. His movements were uncertain, his gaze wandering over the familiar walls.
“Natash, I’ve been thinking. A lot.”
“And?”
“You were right. I shouldn’t have decided for you.”
Natalya nodded.
“Mom found a rental apartment. Not far from here. I’ll help her pay for it at first.”
“Good.”
Andrey sat down on the sofa.
“Can we start over?”
Natalya sat beside him.
“We can. But on one condition.”
“What condition?”
“No decisions without discussion. No done deals. Only joint decisions.”
Andrey nodded.
“Agreed.”
Life returned to its usual course. Slowly, gradually. Valentina Sergeyevna lived separately and came to visit on weekends. Natalya greeted her mother-in-law politely, but without the former warmth. The boundaries had been clearly marked, and no one tried to violate them again.
Andrey changed. He began asking his wife’s opinion, consulting her, discussing plans. Natalya could see that it was difficult for him to adjust, but Andrey was trying.
One winter evening, as snow swirled outside the window, Andrey said:
“Thank you.”
Natalya looked up from her book.
“For what?”
“For not giving in. For putting me in my place.”
Natalya smiled.
“It was necessary.”
“I know. And I’m grateful.”
Since then, Natalya never met anyone at the station without a personal invitation again. The word “guests” in her home meant only those Natalya was truly expecting. The apartment remained the place where Natalya felt like the mistress of the house. Not formally, but truly. And that was right.
