Lena stood by the kitchen window, looking at the gray apartment buildings beyond the glass and mentally counting the months until the mortgage was paid off. Four more years, and the two-room apartment in this residential neighborhood would belong entirely to her and Andrei. Four more years of monthly payments of thirty-eight thousand, four more years of strict economizing on everything except the bare necessities.
“Lena, do you want some coffee?” Andrei called from the other room.
“Yes,” she replied, continuing to stare out the window.
They had worked toward buying this apartment for five years. She worked as an economist for a trading company, while he was a sales manager. They had saved every penny for the down payment, denying themselves vacations, entertainment, and new clothes. When they finally received the keys, Lena had burst into tears right there in the empty hallway. Having a home of their own felt like a dream that had finally come true.
The telephone rang sharply, breaking the morning silence.
“Elena Viktorovna? This is Petrovа, the notary. I have some good news for you.”
Lena listened, unable to believe her ears. Aunt Zina, her late mother’s sister, with whom they had barely kept in touch, had left her a one-room apartment in the city center. It was not very large, but it was in a good neighborhood, inside a solid Stalin-era building.
“Andrei!” she called after the conversation ended. “You’re not going to believe this!”
Her husband rushed out of the room with a cup of coffee in his hand. His hair was disheveled, and confusion was written all over his face.
“What happened?”
“I inherited an apartment! From Aunt Zina!”
Andrei placed the cup on the table and embraced his wife.
“Seriously? That’s wonderful! We could sell this place, pay off the mortgage, and move into the city center.”
“Or we could rent the other apartment out and stay here. It would bring in a decent income.”
“Maybe we could sell both apartments and buy something bigger.”
They talked until late that night, making plans. Lena felt happy. At last, they had options, financial freedom, and the ability to choose.
A week later, while the inheritance paperwork was still being processed, they went to see the apartment. It had only one room, but it was spacious, with high ceilings and large windows. It needed renovation, but it had enormous potential.
“It’s beautiful,” Lena sighed, standing in the middle of the empty room. “Can you imagine what kind of design we could create here?”
“Mom called today,” Andrei suddenly said as he examined the old wallpaper. “I told her about the apartment.”
“What did she say?”
“She was happy for us. She said she and Dad would come over this weekend to see it.”
Lena nodded, although something tightened inside her. Her mother-in-law, Galina Petrovna, was a domineering and categorical woman. She had an opinion about everything and never hesitated to express it. Her father-in-law, Nikolai Ivanovich, simply agreed with everything his wife said.
Andrei’s parents arrived early on Saturday morning. Galina Petrovna was her usual self and immediately took command.
“Show us the apartment at once,” she declared, barely bothering to greet Lena. “We need to see what we’re dealing with.”
The three of them went together. Lena stayed home, claiming she had things to do. In reality, she simply did not want to listen to her mother-in-law’s comments about how Lena should handle her own inheritance.
They returned two hours later. Galina Petrovna was excited and could not stop talking.
“It’s a good apartment, and the location is excellent. Of course, it needs renovation, but that can be dealt with. Your father and I have thought everything through. We’ll give it to Ira.”
Lena flinched.
“What do you mean, give it to her?”
“What else would we do?” her mother-in-law asked in surprise. “She has two children, Seryozha can’t find a decent job, they’re paying off loans, and they’re renting an apartment. You two are young and healthy. You’ll earn more. Ira needs the help more than you do.”
“But it’s my inheritance,” Lena said quietly.
“So what? We’re family! Ira is suffering while you two are living comfortably. That isn’t right.”
Andrei remained silent, studying the cracks in the parquet floor.
“We haven’t decided what we’re going to do with the apartment yet,” Lena tried to object.
“What is there to think about? Everything is obvious. Tomorrow, we’ll go to Ira’s place and tell her she can start moving in.”
“Galina Petrovna, please let Andrei and me think about it first.”
“There’s nothing to think about!” her mother-in-law snapped. “Andrei, why are you keeping quiet? Tell your wife what the right thing to do is.”
Andrei looked up at Lena. His eyes were pleading with her to understand.
“Lena, maybe Mom is right. Ira really is in a difficult situation.”
“And we aren’t?” Lena could no longer restrain herself. “We have a mortgage!”
“A mortgage is nothing,” Galina Petrovna said, waving her hand dismissively. “You both earn good salaries. You’ll manage. Ira is struggling with two children.”
Lena felt anger boiling inside her. Nobody was asking for her opinion or consulting her. They had already made the decision on her behalf.
“I want to discuss this with my husband privately,” she said as calmly as she could.
“Discuss it,” her mother-in-law replied with a nod. “Just don’t take too long. Ira needs to notify her landlord that she’s moving out.”
When his parents left, Lena and Andrei were alone. He avoided her gaze and fiddled with his phone.
“Well?” Lena asked. “Are we going to discuss it?”
“What is there to discuss?” Andrei shrugged. “Mom is right. Ira needs help.”
“Don’t you want to ask what I think?”
“Lena, don’t be selfish. Think about the children. Think about the family.”
“What family? Your sister, who has been living off your parents for the past five years? The sister who asks to borrow money every month and never pays it back?”
“It isn’t her fault that her husband is a loser.”
“And it isn’t my fault that my aunt died and left me an apartment! It is my inheritance, Andrei!”
“Our inheritance,” he corrected her. “We’re a family.”
“Then why is the decision being made without me?”
They had a terrible argument that evening. Andrei left for his parents’ house and returned late, after Lena had already gone to sleep. In the morning, he tried to make peace, but the conversation once again came down to Lena needing to think about the family and stop being so greedy.
Several more days passed. Lena hoped her husband would come to his senses and understand her position. Instead, Andrei became increasingly cold toward her. She found it difficult to concentrate at work because her thoughts constantly returned to the situation.
On Thursday evening, Andrei came home late.
“Where were you?” Lena asked.
“At my sister’s place. I was helping her move.”
At first, Lena did not understand.
“Move where?”
“What do you mean, where? She’s moving into your apartment. Mom took the keys yesterday. I gave them to her.”
The world seemed to sway around Lena. She sat down on the sofa to keep herself from falling.
“You gave them the keys to my apartment without my permission?”
“Lena, why are you acting like a child? We discussed everything.”
“We didn’t discuss anything! You made the decision for me!”
“Ira has already moved out of her old apartment. She has children. Where are they supposed to go now?”
“That isn’t my problem!” Lena shouted. “It’s my apartment!”
“Our apartment.”
“No, mine! My aunt left it to me! I have the right to decide what happens to it!”
The next day after work, Lena went into the city center. She saw lights in the windows and realized that Irina really was already living there. She went upstairs and rang the doorbell.
Irina opened the door. She was a thin blonde with a permanently miserable expression on her face.
“Lena?” she asked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“This is my apartment,” Lena said, restraining herself. “I want to see what’s happening here.”
“Oh, yes, of course. Come in. We’re trying to get settled. Thank you so much. You’ve saved us!”
Lena entered. The apartment was filled with boxes, children’s toys, and belongings. Children’s drawings were already hanging on the walls. Her seven-year-old nephew, Seryozha, ran out of the room shouting, “Aunt Lena!”
“We’re so happy,” Irina said as she bustled around. “You should see how excited the children are. At last, we have an apartment of our own! Seryozha has already been enrolled in a new school. It’s nearby, and it’s a very good one.”
Lena listened and realized that there was no easy way back now. The children had already settled in. They had a new school and a new life. If she forced them to leave now, the entire family would see her as a monster.
“And where is Sergey?” she asked, referring to Irina’s husband.
“At work,” Irina replied vaguely. “Now he has time to look for a proper job because we no longer have to spend a fortune on rent.”
Lena understood that Irina’s husband was unemployed again and that Irina would be supporting the entire family on her salary as a sales assistant.
Lena returned home on the verge of hysterics. Andrei was sitting in front of the television, eating dumplings.
“I went to see your sister,” Lena said.
“And? How are they doing? Have they settled in all right?”
“Andrei, I want a divorce.”
He choked on a dumpling and began coughing.
“What are you talking about?”
“Exactly what I said. I’m filing for divorce.”
“Over an apartment? Lena, have you lost your mind?”
“It isn’t because of the apartment. It’s because nobody in this family respects my opinion. Including you.”
“Lena, wait. Let’s talk about this.”
“What is there to talk about? You have already decided everything for me, without me.”
“I thought you would understand.”
“I do understand. I understand that your mother’s opinion is more important to you than your wife’s. I understand that you are prepared to give my property to other people without even asking me.”
“Ira isn’t a stranger!”
“She is to me! I barely know her! We have seen each other five times at most during all the years we’ve been married!”
They shouted at each other until late into the night. Andrei tried to persuade her, then threatened her, and then tried to persuade her again. Lena, however, refused to change her mind.
Andrei’s parents arrived the following weekend. When Galina Petrovna learned what Lena intended to do, she became furious.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” she shouted. “You’re ready to destroy your family over some apartment?”
“It isn’t because of the apartment,” Lena repeated wearily. “It’s because you treat me as though I don’t matter.”
“We treated you like our own daughter!”
“Then why didn’t you consult me?”
“What would be the point of consulting you? You wouldn’t understand what the right thing to do was anyway!”
“This is my apartment, and I will not give it to those parasites! Get out of here!” Lena shouted, finally losing her patience.
Galina Petrovna gasped in outrage.
“You called the children parasites! You’re the parasite! You latched onto our son!”
“Mom, that’s enough!” Andrei intervened, but it was too late.
“I’m leaving your son,” Lena said coldly. “And I’ll recover the apartment through the courts. It is my property, and nobody has the right to dispose of it without my consent.”
“You do understand that you’ll be throwing children out onto the street, don’t you?” her father-in-law tried to reason with her.
“And did you understand that you were depriving me of the right to control my own inheritance?”
The divorce was difficult. Andrei tried to influence Lena through acquaintances and mutual friends, hoping to convince her to reconsider. But she remained firm in her decision.
She recovered the apartment through the courts. It turned out that Irina had no legal grounds to live there. No deed of gift had been prepared, and Lena had not signed any documents. The judge quickly understood the situation and ordered Irina and her family to vacate the property.
Irina sobbed, begged, and pleaded for another month to find somewhere to live. Lena gave her two weeks.
“You’re cruel,” Andrei said when he came to collect his belongings from the apartment they had shared. “You threw children out.”
“I didn’t throw anyone out. I reclaimed what legally belonged to me.”
“They’re family!”
“And what was I? Wasn’t I family when you were making decisions for me?”
He could not find an answer.
Lena sold the apartment she had inherited and used the money to pay off the mortgage early. The two-room apartment in the residential district now belonged entirely to her. She renovated it, furnished it according to her own taste, and adopted a cat.
Sometimes, she felt sad in the evenings. Seven years of marriage was not a short time. But then she remembered the day she discovered that other people had disposed of her property without her permission, and she knew she had made the right decision.
Six months later, Andrei married one of his colleagues. Lena learned about it by chance after meeting one of his former female friends in a store.
“He got over you quickly,” the woman said.
“Good for him,” Lena replied. “It means I was right. He never truly loved me.”
Irina and her children moved back in with Andrei’s parents. Her mother-in-law’s two-room apartment became cramped with five people living there, but they had no other choice. Galina Petrovna now complained to everyone she knew about her cruel former daughter-in-law, who had thrown children out onto the street.
Lena no longer had any contact with those people. She had learned the most important lesson: nobody should be allowed to make decisions about your life for you, not even the people closest to you.
Especially the people closest to you.
Having her own apartment, the freedom to choose, and the right to say no proved more valuable than peace within the family or the approval of relatives.
Lena regretted nothing.
