Anton placed a sheet of paper with a menu on the kitchen table and pinned it down with the apartment keys.
“My mother, Aunt Raisa, and Aunt Nina are arriving on Friday. They’ll stay with us until Sunday. Buy the groceries today while everything is on sale.”
Olesya set her cup aside. The list included two chickens, red fish, assorted cold cuts, a cake, fruit, and three kinds of salad. At the bottom, Anton had added that Aunt Nina could not eat onions and that his mother needed new towels.
Olesya asked why he had made the list while she was expected to buy the groceries and do all the cooking. Anton said his bonus had been delayed. His wife reminded him about the twenty-thousand-ruble headphones a courier had delivered the day before.
Anton removed the keys from the sheet and slipped them into his pocket. He called the headphones a work necessity and told her not to count his money.
The apartment belonged to Olesya. She had bought it three years before the wedding and paid for the renovations herself. Anton had moved in after they registered their marriage, bringing two suitcases, a computer chair, and the firm conviction that the study now belonged exclusively to him.
During their six weeks of married life, he had not contributed a single ruble toward the utility bills. He had, however, already changed the internet provider, rearranged the furniture, and informed the neighbors that he had “finally put the place in order.”
“I’m submitting a project on Saturday,” Olesya said. “Let’s book them a hotel near the station. They’ll have a private room, breakfast, and an elevator. We can meet them at a restaurant in the evening.”
“You want to put my mother in a hotel?”
“It will be uncomfortable to accommodate three adult women in a two-room apartment.”
Olesya folded the sheet in half and placed it beside his cup.
“Family stays with family. You’re a wife now. Get used to it.”
“And what will you be doing?”
“Working. I can’t spend three days standing over the stove.”
“Neither can I.”
Anton picked up his phone and checked the time.
“The matter is settled. My relatives are staying with us,” he declared.
“No, it isn’t settled.”
He walked to the door, put on his jacket, and turned around.
“I’ve already told Mom we’re expecting them. Don’t you dare humiliate me in front of my family.”
After he left, Olesya photographed the list and sent her husband a message.
“Please confirm that the cost of accommodating and feeding the guests may be paid from our joint account.”
His reply came almost immediately.
“Pay for it. Just arrange everything properly and don’t make a scene.”
The joint account contained money Anton had transferred after receiving his last bonus. Olesya did not book anything right away. Until evening, she wanted to convince herself that her husband had simply phrased his request badly and was still capable of accepting a refusal.
At the office, she opened her drawings, but repeatedly returned to the photograph of the menu. A colleague asked why Olesya was checking the same window measurement for the third time. Olesya closed the file and called her mother-in-law.
Lidia Petrovna answered after a long series of rings.
“I’m calling about Friday,” Olesya began. “I need to know what time to meet you and whether anyone has dietary restrictions.”
“Anton said you wanted to host us at home.”
“He told me that you refused to stay in a hotel.”
Paper rustled at the other end of the line.
“I asked him to find us an inexpensive room near the station. I’m seventy-one, and Raisa is sixty-eight. Why would we want to sleep on folding beds in your apartment? But my son insisted that you would be offended.”
Olesya removed her hand from the mouse. The cursor stopped in the middle of the drawing.
“He told me you wanted to inspect how well I manage the household.”
“Inspect you? I wasn’t hired to conduct an audit.”
Lidia Petrovna’s voice remained calm, but the earlier wariness had disappeared. She explained that she was planning to attend a fabric exhibition and wanted to show her sisters the old city center. Anton had repeated three times that his wife expected them to stay at the apartment and was already preparing the menu.
“He has told different people different stories since he was a child,” her mother-in-law said. “Whenever he was caught lying, he claimed he was only trying to reconcile everyone.”
“It looks like he never lost the habit.”
“Just don’t drag us into your quarrel. We’ll come, stay in a hotel, and go sightseeing in the morning.”
Olesya wrote the train’s arrival time in her planner.
“I’ll arrange everything. I’ll send the address directly to you.”
Olesya found a hostel five minutes from the station. The former dormitory had been renovated into neat four-bed rooms with private bathrooms. The furniture was simple, but the reviews praised the cleanliness and the administrator, who refused to admit strangers after eleven at night.
Olesya booked an entire room for three nights. She left the fourth bed unoccupied, since Anton valued close family togetherness so highly.
She paid from the joint account after receiving her husband’s written authorization. She saved the receipt in a separate folder and forwarded it to her mother-in-law.
That evening, Anton came home carrying a small bouquet and a box of pastries.
“I went too far,” he said, putting the flowers in the sink. “I don’t want us to fight over three days.”
Olesya waited for him to continue.
“I’ll order the groceries myself,” he added. “Mom will help with the cooking. You won’t have to interrupt your work.”
“And where will they sleep?”
“At home. But you won’t have to serve anyone. I agreed to handle the food myself.”
Olesya took out a vase, filled it with water, and placed the flowers inside. Then she opened the hostel reservation and held her finger over the cancellation button.
In the weeks before their wedding, Anton had picked her up after late meetings, cooked breakfast, and never demanded an accounting for every purchase she made.
Olesya put her phone away without pressing the button.
Anton’s phone lay faceup on the table. A message appeared from a contact saved as “Mishka.”
“Am I moving in on Monday? You said the study would be available after your relatives leave. I’ll pay you for the room immediately.”
Anton returned from the bathroom and saw where she was looking. He turned the phone over.
“It’s not what you think.”
“What exactly do you think I’m thinking?”
“Mishka has nowhere to live. We’ll let him stay in the study for a couple of weeks.”
Olesya closed the booking page and placed her phone beside the vase.
“Did we discuss this?”
“I was going to tell you.”
“When? After he arrived with his suitcase?”
Anton took a pastry and bit off half of it.
“Don’t exaggerate. He’ll pay us. The extra money won’t hurt.”
“Us or you?”
“What difference does it make? We’re a family.”
Anton pulled the box of pastries closer to himself.
“You promised him a room in my apartment and decided to charge him rent.”
“The study is only occupied during the day anyway. I’ll clear the desk in the evening.”
Olesya watched crumbs fall from the pastry onto the clean countertop.
“Cancel the arrangement.”
“I’m not canceling anything. He has already packed his things.”
“Then he can sleep at your workplace.”
Anton pushed the box aside.
“Don’t speak to me in that tone.”
“What tone should I use with someone who is making decisions about another person’s apartment?”
“It isn’t another person’s apartment. We’re married.”
Olesya picked up a napkin and gathered the crumbs into it.
“The apartment was purchased before the marriage.”
“You’re talking about documents again. Normal spouses don’t divide everything into yours and mine.”
“Normal spouses don’t rent out a room without the owner’s permission.”
Anton smirked and picked up his phone.
“When you calm down, we’ll talk. Don’t let me down on Friday. Mom arrives at three.”
That night, Olesya opened the hostel app twice and closed it both times without canceling the reservation. At three thirty in the morning, she got up, walked into the kitchen, and stopped beside the table.
Anton had left the flowers in the vase, but had thrown the empty pastry box beside the trash can.
Olesya opened her conversation with her mother-in-law and wrote that she would inform her of the final decision in the morning. A reply came a minute later.
“My son just called. He said you agreed to host us at home and had given the study to Raisa. Should we cancel the hotel?”
Olesya reread the message, turned off the screen, and returned to the bedroom. Anton was asleep with his phone beneath his pillow.
In the morning, he spent a long time choosing a tie and repeatedly reminded her that the train arrived at 3:05 p.m.
“I’ll be in a meeting. Pick them up yourself.”
“They already have the address.”
Anton asked which address she meant.
“The place where they’ll be staying.”
Anton adjusted his cuff.
“But we settled everything yesterday.”
“You lied to your mother again yesterday.”
He stopped touching his sleeve.
“Did she complain to you?”
“She asked whether she should cancel the hotel.”
“I wanted to avoid unnecessary complications.”
Anton buttoned his jacket and picked up his briefcase.
“You wanted your decision carried out while making me responsible for it.”
“Don’t rush into making any decisions. We’ll talk tonight.”
Anton stared at his wife for several seconds, then laughed.
“Where are you going to throw me out? We’re legally married. I live here.”
“You are no longer registered at this address. You received the key from me after the wedding, and you have no ownership share. I’ve already consulted a lawyer. Your belongings will be transferred to you with a written inventory.”
His laughter stopped.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“Just try it. I’ll come back with my mother, and you won’t dare create a scandal in front of her.”
Olesya opened the front door.
“Don’t be late for work.”
After he left, she called a locksmith and hired a courier with a moving van. She packed Anton’s belongings without rushing. His documents, medication, and glasses went into a separate bag. She packed his clothes into boxes and labeled the contents of each one. She wrapped the computer and monitor in protective film.
She left nothing in the hallway outside the apartment.
Inside a desk drawer, she found a printed rental agreement. The fields containing the address and the tenant’s name had already been completed, and the monthly rent for the room was specified. In the space marked “landlord,” Anton had written his own name. The agreement had not yet been signed.
Olesya photographed every page and added the copies to her collection of messages and evidence. Then she transferred her salary from the joint account to her personal account, leaving Anton’s remaining bonus there after deducting the hostel payment.
She disabled his access to her bank card. She did not take any of his money.
By two o’clock, the locksmith had replaced the lock cylinder. The courier delivered the boxes to the station’s storage facility. Olesya sent Anton the locker number, the inventory, and the facility’s business hours.
His old key remained on the kitchen table.
At 3:20 p.m., Anton’s phone vibrated during a meeting. He stepped into the hallway and answered with a smile.
“Mom, did you arrive safely?”
Lidia Petrovna spoke so loudly that the secretary standing beside the photocopier turned her head.
“Son, what kind of address did your wife give us? We came from the station, and this is a hostel!”
“What hostel? You’re supposed to go home.”
“There’s a reservation for three nights and a paid four-bed room. The administrator has already given us the key.”
Anton moved farther away from the meeting room and covered his free ear with one hand.
“Olesya mixed everything up. I’ll come and get you.”
“Don’t. It’s clean here. We’ve already put down our bags.”
Anton pressed the phone more tightly against his ear.
“Mom, this is humiliating. She deliberately sent you to a dormitory.”
“I asked for a hotel myself. Have you forgotten?”
“She has been telling you things about me.”
Aunt Raisa’s voice could be heard through the phone as she asked for the room number.
“I’m not taking anyone’s side yet. But I want to know why you lied to both of us.”
“Don’t start this over the phone. I’m going home, and then I’ll take you out to dinner.”
He ended the call and dialed Olesya. She did not answer. His second call also went unanswered.
Ten minutes later, Anton was already sitting in a taxi, sending his wife messages saying she would regret what she had done.
At the apartment door, he inserted his key but could not turn it. He checked the number, pressed the handle again, and rang the bell.
Olesya approached the door but did not open it.
“You changed the lock?” Anton asked.
“Yes.”
“Let me in immediately.”
Anton pressed down on the handle again.
“Your things are in storage. The inventory is in your messages.”
“You have no right to decide this alone.”
“I can make the decision to divorce you on my own. I’ll file the application on Monday.”
Anton stopped pushing the handle.
“Because of Mishka? I already told him no.”
Olesya placed her hand on the lock. Her fingers rested on the key. She waited for Anton to admit his lie without excuses and stop demanding access to the apartment.
The elevator was operating behind the wall. The neighbors might have been listening, and the shelves in the study were already empty.
“Open the door,” Anton said more quietly. “I said things I shouldn’t have. There won’t be any tenant. We’ll sit down and discuss everything calmly.”
Olesya had already gripped the key.
The elevator stopped on the floor. Mikhail stepped out carrying a large suitcase, a backpack, and a folding chair.
“Anton, I could barely find the entrance,” he said. “You told me Olesya would be staying with her mother until Monday. Are you going to give me the key to the room now?”
Behind the door, Olesya released the key.
Anton cursed and stepped toward his cousin.
“I told you not to come.”
“When did you tell me that? Half an hour ago, you wrote that everything was still arranged.”
“Get out of here.”
Mikhail put his suitcase on the floor and did not move.
“What about my deposit? I turned down my landlord and moved out of my room.”
Olesya started recording on her phone and opened the door as far as the security chain allowed. Anton turned toward her.
“You see? He misunderstood everything himself.”
“Show me the message,” Olesya said to Mikhail.
He looked uncertainly at his cousin, then held his phone toward the gap. The screen displayed the time and Anton’s message.
“Come at six. My wife will be gone, and the study is yours. Pay me the first month in cash.”
Anton struck the door with his palm, pulling the chain tight.
“Enough with the interrogation!”
Olesya closed the door and turned the key.
“Mikhail, an agreement signed by Anton would not give you the right to live in my apartment. Demand your deposit back from him. I am keeping the recording of this conversation and a copy of the agreement.”
“Olesya, open the door!” Anton shouted. “You’re calling me a fraud in front of my own family!”
“You listed yourself as the landlord of property that does not belong to you. I merely read what you wrote.”
Mikhail placed the folding chair against the wall and demanded his money back. Anton initially denied receiving the transfer, then promised to repay him later. His cousin opened his banking app and named the date of the payment.
A neighbor’s door opened slightly.
Anton grabbed the handle of Mikhail’s suitcase and dragged it toward the elevator.
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Go where?”
“To the hostel.”
The elevator doors opened, but Mikhail held them with his hand.
“You promised me a private room.”
“There are four beds there. One is empty.”
Once inside the elevator, Anton called Olesya again. She silenced her phone and sent her mother-in-law screenshots of the agreement and messages.
A few minutes later, Lidia Petrovna replied briefly.
“Everything is clear now. His bed here is free. He can arrange something for Mishka himself.”
Anton arrived at the hostel alone. Mikhail collected only the deposit his cousin finally returned after a long argument beside an ATM, then left to find somewhere else to stay.
Lidia Petrovna did not comfort her son. She placed the receipt for the room in front of him and asked him to read aloud the name of the person who had paid and the account from which the money had been taken.
“You authorized Olesya to pay for our accommodation from the joint account,” she said. “She followed your instructions.”
“Are you satisfied now? Your own son has to sleep in a hostel because of some strange woman.”
“That woman is your wife. You decided to rent out her study and keep the money for yourself.”
Anton repeated that he had only wanted to help Mikhail. His mother asked why he had not accommodated his cousin in his own home, then reminded him that he did not have one.
Anton pushed the receipt away.
“I’ll sue her for half the apartment.”
“Speak to a lawyer before you start making threats.”
He apologized neither to his mother nor to Olesya. Until late at night, he kept sending messages, demanding that she open the door, accusing her of greed, and promising to tell the entire family what kind of person she truly was.
Olesya saved the correspondence and blocked his calls.
The apartment became unusually quiet.
Olesya walked into the kitchen, cleared the cups from the table, and wiped away the crumbs left from the previous evening’s pastries.
Anton’s old key lay beside the menu list.
She placed it in the bag containing his documents and sealed the edge with transparent tape.
