“Arthur, would you like me to serve you some roast beef salad?” his wife asked gently. “I know you love it with this dressing. I even went all the way across town to get that special mustard sauce you praised last summer.”
Arthur didn’t take his eyes off his smartphone, muttering lazily through his teeth:
“Marina, I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m cutting before filming. Sauces, mayo, all these high-calorie nonsense—they belong in a factory cafeteria. I’ll just have a few slices of ham and a glass of brut, nothing more.”
Outside, a real December blizzard was raging. The wind hurled stinging snow against the dark windows and wailed through the chimney like a living creature desperate to escape the cold and find warmth inside. But here, in the spacious living room of their country house, it was a completely different world.
It was a world scented with tangerine peels, freshly cut pine, and expensive men’s cologne. Firewood crackled cozily in the fireplace, casting golden reflections onto the snowy-white tablecloth. The crystal sparkled with cleanliness, and every setting was arranged with perfect precision.
Marina had been working her magic over this table since the early morning, not sitting down for a minute. With slightly trembling fingers, she straightened a starched linen napkin and shot a quick, cautious glance at her brother-in-law. She so wanted this evening to be truly warm and kind.
Arthur sprawled in a leather chair by the window, completely absorbed in his messages. His perfectly manicured fingers danced over the screen, his well-groomed face frozen in a look of condescending boredom. It seemed he didn’t care at all about the hostess’s efforts or how rare it was for their family to all gather together now.
Marina, the daughter of the hosts and Arthur’s wife, sighed quietly and took her seat. She poured wine into the glasses, struggling to calm her nerves.
“Arthur,” she said quietly but firmly. “Mom and Dad have been working hard all day. Out of respect, could you at least try a spoonful?”
“Marina, don’t start, okay?” Arthur finally looked up, his eyes flashing with barely hidden irritation. “We’re here to celebrate in style, not stuff our faces like it’s a wake in a rural village.”
A thick, sticky silence settled over the table. Arkady Lvovich, Marina’s father, cleared his throat loudly and adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he was incredibly observant, and hardly anything escaped his notice.
His attentive gaze took in his daughter’s strained smile and then Arthur’s sulky pout. Arkady Lvovich had spent his life as chief engineer at a large factory and could read people as easily as blueprints.
“Well then,” he said in a deep, slightly husky voice, raising his glass. “Let’s properly see off the outgoing year. It was a tough one, shook us all pretty well, but we’re alive, we’re healthy, and we’re together again. The rest is just details.”
*
Marina nodded gratefully to her father, a lump rising in her throat. She could see how tense her mother, Tamara Ivanovna, was—sitting right at the edge of her chair, as if she were a guest in her own home.
For the third year in a row, they celebrated New Year’s together with the exact same group. And every time, the exhausting charade would play out all over again.
Arthur always acted like a dethroned prince, forced to endure the company of commoners. The irony? He actually came from a tiny village with just two streets, and everything he had now—a nice apartment, a car, expensive clothes—was thanks to Marina.
“Let’s drink to patience,” Arthur said with a sly smirk as he clinked glasses with his wife. “I have a feeling we’re all going to need it tonight.”
Marina tightened her grip on her wine glass. More than anything, she wanted this evening to go perfectly. She had a special surprise prepared, hoping to show her parents how much she cherished everything they had done for her.
But looking at her husband, she felt a dull, anxious wave rising inside her. It was as if she already knew the whole celebration could fall apart because of a single careless word.
The chimes of midnight drowned out the wind howling outside the window. A chorus of “Hurray!” rang out, glasses clinked, and music streamed from the speakers. For a few precious minutes, the tension faded away, replaced by pure, genuine joy.
“Happy New Year, my dears! To new happiness!” Tamara Ivanovna spontaneously hugged her daughter, pressing her cheek to Marina’s shoulder. “Marina, my sweet girl, I’m so glad you came, so grateful you’re here with us.”
“I’m happy too, Mom,” Marina whispered, giving her mom a gentle kiss on the temple. “You’re the best parents in the world. I can’t imagine what I would do without you.”
Once the initial excitement faded, the most anticipated moment arrived—the giving of gifts. Under the tall, full Christmas tree, filling the room with a piney scent, was a huge pile of colorful boxes and packages.
Marina got up and walked over to the antique dresser. She took out a small box covered in deep blue velvet and held it to her chest for a moment.
*
After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Marina walked over to her father. Smiling through the tears welling up in her eyes, she handed him the gift.
“Dad, this is for you. From me and Arthur. We spent a long time choosing it, and I truly hope you’ll like it. No one in the world deserves it more than you.”
The living room instantly fell strangely quiet. Arthur, who up until now had been lazily studying his fingernails, suddenly perked up and sat straighter. With a predatory, unblinking gaze, he watched his father-in-law’s hands.
Arkady Lvovich let out a sheepish grunt, untied the thin silk ribbon, and lifted the lid. The next second, an involuntary, astonished gasp escaped his chest.
“My goodness… Marisha… what is this…”
On a velvet cushion rested a gold watch. This was more than just a thing—it was a true work of jewelry art: a sleek yet elegant case, a dial of deep noble color, and a border encrusted with real diamonds sparkling in the garland lights with every color of the rainbow.
“This must have cost an absolute fortune,” Arkady Lvovich whispered, moisture shining in the corners of his eyes. “Sweetheart, why? This is far too expensive. I can’t accept such a gift—please, take it back.”
«Dad, please stop,» Marina said firmly, gently covering his big hand with hers. «Do you remember wearing the same old coat for ten years, just so you could pay for my college? Do you remember how you and Mom sold the garage and the old ‘Volga’ just to help us with the down payment on our apartment?»
She took a moment to steady her voice, trying to calm the trembling.
«This is just a small fraction of what I dream of doing for you. Wear it and always remember how much we love you.»
Tamara Ivanovna brought her hand to her lips and nodded approvingly:
«She’s right, dear. Take it. Your daughter is giving this from the bottom of her heart. You’ve never spent an extra cent on yourself—all your life, it was for us and her. It’s time you enjoyed something nice for a change.»
The fragile harmony was shattered by a sharp, unpleasant noise. Artur slammed his heavy fork down onto the porcelain plate.
«How touching,» he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. «Truly brings a tear to the eye. May I ask, dear wife, where is my present in all of this? Or did our entire family budget go towards making your father’s dream come true?»
*
Marina slowly turned to her husband. She’d expected this reaction, but had still naïvely hoped that, with her parents around, Artur would show at least a little restraint.
«Your gift is right here,» she replied calmly, pulling a large shopping bag with an elite brand’s logo from under the Christmas tree. «It’s that limited-edition perfume and skincare set you were talking about—remember how you dreamed about it just a month ago?»
Artur snatched the bag from her hands, peeked inside, and grimaced as if he’d discovered something revolting.
«Bottles? Seriously?» he glared at his wife, eyes full of icy rage. «You get your dad a diamond watch worth half my annual salary, and give your own husband some creams from the pharmacy? Do you even hear yourself, Marina?»
«Artur!» Marina’s voice was now harder than steel. «We discussed all this in advance. It was your idea.»
«What did we discuss?!» he shrieked, leaping from his seat so fast the chair almost tipped over. «That I’d be stuck at the table next to your father, looking like some poor relative living off handouts?!»
«Enough of this circus, right now,» Marina stood up, gripped his elbow tightly and nearly dragged him out to the hallway, away from her bewildered parents.
In the dimly lit entryway, she spun him around to face her.
«What are you doing? Are you deliberately trying to ruin everyone’s celebration?»
«You ruined it!» Artur hissed, yanking his arm away. «You humiliated me in front of your old folks! Why does he get diamonds, and I just get a pharmacy set?!»
«Because your real present is waiting for you at the dealership and will arrive in two weeks!» Marina tried to keep her voice down, but it kept breaking. «We agreed on everything! We’re trading in your three-year-old SUV for a brand-new one, top of the line! That costs ten times more than those watches!»
She searched his eyes, desperate to see even a spark of understanding.
«You’re the one who told me: ‘Don’t waste money on random stuff, let’s just update the car.’ I did everything just like you wanted.»
“A car is just a way to get from one place to another!” Arthur shot back, a feverish glint in his eyes. “But a watch on your wrist, that’s status! That’s what people see right now, at the table! How am I supposed to look sitting next to him? He’s dripping in gold while I’m sitting here with a tube of hand cream? Do you love your daddy more than me?”
“He lent us money when my salon was on the brink of closing! He raised me and never once asked for anything in return!” Marina gasped, trembling with anger. “Arthur, get a grip! You’re acting like a spoiled, insatiable child!”
*
They returned to the living room after several long minutes. The atmosphere was hopelessly poisoned. Arkady Lvovich sat with his gray head bowed, absentmindedly turning a closed velvet box in his hands. Tamara Ivanovna was staring gloomily at the pattern on her plate.
“Please forgive us,” Marina said with a stiff smile as she sat down. “Just a small misunderstanding, nothing serious.”
Arthur sat in silence, deliberately turning his back toward his father-in-law. He poured himself a full glass of champagne and downed half of it in one go.
Arkady Lvovich looked up at his son-in-law, his eyes almost apologetic.
“Arthur, my boy… don’t hold a grudge. We welcome you as family.”
Arthur just snorted and stared at the wall across from him.
“You know,” Arkady Lvovich’s voice trembled, but suddenly there was an unexpected resolve. He pushed the box across the table toward his son-in-law. “Take them for yourself.”
“Dad, no!” Marina cried, jumping to her feet.
“Easy, sweetheart,” her father stopped her with a brief gesture. “An old man like me doesn’t need all this luxury. Where would I wear them? To dig potatoes at the dacha? To sit in the clinic waiting for the doctor? Arthur is young, good-looking—he’s on camera, in the public eye. He’ll get so much more use out of it.”
Arthur slowly turned his head, eyes locked on the deep blue velvet. Greed battled with the last shreds of decency in his face for a split second. Then, greed won completely.
“Are you serious?” he asked, and his voice held no anger anymore, only sweet anticipation.
“Absolutely,” Arkady Lvovich nodded with a sad, understanding smile. “Let this be a gift from me, your mother-in-law, and Marina together. What matters is peace in the house. Please, don’t fight. My heart can’t handle it.”
Marina looked at her father in unspeakable pain. She wanted to scream, to forbid it, to snatch the box away, but her father’s eyes held nothing but quiet pleading. Once again, as always, he was sacrificing himself for her peace.
“Well, if you insist…” Arthur quickly reached out and grabbed the case. “It would be rude to refuse such a gift, right? Thank you, Arkady Lvovich. You’re a very wise and generous man.”
He immediately snapped the case open, took out the watch, and fastened the hefty bracelet on his wrist. Then he stretched out his arm, admiring the sparkling gems.
“They look perfect,” he announced smugly. “See, Marina? They really do suit me much better. On your father’s wrist, it would be… well, way too flashy for his age.”
*
Tamara Ivanovna pushed her chair back noisily and stood up.
“I’m going out to get some air on the terrace,” she muttered, not even glancing at her son-in-law as she left the room.
Marina sipped her wine in silence. Meanwhile, Artur was all smiles, chatting away about nonsense as if nothing had happened, casting sneaky glances at his new possession. For him, the unpleasant episode was long forgotten—he’d gotten exactly what he wanted.
New Year’s Eve dragged on, sticky and endless. Marina went to bed after midnight, but didn’t close her eyes until dawn.
The morning of January first was surprisingly quiet and sunny. The snow outside sparkled so brightly it hurt to look at.
Marina got up with her head heavy and throbbing. Next to her on the pillow, Artur slept peacefully. In sleep his face looked almost childlike, angelic even, but Marina knew all too well by now that it was just a mask.
She threw on her robe and went downstairs. The kitchen was empty and cool. Apparently, her parents were still asleep or had gone out for a morning walk.
Marina turned on the coffee maker, and the aroma of freshly ground beans brought her back to life a little. She sat down at the table, cupping the hot mug in her hands.
About ten minutes later, Artur breezed into the kitchen—fresh, cheerful, dressed in silk pajamas, and even this early, those diamond-studded watches glimmered on his wrist.
“Good morning, my love!” he sang, trying to kiss his wife’s cheek. “Making coffee? Could you please make me a cappuccino? Extra strong.”
Marina pulled away and looked straight at his hand.
«Did you actually sleep with them on?»
«But of course,» Artur chirped, settling into his seat. «I didn’t want to take them off—they’re so comfortable. Actually, I was just thinking… these watches would go perfectly with a new white gold bracelet. My old one looks cheap next to them. Since we decided not to spend money on winter tires for the new car…»
Marina set her cup down so hard it splashed coffee onto the tablecloth, leaving a dark stain.
*
“Artur,” she said softly and very slowly, “do you really not understand what you did yesterday?”
“Oh god, not this again,” he rolled his eyes dramatically. “Your father gave me those watches of his own free will. I didn’t force him. It was entirely his decision.”
“You made him do it,” Marina seethed. “You created a scene. You blackmailed everyone with your attitude. You ruined the holiday. Dad only gave them to you to get you to shut up and stop getting on my nerves.”
“And that’s great! In the end, everyone’s happy,” Artur shrugged. “He gets to feel like a generous giver, and I get a beautiful thing. So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is you’re a heartless person,” Marina said clearly.
Artur froze with his cup just short of his lips.
“What did you just say?”
“I said you’re selfish, insatiable, and heartless. And there’s something else I want to ask you: in all these years, what have you given me?”
Artur blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean? I thought we agreed not to give each other gifts…”
“I gave you perfume. I ordered you a new car. I bought Dad an expensive present,” Marina counted off on her fingers. “And you? Did you ever sign me a card? Buy me a pack of socks? Anything at all?”
«Marina, you’re petty and stingy!» he shrieked. «You’re a woman, and you earn money—so you should provide for me and make me happy!»
«And you’re only here to take and consume?» Marina stood up and moved right up to him. «You know, all this time, I’ve been making excuses for you. I thought maybe you just had a tough personality, childhood traumas, a poor and hungry upbringing… but no. You’re just empty inside. You took the gift meant for my father, a man who would have given his last shirt for us. And you don’t even feel the tiniest bit of shame.»
She took a deep breath, as if preparing to plunge into icy water, and finally spoke the words that had been growing inside her through a sleepless night.
«Here’s how it’s going to be. There will be no new car. I’m canceling the order first thing this morning.»
Arthur’s face flushed with blotchy red patches.
«You wouldn’t dare! You promised!»
*
«I’ve promised a lot of things,» Marina answered calmly. «I promised to love you for the rest of my life, for example. But you did everything you could to kill that love in me. You won’t get another cent from me. If you want a luxurious life—go earn it yourself. Go back to your barbershop, cut hair, model, do whatever you want. I’m done supporting a grown-up freeloader.»
Arthur jumped up, knocking over the chair with a loud crash.
«Is that how it is?! So you’re holding money over my head?! Without me, you’re nothing! I’m the sparkle in your dull life!»
«You are the biggest mistake of my life,» Marina said coldly. «Pack your things. I’m calling you a taxi. You’re moving to our city apartment, and right after the holidays, I’m filing for divorce.»
For a moment, silence hung in the kitchen. Arthur stared at her with wide eyes, slowly realizing this was no empty threat. Marina spoke evenly, without yelling or tears, and that was what scared him most of all.
«Divorce?» he hissed. «Over some stupid watch? Because of your old man?»
«Because of the way you treat people. Because where any normal person would have a soul, you just have a gaping hole.»
Rage twisted his handsome face beyond recognition. He yanked the watch off his wrist, scraping his skin raw with the clasp.
«Take your lousy handouts!» he shouted, his voice unrecognizable. «Here! Take your precious gold! I want nothing from your family!»
He hurled the watch at the tiled wall with all his might. A sickening crunch echoed through the room. The heavy gold case hit the tile and crashed to the floor. The glass face shattered into tiny shards, the bracelet twisted unnaturally, and miniature sparkling gears rolled out from the broken mechanism.
Marina turned pale. She stared at the heap of twisted metal, which just moments ago had been a beautiful, love-filled gift.
«Get out,» she said quietly, eyes lowered.
«What?»
«Get out!» she screamed. «You have fifteen minutes to disappear from my life forever!»
*
Arthur stepped back in fear, then abruptly turned and dashed out of the kitchen. A minute later, the sounds of drawers being yanked open, a suitcase banging, and the furious slamming of closet doors floated down from upstairs.
Marina sank to her knees in front of the shattered clock. Gently, as if she were handling a wounded bird, she picked up the twisted frame from the cold floor. The diamonds still sparkled indifferently in the rays of the morning sun, but the hands were frozen forever.
The kitchen door creaked softly. Arkady Lvovich appeared on the threshold, with Tamara Ivanovna right behind him. They had heard everything, from the very first word to the last.
Arthur rushed past them in the hallway, dragging a huge suitcase behind him.
«Your daughter is a total psychopath!» he spat out as he left. «Enjoy living in your own musty swamp!»
The heavy front door slammed, the engine of the waiting taxi roared outside, and silence fell over the house once again. Marina was still sitting on the floor, clutching the broken pieces tightly in her hand.
Arkady Lvovich gasped softly when he saw the remains of the clock, pressing his hand to his chest.
«Marisha… my little girl…» he managed to sit down beside her and wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders. «Why did you lose your temper like that? Maybe you didn’t have to be so drastic? He was your husband, after all…»
«Ex-husband, Dad,» Marina replied quietly, not unclenching her fist. «And thank God the truth came out. Forgive me. I brought a stranger, a cruel person into our home. I let him humiliate you. That’s my fault.»
Tamara Ivanovna came closer, taking heavy steps, and placed a warm hand on her daughter’s head.
«Don’t beat yourself up, my dear. A rotten apple falls from a healthy tree on its own. It’s good it happened before you had children. You acted with dignity, like a strong person. Your father and I are proud of you.»
Marina looked up at her mother, then at her father. Tears were streaming down his wrinkled cheeks, but he was smiling—sadly, yet somehow with a shining warmth.
«Dad,» Marina’s voice grew stronger, more determined. «I’ll fix everything. I promise.»
*
«Forget about that clock, sweetheart, it’s just metal, not worth anything compared to you,» Arkady Lvovich waved his hand. «What matters is that you’re here, safe and sound.»
«No,» Marina said stubbornly, getting up from the floor and carefully wrapping the shards in a linen napkin. «It’s not just metal. I know a watchmaker—a true wizard with his craft. He’ll put them together again. He’ll give them a new mechanism, polish the case till it shines, replace the glass. They’ll work again, Dad. They’ll be better than new.»
She walked over to the window, where, through thinning clouds, the bright, triumphant winter sun finally broke through.
«We’ll fix everything, Dad. The clock, our lives—it will all get better, you’ll see.»
Tamara Ivanovna wiped her wet cheeks with the corner of her apron and headed determinedly for the stove.
«Well, if everything’s going to be all right,» she said, pulling out a large frying pan, «then let’s finally have a real breakfast. How about some pancakes?»
«Yes, please,» Marina smiled for the first time in many hours, feeling the heavy weight in her heart begin to lift. «With sweetened condensed milk and cherry jam. Just like when I was a kid.»
Arkady Lvovich grunted, pulled up a chair to the table, and stretched with pleasure.
«And a double portion for me, dear. I don’t think I’ve been as hungry in a whole year as I am this morning.»
The house was once again filled with the aroma of fresh coffee, vanilla, and melted butter. Overnight, the blizzard had finally settled down, as if it had taken away everything unnecessary and left only peace behind.
Marina sat down between her parents, took both of their hands, and closed her eyes for a moment. Ahead of her was an entirely new life, and she faced it without fear.
