A small town in the Urals. Narrow streets, old houses with peeling paint, gray five-story buildings along the only wide road.
In the center of this modest landscape stood Lena’s house—a wooden two-story with a leaning fence. The house had been inherited from her grandmother, and although it was in poor condition, for Lena, it had always been the only place where she felt safe.
Every day, the girl woke up at five in the morning. Her workday at the hospital, where she worked as a janitor, started early. After her shift, Lena cleaned the entrances of several buildings or helped neighbors. Her mother, Nadezhda Ivanovna, was bedridden, so Lena worked for two. She carried the burden of caring for the house, her mother, and trying to save a little for roof repairs, which had already started to leak.
«Lena, you should at least take a day off,» her neighbor Aunt Valya said, watching the girl sweep the yard.
«I can’t, Aunt Valya,» Lena replied, smiling, but exhaustion flickered in her eyes. «There’s so much to do.»
Aunt Valya just shook her head. Lena was kind and hardworking, and everyone around thought that life was too harsh on this girl. The local women often discussed her on the bench:
«Poor girl. Young, beautiful, but life has crushed her.»
«Indeed. No family, no rest. Just her mother and work…»
One evening, after a hard day, Lena returned home. She had managed to work a shift at the hospital, clean a couple of entrances, and stop by the store for groceries.
Just as she put the pot on the stove, there was a loud knock at the door. Her neighbor and childhood friend Marina stood on the doorstep.
«Lena, do you even plan to live a little?» she said, entering the house. «You’re always busy, and a circus has come to town!»
«A circus?» Lena was surprised, wiping her hands on a towel.
«Yes, a traveling one. Let’s go, there’s a show tonight, and then a disco under the open sky. When was the last time you treated yourself?»
Lena hesitated. She didn’t like noisy events and felt uncomfortable in crowds.
«Marina, I have to get up early tomorrow… And I don’t want to leave Mom alone for too long.»
«Of course,» Marina waved her hand. «As always. Just work and home. What about Mom? She herself told me to drag you out. Come on, Lena, you need to unwind.»
After much persuasion, Lena reluctantly agreed. She changed into the best she had—a simple but clean dress.
A lot of people gathered in the main square: children ran around with cotton candy, music played on the stage. Lena stayed on the sidelines while Marina chatted with friends. Suddenly, an unfamiliar man approached her. Tall, with a confident smile, he clearly stood out from the locals.
«Hello, I’m Igor,» he said.
«Lena,» she replied quietly, a bit flustered.
«Are you from here?» he asked.
«Yes,» Lena nodded.
Igor turned out to be talkative. He shared that he was born in this town but went to study in the regional center and now had returned because he «wanted something simple.» Lena listened to him, trying to figure out what exactly attracted her to him: his confidence or his ability to keep the conversation going.
«You’re a rarity,» he suddenly said, looking into her eyes. «Modest, somehow cozy. You don’t find many like that these days.»
Lena blushed. It had been a long time since anyone had said such things to her.
From that evening, Igor began to appear frequently in her life. He would stop by her house under the pretext of bringing something tasty for her mom, helped fix broken things, and even chopped wood for the stove. Nadezhda Ivanovna, Lena’s mother, was initially distrustful of him, but gradually she grew fond of him.
«He’s a good guy,» she said one day. «Lena, maybe he’s your destiny?»
Lena just smiled, but inside she increasingly caught herself enjoying the idea of being with Igor.
But the guy was interested in more than just her.
«You have a nice plot here,» he once said while helping to saw wood. «How many acres?»
«Why do you need to know?» Lena asked with a light tease.
«Just curious. It’s a convenient place.»
Lena laughed and didn’t think much of it. She thought his interest was just care. She didn’t yet know how much this interest could turn her life upside down.
Three months had passed since Lena met Igor. He had already become part of the family: he went shopping, helped clear snow from the yard, even took her mother to the doctor. Lena began to believe that she had found her happiness. However, Igor increasingly brought up the topic of the house.
«Lena, just look,» he said, sitting at the kitchen table and poking at his plate with a fork. «The house is old. It needs repairs. Pouring money into it is like throwing it down the drain.»
«What are you suggesting?» Lena asked cautiously.
«Sell it, of course. Buy an apartment. A new one. Clean. Without all this headache.»
Lena looked out the window. She didn’t want to argue, but the thought of selling the house made her uncomfortable. It was her only home, a place tied to her childhood.
«Mom’s here,» she said quietly. «She’s used to it here. It would be hard for her in an apartment.»
«What’s so hard about it? There are all the amenities there. An elevator. And here you are, struggling with this wood heating. You know how much I worry about you? You’re always slaving away like Cinderella.»
Igor smirked, but his voice carried notes of impatience. Lena thought about it. His words seemed caring, but something about them alarmed her.
A week later, Igor brought up a new topic: a loan.
«Lena, listen, I’ve been thinking. If we sell the house, we could take out a small loan and open our own business. How about a cafe? I know a great place.»
«A cafe?» Lena was surprised.
«Yeah, a regular, local one. With pies, homemade food. We’d make a killing! Then we could buy a bigger apartment, in the regional center.»
«Are you serious?» Lena laughed, but her laugh was nervous.
«Of course! Don’t you believe me?»
She wanted to object, but hesitated. Igor pouted offensively, looking at her like a puppy that didn’t get a treat.
«Well, I need to think about it,» she muttered.
«What’s there to think about? I’m doing this for us. Don’t you trust me?» Igor leaned in closer, looking straight into her eyes.
Lena felt a slight sting of guilt. She nodded.
A month later, Igor convinced Lena that the house needed major repairs.
«With what?» Lena asked. «I haven’t even saved up for the roof yet.»
But the fiancé promised to take all the expenses on himself. The girl signed some papers stating that everything was transferred to Igor. He explained it as «more convenient for processing.»
«Lena, don’t worry,» he said, waving his hands. «Everything will be under control. I’d never let you down.»
But from that moment, Igor began to change. He started to appear at home less frequently, often excused himself with «important matters.» One evening, Lena waited for him all evening, having prepared dinner, but he never showed up.
«Where were you?» she asked over the phone when she finally managed to reach him.
«Lena, what are you starting?» he responded irritably. «I was working. I’m swamped.»
«You didn’t even warn me…»
«Enough, I don’t have time for this.»
Lena hung up, feeling anxiety wash over her.
A week later, she noticed strange people near the house. A man in a dark coat was photographing the house and yard. Lena approached him.
«Who are you?» she asked.
«A buyer. The house is a bit old, but the location is excellent. The owner said it’s an exclusive offer.»
Lena felt her knees buckle.
«What owner?»
The man looked at her, surprised, raising his eyebrows.
«Your husband, probably. Igor.»
Lena rushed into the house. She was shaking. She called Igor, but he didn’t answer. Her thoughts raced like a cornered animal: How could he? Why? What now?
By evening, Igor finally showed up but behaved arrogantly and distantly.
«Lena, why are you making such a fuss?» he said, brushing her off. «Yes, I put it up for sale. That’s what we planned, isn’t it?»
«Without me? Without my consent?»
«Lena, come on,» he grabbed her shoulders. «Don’t you realize, you’re safe as houses with me? I’ll take care of everything.»
«This is our home, Igor! Our mother’s and mine!»
«It’s mine now,» he coldly dropped. «You signed it over yourself.»
His words struck her like a knife to the heart. Lena froze, realizing she had been deceived.
That night, Lena couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned in bed while her mind searched for a way out of this awful situation. By dawn, she had made up her mind. Her first step was to find out how to get her house back.
Her neighbor, Aunt Valya, upon hearing the story, suggested going to the local police officer.
«Lena, you need to act, stop sitting around crying. Go and fight for your rights,» Aunt Valya urged, gesticulating wildly.
«What can the police officer do?» Lena asked doubtfully.
«Well, at least he can start looking into it. Don’t just sit there doing nothing.»
At the station, Sergey Vasilievich, an elderly policeman with gray mustaches, listened attentively to Lena.
«So, Lenochka,» he said, wearily rubbing his face. «Did you read these documents when you signed them?»
«I did,» she nodded, barely holding back tears. «But he said it was temporary.»
«He said—that’s fine, but how do you prove it? He’s cunning, probably thought everything through. Write a statement for now, and we’ll start an investigation.»
Sergey Vasilievich summoned Igor for a discussion. Igor arrived, frowning and clearly irritated.
«Why are you hounding me?» he snapped. «Everything’s legal. The documents are signed. Lena transferred everything to me herself.»
«Did you pay any money?» the officer asked sternly.
«What money? We were living together. It was sort of a gift. Can’t one make a gift?»
Listening to this, Lena clenched her fists.
«A gift? You deceived me! You said it was temporary!»
«You wanted it yourself.»
«Stop lying!»
Igor laughed, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes.
«Come on, what’s this harassment about?»
However, Sergey Vasilievich had seen the likes of Igor before.
«You, boy, are far from a hero. You’re not the first here to prey on the vulnerable. Be sure, we’ll get to the bottom of this.»
Lena left the station feeling a small sense of relief, though she knew the process would take time.
«It’s alright, Lena,» Aunt Valya encouraged her. «Just hang in there. The earth doesn’t cherish the likes of him.»
Meanwhile, Lena began looking for other people Igor had victimized.
The first to come forward was Galina—a middle-aged woman with a stern face. At first, she didn’t want to talk, but learning that Lena was fighting to reclaim her home, she agreed to help.
«He took money from me,» Galina confessed, sighing heavily. «Said he’d invest it in a car to start a taxi service. Then he disappeared.»
Lena recorded all of Galina’s words and added them to her statement. Gradually, several more victims emerged in neighboring towns: one had given him gold jewelry, another had taken out a loan in her name. Igor had played on their feelings, deceived them, and then vanished.
A month later, the case gained momentum. Igor tried to flee but was caught. At the trial, he looked pitiful: his smile was gone, and his confidence had dissolved.
«I didn’t mean to deceive anyone,» he said, looking at the floor. «It all happened by accident.»
Lena, standing before the judge, stated proudly:
«He broke my life. But I believe in justice. I want him to answer for everything.»
Igor received a real sentence for fraud. Lena got her house back through the court.
After the trial, she sat on the porch for a long time, looking at the yard. Her mother, seeing her daughter, smiled for the first time in a long while.
«Lenochka, I knew you were strong.»
Lena smiled back. She felt that she had not only regained her home but also found the confidence she had always lacked. Now her life belonged only to her.
Years passed. Lena continued to live in her home, which had now become her fortress in both a literal and metaphorical sense. She renovated it and turned the surrounding plot into a beautiful garden where she grew fruits and vegetables. Her life went on: work, rare meetings with friends, caring for her mother. She no longer allowed herself to rely on others, but that didn’t mean she stopped dreaming.
Igor, after being released from prison, tried to return to his usual life. Once he came to town, but he found that everyone remembered him—and not fondly. Rumors were that he had moved far north, getting a job as a watchman at a warehouse, but since then, no one had heard from him. For Lena, this was just a faint reminder of a past she had definitively left behind. Her story was about how a person can find the strength to escape any adversity.
