— “Why didn’t your mother call this time and say she was leaving?” Regina asked her husband. “The flowers need care. She puts so much of her heart into them. If the soil dries out, some finicky plants never recover. Why was she so reckless this time? Was she in that much of a hurry?”
“She didn’t want to bother you unnecessarily. She’s gone only for a few days, so she figured nothing terrible would happen,” Mikhail smiled.
Even so, Regina worried. She understood her mother-in-law’s concern for her—traveling to the other side of the city at seven months pregnant is hard, but not impossible! Nothing bad would happen if she went to tend the flowers. She ought to move more instead of sitting around.
“I’m going anyway. Don’t worry. I’ll be there and back in no time. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Mikhail smiled, looking at his wife with tenderness.
“If you want, let’s go together. I’ll just hop in the shower.”
“No need. Rest. You’ve worked six days straight without a day off. Sleep a little longer, and when I get back, we’ll take a walk in the park. All right?”
Mikhail agreed. He really was tired—there was a rush at work, they had to finish a project on a tight deadline. It had been hard to make it all fit, but they managed, and now the fatigue was catching up. He tried to dissuade his wife, but she wouldn’t hear of it—she had already made up her mind.
Regina had a good relationship with her mother-in-law. Nina Aleksandrovna doted on her daughter-in-law, practically blowing specks of dust off her. She hadn’t even told her she was going on a business trip so as not to worry her. Regina was lucky with her husband and his mother. She often thanked the Almighty for allowing her to go against the usual fears. She had been afraid she’d have to compete with her mother-in-law, stuck in an awkward spot, torn between resentments and her husband’s relationship with his mother. But those troubles passed her by. After Mikhail’s first failed marriage, Nina Aleksandrovna valued Regina very highly. She never tired of saying how lucky she was with her daughter-in-law. Ella, Mikhail’s first wife, had been entirely different. She didn’t appreciate being treated well. All she wanted was for her husband to obey her every whim, provide a carefree life, and dote on her as if they were forever in the honeymoon phase. She herself had no intention of lifting a finger. When she realized she had chosen the wrong man and met someone else who could provide for her, she quickly filed for divorce. By then, Mikhail himself was already planning to go his separate way. He didn’t suffer, though he regretted having married in haste. With Regina it was different: Mikhail took a long time observing his new beloved before deciding to propose. And now they were happy, awaiting the birth of their first child. Nina Aleksandrovna was also eagerly awaiting her grandchild’s arrival. She spoiled her daughter-in-law and did everything to make her feel comfortable. Many can only dream of such a mother-in-law, and Regina had been so fortunate!
Climbing to the fourth floor by the stairs, since the elevator was out of order, Regina caught her breath and opened her mother-in-law’s apartment with her own key. Long ago, Nina Aleksandrovna had made a key for her and said she trusted her daughter-in-law more than herself. Smiling, Regina pushed the door open and stepped inside. She was surprised to hear a television playing in the living room. Could Nina Aleksandrovna have forgotten to turn it off? What shocked her more was that a girl of about seven ran out of the room. Regina wasn’t frightened, but she looked at the child warily.
“Why did you come without an invitation?” the girl asked, staring sternly at Regina.
For a moment Regina thought there had been some mistake. Surely she hadn’t mixed up the doors and somehow managed to open the wrong one with her key? No, of course not. Then who was this child, and what was she doing here? Nina Aleksandrovna hadn’t said she’d allowed any acquaintances to stay. And Regina had never seen this child before.
“Masha, go watch your cartoons. I’ll speak with our uninvited guest,” said a stranger who emerged from the kitchen. Looking closely at her, Regina thought she had seen that face somewhere. She tried to remember—perhaps a distant relative of her mother-in-law? A friend’s daughter? But her mind was in chaos. She hadn’t expected to meet anyone in an apartment that should have been empty. Now it was clear why her mother-in-law hadn’t called—someone was already there to look after the flowers. But the mess in the apartment didn’t please Regina at all. Guests or not, they weren’t keeping things in order.
“I came to water Nina Aleksandrovna’s plants. She didn’t say anyone was staying in her apartment.”
“Mm… The plants have been watered. No need to worry about that. If that’s all, you can leave. My daughter doesn’t like strangers. Besides…”
Regina gasped, because she suddenly realized where she’d seen this woman before: her mother-in-law’s photo album still had several pictures from Mikhail’s first wedding. It was her! His ex-wife. She looked very different now—not as fresh and beautiful as before—but it was definitely her. Yet why was she here? Regina’s heart thudded and seemed to flip in her chest. What was this supposed to mean? Why was Misha’s ex-wife living in his mother’s apartment? How had Nina Aleksandrovna allowed this?
“I know you,” Regina whispered. “But… how did you end up here?”
“Do I owe you an explanation? We don’t know each other, even if you know who I am. I’m living in my mother-in-law’s apartment—and in my daughter’s grandmother’s apartment. I have every right. As for who you are—I have no idea. If you don’t leave right now, I’ll call Nina Aleksandrovna or Misha and demand they call the police.”
“Misha?” Regina repeated, still not grasping what was happening. Her daughter’s grandmother? Could this girl be Misha’s child? But her husband had never said he had children from his first marriage, and her mother-in-law had never mentioned a word. Feeling betrayed, Regina forced herself to push away the negative thoughts. After all, she didn’t really know anything yet. Her husband wouldn’t have let her into his mother’s apartment so easily if he knew his ex was staying there now. Something didn’t add up. Regina never allowed emotions to cloud her reason, so she decided to make use of the situation and get more information from Ella to understand how she had ended up in the apartment. “Does Mikhail know you’re here?”
“Of course he does. His mother personally let us in. His daughter and I are in a tough spot right now, but it’s only temporary. As soon as his new flame gives birth, he’ll kick her out—Nina Aleksandrovna promised she’d take care of everything. Anyway, who are you? I’m not going to explain myself to you. The plants don’t need watering. Leave.”
Regina nodded. Barely processing what was happening, she nonetheless left the apartment and slowly wandered forward. Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t piece together a coherent picture from the scattered bits of the mosaic.
So, Nina Aleksandrovna had let her son’s ex-wife into her apartment, and that’s why she hadn’t asked Regina to check on the plants. But why did Ella speak so confidently about a divorce? Her mother-in-law had been angry with her first daughter-in-law; she would never take her side and ruin her son’s current marriage. No! This was utter nonsense. Certain that her husband would never have let her go to his mother’s place if he’d known who was living there, Regina tried to calm herself. The last thing she needed was to worry over trifles!.. She had to take care of the baby she carried under her heart, and that meant, first and foremost, pulling herself together.
She barely remembered how she got home—her mind was in a real fog. Mikhail immediately noticed his wife’s anxiety and tried to find out what was wrong.
“Is everything okay? You don’t look well. I shouldn’t have let you go,” he fretted.
“Did you and Ella have children?” Regina asked, sitting down on the sofa. She stroked her belly, because the baby had sensed his mother’s agitation and started kicking actively, reminding them of his presence.
“Children? Of course not. We practically didn’t have intimacy after the wedding. I was working myself to the bone, and she was constantly complaining. Why are you asking me that now?”
Regina smiled and squeezed her husband’s hand to show she trusted him.
“It’s just… she’s living in your mother’s apartment now with her daughter. She insists the child is yours.”
Mikhail hiccuped from surprise. It was hard to believe what he’d heard, and for a moment he even thought his wife was playing a joke, but he quickly realized she wasn’t.
“That can’t be true. Mom never told me she’d seen Ella, let alone let her stay in her apartment. I’ll talk to her and try to find out what’s going on.”
“No need, Misha. She’s on a business trip and busy with work. Why distract her? We’ll talk when she gets back. After all, I trust you. Your ex tried to convince me that you’d come back to her and the girl as soon as our baby is born, but… I’m not stupid; I’m not that easy to fool. She picked the wrong person.”
Mikhail was just as shocked as his wife. He was astonished that Ella had decided to come back into his life. Were things really so bad in her new relationship? Had her new husband thrown her out even with a child? And why had his mother taken her in? She had always said Ella’s intentions were dirty. He needed to get to the bottom of this. Mikhail was grateful to his wife for correctly assessing the situation instead of giving in to emotions and throwing him out. He would have a serious talk with Ella and find out what she wanted from him at all. He had no feelings left for her—only bitter memories. Even if Regina weren’t in his life now, he still wouldn’t go back to Ella. Their past had ended too badly; she had hurt him too much back then.
On the phone with his mother, Mikhail nevertheless asked how it had happened that Regina ran into Ella in her apartment. Nina Vasilievna asked him to wait until her return so she could explain her motives.
She returned a few days later. She was very surprised that, in return for her kindness, Ella had once again decided to stab her in the back and slander her.
“When she showed up with a child, it occurred to me that this really might be my granddaughter. I felt sorry for the girl, and I agreed to let them stay for a couple of weeks while the flood damage in their apartment was repaired. Ella insisted that Masha was Misha’s daughter, so I decided to have a DNA test done secretly. Naturally, the result was negative. Ella keeps insisting she’s my granddaughter, but her behavior says a lot. She made it all up on purpose and tried to set you and Regina at odds. I have so many photos of you two around the house that Ella simply could not have failed to recognize my daughter-in-law. I’m terribly ashamed that because of my soft-heartedness you could have suffered.”
Nina Aleksandrovna apologized to Regina and her son for not explaining everything right away. She blamed herself—if her daughter-in-law had been more emotional, she could have ended up in the hospital and triggered a premature birth from the stress.
In the end, Nina Aleksandrovna did throw Ella and her daughter out of her apartment and ordered them never to come near her again. She was disappointed that her former daughter-in-law hadn’t grown a bit wiser over the years. Even with a child she was responsible for, she still schemed and played dirty with others. Sooner or later, it could come back to hurt her badly. Ella merely laughed in Nina Aleksandrovna’s face and declared that she herself would bitterly regret getting involved with such a “clever” daughter-in-law. But Nina was glad that Regina had turned out not just clever, but wise. And now she valued her even more.
