Liliya was in her office, deep in thought. Important real estate documents lay on her desk. She had inherited significant property from her parents—three apartments in a prestigious area of the city and a compact shopping center on the outskirts. Her fingers mechanically traced the lines of the lease agreement, which bore the name of the tenant, Alla Sergeyevna Voronova.
Her husband’s mother was unaware that she was paying rent to her own daughter-in-law. Liliya had purposely arranged the whole deal through a real estate agency to keep this secret. Three years ago, when her relationship with Igor was just beginning, she had decided not to disclose her financial capabilities to him.
«Dear,» Liliya had said then, looking at her flustered future husband, «I don’t care how much you earn. All that matters to me is how you treat me.»
Igor blushed, feeling somewhat awkward. He was just an engineer at a construction firm, and his income left much to be desired.
«But how can you… You’re so beautiful, so smart. Surely you won’t be satisfied with a simple life?» he wondered.
She laughed and hugged him.
«I love you, dear. Everything else is secondary.»
Thus, Liliya chose to keep her wealth a secret. She said she worked as a manager at the shopping center but omitted that she owned it. The apartment they lived in, she presented as part of an inheritance.
Two years into their marriage, Liliya sometimes regretted her choice, especially due to constant attacks from her mother-in-law. Alla Sergeyevna disliked her daughter-in-law from day one.
«How could you choose such a woman?» she often asked her son. «She can’t cook, doesn’t know how to run a household. All she does is run off to work.»
Liliya patiently remained silent, though these words deeply hurt her. For her beloved husband, she was ready to tolerate any reproach from his mother, even when they became more open and hostile.
One day, while preparing dinner, Liliya overheard a phone conversation of her mother-in-law:
«Imagine, Galina, this girl bought herself another new dress!» Alla Sergeyevna exclaimed indignantly, not lowering her voice. «I don’t understand where she gets the money. Probably my Igor spends all his savings on her.»
Liliya barely restrained herself from dropping the frying pan. The new dress was indeed expensive, but she had bought it with her own funds, earned from tenants at the shopping center.
«My son has completely lost his mind,» continued the mother-in-law. «If it weren’t for him, this woman would probably be living under a fence. No decent education, no proper job…»
Liliya’s hands trembled. She had graduated from two faculties with honors, but Igor asked her not to tell his mother about it, as she supposedly disapproved of «overly educated» women.
Attacks from Alla Sergeyevna had become particularly sharp recently. Every visit from the mother-in-law turned into a real probation for Liliya.
«This borscht is simply inedible,» Alla Sergeyevna grimaced, tasting the dish prepared by her daughter-in-law. «In my time, girls were taught to cook before marriage.»
Liliya clenched her fists under the table, trying to maintain her composure. In fact, she cooked excellently—she had even taken special cooking courses before their wedding to please her husband. However, the mother-in-law always found a reason for criticism.
On the eve of their wedding anniversary, Liliya decided to give Igor a special gift. She quietly booked a two-week trip to a five-star hotel on the Turkish coast. It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise—their first joint vacation abroad.
Putting the envelope with the tickets in the drawer, the girl smiled. Maybe, after such a gift, the mother-in-law would change her opinion of her? Although, it might only exacerbate the situation.
When Igor returned from work that evening, Liliya immediately noticed his troubled state. He was silent for a long time, reluctantly ate, and then finally decided to speak:
«You know, mom called today…» he said with evident uncertainty.
Liliya tensed internally. After conversations with his mother, Igor always became more strict with his wife.
«She mentioned that the rent for the apartment has gone up,» continued the husband. «Now it will be difficult for her to manage alone…»
«And what does she suggest?» asked Liliya quietly, already anticipating the course of events. The girl knew well that she had not increased the rent for her mother-in-law.
«Maybe we can help?» Igor said guiltily. «I understand that it’s not easy for us either, but after all, she’s my mother…»
Liliya looked intently at her husband. Her heart squeezed—was Alla Sergeyevna lying again to manipulate her son?
«Igor, I…» Liliya began, but her words were interrupted by a sudden loud knock on the front door. The mother-in-law herself stood on the threshold.
The girl sighed heavily. She had always been against the mother-in-law having keys to their apartment, but Igor insisted.
«There you are!» Alla Sergeyevna confidently walked into the kitchen, not even removing her shoes. «I thought I’d find you at dinner.»
«Mom?» Igor exclaimed in surprise. «What happened?»
«Something happened! They turned off the water in my apartment because of some repair works. I’ll have to stay with you for a few days,» declared the mother-in-law, throwing her bag right onto the table.
Liliya froze. Tomorrow they were supposed to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and the day after tomorrow, they were to leave for Turkey.
«Alla Sergeyevna, maybe…» Liliya tried to start.
«Maybe what?» the mother-in-law interrupted sharply. «Are you saying I can’t stay? The mother of your husband?» Alla Sergeyevna’s voice became hysterical. «I knew it! That’s your true nature! And you, sonny, don’t see what kind of person is next to you!»
«Mom, calm down,» Igor tried to intervene. «Liliya just…»
«Just what?» Alla Sergeyevna flared up. «Just wants to kick me out on the street? She’s always wanted that! Looking down on me, even though she’s nothing special herself!»
Liliya gritted her teeth. How she wanted to pull out the documents now and show who the real owner was. But she restrained herself.
«Useless!» continued the mother-in-law, pacing around the kitchen. «Can’t even cook properly. Look at this pot—what kind of soup is this? Just water!»
«Mom, stop,» Igor tried to stop her. «Liliya cooks perfectly.»
«You’re just under her influence!» Alla Sergeyevna threw up her hands. «I’ll stay and teach her how to run a household!»
«Alla Sergeyevna,» Liliya made an effort to keep her composure, «Igor and I had planned…»
«What did you plan?» the mother-in-law interrupted again. «To kick me out the door? When I’m having problems?»
«Mom, maybe…» Igor began, but stopped under the piercing gaze of his mother.
«What, son? Are you against me now?» Tears glistened in Alla Sergeyevna’s eyes. «I raised you, brought you up, and now you’re kicking me out?»
«No one is kicking you out, mom,» Igor surrendered. «Of course, stay.»
All plans for the anniversary, the surprise, their first joint trip abroad—all crumbled before her eyes.
«Igor, can I talk to you for a minute?» Liliya pulled her husband aside into the bedroom.
«There!» they heard in response. «Already starting to turn him against his mother!»
In the bedroom, Liliya closed the door and turned to her husband:
«Igor, tomorrow is our anniversary. I had a special surprise…»
«What surprise could be more important than your own mother?» Igor responded sharply. «You see—she has problems! She wants to help us, to teach you…»
«To teach?» Liliya couldn’t believe her ears. «She constantly humiliates me at every opportunity! Calls me useless…»
«She’s just worried about me,» Igor stubbornly argued. «She wants everything to work out well for us.»
Something inside Liliya finally broke. Two years of patience, lies, and manipulation had reached their limit.
«You know what,» she said quietly, but each word sounded like a verdict, «if you don’t see a problem here, maybe you should leave with her.»
«What?» Igor asked, astonished.
«You heard me. Take your mother and leave my apartment.»
«You can’t kick us out!» the husband protested. «I’m your husband!»
Liliya approached the cabinet, took out a folder with documents, and handed it to Igor.
«Look carefully,» she said calmly. «These are the documents for the apartment. It belongs to me, remember? You have no right to be here without my consent.»
Igor quickly skimmed through the papers. His face turned deathly pale.
«But…» he tried to say something but stopped.
«Enough. Enough of the humiliations and lies,» Liliya bitterly smiled. «I can’t take it anymore.»
She resolutely escorted them to the door. Her patience had run out.
That night, lying awake, Liliya made an important decision. In the morning, she contacted the real estate agency and sent an official eviction notice to Alla Sergeyevna. Within a few hours, the mother-in-law burst into the apartment, quietly followed by Igor.
«How dare you?!» Alla Sergeyevna exploded.
Liliya slowly rose from the couch, where she was sorting documents. Not a muscle on the girl’s face twitched—all the emotions, all the pain of the past years seemed frozen inside.
«How dare I?» Liliya quietly repeated, looking straight into her mother-in-law’s eyes. «Very simply, Alla Sergeyevna. I am your landlord.»
Alla Sergeyevna froze in place, her jaw slightly slack. The paper in her hands trembled.
«What nonsense are you spouting?» the woman hissed through her teeth. «My landlord is a large company, not some…»
«Not some useless person?» Liliya softly finished the sentence, approaching the table. «Here, take a look for yourself. These are all the documents for the house where you live, and for this apartment too. I’ve owned these properties for five years, having inherited them from my parents.»
Igor stepped forward, his face taking on an ashen tone as he saw the seals and signatures on the documents.
«All this time…» he whispered. «All this time you…»
«Yes,» Liliya nodded. «All this time, I lowered your rent. First, I reduced it by three times, then by another ten percent. I did it out of respect for you, Igor. But, unfortunately, I never received mutual respect.»
Alla Sergeyevna collapsed onto a chair, as if her legs could no longer support her. The mother-in-law’s voice suddenly became surprisingly soft and tender.
«Lilechka, dear…» she cooed. «I didn’t know anything! You have to understand—I was just worried about my son…»
«Worried?» Liliya bitterly retorted. «By spreading rumors? By humiliating me at every opportunity?»
«I got carried away!» Alla Sergeyevna exclaimed, energetically waving her hands. «All my words were said in a burst of emotion! I’ve always treated you like my own daughter!»
Liliya shook her head.
«No, Alla Sergeyevna. Too late. For two years, I endured your criticisms, your mockery, your contempt. I kept silent when you called me useless. I smiled when you criticized my cooking. I didn’t show it when you spread dirty rumors about me.»
Igor tried to intervene:
«Lily, maybe…»
But his wife immediately cut him off:
«No, Igor. Now I see you differently. You know what I realized? Not once did you defend me. Not once did you stop your mother when she accused me. You always took her side.»
«I just wanted to avoid conflicts…» he mumbled.
«Avoid conflicts?» Liliya laughed without joy. «And I didn’t want to live a lie. I didn’t want to experience humiliation every day. If you couldn’t defend me from your own mother, what kind of husband were you?»
Igor froze, as if struck by lightning. And Liliya continued:
«The saddest part is that I really loved you. I hid my position because I wanted you to love me for myself, not for my money.»
She approached the cabinet and took out an envelope.
«Look. These were tickets to the sea—my gift for our anniversary. I planned to surprise you. But your mother ruined everything. And you let her do it.»
Alla Sergeyevna sprang up from the chair:
«Lilechka, let’s forget everything! I’ll apologize, I’ll make amends! How can you kick us out on the street?!»
«No, Alla Sergeyevna,» Liliya coldly replied. «You have a month to find new housing. That’s a generous term, given the circumstances.»
«Igor!» Alla Sergeyevna squealed. «Make her see reason! You can’t let her treat your mother like this!»
But Igor remained silent, staring at the floor. And Liliya took out another envelope:
«Here are the divorce papers. I’ve already prepared everything. Sign them—and you can take your mother and leave.»
«Lily, please,» Igor finally looked up. «Let’s start over. I’ll change, I promise!»
«No, Igor. It’s too late. My love for you disappeared the moment you chose her, without even trying to hear me. Now I understand: with her around, you’ll never become a real man.»
A month later, Liliya sat in her office, signing the last divorce papers. Alla Sergeyevna rented an apartment on the outskirts of the city—significantly smaller and more expensive than the previous one. Igor tried to return, calling, sending flowers, but Liliya remained firm.
«You know,» she told her lawyer, closing the folder with the documents, «now I’m free. No one can humiliate me or tell me how to live.»
Looking back, Liliya realized: everything that happened was for the best. She lost a husband but found herself. And those trials were worth it.