Larisa sighed heavily, stroking her stomach. From the morning, she had been experiencing contractions, which seemed to be Braxton Hicks, but her overall condition was not pleasant. There was still time until the birth, but Larisa was scared that they might start sooner. Even though the hospital bag had been packed for weeks, she was still anxious. A bad feeling had been haunting her since morning, as if something bad was about to happen. Perhaps she should go to the maternity hospital earlier? This was their first child. Although relatives and friends had already vividly described what childbirth was like, Larisa was worried. What if something went wrong for her?
«Why are you lying around? Laris, lunch won’t cook itself. Remember, my friends are coming over today?»
The woman looked at her husband with reproach. Over the last few months, he had changed beyond recognition, becoming too harsh and showing no interest in his wife’s condition. Maybe he found someone else? People say that happens if a wife feels unwell and keeps her husband at a distance. Larisa tried to please Makar in everything, but sometimes she really felt terrible. Constant pain in the lower back was exhausting. It was difficult even just to walk around the house, but Larisa managed well with cleaning and cooking dinner. Although her body was weary, she did not allow herself to just lie down. She tried to do everything around the house, keep up with everything, and even stretch, not just lie down and wait for her body to finally swell up. Who would do it for her? She even had to go to the store herself because her husband came home tired from work and said that shopping was not a man’s job.
«Makar, maybe order something from a cafe today? I’m feeling really unwell. I highly doubt I can handle cooking,» complained the woman. She rarely complained, but today she really lacked the strength.
A malicious chuckle slipped from her husband’s lips before Larisa could even look up at him. He clenched his jaw and shook his head.
«Are you out of your mind, Larisa? What cafe? Am I supposed to feed my friends this crap that you can get poisoned from? Why did I even marry if you’re this lazy? I warned you about the guests in advance, and I’m not interested in all these excuses. You’ll cook lunch yourself and you’ll start right now. If you don’t manage, I’m not responsible for what I do. I’m already tolerating too much.»
«What’s wrong with you? Do you regret marrying me? Don’t you want us to have a healthy child? Why are you acting as if I’m a servant in this house?» sobbed Larisa.
«You are a servant. First and foremost, you are a maid, then a wife. You’ll do everything I say. I should have taken everything into my own hands long ago, you’ve just gotten too comfortable, that’s why you’re acting up. No matter. Now everything will be different. The man in the house is the boss, and the woman should stay quiet and do as she’s told. If you want everything to be alright, and don’t want your husband to stray, then get off the couch and hustle about the house. I don’t like repeating myself. And don’t forget to clean the living room, make everything shine.»
Larisa couldn’t believe her ears, but somehow mechanically forced herself to get off the couch and went to the kitchen. Her lower back hurt even more than before. The baby was too restless, pushing and causing her discomfort. Breathing heavily, Larisa started preparing lunch. Everything was like a blur, and she hardly remembered anything. She did everything out of habit, feeling sweat trickle down her forehead, and inside a strong desire flared up to spit on everything, pack up, and leave her husband. But where to go? Her relationship with her parents was the worst. An unloved daughter, whom they dreamed of getting rid of by marrying her off as soon as possible. The only person who was happy to see her was her aunt, her father’s sister. She always supported Larisa and said she could rely on her. But what if Lara came with a small child? Would the aunt accept her? And it was not just for one day… not even a week. How soon could she recover and start earning a living? Counting on alimony from a stingy husband was hardly an option.
«You think you’ve got it tough? Understand, Larochka, if you decide to leave me, you’ll have nowhere to go. Your parents won’t take you in, your aunt doesn’t need you with a child. You depend on me, so do as you’re told, and I won’t even yell at you. Serve my friends today and don’t complain. Smile and show everyone how happy we are. How happy you are with me.»
Makar grabbed Larisa by the chin, lifting her face to look into his eyes, but she quickly looked away, recoiling from her husband and taking a deep breath.
«Do you even realize how hard it is for me to stay on my feet? I need to lie down… maybe go to the hospital early? I feel very unwell. All nine months I haven’t complained to you, but today I really am…»
«Just don’t make things up, alright?» interrupted Makar. «Your hospitalization is in three days. You think I forgot? Don’t you dare shirk your duties if you don’t want to face serious trouble.»
Larisa no longer recognized her husband at all. It seemed that someone had replaced him, brought an evil copy into the house, and sent Makar away. Surely this can’t be? Her husband had no twin brothers. And he was an only child in the family. Of course, his mother, Nadezhda Viktorovna, raised her son to be selfish, did everything for him, but it had never manifested like this before. What changed now? What made Makar behave so cruelly? There were no answers to these questions. When her husband’s friends arrived, Makar glared at his wife and stated that she should not forget everything they had discussed today.
Setting the table and smiling through the pain at her husband’s friends, Larisa cursed fate. She scolded herself for having so grossly misjudged her husband and not seeing his negative traits earlier. Or did they only appear now? Maybe he had some problems at work? Makar had always been an impulsive person; he could unconsciously transfer his experiences to his family. Reflecting on this, Larisa momentarily forgot the discomfort until her stomach suddenly tightened. Muttering under her breath and doubling over, she felt dizzy.
«Larisa, you should sit down, rest. With such a belly, you buzz around us like a bee. What, are we not men? We have hands, can take care of ourselves, and you better lie down!» – not her husband, but his best friend, Anton, jumped to the woman’s side.
«Thank you…» replied Larisa in a hoarse voice. «I’ll do just that.»
«Larochka, don’t forget our conversation,» hissed the husband in a drunken voice. – And you, Toha, shouldn’t interfere. Why instruct another man’s wife on how to behave? Lara is a grown girl; she understands everything on her own.»
Arguing with her husband, even listening to what he said, took all her strength. There was catastrophically little oxygen. The painful contractions intensified.
«It seems to be starting,» said Larisa, clutching Anton’s hand in fright.
«Don’t make things up! You still have three days until hospitalization!» snorted Makar from the table, and someone among the friends laughed.
Supporting the woman by the elbow, Anton helped her reach the couch and sit down. The pain was becoming unbearable. Realizing that Makar was not in a condition to drive and generally did not plan to do anything, Anton called an ambulance, but since waiting for the car would take a long time, he rushed to help Larisa get down. The woman mumbled words of thanks, distracted from the pains. How she got to the maternity hospital, how she gave birth, she hardly remembered. She lay in the ward, looked at her son, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Was it joy? Of course, she was glad that the child was born alive and healthy, but there was another side to the medal – she had nowhere to go with the baby. Because returning to her husband now was out of the question. Larisa went through the previous day again and again and realized that her husband deeply didn’t care about her. He mocked her. If it weren’t for Anton, who knows how it all would have ended?.. Perhaps she would have given birth to her son at home, and whether he would have been born healthy was a big question.
Anton wrote to Larisa and asked if she was alright. His care was undoubtedly pleasant, but it again and again reminded her of how much her husband didn’t care about his own wife. Makar didn’t care – whether she had given birth and whether the baby was alright. And she didn’t tell him about the birth. She sent a message to Anton, her mother-in-law, and her aunt. Her husband didn’t care what was happening to her, so there was no point in telling him about the son.
The next day, Larisa’s phone was bursting with calls. Her acquaintances congratulated her, her aunt and mother-in-law asked what to bring her. Even Anton offered to stop by the store and bring everything she said.
«Laris, I understand that this isn’t the way to have such conversations, but it’s hard for me to stay silent. It’s hard to be an accomplice. I see that things are not very good between you and Makar. I thought he would be taking the dust off you after doing something like this… In general, he’s cheating on you. He’s had a young girl for a long time, whom he brings to all the parties. I understand that now is not the time to present such news, but I saw yesterday how he behaves with you… If you need any help, just say so. You shouldn’t endure such treatment, Laris. Run away from him, because things can only get worse from here.»
Larisa thanked Anton for telling her the truth. Now she had no doubts that she had made the right decision and should leave her husband. But what would she do next? Only time would tell. The only thing to be resolved in the next few days was the housing problem, as she did not want to be discharged from the maternity hospital and go to her husband. Larisa had no idea how he would behave next. She shared her concerns with her aunt, who assured her that her niece could count on her.
«You can live with us for a while. We have a spare room. While I’m on vacation, I’ll help with the baby, and we’ll see from there. We’ll get through and not perish, Larochka. I’m glad you told me everything.»
Larisa breathed easier. She began to enjoy her little son, looking at him for the first time as her own, such a long-awaited bundle of joy. And although her relationship with Makar had collapsed, the son was not to blame. Larisa loved her baby with all her heart. The husband did not call, but the mother-in-law was concerned about how the discharge would go. Larisa candidly admitted to the woman that she was not planning to return to her husband.
«I know that Makar has taken a woman on the side. He has changed a lot lately. While I was pregnant, I didn’t have the strength to say something against it, but now I’m not going to endure such treatment. Your son has changed a lot, Nadezhda Viktorovna. He hasn’t even called me once… What kind of relationship can there be?»
«Larochka, is it really all like this? I didn’t think my son was capable of such baseness. Your relationship always seemed ideal to me. I should have turned to me earlier. I would have talked to him and tried to reason with him… I understand it’s too late now. Where will you go with Oleg? After all, you definitely won’t go to your parents…»
«First to my aunt’s, and then I’ll figure something out,» Larisa hurried to reassure her mother-in-law.
«Or maybe to me? I live alone. I’d be happy to help you. After all, Oleg is my grandson. I promise to protect you from Makar, and he won’t dare come close or hurt you in any way.»
Larisa trusted her mother-in-law. She didn’t think, of course, that she would immediately take her side, but now the idea came up – why didn’t she think to go to her son’s grandmother right away? After all, she didn’t want to burden her aunt completely. She had a husband… and children. There wasn’t much space, and a small child in the house meant additional noise. Having agreed, Larisa called her aunt and informed her of her decision.
«Are you sure she won’t try to harm you or take the child away?» asked the aunt.
«In such cases, one can never be sure. I thought my husband was incapable of betrayal, but you know what he did. I will be cautious. I promise. Thank you very much for the support.»
Larisa was preparing for discharge when a message from her husband arrived on her phone. Judging by the typos, he had not written it sober.
Makar: «So, when are you planning to come home? There’s no food… Clothes are unwashed.»
Larisa felt disgusted, she grimaced in disgust and shook her head. How long had Makar changed? Sitting on the bed, looking at her peacefully sleeping baby, Larisa pondered. Surely the first warning bells had appeared long ago, but she hadn’t noticed them until everything had suddenly turned upside down. Now it didn’t matter when it all started – the moment was missed. Larisa could not forgive her husband for such treatment of herself, nor the woman he had taken on the side and dragged to parties while Larisa suffered, taking care of the house and not allowing herself an extra rest.
Nadezhda Viktorovna met her daughter-in-law and took them with her son to her apartment, where she had prepared a cozy corner for them, decorated with balloons. It was clear that the woman had tried. She said she had talked to her son. Makar stated that he did not need the child, he was not eager to become a father, and in general, he had not had enough fun yet and was ready to give Larisa a divorce on condition that she would not demand alimony from him.
«However, I strongly recommend you not to fall for this trick, Larochka. Let him pay everything to the last penny! Look at that scoundrel! He will spend money on his mistress, and you will barely make ends meet. In general, I will help you. We need to find a good lawyer.»
Larisa thought, because Anton just happened to work at a law firm and was a good lawyer. If he himself did not handle divorce proceedings, he could certainly recommend someone? The woman called her husband’s friend – soon to be ex.
«Anton, I understand you can refuse me because you and Makar are friends, but I have no one else to turn to for help.»
«We’re no longer friends. I don’t know what’s become of him lately, but Makar said too much last time. I punched him in the face, and that was the end of our friendship. I’m not going to interact with someone who has squandered all his moral values.»
Makar was losing everyone dear to him… friends… relatives… Even his mother didn’t want to communicate with him after encountering his cold indifference. She took the side of her daughter-in-law and planned to help only Larisa and the child.
Makar really wasn’t interested in the baby. Larisa remembered how he was happy when she announced her pregnancy. Did the new company change his views on life? Anton said that Makar had gone deeper into the new company, introduced by his mistress… and there, they had their own interests and preferences. Larisa’s husband had always been a gentle person and was easily influenced. It was a pity that someone external had a stronger influence on him than his relatives.
Anton handled the divorce proceedings. All this took a lot of time. Since Makar did not want to pay child support, even tried to deny paternity, the process dragged on for three months, but the decision was eventually made in favor of Larisa and the child.
Nadezhda Viktorovna actively helped Larisa with little Oleg, and a few months later, she was able to return to work. They did not live in luxury, but they had enough. Larisa could not have imagined that she would be so lucky with her mother-in-law, and she would take her side. The woman communicated closely with Anton. They found it interesting to walk in the evenings and on weekends with little Oleg in the park. They had many common topics. It seemed that Larisa had returned to the times when her relationship with Makar was just beginning. She was afraid that history would repeat itself, so while communicating with Anton, she did not expect their relationship to cross the boundary of friendship. However, unnoticed by both, it still happened. Anton invited Larisa on a date, and Nadezhda Viktorovna stated that there was no reason for her to sit within four walls and waste her youth.
Anton did not beat around the bush. Realizing that it would not be easy for Larisa to plunge into new relationships, he did not press, but at the same time immediately expressed the seriousness of his intentions and promised to take care of the woman and her son.
Only when Oleg turned one did Larisa realize that she was ready to try and agreed to move in with Anton. Watching him fuss over her son, the woman understood that a better father simply could not be found. It was unlikely that Makar could become one.
Anton learned from acquaintances that Makar had gone down the wrong path, got involved with illegal substances, and even ended up at the police station. Larisa could not help but worry about the father of her son, because the warm feelings she once felt for her husband still reminded her of themselves. It’s impossible to just erase someone from your life and pretend that you had nothing in common with them. Larisa was sorry that people ruin their lives, devalue it, and squander it on vague joys, but you can’t put your brain in another person, can’t teach them to think correctly.
Anton and Larisa got married. Oleg started calling Anton dad, which was his first word. The man was immensely happy. He was especially pleased when he found out that their family would grow even more because Larisa was pregnant again. Anton doted on his wife and showed what a real loving husband could be. As for Makar… he never showed up. He liked his new life too much. Nadezhda Viktorovna tried to talk to her son, but he wouldn’t even listen to her. He turned his apartment into a den and believed that he was living right and true, while others just didn’t understand him. Two and a half years later, he died, and the apartment… his mistress, who never managed to become his wife, tried to fight for it, but the inheritance went to the man’s mother and son. Nadezhda Viktorovna renounced her share in favor of her grandson, but with the calculation that Larisa would definitely sell the apartment, which held so much negativity, and buy her son a new home.
