Zina stopped in front of the display with upholstered furniture and smiled dreamily:
«Slavik, look at this sofa! Can you imagine how it will look in the living room of our new apartment? Leather, comfortable. Let’s at least sit down and try it?»
Vyacheslav shrugged irritably:
«Zin, how much longer? We just came to buy groceries. What sofas? What living room? We still have a long way to go before we can afford a mortgage.»
«But we’ve been saving for almost two years!» the woman said sadly. «We’ve saved up a decent amount. Can’t we at least start looking at options? Svetka and Dima have already…»
«Here you go again!» Vyacheslav interrupted her sharply. «Why are you always comparing? They have their life, we have ours! Let’s go, there’s no time to waste.»
Zina obediently trudged behind her husband, secretly wiping away a tear.
Lately, any conversation about their future apartment ended like this—her husband’s discontent and her ruined mood.
«Strange, all of this,» the woman thought, as she put the groceries in the cart. «We used to dream and plan together. Slava himself would show me apartment listings, suggesting we go for a viewing. But now, it’s like he’s a different person.»
She glanced sideways at her husband. He was frowning, studying the ingredients of some sauce, clearly showing that the conversation was over.
The familiar picture from the past six months.
At home, as she unpacked the groceries, the wife sank back into her melancholy thoughts.
Something had subtly changed in their relationship. Slava had become jittery, irritable, especially when the subject of the mortgage came up.
«And really,» she suddenly realized, «it all started when we had saved up enough for the down payment. Instead of being happy and starting to take action, it’s like he got scared.»
Zinaida leaned against the refrigerator, mentally sifting through the events of the past few months.
Here Slava was, once again, preparing to visit his mother to help her around the house. They used to go together, but now he preferred to go alone. Every weekend, he found an excuse for her to stay home.
«Just relax,» he said, «I’ll be back quickly. What do you need to do? Mom can handle the housework.»
And really! Before, her mother-in-law always called both of them, but now it seemed she had forgotten about her daughter-in-law. She was just waiting for her son. Strange, very strange…
In the evening, when they lay down to sleep, Zina tried again to bring up the mortgage issue:
«Slavochka, maybe we could visit some apartments this weekend? Just for information?»
«My God, when will you calm down?!» her husband snapped, sitting up in bed. «I told you—it’s too early! We don’t have enough money! Let’s just sleep!»
He turned his back to her, clearly signaling that the conversation was over. Zinaida lay awake for a long time, swallowing her tears. Something wasn’t right here. Oh, it wasn’t right at all…
The next morning, after seeing her husband off to work, the wife took out a small listening device she had bought a month ago in a moment of desperation.
All this time, she hadn’t dared to use it. It felt like sacrilege to spy on her loved one. But now, her intuition was literally screaming, «You need to act!»
On Saturday, Vyacheslav, as usual, got ready to visit his mother. He pulled on his favorite sweater, which Zina had thoughtfully taken out of the closet.
«Are you going to be long?» she asked, subtly attaching the tiny device to his sweater.
«As usual,» her husband shrugged. «About three or four hours. I’ll help Mom with the cleaning and come back.»
«Uh-huh,» Zina thought, closing the door behind him. «Let’s see what this cleaning is about.»
The woman paced the apartment, glancing at the phone with the listening app on. Her heart was racing.
«My God, what am I doing? Have I completely lost it!» she scolded herself, but she couldn’t stop now.
The first half-hour in her earphones only carried the sounds of footsteps and traffic. Slava was walking. Then a doorbell rang, followed by her mother-in-law’s voice:
«Ah, Slavik! Finally! The builders have brought the materials, we need to start unloading.»
Zinaida’s heart skipped a beat. Builders? Materials?
«Yes, Mom. I’ll change and go help unload,» her husband’s voice responded.
«You can’t imagine,» her mother-in-law continued, chattering away, «They actually managed to clear the entire second floor in one week. They took out the old floors, reinforced the ceilings. Now we’ll lay the new ones.»
«Great!» Vyacheslav’s voice rang with clear excitement. «I saw the laminate samples you chose. I like the ‘Alpine Oak’ better too. Looks elegant.»
Zina slowly sank into a chair. Her ears were buzzing. Renovation? Major renovations in her mother-in-law’s house? On whose money?! She complains every day that she has no money!
«Son, don’t tell Zinochka yet,» came the voice from the speaker. «When we’re done, then we’ll show her. Can you imagine how surprised she’ll be? She’ll be so happy!»
«Of course, Mom. It’s a surprise!» Vyacheslav said with a childlike joy in his voice. «I saved up money just for this. Why bother with a mortgage? The house will be ours anyway, so we’re putting the money into it now.»
Zina covered her face with her hands. A shiver ran through her.
So that’s where their savings had gone! That’s why her husband disappeared to his mother’s every weekend!
And she—foolishly dreamed of their own apartment! She had planned where everything would go, what wallpaper she would choose. She imagined how they would welcome guests in their own home.
The sound of unloading materials and her mother-in-law’s commanding voice came from the earphones:
«Slavochka, take the laminate straight to the second floor! And the tiles for the bathroom too! The ceiling panels can go in the garage for now.»
«Okay, Mom! We’ll organize everything! It will be just as you say!»
«Slavochka,» Zina mimicked under her breath. «Mama’s boy! Traitor!»
She was shaking with anger and hurt. How could he? Why didn’t he discuss it with her? This was their family’s money! She worked just as hard as he did, saving every penny.
The woman jumped up and started pacing the room. No, this wouldn’t go unpunished! Since her husband decided to act behind her back, she wouldn’t be polite either!
Grabbing her bag and car keys, Zinaida rushed out of the apartment. Her hands were shaking so much that she had trouble getting the key into the lock.
It was about a fifteen-minute drive to her mother-in-law’s house. The whole way, tears streamed down her face, and fragments of conversations, hints, and half-spoken words swirled in her mind…
How hadn’t she realized it earlier? How had she not noticed?
«Never mind,» Zina thought, gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled fingers. «I’ll tell them everything! To that commander of a mother-in-law, and to my unfaithful husband! Let’s see if they try to explain themselves!»
The car screeched to a halt in front of the familiar two-story house. A «Gazelle» truck with building materials stood by the gates. Workers were carrying various bags, boards, and boxes.
In the middle of the yard, like a general on parade, stood Antonina Petrovna, giving orders. Slavik was bustling around, wearing work clothes and covered in construction dust.
Zinaida swung open the gate so forcefully that it hit the fence.
«So, this is how it is?!» she shouted, rushing toward her mother-in-law. «So, this is where our money is going! And I, foolishly, thought we were saving for an apartment!»
Antonina Petrovna turned pale but quickly regained her composure:
«Zinochka, why are you overreacting? We just wanted to surprise you!»
«Surprise?!» The woman laughed hysterically. «What a wonderful surprise! Lying to your wife, secretly spending our money! And you,» she pointed at her mother-in-law, «you knew all along! You deliberately convinced him, didn’t you?»
«Don’t you dare raise your voice at my mother!» Vyacheslav intervened, grabbing his wife’s arm.
«Don’t touch me! You’re a traitor! I’ve been dreaming of my own home for two years! I’ve saved every penny! And you… you decided everything without me!»
The workers awkwardly shuffled by the car, unsure of what to do. Antonina Petrovna straightened up majestically:
«Boys, go have a smoke for now. We need to talk.»
«There’s nothing to talk about!» the daughter-in-law cried out loud. «I’ve understood everything! You don’t care about my wishes! The only thing that matters to you is your precious renovation!»
«What’s wrong with that?» suddenly exploded the mother-in-law. «The house will be ours anyway! What’s wrong with having a two-story mansion? It’s even better than an apartment! And all you think about is yourself! All ‘I’ and ‘I’!»
«Mom, don’t!» Vyacheslav tried to stop her.
«Why not? I’m doing this for you! I’m putting the house in order! And she’s throwing a tantrum like a spoiled girl!»
«For us?!» the woman choked with indignation. «You’re just manipulating your son! Using him! And he’s only too happy to help! Mama’s boy!»
«Zina, stop!» Vyacheslav shouted. «You’re overdoing it!»
«Stop?! Stop lying! Stop making decisions behind my back! Am I nothing to you? A doll to be set in front of the facts?»
«But I was trying to do the best for us!» Vyacheslav started to get upset. «Can’t you see how great the house will be after the renovation? Two floors, a yard, a garage! Better than any apartment!»
«It’s not about the house! It’s about trust! You betrayed me, Slava! You trampled on my feelings, dreams, desires!»
«What dreams?» her husband exploded. «To chain yourself to a mortgage for twenty years? Pay crazy interest to the bank? Is that smart in your opinion?»
«Smart is being honest with your wife! Smart is discussing important decisions together! Not sneaking off to your mom’s behind my back like a naughty puppy!»
They fell silent. In the ensuing silence, the ticking of the clock and some muted radio sounds from the wall could be heard.
«You know what’s the worst?» Zinaida broke the long silence. «I would’ve agreed. If you had just come to me and said: ‘Let’s invest the money into Mom’s house, it will be ours anyway.’ We could have discussed it, weighed the pros and cons. Maybe I would have agreed.»
«Really?» her husband asked hopefully.
«It doesn’t matter now. You made your choice. Now live with it.»
She got up and confidently said:
«I’m filing for divorce. I don’t want to be second place after your mother. I don’t want to live in a house where I might be allowed in, maybe. I don’t want to be a puppet in someone else’s hands.»
«Zina, stop dramatizing. This isn’t funny anymore. If you don’t like surprises, let’s sit down now and discuss the house situation.»
«It’s too late. You’ve already made your choice. Now live with it.»
The woman left the kitchen, leaving her husband alone. In the bedroom, she took out a suitcase and began packing her things. Her hands were trembling, but her decision was firm.
Tomorrow, she’d go to a realtor. She had her own savings—enough for a down payment on a small one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of town. She’d manage. The most important thing was to stay true to herself, to not lose her self-respect.
And Slava could finish his mother’s house. Since for him, that was more important than family, more important than love and trust.
The front door slammed shut.
Zinaida walked to the window. Her husband was slowly trudging through the yard, hunched under the weight of the sports bag.
She wiped away a tear.
«Too bad you never understood… a real home isn’t built from bricks and concrete. It’s built from honesty, trust, and respect. Without that, any palace is just a pile of stones…
