“Oh, Yanochka, how hard it is for me to be alone,” Olga Nikolaevna lamented, pouring tea for her daughter-in-law. “My heart is acting up, my blood pressure is all over the place. Yesterday it hit me so badly, I thought—this is it, the end for me.”
Yana silently nodded, trying not to show irritation. It was already the third hour her mother-in-law had been complaining about her ailments.
“You know, Matvey, you should visit your mother more often,” Olga Nikolaevna shifted her gaze to her son. “If she gets worse, who will help her?”
Matvey sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Mom, I was just at your place the day before yesterday. Remember? I hung the shelf in the bathroom.”
“What shelf… I need human warmth,” the mother-in-law sobbed and dabbed her dry eyes with a handkerchief. “I’m so lonely!”
Yana bit her lip. She noticed Matvey tense up.
“Maybe you should find a companion?” she suggested. “You said yourself your neighbor is lonely…”
Olga Nikolaevna abruptly stopped “crying” and waved her hands.
“No way! Live with strangers? Never!”
Yana nearly choked on her tea. The open contradiction amused her.
“Do you want us to come over on the weekend?” Matvey asked. “We’ll help with cleaning, bring groceries.”
“Just for a couple of hours,” Olga Nikolaevna grimaced. “Son, you don’t love me at all.”
Matvey clenched his jaw. Yana saw his knuckles turn white.
“Maybe you could move in with us?” Yana unexpectedly offered. “We have a spare third room.”
Matvey sharply turned to his wife. Fear was clear in his eyes.
“No—no—no,” the mother-in-law shook her head, though her eyes glimmered. “I’ll only be a burden to you.”
“Yes, that’s not a good idea,” Matvey agreed too quickly.
Yana stared intently at her husband.
On the way back, Matvey was unusually silent. Yana even got worried.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked when they got into the car.
“Why did you say that?” Matvey started the engine.
“I wanted to help. Your mother looks miserable.”
Matvey was silent and turned on the radio.
A week later, Olga Nikolaevna called in tears.
“I feel so bad, Yanochka! Completely alone. Come with Matvey!”
Yana sighed, looking at her smartphone.
“All right, Olga Nikolaevna. We’ll come this evening.”
She dialed her husband to warn him about the visit. Matvey wasn’t pleased but agreed.
The apartment smelled of pies. Olga Nikolaevna was chirping about her kitchen achievements. The traces of recent suffering had vanished from her face.
“And here comes Lenochka!” Olga Nikolaevna exclaimed, hearing the doorbell.
A petite blonde—the sister of Matvey—fluttered into the apartment.
“Mommy!” Lena hugged her mother. “Oh, and you’re here too!”
Her voice noticeably softened upon seeing her brother. Yana only got a dry “hello.”
At dinner, Olga Nikolaevna didn’t take her eyes off her daughter.
“Lenochka, have another cutlet. I cooked it especially for you.”
“Mommy, I’m on a diet!”
“What diet? You’re getting married, having children! Eat, eat!”
Yana watched this scene with surprise. The mother-in-law, recently withered from loneliness, looked lively and cheerful.
“How is your health?” Yana asked.
Olga Nikolaevna waved it off.
“All’s fine. What could be wrong?”
Yana raised her eyebrows in surprise. The mother-in-law’s story didn’t add up.
After dinner, Yana headed to the bathroom. Passing the corridor, she heard whispering. She froze and listened.
“Soon, my dear daughter, soon,” Olga Nikolaevna whispered. “I’ve almost convinced Matvey. He’ll move in with me, and you’ll take their apartment.”
“And Yana?” Lena asked quietly.
“What Yana? We’ll figure something out. In time, we’ll transfer the apartment to you. I know how to convince Matvey.”
Yana froze, clenching her fists. She didn’t show that she’d heard the conversation. Taking a deep breath, she continued to the bathroom. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Washing her hands with ice-cold water, she splashed some on her face several times.
“So that’s how it is,” she whispered to her reflection.
Yana’s plan formed instantly. She smiled, smoothed her hair, and returned to the living room. Olga Nikolaevna and Lena were already sitting there with innocent faces.
“Yanochka, would you like some more tea?” the mother-in-law asked in a honeyed voice.
“Gladly,” Yana smiled so sincerely she surprised herself.
The next morning, Olga Nikolaevna called early, her voice painful and strained.
“Matveyushka, sonny, I feel so bad. My heart’s stabbing, everything’s darkening before my eyes.”
Matvey frowned with concern.
“Maybe we should call an ambulance?”
“No—no, just come to me. Stay with me.”
Yana, who heard the conversation, placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder.
“Let’s go visit mom,” she said, looking meaningfully at the clock. “By the way, what time is her manicure today?”
Matvey blinked in surprise.
“What manicure?”
“Well! I remembered! Your mother bragged yesterday she has an appointment at twelve with a new manicurist.”
Matvey checked the time.
“It’s only nine now.”
When they arrived, Olga Nikolaevna opened the door wearing a robe and looking very “ill.” But Yana noticed her fresh hairstyle and makeup.
“Oh, I’m so glad you came,” the mother-in-law whispered. “I’m barely standing.”
“Really?” Yana put on a worried face. “What about your manicure at twelve? Are you canceling it?”
Olga Nikolaevna blushed as if dunked in boiling water.
“What manicure?”
“The one you told me about yesterday,” Yana replied serenely.
The mother-in-law sighed loudly.
“Oh, that! Yes, I’ll have to cancel it. Where would I go in this state?”
“Then call! Better to warn the manicurist.”
Under Yana’s watchful eye, the mother-in-law complied.
Matvey glanced between his mother and wife in confusion.
A few days later, the same thing happened again. Olga Nikolaevna called, crying, complaining about her health. And Yana “accidentally” reminded her of recent plans.
“You were supposed to go to the theater with friends, right?” she wondered. “You were so happy about the tickets yesterday. Cancel? Then give me the tickets! I’ll go with a friend! What a waste it would be.”
The mother-in-law puffed and blushed but kept playing the role of the weak woman.
On Sunday, Olga Nikolaevna came again with complaints.
“My children,” the mother-in-law announced, sadly folding her arms across her chest. “I’ve decided. It’s hard being alone. Matvey, you and Yana need to move in with me.”
Matvey choked on his tea. Yana placed her hand on his knee.
“Great idea!” she exclaimed with such enthusiasm that Olga Nikolaevna recoiled in fear. “We’ll help you, take care of you!”
The mother-in-law squinted skeptically.
“Really? You agree?”
“Of course!” Yana threw up her hands. “Moreover, it’s a great opportunity for all of us! I’ve long wanted to save up for a dacha for my mother.”
“What does the dacha have to do with it?” Olga Nikolaevna frowned.
“What do you mean? I’ll rent out my apartment and save the money.”
The mother-in-law turned pale.
“You’ll rent it out?”
“Yes! A three-room in a good area, do you know how much they’ll pay?” Yana rolled her eyes dreamily. “And what? You won’t ask us for rent? We’ll be helping you.”
Olga Nikolaevna swallowed convulsively. Matvey looked at his wife in surprise.
“Olga Nikolaevna, you look pale,” Yana said with feigned concern. “Are you feeling bad?”
The mother-in-law nervously adjusted her sweater and tried to smile.
“No—no, everything’s fine. It’s just…” Olga Nikolaevna hesitated. “I think renting out the apartment isn’t a good idea.”
“Why not?” Yana raised an eyebrow. “No point leaving it empty.”
“Yes, but…” the mother-in-law helplessly looked at her son. “Matvey, tell her!”
Matvey shrugged, puzzled.
“What is there to say? Yana’s words make sense.”
Olga Nikolaevna abruptly stood and started pacing the room. Then she stopped and clapped her hands.
“You know what? I have a better idea! Let Lenochka live in your apartment!”
“Lena?” Matvey raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Why?”
“Why? The girl needs her own space. She’s already grown up! And you will live with me, help me.”
Yana leaned back on the sofa and crossed her arms.
“So, Lena will live there for free? What about my dacha for my mom?”
The mother-in-law snorted irritably.
“Well, she’ll pay you a little…”
“A little? How much is that?” Yana smiled. “The market price for a three-room in my area is fifty thousand.”
“What?!” Olga Nikolaevna turned sharply to her daughter-in-law. “Fifty? Twenty at most!”
Matvey looked confused, shifting his gaze between his mother and wife.
“How do you know the prices so well?” Yana asked innocently.
The mother-in-law stopped and nervously fixed her hair.
“I just… checked recently,” she mumbled.
“And why twenty, not fifty?” Yana insisted. “You know the renovation I did. It cost half a million, by the way.”
Olga Nikolaevna grabbed onto the new argument.
“Exactly! Lena needs comfortable housing. She’ll pay… well, thirty. And that’ll be enough for you.”
“And if I want fifty?” Yana stubbornly repeated.
“That’s too much for Matvey’s own sister!” Olga Nikolaevna exclaimed. “She’s not a stranger!”
Yana shrugged.
“Then let her be a stranger. For fifty.”
“That’s unfair!” Olga Nikolaevna stamped her foot. “Matvey, tell her!”
Matvey rubbed his chin in confusion.
“Maybe Lena should decide how much she’s willing to pay?”
“No,” Yana cut him off firmly. “The price is fixed. Fifty.”
The mother-in-law was breathing heavily, flaring her nostrils in anger. Yana even thought steam might come out of Olga Nikolaevna’s ears.
“You know what,” the mother-in-law hissed, narrowing her eyes. “Forget about moving in. We’ll figure something out ourselves.”
“We?” Yana stood up from the sofa. “You and Lena, right?”
Olga Nikolaevna shuddered.
“What does Lena have to do with this? Me and Matvey…”
“Stop lying!” Yana raised her voice. “I heard everything, Olga Nikolaevna. Your entire conversation with your daughter in the corridor!”
Matvey straightened abruptly.
“What conversation?”
“The one where your mother promised Lena my apartment,” Yana looked Olga Nikolaevna straight in the eyes. “Where she planned how to get rid of me and transfer my property to her daughter.”
Olga Nikolaevna turned beet red.
“What nonsense! Matvey, don’t listen to her!”
“I won’t let such people into my home,” Yana shook her head. “And I won’t give you even a chance to take over my apartment.”
“Mom, is this true?” Matvey’s voice was quiet and threatening.
Olga Nikolaevna waved her hands.
“Of course not! Your wife made it all up!”
“Then let’s call Lena and ask,” Yana suggested and pulled out her phone. “I even have a recording.”
“A recording?” the mother-in-law squeaked.
“Yes, I recorded your conversation on the phone,” Yana lied, amazed at her own resourcefulness.
Olga Nikolaevna’s expression changed. She slumped and sank into the chair.
“It was just a conversation,” she muttered. “We didn’t plan anything…”
Matvey stood, fists clenched.
“Get out of my house,” he hissed. “Immediately.”
“Son…”
“Out!” Matvey pointed to the door. “And tell Lena not to even think about claiming what’s not hers!”
Olga Nikolaevna, sobbing, gathered her things and headed for the exit. At the door, she turned around.
“You’ll regret choosing her over your own mother.”
The door slammed shut. A heavy silence hung in the air. Matvey sank heavily onto the sofa and buried his head in his hands.
“Forgive me,” he whispered. “I didn’t know…”
Yana sat beside him and hugged him by the shoulders.
“Don’t apologize. You’re not to blame for your mother’s actions.”
Matvey looked up at her, full of gratitude and admiration.
“How smart you are,” he gently touched her cheek. “You kept your head cool and exposed them.”
“I was just protecting our future,” Yana smiled. “No one has the right to threaten what we’re building together.”
Matvey hugged Yana tenderly.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For showing me my mother’s true face. Now everything will be fine.”
Yana nodded, pressing closer to her husband. She knew she had dealt with the threat to their family happiness. And for the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully, not afraid to lose what was dear to her.
