The Bonus That Tore Them Apart
“I’m telling you—we earned this!” Rita tossed an envelope onto the table. “One hundred thousand, Vlad. One hundred thousand! Can you imagine what we could do with the kids’ room?”
Vladislav slowly set his phone aside. “That’s great news. But don’t spend the bonus yet—my sister Karina’s wedding is soon. We’ll give them the money as a gift.”
Rita froze. The joy drained out of her. “What?”
“Karina’s getting married in two months—you remember. Anton’s a man with status. It’ll look bad if we don’t give a decent present.”
Rita sank into a chair. She’d earned that money after her students won an academic olympiad. Three months of sleepless nights—and now it all had to go to her husband’s sister?
“But we talked about fixing the kids’ room,” Rita said, trying to stay calm. “Misha’s growing. He needs a proper desk, shelves.”
“We can do the kids’ room later,” Vladislav waved it off. “A sister’s wedding happens once in a lifetime.”
Rita pressed her lips together. Karina—Vlad’s younger sister—had always treated their marriage like a mismatch.
“Vlad, that’s my bonus. For my work.”
“Oh, come on. We’re family. One budget, shared decisions.”
“He just up and said he’s giving my bonus to his sister!” Rita complained to her friend Marina at a café. “A hundred thousand—and it all goes to little sister!”
“The same one who said your dress looked like a school uniform?” Marina raised an eyebrow.
“Vlad thinks we have to impress the groom’s relatives. Anton owns a chain of auto repair shops.”
“And why can’t Vlad give a gift himself?” Marina shot back.
“He says we have a shared budget. It’s like he’s terrified of disappointing his family.”
“Or there’s something he’s not telling you,” Marina said thoughtfully. “Talk to him seriously. Those are your money.”
Dinner at Vladislav’s parents’ house. Karina and her fiancé Anton sat at the table too.
“By the way, about the wedding,” Vladislav cleared his throat. “Rita and I want to give you a special gift. We’re giving you one hundred thousand rubles.”
Under the table, Rita crushed her napkin in her fist.
“Wow,” Anton said. “Generous.”
“It’s Rita’s bonus,” Vladislav continued proudly. “We decided the right thing to do was share the joy with the family.”
“How sweet,” Karina drawled, looking straight at Rita. “Didn’t expect that kind of generosity from you.”
Later, walking past the kitchen, Rita heard Karina’s voice on the phone:
“Yeah, can you imagine—only a hundred thousand! I thought my brother would cough up at least two hundred… Well, sure, for a schoolteacher that’s big money. I should hint to Mom to talk to Vlad. I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of Anton’s relatives…”
“How could you?” Rita asked at home. “You didn’t even ask me.”
“I thought we’d already decided.”
“No, Vlad—you decided. That’s my bonus. And I heard what your sister said. She was mocking our gift!”
Vladislav went pale. “It’s not about Karina.”
“It is about us,” Rita said quietly. “When did we stop making decisions together? When did your family become more important than ours?”
Vladislav dropped heavily onto the couch. “I need to tell you something. A year ago, when we bought the car… I didn’t have enough money. I borrowed two hundred thousand from my father.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you… Dad hinted it would be a ‘good gesture’ to help with Karina’s wedding.”
“So this isn’t a gift,” Rita said slowly. “It’s paying back a debt. And not even the full amount. You hid the debt from me—and now you’re paying it off with my money.”
“I’ll pay it all back!” Vlad blurted.
“It’s not about the money,” Rita snapped. “It’s about trust. You make decisions behind my back. You put your family’s wants above our needs.”
The following weeks sucked Rita into wedding prep. Her mother-in-law, Nina Petrovna, constantly called with errands.
“You can leave work early—you’re just at a school…”
Meanwhile, Rita was offered a new position as a coordinator for an educational project—with a significant pay raise. That evening she tried to talk about it, but Vladislav was buried in choosing the wedding menu.
“Vlad, are you listening? This is important!”
“Yeah, yeah… later, okay? Mom wants us to pick the hot dish by tomorrow.”
“I’m talking about increasing our income, and you’re thinking about cutlets!”
“I heard you. But you understand this isn’t the best time for new ventures, right? The wedding is around the corner…”
“Karina’s wedding,” Rita said coldly. “Not ours.”
Their son Misha grew quiet.
“Dad promised he’d help me with my school project. But he’s always busy with Aunt Karina.”
Rita promised she’d help him herself.
The next day, she was summoned for bridesmaid dress fittings.
“You’ll need to lose weight before the wedding,” Karina tossed out, eyeing Rita critically in a lilac dress. “And your hair has to be styled properly. No teacher buns.”
“My son is waiting at home,” Rita said, checking the time. “We’re working on a school project.”
“Oh, of course,” Karina drawled. “There’s always something more important than my wedding… You hate being part of our family. You always thought we weren’t intellectual enough!”
“That’s not true!”
“It is! You think I don’t see your face when Mom asks you for help? And you know what I think? Vlad marrying you was a mistake! You said it yourself, Mom—she’s too obsessed with her career! And now she even begrudged her bonus!”
Rita’s breath caught. “You were discussing my bonus?”
“Everyone knows Dad hinted to Vlad about the debt!” Karina snapped. “And this one made a drama over some hundred thousand!”
Rita slowly took the dress off and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Karina shouted after her.
“I’m done,” Rita answered calmly.
That evening Vladislav came home grim.
“Mom called. What happened?”
Rita told him everything.
“So that’s why you left,” he said. “Karina told me you just threw a tantrum.”
“Vlad,” Rita looked him in the eye, “your sister said our marriage was a mistake. Your mother thinks I’m a bad wife. Your father used you to get my money. And you still think the problem is me?”
“You don’t understand,” Vladislav murmured. “In my family it’s always been like this—we support each other…”
“And what about me and Misha?” Rita demanded. “Aren’t we your family? Your son said today you’re always busy with Karina.”
“I’m just trying to balance everything…”
“No, Vlad. You picked a side. And it wasn’t ours. I’ve decided: I’m taking that project job. And I’m not being a bridesmaid anymore.”
“But what will my family say?”
“And what will our family say?” Rita fired back. “What will Misha say?”
The next day Rita submitted her application for the project, and Vladislav spent the whole day with Misha. That evening they sat down to discuss the budget.
“All right,” Vladislav said seriously. “Let’s calculate it properly. How much can we realistically give for the wedding?”
They decided: thirty thousand for the wedding gift, fifty thousand for the kids’ room renovation, and the rest for Rita’s courses.
Nina Petrovna called. Vlad put her on speaker.
“What is going on, Vladislav? Rita caused a scandal—she refuses to be a bridesmaid!”
“Mom, Rita didn’t cause anything. Karina insulted her. Karina told Rita our marriage was a mistake. And why were you discussing Rita’s bonus? Why did Dad use an old debt?”
Silence hung on the line.
“We’re your family,” Nina Petrovna said at last. “We only wanted what’s best.”
“Rita and Misha are my family too,” Vladislav said. “And I should have protected their interests. We’re giving Karina thirty thousand rubles—that’s what we can afford. And I’ll pay Dad back gradually.”
“Karina will be furious!”
“That’s her choice,” Vladislav replied. “Just like my choice is to put my wife and son’s well-being above relatives’ expectations.”
At Karina’s lavish wedding, Rita and Vladislav were just regular guests. Karina barely greeted them. Vlad handed over the envelope.
“From Rita and me. Thirty thousand.”
“Thanks, I guess, but we were expecting more,” Karina sneered.
“We’re giving what we can afford,” Vladislav said calmly.
Three months later, Rita was thriving in her new project role, Vladislav got a promotion, and the kids’ room was renovated. Relations with Vlad’s parents turned cool—but Pyotr Mikhailovich unexpectedly supported his son:
“I’m proud of you. You did the right thing protecting your family.”
Only Karina wouldn’t let it go, still needling Rita whenever she could.
In the car on the way home, Rita took her husband’s hand.
“How do you feel?” she asked.
“Strange,” Vlad admitted. “Like I finally took off a heavy backpack. Karina will always be my sister. But now I understand that doesn’t mean letting her dictate how we live.”
They made it through the test and came out stronger—finally understanding that the most important thing was their small, solid family
