Karina stood by the window of her new apartment, the bank contract clutched in her hands. For three years she had saved every ruble—skipping vacations, taking on overtime at the architecture bureau, saying “no” to anything that wasn’t essential. And now, at last, she had a home of her own in a new building on Preobrazhenskaya. Yes, she’d had to take out a three-million-ruble loan, but she could handle it. She held a strong position as lead project architect and earned a decent salary.
“Karina, look how the invitations turned out!” Vladimir said, handing her a snow-white envelope with gold embossing. “August twenty-eighth. The ‘European’ restaurant.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around her fiancé. Vladimir managed the logistics department at a major retail chain. They had met two years earlier at a corporate party hosted by mutual friends. They were planning a wedding that was modest but beautiful—around sixty guests, no extravagance.
“Tomorrow I’ll go see my parents and show them the invitations,” Karina said. “Mom has been waiting for this day.”
That evening she called her mother.
“Mom, I’ll come by tomorrow. I have important news.”
“Come, sweetheart. Your dad took the day off,” Galina Petrovna replied, her voice bright with anticipation.
Karina didn’t realize that would be the last normal conversation she would have with her mother.
The next day she drove to her parents’ place in Mitino. The two-room apartment where she’d grown up felt cramped now compared to her spacious new build. Her father, Igor Nikolaevich, sat in an armchair with the newspaper. Her mother bustled around in the kitchen.
“Mom, Dad—look!” Karina pulled out the invitations. “August twenty-eighth, the ‘European’ restaurant. Volodya and I planned everything—small, intimate, and lovely.”
Her mother took an invitation and examined every line.
“Good, sweetheart. Very good. Does Danil know?”
“I’ll call him today,” Karina said, meaning her younger brother, who worked as a manager at a car dealership.
“Speaking of Danil…” her mother hesitated. “He has news too.”
Just then the front door banged open. Danil came in—short, stocky, perpetually tousled.
“Oh, sis! Perfect timing. I’ve got a surprise for everyone.”
He took out his phone and showed a photo of a young woman with long red hair.
“Meet Alina—my fiancée. We’re getting married in a month!”
Karina froze.
“In a month? Dan, you’ve only known her for six months…”
“So what? Love doesn’t follow schedules. Besides…” He faltered. “Alina’s pregnant. Three months already.”
The room fell silent. Her mother spoke first.
“Well then—congratulations, son. Looks like we’ll be having two weddings in the family!”
“Only there’s a catch,” Danil said, scratching his head. “I don’t have much money. The dealership doesn’t pay great, but I want a proper wedding. Alinka’s dreamed of celebrating at the ‘Podmoskovnye Vechera’ country club.”
“How much do you need?” her father asked.
“Uh… at least five hundred thousand. That covers the banquet, the host, the décor…”
Karina nearly choked on her tea.
“Half a million for a wedding? Dan, maybe you should do something simpler.”
“What—so your wedding is more important than mine?” Danil snapped.
“That’s not it. It’s just… if you don’t have the money—”
“Karina’s right,” her father unexpectedly backed her up. “You can celebrate modestly. In some café.”
“MODESTLY?!” Danil exploded. “I’m having my first child and you want me to get married in some cheap dump?!”
Her mother rose from the table and walked over to Karina.
“Sweetheart, you’ll help your brother, won’t you? You earn well, you even bought an apartment…”
Karina set her cup down carefully.
“Mom, I bought it on a mortgage. Three million. And Volodya and I have already spent money on our wedding—we paid the restaurant deposit, I ordered my dress, we bought Volodya’s suit…”
“So what?” her mother crossed her arms. “Postpone your wedding. Or make it simpler. Danil needs help—he’s going to have a baby!”
“I’ll have children too, you know!”
“When will that be? Danil’s is already on the way. So come on—help your brother. Five hundred thousand is nothing for you.”
“Mom, do you even hear yourself? I have a twenty-year mortgage! My payment is sixty thousand a month! And our wedding is in two months—the one we’ve been saving for all year!”
“Don’t shout at your mother!” her father barked. “She’s right. Family is supposed to help each other.”
“And why is the help always one-sided?” Karina turned to her brother. “Dan, when was the last time you helped me? When I moved, you wouldn’t even come carry boxes—you said you were busy!”
“I really was busy,” Danil shot back.
“Oh yeah? And when I gave you money for driving school—thirty thousand, by the way—you promised you’d pay it back in a month. It’s been two years!”
“So I didn’t pay it back—so what? You’re not exactly broke!”
Galina Petrovna stepped right up to her daughter, close enough that Karina could feel her mother’s breath.
“Karina, I’m asking you one last time. Are you giving Danil the money or not?”
“No. I don’t have it. I simply don’t.”
Karina’s mother straightened, her eyes narrowing.
“Then remember this: if you won’t help your brother, your father and I won’t come to your wedding. Period.”
Karina stared at her.
“What? Mom, are you serious?”
“Completely. Choose—either you give Danil five hundred thousand for his wedding, or you celebrate yours without parents.”
“That’s blackmail!”
“It’s fairness,” her mother snapped. “Danil is our child too, and he has a right to support!”
“He has a right to learn responsibility!” Karina grabbed her bag. “If he can’t afford a fancy wedding, then he can celebrate modestly. Or not celebrate at all—just sign the papers at the registry office and that’s it.”
“How can you talk like that about your own brother?!” her mother cried.
“And how can you talk to your own daughter like this—making ultimatums?”
Karina headed for the door. Her mother shouted after her:
“Think carefully, Karina! You have until the end of the week. If you don’t give the money, don’t expect us at your wedding!”
Karina slammed the door behind her.
At home, Vladimir met her at the door, alarmed.
“Karina, what happened? You’re pale.”
She collapsed onto the couch and burst into tears. Vladimir pulled her close, let her cry, then asked gently:
“Will you tell me?”
Karina repeated the whole conversation. Vladimir’s face darkened with every sentence.
“How dare they,” he said, clenching his fists. “That’s outright extortion.”
“Volodya… what do I do? They’re my parents…”
“Parents who are giving you ultimatums. Karina, you don’t owe them anything. You’re an adult. You’re independent. If your brother can’t fund his wedding, that’s his problem.”
That evening Vladimir’s mother, Elena Andreevna, called.
“Karinochka, Volodya told me everything. Don’t worry, dear. If your parents don’t come, that’s their loss. Volodya’s dad and I will be there, and all our relatives too. You have family—us.”
The week passed in painful, restless thoughts. Karina kept hoping her mother would come to her senses, call, apologize. But the phone stayed silent.
On Friday evening the doorbell rang. Her mother stood in the doorway.
“Well? Have you decided?” she asked, walking in without greeting.
Karina took a slow breath.
“Mom, let’s talk calmly. I truly can’t give Danil half a million. I don’t have it.”
“Take out a loan.”
“What? Mom, I already have a mortgage!”
“So what? Get a consumer loan. Your salary allows it.”
“Do you hear yourself? Go into debt so Danil can have a showy wedding?”
“It’s not for show—it’s for your brother. For family!”
“And am I not family?” Karina’s voice trembled. “Why don’t my needs matter to anyone?”
“Because you’re fine,” her mother said sharply. “You have an apartment, a well-off fiancé, a prestigious job. Danil has none of that!”
“And whose fault is that? Maybe he should have studied instead of skipping classes. Maybe he should have found a better job instead of sitting in a dealership for pennies.”
“DON’T you dare talk about your brother like that!”
“And DON’T you dare manipulate me!”
Her mother stood up, rigid.
“One last time—are you giving the money or not?”
“No.”
“Then forget about us. Don’t wait for us at the wedding. You can consider yourself parentless.”
“Fine—go to hell, all of you!” Karina snapped. “If money matters more than your daughter, then you never needed me!”
Her mother left.
The following weeks were hell. Danil sent furious messages, calling Karina greedy and selfish. Her father called once and coldly said he supported her mother’s decision. The extended family split into camps—some sided with Karina, others insisted she was obligated to help her brother.
Vladimir and his parents surrounded her with care. Elena Andreevna helped choose wedding décor. Vladimir’s father, Andrei Sergeevich, took on part of the expenses.
“Don’t worry,” Vladimir said, hugging Karina. “If they don’t want to share our happiness, that’s their choice.”
But it still hurt. Deeply.
A week before the wedding Karina’s cousin Lena called.
“Listen, Danil caused a scene yesterday! He went to Aunt Galya—your mom—demanding money for the wedding. Said Alina picked a venue and they want a deposit. And he has no money!”
“And what did Mom do?”
“What did she do? She said you should have paid. That because of your greed Danil is in trouble now. They even went to Grandma asking for money. Grandma gave fifty thousand out of her pension, but that’s nothing.”
Karina only sighed. She felt no pity for her brother—he’d brought it on himself.
August twenty-eighth was sunny. In her white dress Karina looked stunning. Vladimir couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Friends, colleagues, and Vladimir’s relatives filled the restaurant hall. From Karina’s side, only a few girlfriends and a couple of distant relatives came.
The seats set aside for the bride’s parents stayed empty.
“Don’t be sad,” Vladimir whispered when he noticed Karina staring at the empty chairs. “You have me. And my family—they adore you.”
The wedding itself was wonderful. Elena Andreevna gave a heartfelt toast, calling Karina the daughter she had always dreamed of having. Friends laughed, danced, and congratulated the newlyweds.
Still, an ache lingered.
The morning after the wedding, as the newly married couple ate breakfast at home, the doorbell rang.
Karina opened the door. Her mother stood there—determined and angry at the same time.
“Well? Happy?” she blurted from the threshold. “Had your wedding celebration?”
“Mom, did you come to congratulate me or to fight?”
“I came one last time to try to talk sense into you. Danil NEEDS money! His wedding is in two weeks, and he has only the fifty thousand from Grandma!”
“That’s his problem, Mom. And if you want to show off so badly, you and Dad can pay for his wedding.”
Galina Petrovna walked into the apartment without waiting to be invited.
“Karina, think! You can help. Take out a loan, borrow from friends, ask your mother-in-law!”
“Why should I beg people for money because Danil wants to play prince?” Karina’s temper rose. “He’s a grown man. He managed to get a woman pregnant, but he can’t manage to earn? Let him solve his own problems!”
“He’s your BROTHER!”
“A brother who has never supported me once! A brother who only knows how to take and never give back!”
“How can you talk like that?!”
“And how can YOU do this to me?!” Karina broke. “You didn’t come to my wedding—MY WEDDING—because of money!”
“You brought it on yourself! You should have helped your brother!”
“To hell with you and your brother!” Karina exploded.
At that moment Vladimir came out of the bedroom, his expression hard.
“Galina Petrovna, what are you doing here?”
“None of your business!”
“It is my business. This is my home and my wife. And I won’t let you insult her.”
“I’m not insulting her! I’m trying to reach her conscience!”
“Conscience?” Vladimir gave a short, bitter laugh. “You’re talking about conscience—you, who skipped your own daughter’s wedding over money?”
“Don’t lecture me!”
“I’m not. I’m just telling you one thing: get out of our home. Now.”
“What?! How dare you!”
“Easily. Karina doesn’t owe you anything. She grew up, got an education, built her life with her own hands. If your grown son can’t provide for his wedding, then he shouldn’t be getting married. Or he can marry at the registry office for three thousand rubles.”
“You… you…”
“I’m your daughter’s husband. The daughter you betrayed. Over money. Over five hundred thousand you were willing to destroy your relationship with her.”
“Five hundred thousand is a lot!”
“For some, yes. But it isn’t even about the amount. It’s the principle. You manipulate, you blackmail, you threaten. That’s psychological abuse, in case you didn’t know.”
Her mother’s face flushed crimson.
“Karina—are you going to let him talk to me like that?”
Karina stepped to Vladimir and took his hand.
“Yes. Because he’s right. Mom, leave. And don’t come back until you apologize.”
“Apologize? You should be apologizing— to Danil, to me, to your father!”
“For what?” Karina asked calmly. “For living my life? For not funding someone else’s whims? For having my own opinion?”
“For being a TRAITOR! You abandoned your family for your own benefit!”
“You abandoned me,” Karina said quietly. “You didn’t come to my wedding—the most important day of my life. You weren’t there because Danil wanted money.”
“He’s your brother!”
“And I’m your daughter. But that never seems to matter.”
Vladimir opened the front door.
“Galina Petrovna, leave our apartment. Immediately.”
“Karina, wake up!”
“Go, Mom. And tell Danil: he won’t get help from me. Ever.”
In the doorway Galina Petrovna turned back, her face twisted with rage.
“You’ll come crawling to me on your knees! When you have children, when you need help!”
“We won’t need it!” Karina suddenly shouted so loudly her mother stepped back. “Do you hear me? I DON’T NEED YOUR HELP! All my life you only saw Danil—Danil needs this, help Danil, Danil has problems. And me? I was always on my own! When I applied to university you didn’t even come for the entrance exams! When I defended my thesis you went to the dacha because it was Danil’s birthday! When I got my first job—you couldn’t care less!”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
“It’s the truth. All of it. And you know what? It even helped me. I learned to rely on myself. I achieved everything on my own. I bought my apartment on my own. I planned my wedding on my own. And I’ll live on my own—without you!”
“Karina, you’re getting carried away…”
“No—you are!” Karina stepped into the hallway. “You thought I’d be your personal ATM forever for your golden boy? Not a chance. Danil is a grown man—thirty years old, by the way. Let him learn to answer for his choices! His girlfriend ‘accidentally’ got pregnant—then let him figure out how to support a family instead of demanding a half-million-ruble wedding!”
“Don’t you dare talk like that!”
“I will say whatever I want! This is MY home! And if you don’t leave right now, I’ll push you out myself!”
“You wouldn’t dare…”
Vladimir raised his phone.
“Hello, security? Yes, apartment 127. We have an uninvited guest refusing to leave…”
“Don’t!” Galina Petrovna panicked. “I’m going! But remember, Karina—you’re not my daughter anymore!”
“Then good riddance,” Karina yelled. “I never was your daughter anyway. I was a function—helper, breadwinner, problem solver. The only child you ever had was Danil!”
Her mother turned and walked toward the elevator. At the doors she looked back.
“You’ll regret this. You’ll see.”
Karina slammed the door shut.
Inside the apartment it went quiet. Vladimir wrapped his arms around his wife.
“Well done.”
“Volodya… did I do the right thing?”
“Absolutely. They crossed every boundary. And I’m proud of you—you finally stood up to them.”
That evening Elena Andreevna called.
“Karinochka, how are you? Volodya said your mother came by.”
“She did. She demanded money again.”
“Awful. Don’t worry, dear. You did the right thing. You can’t let anyone manipulate you—not even parents.”
A month passed. Karina heard nothing from her relatives. Then her cousin Lena called again.
“Karina, you won’t believe what’s happening!”
“What happened?”
“Danil canceled the wedding! Can you imagine? Alina left him!”
“Left him? But the baby—?”
“There was no baby. She lied to trap him. She thought his family was rich and would pay. But when she found out there was no money for a big wedding and you refused to help, she packed her things and left. Said she wasn’t going to live with a broke loser!”
Karina sank into a chair.
“Well… wow.”
“And that’s not even all. Your mom is running around trying to borrow money now. Danil’s depressed, he quit his job, sits at home doing nothing. But they still have bills, they still need food. Your dad is falling apart too—blood pressure, heart issues. Medicine is expensive.”
“And?”
“And they regret fighting with you. But their pride won’t let them call. Your mom tells everyone you betrayed them, but I can see it—she’s miserable. You were her only support. And now…”
“Now they can rely on their precious son,” Karina said coldly.
“Karina… maybe you’ll forgive them?”
“No. Let them deal with the consequences.”
Half a year later Galina Petrovna and Danil had a final, vicious fight—he accused her of ruining everything with Alina. Igor Nikolaevich just clutched his chest and kept repeating:
“We shouldn’t have fought with Karina. We shouldn’t have.”
Galina Petrovna understood she’d been wrong to demand money, but pride still wouldn’t let her dial her daughter’s number. Her blood pressure spiked, the pills didn’t help, and Danil cursed day and night—his sister, his ex-fiancée, his mother and father.
Meanwhile, Karina was happy with Vladimir. They were expecting a baby and making plans for the future.
