Irina had just put her daughter Alice to sleep a few minutes ago. She herself wanted to lie down and rest, enjoying the silence of the cozy apartment. The soft light of the desk lamp created a warm atmosphere in the living room, where paintings of landscapes and photographs of happy moments hung on the walls.
But at that moment, the doorbell rang. The melodious ring announced that someone had come to visit.
«Well, it didn’t work out,» said the girl with irony in her voice as she went to open the door.
On the doorstep stood a petite girl with short blond hair and big brown eyes. She looked intently at the homeowner, clearly pondering something.
«I’m listening,» Irina asked, frowning slightly.
«Oh, sorry,» the girl snapped out of her thoughts. «My name is Yana.»
«Nice to meet you,» replied the homeowner, crossing her arms over her chest. «Are you here for a reason?»
«Yes, yes,» the girl repeated several times. «My name is Yana.»
«I got that,» Irina replied with a hint of irritation in her voice.
«And you are Irina?» the guest asked uncertainly.
«That’s right. So, what did you want?»
«Oh, you see,» the girl began cheerfully, «I’m Victor’s fiancée!»
Irina raised her eyebrows in surprise, her eyes widening in shock.
«Well, my womanizer apparently has a new woman,» Irina thought and already appraised Yana. «Although, what do I care who she is?»
«You see, I wanted to talk to you about my husband… oh, my fiancé,» Yana continued, nervously smiling.
«I doubt I can help you with anything, we broke up,» Irina replied dryly.
«Yes, I know. Victor told me about it. Well, I didn’t come to argue!»
Irina chuckled to herself: «What’s there to argue about? I’m not his wife, and who you are—I totally don’t care.»
«I’d like to hear from you what he, my Victor, is like,» Yana said breathlessly.
«Mine?» That thought flashed through Irina’s mind. «He once was mine, too…»
«Well, come in,» Irina sighed.
She let the uninvited guest into the wide corridor. She herself was curious about how Victor was doing. Lately, he hadn’t called her at all, only sent alimony, and that was it.
Irina warmed the kettle, brewed rose petals in a clear teapot, placed two cups and some cookies on a tray, and carried everything to the living room.
Yana carefully walked along the walls, examining the paintings, touching the bookshelves with curiosity.
«It’s beautiful here! A big room, high ceilings… And such huge windows, and a park! I’ve long dreamed of such a house,» Yana exclaimed admiringly.
«So, what did you want to hear from me?» Irina asked, putting the tray on the table.
«Yes, pretty much everything,» Yana replied and approached the door. «What’s in there?»
«Don’t open it!» Irina stated sharply. «My daughter is sleeping there.»
«Oh yes, Victor told me he has a daughter. What’s her name?»
«Alice,» came the short reply.
«Right, Alice!» Yana turned and approached another door. Without asking Irina’s permission, she opened it and entered.
«Hey, where are you going?!» Irina was outraged and ran after Yana.
«I want to see every room,» Yana replied carelessly.
«Listen, please close it and leave!»
«Why?» Yana protested. «After all, this is my house!»
«What?!» Irina couldn’t believe what she heard.
«Yes, this is my house. I’m marrying Victor, and he’s giving me this house. So, sweetheart, you need to vacate it.»
«Are you out of your mind?» Irina asked, barely containing herself.
«Yes, I don’t care what you think of me now! I came to look at what my fiancé is giving me. I don’t want to end up in a shabby hovel. And here, nothing…»
«Alright, enough of your circus, please leave the house!»
«And you don’t tell me what to do!» Yana declared and opened the next room.
Irina rushed up, sharply pulled the woman by the sleeve. She barely stayed on her feet, swaying to the side. The homeowner carefully closed the door.
«Get out!» Irina hissed, feeling anger rising within her.
«Oh-oh-oh, look at us! Anyway, sweetie: I’m giving you exactly two weeks, after which I’m moving in. Do you understand?»
From such rudeness, Irina was taken aback. She hadn’t encountered such characters in her life for a long time.
«Get out,» she said quietly but confidently, clenching her fists.
«Yes, I’m leaving now. I needed to take a couple of pictures, but okay. I have the address. Bye-bye!»
Yana rushed to her shoes, quickly put them on, and without waiting to be kicked out, dashed out onto the landing.
«Two weeks!» the girl shouted again and quickly ran down the stairs.
Irina closed the door behind her and leaned against it, feeling her knees tremble.
«What was that?» Irina asked herself. «Victor can’t do this to me, he promised… Or maybe it’s just a stupid prank by one of his furies?»
She looked at the clock. It was already late, but Irina knew that she now wouldn’t be able to sleep. She needed to call Victor and find out what was happening. But first, she peeked into Alice’s room, making sure the noise hadn’t woken the girl. The little one was sleeping peacefully, hugging her favorite teddy bear, and Irina, looking at her daughter, felt a lump rise to her throat. She would not allow anyone to disrupt their peaceful life, especially some upstart who fancied herself the owner of their home.
The windows of the apartment buildings gradually lit up with a yellowish light, and streetlights came on outside, casting whimsical shadows.
Irina paced the room, her elegant hands nervously adjusting the strands that had escaped her hairstyle. Thoughts in her head were confused, and her heart beat like crazy. She couldn’t get the words spoken by Yana—her ex-husband’s new passion—out of her head.
The apartment where Irina lived with her daughter Alice was filled with coziness and warmth. A soft sofa with multicolored pillows, bookshelves packed with favorite volumes, and photographs of happy moments on the walls—all this created the atmosphere of a real home. But now this idyll seemed to Irina fragile and unreliable.
She remembered her agreement with Victor: until Alice finished school, they would live here. But the statement of his so-called fiancée was a terrible blow.
Unable to bear it any longer, Irina grabbed the phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed her ex-husband’s number, pressing the handset to her ear. After a few rings, a familiar male voice answered:
«What’s up?» he responded without a greeting.
«What does this mean?» Irina blurted out, also without preamble, trying to speak quieter so as not to wake Alice sleeping in the next room. «Some of your latest fury just came to me and told me to leave this apartment. Or is this your stupid prank?»
«Alright, I get it,» Victor said. «Just don’t boil over.»
Irina walked into the kitchen. The small room, filled with old but well-kept furniture, always seemed to her the coziest place in the apartment. Now, however, it seemed to press on her.
«Don’t boil over?» she repeated, struggling to contain the emotions bursting forth.
«You knew perfectly well that this apartment isn’t yours,» Victor continued. «My mother gave it to me before the wedding so that we could live there. Do you remember that?»
«I remember perfectly,» Irina cut him off. «Exactly your mother gave this apartment as a wedding gift, so that we would live in it. But you ran away, leaving me with a daughter. And if I’m not mistaken, you promised that you wouldn’t bother me until Alice finishes school.»
«Oh, let’s not talk about promises, times are different,» Victor tried to evade.
«Don’t dodge the answer. You promised,» Irina insisted.
«Yes, that was the case. But now I need this apartment,» the ex-husband replied coldly.
«You’re a scoundrel!» Irina couldn’t hold back, but then immediately composed herself, realizing that this wasn’t a solution. «You’re vile.»
«So, are we going to argue now, or are we going to resolve something?» Victor asked calmly.
«Tell your Yana that she should never come back…» Irina began, but Victor interrupted her.
«No,» he said firmly. «I need this apartment, so it’s a pity she spoke to you first, not me.»
«So you chickened out and sent your witch to me?» Irina remarked sarcastically.
«Let’s not insult each other. I’m just asking you to move out of this apartment within two weeks,» Victor said evenly.
«And where to?» Irina asked indignantly. «You know very well I don’t have an apartment.»
«You’ll rent one. I send you alimony, and not a small amount. You can live well on them, you’ll pay for the whole apartment,» Victor stated confidently.
«Well, that’s not how it’s done, Victor. You promised,» Irina’s voice carried a plea.
«Stop it. I don’t have another apartment, at least not like that. So two weeks is enough time for you to find a home and move out. Do you understand?» Victor’s voice took on a steely tone.
«No, you don’t understand. Your daughter lives here. I repeat—your daughter, whom you don’t visit, whom you didn’t congratulate on her birthday. Have you completely forgotten about her?»
Heavy sighs sounded through the phone. Victor was silent for a few seconds, then coldly said:
«Two weeks,» and hung up.
Irina collapsed onto a chair in despair. Outside, twilight was gathering, and in her soul, a darkness of uncertainty and fear for the future was thickening.
The night was one of the worst. Irina practically didn’t sleep; she kept thinking about what to do now. Yes, the apartment wasn’t hers, yes, Victor had the right to evict her, yes, he paid alimony. But if she now rents an apartment, there will be practically no money left. Irina didn’t know what to do.
The dim light of early morning filtered through the loosely drawn curtains, casting the room in shades of gray. Irina mechanically moved around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her daughter. Her pale face and the bruises under her eyes betrayed a sleepless night.
After feeding her daughter and getting ready to go for a walk with her, Irina heard the doorbell ring. On the doorstep stood Margarita Vladimirovna, Victor’s mother. Despite their divorce, the mother-in-law practically came to visit them every day. She liked to fuss over her granddaughter—she had walked with her when she was small, bathed her, taught her to walk, and now began to teach her to draw and read.
Margarita Vladimirovna gave her daughter-in-law a piercing look.
«What’s wrong with you?» she asked, noticing the bruises under Irina’s eyes.
The girl sighed heavily, gathered courage, and spoke softly: «Victor is evicting me.»
«Well, well, let’s hear more about it,» Margarita Vladimirovna took her granddaughter in her arms, kissed her on the cheek, and, entering the living room, sat down in the armchair. «So, what happened?»
Irina told her everything: how Yana came, how she claimed the apartment was now hers, how she called her ex-husband, and how he confirmed his fiancée’s words.
«Two weeks, just two weeks! Where am I supposed to go?» Irina spread her arms, looking at the furniture around her. «What am I supposed to do with all this?»
Margarita Vladimirovna bowed her head. For a while, she was silent, then stood up, walked to the window, and watched children running in the park. Returning, she spoke softly: «It’s my son’s right. It’s his apartment, and he decides how to manage it.»
«What about Alice?» Irina reminded her mother-in-law.
«I don’t know,» the woman sighed heavily. «I don’t know,» she repeated and, approaching her granddaughter, stroked her head.
«He promised,» Irina reminded her of the promise her husband had made.
«There are no promises that can’t be broken,» she sat down beside Alice, watched her draw, took a pencil, and corrected something on the drawing.
«Let’s do this, and you calm down for now. What Victor decided, I don’t know. He hasn’t informed me. In fact, he doesn’t inform me about what’s happening in his business or life at all. But you know what,» the woman stroked her granddaughter’s head again, «I’ll talk to him.»
«Thank you,» Irina replied with hope in her voice.
«I’ll talk,» responded Margarita Vladimirovna and headed for the exit.
«Are you leaving?» the girl was disappointed and went to see her off.
«Yes, I need to prepare for the conversation,» she replied and put on her shoes. Opening the door, she repeated: «I need to prepare.»
The woman stepped onto the landing, leaving Irina with mixed feelings of hope and anxiety. The heavy door closed, and Irina was left alone in the apartment, which might soon no longer be her home.
Margarita Vladimirovna stepped outside. The cold autumn wind immediately ruffled her hair, making her shiver. She paused for a moment, looking at the fallen leaves swirling in the air. It reminded her of the day her husband, Andrey, died.
It had been so long that she could barely remember what he looked like. Their son Victor had just turned two years old then. Margarita felt again the sense of disorientation and helplessness that had overwhelmed her at that moment. She didn’t know what to do then, just as her daughter-in-law didn’t know what to do now.
The woman slowly approached her car, opened the door, and got behind the wheel. The car’s interior held the scent of lavender—Margarita’s favorite perfume.
Looking at the road ahead, she remembered how her own mother had turned away from her in a difficult moment. The only person who had offered her help was Elena Olegovna, her mother-in-law. It was she who allowed the young widow with a child to live in her spacious apartment. And when the elderly woman died, the property passed to Margarita.
The woman fastened her seatbelt, took out the keys, and inserted them into the ignition, turning them. The engine quietly purred.
«You’re doing wrong,» she said, addressing an invisible interlocutor. Her voice sounded with notes of reproach and disappointment. «You’re doing wrong, not talking to Irina yourself but sending your witch. It’s not right.»
She gently pressed the gas pedal, and the car smoothly moved from its spot. The city streets were almost deserted, with only a few passersby hurrying about their business. Margarita Vladimirovna drove slowly, immersed in her thoughts and memories.
A few days passed. Margarita Vladimirovna decided to visit her granddaughter, Alice. She rang the bell, and it immediately opened. On the doorstep stood Irina, her daughter-in-law, with a bewildered look in her brown eyes, framed by long lashes.
«Nice to see you,» the hostess replied, trying to hide the excitement in her voice.
«Hello,» Margarita Vladimirovna replied reservedly. She carefully kissed her daughter-in-law on the cheek and asked: «And where’s our little one?»—referring to her granddaughter.
«There, in the room, putting things away,» Irina replied quietly.
«Scattered again?» asked Margarita Vladimirovna and, removing her shoes, entered the living room.
She was surprised to see a dozen boxes, half of which were already filled with belongings. The room, usually cozy and bright, now looked like a battlefield with scattered toys and clothes.
«Two weeks,» Irina said resignedly and, approaching the bookshelf, took one of the books.
«You know what,» her mother-in-law approached, took the book from her hands, and put it back in its place, «you hold on for a couple of days, okay? Put the boxes aside. I haven’t talked to my son yet.»
«Mmmm,» Irina murmured, not knowing exactly what to respond.
«Well, where’s my little one? Alice!» the grandmother called her granddaughter, and immediately at her voice, a little miracle ran out of the bedroom.
«Granny!» the girl shouted and ran into the woman’s arms with a leap.
«Ah, my beauty! Ah, my darling!» Margarita Vladimirovna cried out, hugging her granddaughter tightly.
«Granny, granny, granny!» was all the little girl could say, clinging to her grandmother.
«Well, shall we go for a walk?» the mother-in-law suggested to her daughter-in-law, holding Alice in her arms gently.
«Uh… aaa…» Irina looked at the boxes, not knowing what to answer. Her gaze darted between the belongings and her mother-in-law.
«Hold on until the end of the week,» Margarita Vladimirovna said softly but insistently.
«Alright,» Irina replied with relief and went to get dressed. Her movements showed some hesitation, but at the same time, hope emerged.
A few more days passed. Golden rays of autumn sunlight softly illuminated the hall of a luxurious restaurant when Margarita Vladimirovna entered. An elegant woman with impeccable hair and an expensive suit, she immediately noticed her son, Victor, at a table by the window. A young girl was sitting next to him.
Margarita Vladimirovna approached the table, giving her son’s companion a cold look, and sat down, turning to Victor:
«And what is she doing here?» she asked, turning her head toward the girl.
«Mom, this is my fiancée,» the son replied, frowning slightly.
«I asked you to come for a conversation, not to meet her,» the mother said displeased.
Yana immediately felt unwelcome. The girl nervously fiddled with a napkin, not knowing where to look.
«Maybe I should go then?» she suggested in a quiet voice.
«No,» Victor said firmly, and, turning to his mother, added: «I have no secrets from Yana.»
«So that’s how it is. Well, then, the sooner you break up with her,» Margarita Vladimirovna remarked coldly.
Yana’s eyes blinked as if sand had gotten into them. She felt the color drain from her face.
«So, son, I asked you to come here to talk about the apartment,» Margarita Vladimirovna began, adjusting the pearl necklace around her neck.
«Mom, that issue is already resolved,» Victor immediately guessed that his mother would defend his ex-wife’s interests.
«No, it’s not resolved,» she replied calmly, leaning back in her chair.
«I need that apartment. I’m marrying Yana, and we’re going to live there,» the man insisted.
«No, you’re not. And here’s why,» Margarita Vladimirovna turned her head towards Yana. «You’d better plug your ears or go to the ladies’ room to powder your nose, sweetheart.»
«Sit,» Victor said harshly, placing his hand on Yana’s shoulder.
«I just suggested,» his mother replied.
«Irina will move out,» Victor stated confidently.
«So, young man, I want to remind you: the apartment where I live is mine.»
«Mom, but that’s just on paper!» Victor immediately objected. «I registered it in your name because…»
«Because you’re avoiding taxes. There’s the root of your problems,» his mother interrupted him. «And that apartment where Irina lives was also bought by you. You transferred it to me, then asked to transfer it back, which I did. But you didn’t pay taxes for it.»
«Mom, don’t get into my finances,» Victor requested, his voice tense.
«I don’t want to remind you, my dear son, that I’m the founder of two of your companies,» Margarita Vladimirovna said calmly.
«Mom, what are you talking about?» Victor’s eyes flapped open like old windshield wipers.
«I checked your documentation, compared your income and expenses. I don’t know what’s so surprising, but the declaration for your income doesn’t match the expenses. At least, not by a factor of 20.»
«Did you count?» Victor asked incredulously, his face paling.
«I’m the founder. I have full access to your accounting. I know where you spend money, but I’m surprised that you’re forging my signatures.»
«Mom, the fact that you’re my founder, it’s all just on pa…»
The woman couldn’t stand it and slammed her hand on the table.
«Shut up,» she said harshly. «Another word, and I’ll fire you.»
«What?» Victor’s face reddened, while Yana’s, on the other hand, turned even paler.
«I’m the founder of these two companies that bring you money. I know how much you actually earn and how much you transfer to Irina. So my proposal is simple: you make a deed of gift to Irina and quadruple the amount of alimony starting next month. Otherwise…»
«Otherwise what?» her son asked angrily.
«First option,» Margarita Vladimirovna replied, «I fire you. Second option—I file a police report. Choose which one you prefer.»
Victor leaned back in his chair. He understood that by evading taxes, he had dug himself into a hole. Yes, it helped him hide a large part of the income, and until now, his mother had never contradicted him.
«Victor,» Yana murmured with a trembling voice.
«Quiet,» he said dryly.
Margarita Vladimirovna took her purse, pulled out a folded folder, placed her hand on it, and began tapping her fingers.
«There’s enough information here to get you interested,» she said, looking her son straight in the eye.
Victor’s eyes were glassy. He hadn’t thought his mother would ever betray him.
The woman took the folder and put it back in her purse, then stood up and, thanking Victor for coming, calmly walked away, leaving behind a trail of expensive perfume and a heavy atmosphere of tension.
A few more days passed. Margarita Vladimirovna, by habit, approached the familiar door. She pressed the bell, and immediately somewhere deep in the apartment, a joyful cry of her granddaughter rang out.
«Little one,» the elderly woman said with a smile on her lips.
The door opened, and her daughter-in-law, Irina, let her mother-in-law into the house.
«Granny! Granny! Granny!» the little girl with golden curls joyfully threw herself around Margarita Vladimirovna’s neck.
«My darling, my sweetheart!» the grandmother exclaimed, hugging her granddaughter tightly.
«Shall we go for a walk?» the grandmother suggested to her granddaughter, admiring her radiant face.
«Yes!» the girl shouted and, climbing down from her arms, ran to get dressed, her little feet tapping on the parquet floor.
Margarita Vladimirovna turned to her daughter-in-law, giving her an attentive look.
«So, how’s your mood?» she addressed the hostess, noticing the shadows under her eyes.
«Terrible,» she replied and, entering the living room, spread her arms wide.
The mother-in-law followed her. Almost all the cabinets were empty, and a mountain of boxes piled along the walls. The sunlight, penetrating through the loosely drawn curtains, illuminated the chaos reigning in the room.
«Wow, I didn’t think there’d be so many things,» Margarita Vladimirovna whistled.
«Yeah, I didn’t think it would add up to so much either,» Irina sighed, running her hand through her hair.
«Well, okay, you did well,» the mother-in-law nodded approvingly.
«I’ll get Alice dressed now,» Irina bustled.
«Wait,» Margarita Vladimirovna stopped her. She opened her purse and took out several sheets of paper, handing them to her daughter-in-law. «Take these,» she said, then went to help her granddaughter get dressed.
Irina took the sheets of paper and began to read intently. She didn’t notice tears streaming down her cheeks. Approaching Margarita Vladimirovna, the girl hugged her and whispered softly:
«Mom… thank you so much.»
«Mom?» Alice was surprised and looked attentively at her grandmother with her big brown eyes.
«Yes, darling, mom,» Irina replied and hugged the woman even tighter.
«I would never let anyone harm my granddaughter,» Margarita Vladimirovna said softly, patting her daughter-in-law on the back.
«Thank you,» Irina replied, trying not to cry, wiping her eyes.
«Well, are we going for a walk or what?» Margarita Vladimirovna tried to lighten the emotional atmosphere.
Alice immediately shouted:
«Yes!»
Irina approached a box, opened it, and, taking out a worn teddy bear—Alice’s favorite toy—put it back on the shelf. A ray of sunlight, breaking through the curtains, illuminated the bear’s face, as if welcoming it back home.