Maybe you can give me the keys to your apartment? To not disturb your work process,» the mother-in-law quipped, noticing irritation on her daughter-in-law’s face.
«Do you not have your own set?» Nina retorted. Such biting dialogues between them were becoming more frequent.
Ksenia Vasilyevna regularly visited the young couple, pretending she had forgotten she had her own set of keys. In reality, she had demonstratively removed them from her keyring and then ‘magically’ brought them back. This little secret between mother and son was meant to avoid conflicts with the daughter-in-law.
The key saga began right after the marriage was registered. Then, Ksenia Vasilyevna decided to surprise the newlyweds and dropped by unannounced. Instead of a warm welcome, she found Nina in casual home attire and with a face mask on. This incident became the reason for the demand to hand over the keys.
Since then, the mother-in-law constantly insinuated that the young woman was just lazing around at home. In her opinion, remote work was merely an excuse for laziness. How could one take seriously someone who allowed themselves a relaxed home style even during working hours?
Nina, however, was confident in her professional reputation. Her specialty was creating print layouts, where the client’s appearance did not matter. She worked effectively from home, feeling comfortable in any attire. But convincing the skeptical mother-in-law was impossible.
Ksenia Vasilyevna disapproved of her daughter-in-law’s domestic lifestyle. What especially irritated her was the relative disorder in the apartment, and in her opinion, her beloved son was underfed.
«Since you’re at home, study some cookbooks and spoil your husband with culinary masterpieces!» the mother-in-law regularly instructed. «He can find simple soup with croutons in the cafeteria!»
«Kostya specifically orders such soup,» Nina tried to defend herself. «When I have the time, I cook more complex dishes.»
«And where is this time? You find time for self-care, but not for culinary feats?» Ksenia Vasilyevna exclaimed.
Although the famous face mask was worn only on the day of their first meeting, the mother-in-law firmly believed that Nina indulged in relaxation daily: taking aromatic baths, experimenting with cosmetics, and neglecting household duties. In Ksenia’s eyes, all the money earned went exclusively to the daughter-in-law’s personal needs. The lack of financial transparency only confirmed her suspicions – Nina’s words were taken as empty promises.
In reality, the young woman worked remotely with the same dedication as in an office job. Sometimes she combined work with household chores or self-care, compensating for this with late evening hours of work. She had no intention of showing her earnings to her mother-in-law – knowing it would only lead to new demands. It was better to manage the family budget herself than to let the money ‘leak’ through her husband’s mother, who, objectively, did not need it.
But Ksenia Vasilyevna’s grievances extended far beyond domestic issues. She believed that Nina pretended to be a busy person, while Kostya did all the routine work – from taking out the trash to receiving parcels.
To verify her daughter-in-law’s words, Ksenia Vasilyevna would suddenly appear for visits. Although she officially had no access to the apartment, her arrival was always a distraction from work – Nina had to serve tea and listen to remarks. Her visits could happen at any time: early morning or after lunch. The nurse worked shifts, so she used her free time as effectively as possible – demanding breakfast before work in the morning, and waiting for her son to dine together in the evening.
Nina did not intend to spend half the day in her mother-in-law’s company and continued to work, leaving her in the living room. However, Ksenia Vasilyevna quickly became bored and began to distract her daughter-in-law.
«You work in design – conversations will only help with inspiration!» she claimed.
But Nina knew multitasking was not for everyone. Either she made mistakes in the layouts or ignored her mother-in-law, which inevitably led to complaints to her son about her ‘neglect.’
Previously, such visits were rare, and Nina could catch up in the evenings. But daily appearances became a real challenge. Her attempts to explain that this interfered with work were met with a calm suggestion to «reconsider the employment format» – as if office work would solve all problems.
This time, Ksenia Vasilyevna came closer to the evening, immediately taking a central place in the living room. Having caught a cold in the damp air, she demanded a comprehensive approach to her health: tea with lemon, honey, and ginger, a cheese sandwich with tomato, and a portion of dark chocolate to lift her spirits.
Serving such a demanding guest was challenging – Nina was constantly distracted from work and cooking. When the onions began to burn, the mother-in-law did not miss the chance to loudly announce it, although she saw that her daughter-in-law was already in the kitchen. In the end, the spoiled dish had to be thrown away.
Fortunately or not, Kostya was delayed at work – he had to replace a colleague at another site and had a snack in a cafe. However, his mother made a whole show out of it.
«He wisely decided to dine out,» she approved, hinting at the quality of the homemade food. «Here they would have fed you straight from the garbage.»
She began to reproach Nina, assuring that she cooked ‘swine food,’ and her son deliberately avoided family dinners. «You’ve brought my boy to this state!» she appealed to her daughter-in-law’s conscience.
At the same time, she did not refuse dinner on the spot – instead, she requested tea. A basket of cookies was always handy, and Ksenia Vasilyevna gladly accepted the sweets, forgetting her recent complaints about the hostess’s culinary skills.
In the end, Nina was left alone with her soup, while her husband and his mother enjoyed tea. The sweets ultimately melted the guest’s heart, and she decided to invite the family to help her at the dacha. «We need to prepare for the season – clean up and tidy the beds,» she declared, forgetting about her recent cold.
The daughter-in-law did not have time to react before Kostya had already agreed: «Of course, we’ll come!» His reaction surprised Nina – he didn’t even ask for her opinion, as if she didn’t exist.
She took the initiative into her own hands. She informed them that due to an urgent project, she could not go, not mentioning that it was exactly the mother-in-law’s frequent visits that hindered her work.
«Kostya, it’s time to find your wife a proper job! – the mother-in-law immediately started to complain. – Even a cashier in a supermarket would be enough for her! She has no time on weekdays or weekends!»
The son merely brushed it off, and Nina demonstratively went to wash the dishes, leaving her husband to entertain his mother. The guest chatted with her son for a while, giving the daughter-in-law a chance to focus on work.
When Ksenia Vasilyevna finally left, Nina expected relief, but Kostya began to strangely mill around her. «I’m not going to the dacha!» she immediately warned, assuming her husband was trying to persuade her.
It turned out that Kostya had indeed canceled the dacha plans, but instead, his mother had suggested a sanatorium. And he… agreed!
«Are you joking?» Nina asked incredulously. How could he change the seaside vacation, for which she had been saving for half a year? She had given up expensive cosmetics, new clothes – all for a joint trip. Kostya, on the other hand, did not limit his expenses, counting on her savings. Yesterday they chose a tour, and today they needed to make a prepayment – otherwise, the price would increase. He knew perfectly well that all their money was already ‘frozen’ for these tickets.
But the husband stood his ground: «Mom specially adjusted it to our vacation – we can’t let her down.»
«Why doesn’t she go alone?» Nina countered. «We have our plans.»
Kostya explained that it was not affordable for his mother, and she would not go alone. But Nina firmly stated that she would not give up the sea for a sanatorium, especially not pay for it from her savings. Seeing her firm position, her husband stopped arguing, realizing the futility of further attempts to persuade her.
Nina immersed herself in work, while her husband lingered on the laptop for a while, then went to sleep. Something prompted her to check his correspondence – and she discovered the shocking truth. Behind her back, her husband and mother-in-law continued to discuss vacation plans, completely ignoring her opinion. It turned out they had decided to give up the seaside tour in favor of the sanatorium.
Reading the messages, Nina learned a lot of interesting things: apparently, Ksenia Vasilyevna’s frequent visits were a thought-out tactic of ‘acclimatizing’ the daughter-in-law to prolonged stays together. The mother-in-law had booked a triple room a long time ago and now demanded urgent payment, as well as ticket purchases. That’s why Kostya was tasked with informing his wife about the new arrangement today.
Neither he nor his mother were in a hurry to share this information – even during yesterday’s tour selection, the husband preferred to remain silent.
Going to bed, Nina felt a bitter residue. She knew she would not change her decision, but it was curious how Kostya would get out of the situation he had created.
In the morning, he decided to set things straight: «The sanatorium is healthier – the food, the procedures. Let’s pay for the room now, and I’ll find the tickets.»
«What about our tour?» she reminded him.
«The sea isn’t going anywhere, we’ll postpone it for another time,» he declared, showing inflexibility. Apparently, the pressure from his mother had done its job.
Despite her principles, Nina reluctantly nodded – for the sake of family peace. However, instead of gratitude, Kostya hurried to inform his mother about the ‘victory.’ He began to urge his wife to make the payment, but received an answer that her bank card was temporarily blocked.
The next evening, Nina informed that the card would be available only tomorrow – although in reality, all necessary payments had already been made. Calls and messages from concerned relatives began almost immediately. They clearly worried not so much about the divorce as about the missed payment.
When the flow of calls reached 30, Nina simply added their numbers to the blacklist. Her decision was final – she left a note about her intention to file for divorce and packed her things. On the evening before the vacation, staying at a friend’s, she watched attempts to contact her – without the slightest desire to respond.
After completing the paperwork, she went to the sea alone, ready to start a new life. Now her future depended only on herself.
