— Hello, Irina Pavlovna, — Alina rarely called her mother-in-law. They lived in different cities and hardly communicated. Irina Pavlovna wasn’t particularly interested in her son’s family, and Alina tried to keep her distance from Irina Pavlovna, scared by stories about evil mothers-in-law.
They congratulated each other on holidays, and Irina Pavlovna came for the granddaughter’s discharge from the maternity hospital, then quickly realized her presence was no longer needed and left for home.
Their relationship could be called ideal, but lately, Viktor, Alina’s husband, had been complaining more about his mother.
— She asks for money. I can’t say no, — he justified the lack of funds.
— You sent her a large sum last month.
— I know, but this month she needs even more.
— For what? She’s healthy, a working woman…
— Her salary was cut, and utility bills have gone up.
— The amount you spend on your mother could have been used to buy a new apartment, not just to cover utilities! — Alina rebelled.
— Besides utilities, there’s food, clothing, household needs… the other day mom’s fridge broke down and she urgently needed a new one.
Alina sighed. Viktor always found justifications for new expenses, and they were quite plausible.
Alina would have continued to believe him if not for an incident. Recently, as usual, she opened the envelope with the set-aside money to add her salary to it and… noticed a significant sum was missing.
— Where is the money, Viktor?! — she immediately called her husband. Have we been robbed?!
— No. Everything’s fine.
— Everything’s fine? No, it’s not! Our money is disappearing, consistently! I set it aside, and it leaks out like sand through fingers! We agreed this was untouchable reserve! You even forbade me to spend a small part of it on shoes for our daughter!
— Because shoes for the daughter can wait. Now is an emergency, — declared Viktor.
— Really? And what kind of «emergency» is it?
— Mom has serious problems.
— What kind this time?
— She flooded the neighbors below. They threaten to sue. The damage is very significant, and she has no money to pay for everything that was spoiled.
Alina didn’t know what to say. The amount that disappeared was quite large. Alina had been saving this money for a long time, planning to buy an apartment and was saving for the down payment. While Alina thought, Viktor continued to escalate, describing the horrors of a legal battle.
— They’ll take her apartment if we don’t help her pay the damages. There’s an option to handle this directly, pay the neighbors, avoiding court.
— I don’t like this idea, — Alina finally managed to say.
— Like it or not, no one cares. I can’t leave my mother in trouble, — said Viktor.
Alina realized arguing with her husband was pointless. He took the money from the family savings without asking permission and decided for both of them. But the more Alina thought, the more she realized that this situation did not suit her. Viktor took money from the budget too often, never replenishing it and even without asking his wife’s opinion.
It also surprised her that the mother-in-law accepted her son’s money but never said «thank you» for the help and didn’t refuse the money, even knowing that the spouses were saving for an apartment.
Alina decided to talk to her husband’s mother, explain to her that the family savings weren’t meant to be squandered on the mother-in-law’s household needs. And that if she herself worked, then she should pay for herself from her own salary.
— Hello, Irina Pavlovna, — she said, dialing her mother-in-law’s number.
— Hello, Alina. How are you?
— I don’t even know what to say.
— Speak as it is. What happened?
— You need to return the money you took from us, — Alina stated bluntly.
— What money?
— You consistently demand money from Viktor, he can’t refuse you. But I can. So, from today, you will not receive a penny.
— But Alina, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
— What’s there not to understand? You took it for the fridge, for repairs, for financial compensation… Viktor is forced to help you at the expense of his own family! He denied Milana a new jacket, although she really needs it, and he constantly transfers money to you! — listed Alina.
— I will transfer to you everything I received from my son right now. He didn’t tell me you were having financial troubles, — said Irina Pavlovna.
— Good, thank you. That’s exactly why I called you.
The mother-in-law kept her word. Five minutes after the call, Alina’s balance was replenished. But the amount transferred by the mother-in-law literally made Alina laugh, and she called Irina Pavlovna again.
— Yes? — she answered.
— Will you repay the debt in installments? — the daughter-in-law clarified.
— No. I transferred everything I received from Viktor. If you doubt, I’ll send you the bank statement right now.
Alina didn’t believe her, but doubts crept into her mind.
— Okay, maybe I was mistaken. Sorry.
— Alina, you know, I recently noticed that Viktor has been behaving differently. Is something wrong?
— I don’t know, Irina Pavlovna. But I really want to find out.
— Tell me, how much money has «disappeared»?
Alina named the sum.
— That’s a lot, a lot. Maybe he bought something? For himself? Something he’s long dreamed of?
— I would have seen it. Nothing new appeared.
— Maybe he wanted to make a gift for your daughter?
— I don’t think so. Viktor hardly spends time with Milana. She reaches out to him, but he finds more important things to do, — complained Alina.
— That’s very unpleasant and strange, — said Irina Pavlovna. — Alina, I think you should pay attention to his behavior.
— What do you mean?
— I don’t want to draw conclusions yet, but I hope I’m wrong, — said Irina Pavlovna. — Let’s just observe him.
Alina shrugged. She didn’t understand what her mother-in-law was hinting at, but decided to watch her husband. Clearly, one of them was deceiving Alina. Either the mother-in-law, claiming she hadn’t taken the money, or Viktor, saying he helped his mother with the money.
Alina developed an entire strategy. First, she started eavesdropping on his conversations, then delved into his phone. But there was nothing there, as well as in his social networks.
Nevertheless, Viktor continued to behave provocatively.
— I’m meeting a friend today, don’t wait for me for dinner, — he took his wallet and left. A few hours later, she started receiving messages about where the money was spent. It turned out that the husband had a good time at a fancy restaurant.
Alina realized that Viktor accidentally or deliberately «mixed up» the cards and took his wife’s card with him, where part of her salary remained.
Alina was very curious who among his friends loved oysters and incidentally took her card, which the hubby successfully used.
«It looks like a romantic date…» — she noted, having managed to build the logic of her husband’s movements and «trace» the route to her husband and his «friend.»
From a distance, Alina spotted Viktor. She looked closer and realized that her husband was not walking alone. Next to him was an unknown woman in a fur vest, on heels, and with a designer bag. Alina could only dream of such a purse. Viktor would not allow Alina to spend so much money «on frivolities,» so the woman wore a comfortable but terribly ugly backpack.
However, dreams about the purse took a back seat when Viktor hugged his companion and tenderly looked at her, probably confessing his love.
Alina’s first thought was to rush to the couple and separate them. But she held back. Alina waited until her husband saw his «beloved» off to the end of the park and saw that they were saying goodbye. Watching the farewell was disgusting. Tears clouded her eyes, but Alina took several pictures to show her mother-in-law and husband when he would deny everything.
Meanwhile, the couple stopped hugging. Viktor quickly left the park, and his friend walked towards Alina. The women crossed glances, and Alina blurted out:
— I saw everything! You’re my husband’s mistress. How are you not ashamed to destroy a family?! — she yelled.
— Not ashamed. So what? What’s next? — the woman looked mockingly at Alina.
— You… are a real monster! You have no conscience!
— Why do I need a conscience? I live well without it. For example, look: a ring, a purse, a fur vest, boots… all this my husband bought for me. Yours, — she laughed. — And what about you? Conscience? Well, keep it to yourself. And take your hubby too. I don’t need him.
Alina did not expect such a turn of events. She was not immediately able to respond.
— What do you mean? So you will no longer keep Viktor?
— I never kept him. He stuck to me himself. I choose men who can support me, pamper me… and yours… one word, a man. Plus, as it turned out, he has nothing to his name. All this — she shook her hand with the decorations, — bought on your family budget. That’s the way it is… While you work, your husband spends money on me, — declared the new mistress.
Alina looked at the brazen woman and barely restrained herself from grabbing her hair. She still didn’t consider her husband guilty; she felt that the root of evil was precisely in this unknown woman. And the lady didn’t even hold on to Viktor. For her, the presence of money was important, not love.
— You’re a calculating scammer. Stay away from my husband. We have a child, a family, real feelings… and for him, it’s just… a fleeting attraction.
The unknown woman looked meaningfully at Alina and did not reply. She just nodded and walked away. A small red car, bought for her by one of the past cavaliers — rich men who always chased her, was waiting for her not far from the park.
Only with Viktor, she was unlucky — turned out to be a cheater, and moreover, married.
Alina paced a bit and then went home. She didn’t know how to live further, how to behave with her husband, and yet she felt like a winner in this skirmish with her husband’s mistress.
Viktor came home late. Alina tormented herself with thoughts about where he had been. But since the husband came back angry and upset, Alina decided that they had broken up with the mistress, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She prepared dinner for her husband, endured his growling and reproaches, and waited for him to change, to understand that there was no better woman than Alina. But deep down, her sense of self-worth was hurt. Alina remembered the words of the unknown woman and realized that there was a grain of truth in the woman’s words. Alina had nothing left but pride and conscience.
Her husband had long become a stranger, shamelessly spending money on another woman, while Alina and her daughter made do with little — wore old clothes, waited for the beloved man at home, and watched his every move. And he entertained himself at their expense, deceived them, and didn’t care about them.
— Alinochka, how are you? — calling, asked Irina Pavlovna. — I spoke with my son, he said he was forced to lie. He has some problems at work… in short, don’t be angry with him. He’s just… a little tired. Just wait, and everything will be fine between you.
— Irina Pavlovna, things will never be fine again. Don’t cover for his lies, I know about the affairs.
A sigh was heard on the other end.
— Well, who hasn’t? How many times did his father cheat on me? Countless. And yet we were happy! Together until old age…
— You were happy? No, Irina Pavlovna. Your husband was happy. And you were just a miserable sufferer. I don’t want to be like that. Sorry.
Alina hung up. She packed up, took the remaining amount she had saved, and went to her parents with her daughter.
Alina knew that real happiness was still ahead. And the past should go away along with Viktor, to where he belongs.
The divorce was formalized without excess tears, although Viktor claimed that he needed to be given a chance. But Alina realized that she would neither give him a chance nor a penny of money anymore.
— Good luck to you, Viktor. Now you can go on a free sail and support mistresses at your own expense. I’m no longer involved, — she said proudly and left. And some time later, Alina met another man… he accepted Milana, liked the potential mother-in-law, and, quite possibly, everything will work out between Alina and him.
