Lera scanned the kitchen with her eyes, pausing on the photograph attached to the fridge with a magnet. The picture was from last summer during her vacation, her smile before David came into her life. The morning sun was peeking through the blinds. The kitchen was her pride. Small, but carefully designed, with a functional workspace where everything was exactly where it should be. She had spent months planning this layout.
Sipping coffee from her favorite mug, Lera thought about the changes that had happened in the last seven months. The faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had become more noticeable when she smiled at her thoughts. Who would have thought that at thirty she would meet someone who would so quickly invade her world?
She met David in a bookstore. Lera was choosing new books for her collection when she noticed a tall man holding a book by her favorite author.
«Excuse me, but if you’re reading McCullough for the first time, you should start with The Thorn Birds,» Lera said, unable to hold back her librarian instincts.
David turned around, his dark eyebrows raised slightly.
«I thought one should start with Dark Places,» he replied with a slight smile.
That was the first sign that he wasn’t just anyone—he really knew literature. The conversation started effortlessly, as if they had known each other for years. David was an architect, loved jazz, which Lera didn’t understand at all, and had a habit of telling stories about his projects as if they were adventure novels.
«Do you remember our first date?» David interrupted Lera’s thoughts as he entered the kitchen and gently put his arm around her shoulders.
Despite it being morning, he looked impeccable: pressed shirt, neatly styled hair, the pleasant smell of lotion. Sometimes, Lera felt like David woke up already dressed to the nines, though she knew that wasn’t the case.
«The café with those awful paintings,» Lera smiled, turning to her fiancé.
«And you in that blue dress,» David nodded, kissing her forehead. «The most beautiful woman in the city.»
That’s how their mornings usually started. Compliments, memories, plans. David knew how to create a festive atmosphere even on a regular workday. When he was around, Lera felt special, as if a regular librarian could suddenly become the heroine of a novel.
«I think we should move your desk to the living room,» David said while serving himself some omelet. «Mom’s bringing her furniture, and it’ll be more convenient for her to settle in the office.»
Lera froze, her coffee cup halfway to her lips.
«Your mom… is bringing furniture?»
«Yeah,» David said as if discussing the weather outside. «Mom can’t do without her chair and table. She has back problems. Besides, why buy new furniture when she already has everything she needs? It makes more sense to just move it.»
«David,» Lera spoke slowly, setting her cup on the table, «we never discussed your mom living with us.»
David furrowed his brow, putting down his fork.
«What’s there to discuss? Lera, you know my mom lives with me. We’ve always been together. Besides, she helped me when things were tough after the divorce. I can’t just leave her now.»
Suddenly, Lera felt out of breath. Over the seven months they’d been together, David had talked often about his family. His mom, Regina Stepanovna, who devoted herself to her sons after their father’s death. His brother, Mark, a talented musician who struggled to find work. His niece Katya, whom Mark was raising alone after his wife left. But for some reason, Lera had never imagined this meant moving his entire family into her apartment.
«David, when you proposed… I thought we would live just the two of us,» Lera tried to speak calmly, though her hands involuntarily clenched into fists under the table.
«Lera, but you’ve always said you love my family!» David’s voice held a touch of hurt. «After we get married, we’ll all be one family. You have a three-room apartment, there’s enough space for everyone. Why pay for rent when we can live together?»
«I never said I wanted to live with your family,» Lera bit her lip. «It’s one thing to visit each other during holidays or invite each other over, and quite another to live under one roof.»
David slowly shook his head.
«You don’t understand. We’ve always been together. Mom cooks, does laundry, helps with the household. Mark takes care of the tech, fixes everything. Katya is so smart, you’ve said you enjoy talking to her. It’s even convenient! Imagine: you come home from work, and dinner is already made, laundry is done…»
«David, I can wash my own clothes,» Lera’s voice trembled. «And I can cook too. This is my apartment, I want to decide how it will be arranged.»
«Our apartment,» David gently corrected, covering her hand with his. «After the wedding, everything will be ours. And my family is a part of me. Don’t you want me to be with my loved ones?»
Lera sighed. David’s words made sense, but why was there such resistance inside? Was she selfish? Or was it that the decision to live with his family had been made without her input?
«I just don’t understand why you didn’t discuss this with me beforehand,» Lera finally said.
«I thought it was obvious,» David shrugged. «Mom says that a real family always stays together. Don’t you want a real family?»
The manipulation was so obvious that Lera felt confused. Of course, she wanted a family. But did a family have to mean a crowd of relatives under one roof?
The day passed in a fog. At work, Lera mechanically arranged books, processed new arrivals, and helped readers. But her mind was elsewhere. She could see her cozy apartment, now filled with other people’s things, habits, and routines. Regina Stepanovna commanding the kitchen, Mark spreading his tools across the living room, Katya occupying the second bedroom…
«Lera, why are you so lost in thought?» her colleague Tonya called out. «Did you fight with your fiancé?»
«No,» Lera smiled weakly. «Just… Tonya, would you agree to live with your husband’s relatives under one roof?»
Tonya whistled.
«With my mother-in-law? Not a chance! We already stress each other out during the holidays. What did David suggest?»
«He didn’t suggest… he just put it as a fact.»
Tonya frowned.
«How many people is he planning to bring into your apartment?»
«His mom, brother, and niece.»
«Wow!» Tonya’s eyes widened. «And you agreed?»
«I… don’t know,» Lera admitted honestly. «David says family always stays together, and if I love him, I should accept everyone.»
«And does anyone in that family care about your opinion?» Tonya crossed her arms. «Lera, this is your apartment!»
«After the wedding, it will be considered joint property,» Lera quietly reminded her.
«Well, the wedding’s not for a while! Besides, the apartment was yours before the marriage, it doesn’t get divided in a divorce.»
The word «divorce» struck Lera unpleasantly. They hadn’t even gotten married yet, but Tonya was already talking about a divorce.
That evening, Lera decided to continue the conversation. She made dinner, set the table, even lit candles to create a calm atmosphere. David came home tired, but brightened up noticeably when he saw what she’d prepared.
«Is this a celebration?» he smiled, kissing Lera.
«No, just wanted some coziness,» Lera replied, sitting across from him. «David, we need to talk about your family.»
The smile on his face dimmed slightly.
«Lera, we already talked about this in the morning.»
«No, we didn’t,» Lera responded firmly. «We didn’t decide anything. I think we should live just the two of us, at least for the first while.»
David put his fork down.
«I can’t leave Mom alone in the village. She’s sixty-two, she has blood pressure issues.»
«Where did she live before she met me?»
«With me in a rented apartment.»
«So, if I understand correctly,» Lera took a deep breath, «you’re going to break the lease and move everyone in with us?»
«Exactly!» David said, pleased, as if Lera had finally understood the obvious. «Why pay for rent? You have a three-room apartment, plenty of space for everyone. Plus, Mom will help you with the household, Mark with repairs…»
«Good thing you have a three-room apartment!» David suddenly laughed, sipping his wine. «Otherwise, we’d be stuck in the village. Mom’s going to love city life.»
Lera froze. David’s words came out so casually, as if he were commenting on the weather outside. But at that moment, she realized: no one cared about her opinion. David wasn’t asking — he was presenting it as a fact. He didn’t even try to find a compromise.
«Did you even think to ask if I want this?» Lera spoke quietly.
«What’s there to ask?» David was genuinely surprised. «We’re family. Families always stick together and support each other. Mom says…»
«What does your mom have to do with this?» Lera interrupted, feeling irritation rising inside her. «This is about us, our future.»
«And Mom is part of our future,» David answered firmly. «And Mark and Katya too. We’ve always supported each other, and I’m not going to change that.»
Lera was silent, staring at the candle flame. Dozens of objections swirled in her mind, but she knew David wouldn’t hear any of them. For him, family meant everyone together, shoulder to shoulder, with no personal space. But for her?
«I’m not ready,» Lera finally said. «I need to think.»
«About what?» David tried to hug her, but she pulled away. «All brides get nervous. You’ll see I’m right. Family should stay together.»
«I think we should call off the wedding,» Lera spoke softly but firmly.
«What? Over something like this?» David laughed, but his laughter was hollow. «Lera, you’ve gone crazy. You’re calling off the wedding a month before the celebration!»
«Like you see, I don’t share your idea of family. For me, family is just us, not your whole clan. We see the future too differently.»
David looked at Lera as if seeing her for the first time.
«You’ll regret this,» he finally said. «You won’t find anyone like me.»
The threat was so absurd that Lera couldn’t help but smile.
«Maybe. But someone like me is also rare. Not many would give up their apartment to strangers just because they fell in love with their relative.»
David packed his things that same evening. When he left, he slammed the door so hard that the windows rattled. Lera didn’t cry. Strangely, she felt relieved, as if she had shed a heavy burden.
The wedding was officially called off a week later. Lera sent messages to the guests, returned the ring to David, and didn’t explain. Whoever understood would understand. Those who didn’t—didn’t need to.
Tonya supported her friend without asking questions, only clarifying:
«Wait, so he really planned to bring his entire family into your apartment? And didn’t ask you?»
«As you see,» Lera shrugged. «For David, it was obvious, and I was supposed to agree quietly.»
«You know, what I respect about you is your decisiveness,» Tonya nodded approvingly. «Most people would cry but go along. You knew exactly what to do.»
«Not right away,» Lera shook her head. «But thanks to this situation, I understood. Better to understand now than when it’s too late to step back.»
The apartment was hers again: with windows, silence, and freedom. No more foreign plans, occupied outlets, or refugees from the village. And although Lera sometimes caught herself thinking she missed David, she never regretted her decision.
A couple of months later, Lera rearranged the furniture, bought a new chair and a kettle for her office. She caught herself thinking: it was a good thing David mentioned the three-room apartment. If he hadn’t, she might have stayed with him. But instead, she stayed with herself.
That evening, she sat by the window, watching the first snowflakes swirl outside. Behind her, bookshelves gathered over the years, a cup of hot tea warming her hands. No one was asking her to clear the office for Mark, no one planned to drink tea on her balcony. The house had become a fortress again.
Sometimes, one confident plan — thrown out loud — is the best way to realize that you’re not being asked, but already used. And the best moment to leave the game — before they change the lock on the front door.
Lera turned on the music — the same one she loved before meeting David — and smiled at her reflection in the window. Life goes on. The three-room apartment stayed warm and free. And that was more important than any wedding.
