What makes you think you can manage my parents’ property, Kostya?» Alena’s voice was only slightly louder than usual, but there was a depth of shock and disbelief in her words. She stood in the doorway of the room where her fiancé was casually talking with his mother.
Konstantin, turning pale before her eyes, quickly turned away from his mother and looked at Alena with clear confusion.
«I was just talking…» he started, but the words got stuck in his throat.
«Just talking? You and your mother have already divided my property and my parents’ property without my knowledge!» Alena stepped into the room, not hiding her outrage. «We’re not even married yet, and you’re already making plans as if you have control over everything that belongs to my family.»
Konstantin pressed his lips together, his gaze becoming harder, and the previous uncertainty was replaced by irritation.
«I am your fiancé. As your husband, I will have full rights to everything that belongs to you,» his voice became harsh, almost demanding.
Alena took a deep breath, trying to contain the storm of emotions inside her.
«You didn’t even ask me. Neither of you asked! I thought you were different. That we would build plans together, not make decisions about my parents’ lives behind my back.»
Galina Petrovna softly chuckled behind her son as she overheard the last words.
«So what did you want? For Kostya to sit idly by?» suddenly asked Konstantin’s mother, holding a cup of tea in her hands. «We just wanted to prepare for the future, to ensure benefits for everyone. Order.»
«Benefits?» Alena let go of the cup she was holding, and the drink spilled slightly onto the table. «You call it order when you divide someone else’s property as if it already belongs to you? My parents are alive and will make their decisions when the time comes! How dare you speak to me like I’m a child?»
«You’re too categorical,» Kostya said, trying to take control of the situation. «Mom and I just didn’t want you to know we had plans. We’re thinking about the future.»
«The future?» The girl’s voice trembled with anger and hurt. «Or about your comfort? You said you would live in my apartment, and my parents would forget about their home and business as if you’re their new owner.»
Kostya stepped forward, but Alena did not step back. Her gaze burned, and her words were firm and decisive.
«I have rights to that property, and you will either respect that, or we better not see each other again. No one gave you or your mother permission to make plans without my consent.»
«You don’t understand…» Konstantin tried to object.
«No, you don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘respect,'» Alena interrupted him. «We’re not just close to each other. Do you want to be part of my life, my family? Start with respecting what is dear to me.»
Silence filled the room, every word felt heavy. Konstantin glanced at his mother, seeing a mixture of irritation and confusion in her eyes. Galina Petrovna, like a woman used to making her own rules, spoke with an icy voice:
«Your fiancée, dear, wants too much. She needs to whine less and listen more to those who actually understand how this world works.»
«This isn’t whining,» Alena retorted, «it’s vital principles. And if you valued me even a little, you wouldn’t have these conversations behind my back.»
Kostya waved his hand as if to end the argument.
«Okay, okay. Maybe I went too far. But since we’re engaged, this is inevitable. Let’s not blow this out of proportion.»
«Yes, we will,» Alena replied sharply, «if you don’t stop planning my life and my property as your own.»
Her pale fiancé stayed silent. Alena walked out of the room, throwing over her shoulder:
«There won’t be a wedding if you don’t stop interfering in our family life. And especially if you think your mother has any right to this.»
A faint exclamation of outrage from Galina Petrovna could be heard behind the door, but it was lost in the heavy silence that filled the apartment. Alena stood by the window, desperately trying to catch her breath and regain her sense of control. Inside, there was a storm of emotions, but the call of duty and justice prevented her from backing down.
The act of betrayal and manipulation had destroyed the idyll that Alena and Konstantin had so gently nurtured over the past six months. Now, the moment of truth was inevitably approaching — the moment when love would collide with the cold hardness of reality. And this moment threatened to be the most painful, the hardest one in their lives.
Alena gloomily busied herself in the kitchen, trying to distract herself with familiar cooking. But her hands trembled, and her mind replayed the recent conversation with Kostya. A call from her mother interrupted her thoughts.
«Sweetheart, are you coming for dinner tonight?» her mother’s voice sounded warm and familiar.
«I’ll come, Mom. We need to talk,» Alena knew she couldn’t keep everything to herself.
In the evening, sitting in the cozy kitchen of her parents’ house, Alena finally told them about the eavesdropped conversation. Marina Viktorovna froze, holding her cup, while her father, Sergey Mikhailovich, frowned so hard that his thick brows almost met in the middle.
«So, they already planned our old age and our assets?» he said slowly, stroking his beard. «Interesting.»
«Dad, I don’t know what to do,» Alena clasped the tea cup with both hands as if seeking support in it. «I loved him. I thought he was… different.»
«They’re all the same,» Marina Viktorovna cut her off. «He saw a wealthy girl and decided he had caught his luck.»
«Don’t generalize,» Sergey Mikhailovich gently disagreed. «But the situation is unpleasant, that’s a fact.»
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Konstantin and his mother stood on the doorstep — polite smiles and a large cake in hand.
«Good evening,» Galina Petrovna stretched her lips into a forced smile. «We decided to come by, to discuss… the misunderstanding.»
Sergey Mikhailovich gave them a cold look but let them inside. Everyone settled in the living room, where tension hung thick in the air.
«Alena, maybe you misunderstood our conversation,» Konstantin began, carefully choosing his words. «Mom and I were just discussing possibilities, dreaming, so to speak.»
«Possibilities of selling someone else’s property?» Sergey Mikhailovich clarified dryly. «Interesting dreams you have.»
Galina Petrovna fidgeted in her seat:
«You take everything too seriously. Konstantin was just talking about the future. It’s normal for a young family.»
«Normal to plan to sell my business?» Sergey Mikhailovich leaned forward. «A business I built for twenty years? And discuss it behind my daughter’s back?»
Kostya tried to take control of the situation:
«Sergey Mikhailovich, Marina Viktorovna, I apologize for this conversation. I never intended to do anything without Alena’s knowledge.»
«Stop lying!» Alena said, staring directly into her fiancé’s eyes.
Konstantin hesitated:
«Well, I might have said something wrong…»
«Might have,» Alena confirmed. «And you did. ‘When the parents get old, we’ll sell their business. We’ll buy you an apartment, Mom, and a car for ourselves.’ Am I mistaken?»
Galina Petrovna turned pale:
«These are just fantasies. You take everything too literally.»
«How else should we take it?» Marina Viktorovna interjected. «My husband worked for years to build his business, and we worked together to ensure our daughter’s future. And some…,» she paused, picking the word, «young man is already mentally managing our efforts?»
«I feel like we’re in court,» Kostya nervously laughed.
«You’re lucky it’s not a court,» Sergey Mikhailovich snapped. «Because I haven’t decided yet how to deal with someone who sees my family as a source of income.»
Alena felt tears welling up, but she held them back:
«Kostya, answer me honestly. Do you really love me? Or are you attracted to what my family can give you?»
«What kind of question is that?» Kostya reacted. «Of course, I love you!»
«Then why are you discussing with your mother how to manage my parents’ property? Why are you making plans behind my back?»
Galina Petrovna decided to take the initiative:
«Listen, all parents want the best for their children. That’s natural. And yes, I want my son to live well. There’s nothing wrong with that!»
«Wishing the best for your son is one thing,» Marina Viktorovna countered. «But planning to sell someone else’s property is something else.»
«I think we all need to calm down,» Kostya suggested, seeing the situation escalate.
«No,» Alena said firmly. «We need to sort this out once and for all.»
«What’s left to sort out?»
«What made you think you could manage my parents’ property, Kostya? We’re not even married yet, and we probably won’t be!»
Alena’s words hung in the air, filling the room with heavy silence. Konstantin’s face twitched, the mask of self-assurance briefly falling off, exposing confusion and fear.
«What do you mean ‘won’t be’?» he finally managed to say. «Because of one conversation, you’re ready to throw everything away?»
Galina Petrovna jumped up:
«This is absurd! Kostya, let’s go. If your fiancée is ready to end things over an empty conversation…»
«Empty?» Sergey Mikhailovich stood up, pressing his hands on the table. «You planned to sell my business after I die. You call that an empty conversation?»
Kostya nervously ran his hand through his hair:
«No! I was just theorizing. You’re exaggerating.»
«Exaggerating?» Alena looked at Konstantin with pain in her eyes. «I heard the whole conversation. You and your mother laughed while discussing how you’d manage my parents’ property. You spoke about it with such… anticipation.»
Galina Petrovna snorted:
«Enough already! Yes, we talked about it. So what? Every family makes plans for the future. All parents want to secure their children’s future. Don’t you understand basic things?»
«Plans for the future are made together,» Marina Viktorovna said quietly but firmly. «Not behind people’s backs.»
Kostya suddenly slammed his fist on the table:
«Stop it! I loved you, Alena, and you’re making this a… performance over a few words. Do you understand how much effort I put into our relationship?»
«Effort?» Alena bitterly smiled. «What effort, Kostya? Pretty words? Gifts? And what did you expect in return? My parents’ apartment? Their business?»
Konstantin turned red:
«You’re distorting my intentions!»
«No,» Alena shook her head. «I’m just finally seeing them clearly.»
Galina Petrovna walked up to her son and placed her hand on his shoulder:
«Kostya, don’t degrade yourself. If they think this way about you, it means they don’t truly value you.»
«Do we not value him?» Marina Viktorovna snapped. «We invited him into our family, trusted him with our daughter. And he…»
«You just don’t understand,» Galina Petrovna interrupted. «My son is young, he needs support. He wanted to start a life with Alena without financial problems. What’s wrong with that?»
«What’s wrong,» Sergey Mikhailovich said slowly, «is that he views marriage with our daughter as a way to solve his financial problems.»
Kostya jumped up:
«It’s not true! I loved Alena! I just… I just wanted the best future for us.»
«For us?» Alena looked at him with bitterness. «Or for yourself and your mother?»
The tension in the room was rising. Konstantin started pacing around:
«You know what, Alena? You’re ungrateful. You think many men would want to marry such a principled and distrustful woman like you? You’ll regret it!»
«Maybe,» Alena calmly replied. «But definitely not today.»
She removed the ring from her finger and placed it on the table in front of Konstantin:
«Our engagement is broken.»
«You can’t!» Kostya turned white with rage. «You have no right to do this to me!»
«I do. And I am.»
Galina Petrovna grabbed Konstantin’s hand:
«Let’s go, son. There are plenty of other girls who will appreciate you.»
But Kostya pulled his hand away and stepped toward Alena:
«This is all because of your parents! They turned you against me! You’ve always been too obedient a daughter!»
Sergey Mikhailovich took a step forward, standing between his daughter and Konstantin:
«You better leave. Right now.»
«Don’t tell my son what to do!» Galina Petrovna snapped. «He has the right to speak!»
«Not in my house,» Sergey Mikhailovich cut her off. «And not after he insulted my daughter.»
Alena watched the scene as if from the outside. Six months of a relationship, dreams of a shared future — all was crumbling before her eyes. And the scariest thing was that the person she loved now stood before her, completely unfamiliar, his face twisted with anger.
«You’ll regret this,» Kostya hissed, looking at Alena. «You’ll all regret it.»
«Get out of my house,» Alena said quietly but firmly. «Now.»
«Not until you understand what you’re losing!» Kostya slammed his fist on the wall. «You’ll regret it! All of you!»
«Threats?» Alena stepped back toward the door. «Is this all you’re capable of?»
Galina Petrovna grabbed her son by the shoulders:
«Let’s go, Kostya. She doesn’t appreciate you. She never understood your value.»
Konstantin looked at Alena with hatred:
«You know, your father is right about one thing — I really saw you as an opportunity. But now I see that it wasn’t worth it.»
«Get out of my house,» Alena opened the front door. «Both of you.»
Galina Petrovna pulled her son toward the exit:
«Let’s go, son. We’ll find you a worthy bride. Someone with a proper family, not these…»
When the door slammed shut behind them, Alena slowly sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. There were no tears — just emptiness and a strange sense of relief. The phone rang — it was her father.
«Alena, are you okay?» The concern in his voice was obvious.
«Yes, Dad. Everything’s fine now,» she took a deep breath. «You know, sometimes you need to lose something valuable to realize it was never real.»
She stood up from the floor and walked to the window. The sun was setting, painting the city in warm hues. A new chapter in her life had just begun…
