Dear, the food you made today is delicious!» Yuri entered the kitchen where Kristina was finishing cleaning the dishes and picked up the knife with the cutting board.
«Thank you,» Kristina smiled, continuing her task.
«By the way, I hope you don’t mind, I invited my mom over for dinner. She’ll be here in an hour.»
The knife froze in midair. Kristina slowly turned to her husband.
«What did you do?»
«I invited my mom,» Yuri tried to keep his tone light. «She called, complaining that she hasn’t seen us in a while.»
«And you couldn’t ask me about this in advance?» Kristina carefully placed the knife on the table.
«What’s there to discuss? She’s my mom.»
«Yura, you know very well how our meetings with your mother go. Every time, it turns into an interrogation.»
«It’s not like that at all,» Yuri waved his hand. «You’re just overreacting.»
Kristina sighed deeply. There was no point in arguing. Irina Lvovna was already on her way.
«Fine. I’ll have to increase the portions. But remember, this is on your conscience.»
«It’ll be fine,» Yuri quickly kissed his wife on the cheek and left the kitchen.
Kristina was left alone, feeling her irritation rise. Every visit from her mother-in-law had become a real test of her patience. Irina Lvovna, a former Russian language and literature teacher, felt it was her duty to «enlighten» her daughter-in-law on everything: from proper accentuation to household management. She treated Kristina as if she were not an independent thirty-year-old woman with two higher educations, but a guilty schoolgirl.
The table was set for Irina Lvovna’s arrival. Kristina even took out new plates to avoid giving her mother-in-law even one reason to criticize.
The doorbell rang exactly an hour later.
«Yurochka, my dear!» Irina Lvovna kissed her son, as if Kristina weren’t even there. «I missed you so much!»
«Hello, Irina Lvovna,» Kristina stepped forward.
«Hello,» her mother-in-law finally acknowledged her.
Yuri helped his mother remove her coat and escorted her to the living room where the table was set.
«Oh, I see you’ve worked hard for me,» Irina Lvovna looked over the table setting. «Although you could’ve tried a bit harder… right, Kristina?»
Kristina remained silent. The first «shot» had been fired, and the battle had begun.
«Please, sit down, Irina Lvovna,» she indicated a chair. «Yura, pour your mom some wine.»
«What do we have today?» Irina Lvovna adjusted her perfectly styled hair.
«Roast chicken with vegetables, salad, and mashed potatoes,» Kristina replied, arranging the dishes.
«Chicken?» her mother-in-law grimaced. «Yura never ate chicken. I always cooked beef for him.»
«Yura asked for chicken,» Kristina gave a brief glance at her husband, silently pleading for him to intervene.
«Yes, mom, I really like how Kristina cooks chicken,» Yuri finally spoke up.
«Strange,» Irina Lvovna took a fork. «At home, you always refused chicken.»
Kristina gritted her teeth. It had started. The usual tactic from her mother-in-law — comparing «then» and «now,» always in favor of the past.
«Try it,» Kristina put a piece of chicken and vegetables on Irina Lvovna’s plate.
Her mother-in-law looked at the plate doubtfully, then cut a tiny piece of meat and slowly chewed it, as if she were a judge at a competition.
«It’s dry,» she declared. «And you overdid it with the spices. Yura, you’d better not eat this — it’s bad for your stomach.»
«I like it,» Yuri was already eating eagerly.
«You just don’t understand, dear,» Irina Lvovna shook her head. «Kristina, don’t you know that chicken should be baked in foil to keep it juicy?»
«I baked it in a sleeve,» Kristina answered, trying to stay calm. «It’s the chef’s recipe from the restaurant where I worked after college.»
«Restaurant,» her mother-in-law scoffed. «I know how to cook properly without any restaurants. My mom taught me. And you young people, you’ve been ruined by these trendy recipes.»
Yuri focused intently on his plate, avoiding eye contact with Kristina.
«You clearly don’t know how to cook,» Irina Lvovna concluded, setting her fork aside. «Poor boy, what do you eat when I’m not around?»
«Irina Lvovna,» Kristina carefully set her fork on the table, «I appreciate your concern for Yura, but let’s show each other some respect.»
«Respect?» her mother-in-law twisted her lips in a contemptuous smile. «Do you even know what that is? You, who married my son to live in his apartment?»
Kristina felt her face flush with anger.
«I married Yuri because I love him. And this apartment is ours. We bought it together.»
«Ours?» Irina Lvovna laughed mockingly. «On what money? The money you earned at your restaurant? Or the money my son put in?»
«Mom,» Yuri finally lifted his eyes. «Maybe that’s enough?»
«No, dear, let’s talk about this,» Irina Lvovna interrupted him. «Your wife thinks she’s the rightful mistress here, but who actually did more? Who supported you from your first year of college? Who paid for your education?»
«I also worked while studying,» Kristina objected.
«Worked?» her mother-in-law scoffed with disdain. «As a waitress? In that very restaurant where you met my son? Convenient, isn’t it? You found a rich husband and now live off him.»
Kristina abruptly stood up from the table.
«I work as a senior manager at a chain of prestigious restaurants. I earn just as much as your son. And we bought the apartment with our joint money.»
«Oh, now you’re a great manager!» Irina Lvovna stood up as well. «Why didn’t you become a chef right away? Do you remember how you started? With some cooking school? While my son was already attending a prestigious university?»
«I went to culinary school because it’s my passion,» Kristina clenched her fists, trying to control her emotions. «And I’m proud of my education and career. I will continue to develop in this field!»
«Passion?» her mother-in-law rolled her eyes. «You just found a way to latch onto a rich man. Just like your parents, who…»
«Don’t you dare talk about my parents!» Kristina spun around to face her mother-in-law.
«Why not?» Irina Lvovna took a step forward. «Your father is an ordinary driver, and your mother is a saleswoman. And you think you deserve my son? That you’re better than us?»
«Mom, please,» Yuri tried to stand between them.
«No, Yura, let your wife hear the truth,» Irina Lvovna shoved her son aside. «You married my son because you saw an opportunity to climb the social ladder. You’re a terrible housewife who doesn’t know how to cook, manage a house, or do anything except spend our money!»
«Your money?» Kristina laughed bitterly. «I earn my own. And I don’t owe you an explanation for every purchase!»
«And who else should keep track of how you waste my son’s money?» Irina Lvovna took another step forward. «Who else but me should protect him from someone like you?»
«Someone like me?» Kristina’s voice trembled. «And who are you to judge me? An old hysteric who can’t let go of her son!»
«How dare you!» Irina Lvovna raised her hand.
«Mom!» Yuri grabbed her arm.
«Let me go, Yura!» Irina Lvovna broke free. «Your wife is insulting your mother, and you just stand there and say nothing? Or are you completely under her influence?»
«Get away from me, you old idiot! One more step towards me, and I’ll pull all your hair out!»
Irina Lvovna recoiled as though slapped. Her face twisted with fury, and her eyes gleamed with a cold light.
«How dare you!» she hissed. «How dare you talk to me like that! In my presence! In my son’s house!»
«In OUR house!» Kristina stepped forward. «And I will not let you insult me and my parents anymore!»
«Your parents?» Irina Lvovna rolled her eyes again. «Your parents are just…»
«Mom, enough!» Yuri finally found the strength to intervene. «Let’s end this conversation.»
«No, son,» Irina Lvovna pushed Yuri aside. «Let your wife hear the truth. Your parents are just…»
«I warned you: don’t touch my parents!» Kristina lunged at her mother-in-law.
Yuri tried to stand between them, but Kristina had already swung her hand. With a loud slap, her hand landed on Irina Lvovna’s cheek.
«How dare you!» her mother-in-law screamed, covering her face with her hand.
«And how dare you insult my family?» Kristina trembled with anger. «All you’ve done is humiliate me all these years!»
«Kristina, calm down,» Yuri tried to hug his wife.
«Don’t touch me!» she pushed him away. «You’ve stayed silent all this time! You let your mother insult me and my parents! You…»
«I just wanted to avoid conflict,» Yuri muttered.
«Avoid conflict?» Kristina laughed bitterly. «And now you have one! Not only with your mother, but with me!»
«Kristina, let’s talk…»
«No,» she shook her head. «The conversation is over. And so is dinner. Out of my house!»
«My house?» Irina Lvovna scoffed. «This is my son’s house!»
«Out!» Kristina pointed to the door. «Both of you! Out of my house!»
«Kristina, you can’t…»
«I can!» she walked to the door and threw it open. «Out! And don’t come back until you learn to respect me and my parents!»
Yuri and Irina Lvovna stood bewildered. Kristina grabbed her mother-in-law’s coat and threw it at her.
«Here’s your coat. And take your shoes, unless you want me to shove them where the sun doesn’t shine!»
«Kristina, stop,» Yuri tried to approach his wife.
«No,» she stepped back. «I said everything I wanted. Now choose: either you stay with me, or you leave with your mother.»
«Kristina, you have no right…»
«I do!» Kristina pointed at the door. «Choose!»
Yuri shifted his gaze from his mother to his wife. His face showed pain and confusion.
«Kristina, I…»
«Choose!» Kristina raised her voice.
«Yurochka,» Irina Lvovna took her son’s hand, «let’s go. Let this arrogant upstart stay alone.»
Yuri looked at his mother, then at his wife. His face showed pain and disappointment.
«Kristina, I…»
«Choose!» Kristina repeated her demand.
Yuri sighed and took his mother’s arm.
«Let’s go, mom.»
Irina Lvovna smiled victoriously and walked out the door. Yuri followed her, throwing one last glance at his wife.
«Kristina, I…»
«Out!» Kristina slammed the door in his face.
She leaned against the door, feeling tears well up in her eyes. But she wasn’t going to cry. No, she was strong. She would manage.
Kristina picked up the phone and called a locksmith.
«Hello, I need the locks changed urgently. Today. Right now.»
The locksmith arrived in an hour. Kristina silently watched him skillfully replace the lock. Her phone buzzed with calls from Yuri, but she ignored them.
«Done,» the locksmith said, handing her three new keys. «Now no one can get in without your permission.»
«Thank you,» Kristina paid and closed the door behind him.
Left alone, she looked around the living room. The unfinished dinner, crumpled napkins, and overturned chair all reminded her of the scandal. But she didn’t have the strength to clean up. Kristina sank heavily onto the couch, reflecting on her four years of marriage.
Four years of enduring her mother-in-law’s interference, trying to please, to be the perfect daughter-in-law. And what did she get in return? Insults, humiliation, and a husband who couldn’t protect her from his own mother.
The phone rang again. This time she looked at the screen — it was Yuri calling. She answered but said nothing.
«Kristina, please, let’s talk,» her husband’s voice sounded tired.
«What are we going to talk about?» she asked. «About how your mother insulted me in my house? Or about how you just stood there and watched?»
«You don’t understand…»
«No, Yura, it’s you who doesn’t understand. I won’t tolerate this anymore. Neither her antics nor your inaction.»
«Kristina, I love you…»
«If you loved me, you would’ve protected me. But you chose to leave with your mother.»
«I didn’t leave with her!» Yuri objected. «You kicked both of us out!»
«And what did you do after that? Did you come back to me? Did you tell your mother she was wrong? No, you left with her and are probably now listening to how terrible I am as a wife.»
There was silence on the line, confirming her suspicions.
«You don’t need to come back,» Kristina spoke firmly. «I changed the locks.»
«What? Kristina, you have no right…»
«I do. This is our apartment, and my rights are just as valid as yours. I don’t want to see you here. At least for now.»
«And what about my things? My documents?»
«I’ll gather your documents and give them to Anton. The rest can wait.»
«Kristina, please…»
«No, Yura. I need time to think. And so do you.»
She ended the call, cutting off his objections.
The next seven days passed in silence. Kristina went to work, returned to the empty apartment, and thought. Yuri stopped calling after the third day. Perhaps he realized that she really needed time. Or, more likely, his mother convinced him that the wife should apologize first.
On the seventh day, Kristina made her decision. She carefully gathered all of Yuri’s documents, placed them in an envelope, and sent him a message:
«Your documents are with Anton. Pick them up whenever you want. As for us — I’ve made my decision. Our marriage is over. You can stay with your mother as long as you want. I won’t be part of a family that doesn’t respect me. I’ll file for divorce and property division tomorrow. Don’t try to change my mind.»
The reply came within minutes:
«Kristina, give us another chance. I spoke with my mom, and she regrets what happened.»
Kristina smiled bitterly. Irina Lvovna regrets? It was hard to believe. More likely, Yuri explained to her that he was risking losing his son.
«No. It’s too late. I endured for so long, hoping you’d understand. But you chose your mother’s side when she insulted me and my parents. That’s unforgivable for me. Goodbye.»
The phone rang, but Kristina simply turned it off. She walked to the window and started watching the sunset. For the first time in a long time, she felt relief. Yes, there would be difficulties ahead: divorce, property division, talks with parents and friends. But it was all better than living with a person who couldn’t defend his family in front of his own mother.
Kristina poured herself a glass of wine and raised it, watching the setting sun.
«To a new life,» she said quietly. «To freedom from others’ expectations.»
At that moment, her phone vibrated — a new message from Yuri:
«I understand. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the husband you needed. I’ll pick up the documents tomorrow. And… I sincerely wish you happiness, Kristina.»
She read the message, sighed, and put the phone aside. Sometimes the end of something is the beginning of something new. And she was ready for this path. Without Yuri. Without Irina Lvovna. Just her and her own life…
