— “Maksim, when are you finally going to start looking for a job?” Raisa Vasilyevna asked her son-in-law, who was lying on the little couch in the living room in front of the TV.
The man only looked at his mother-in-law condescendingly and snorted, as if a pesky mosquito had bothered him. He didn’t like it when Raisa Vasilyevna came over and started this kind of conversation. He felt like a guilty schoolboy and even took offense, thinking such treatment improper. Why was she pressuring him at all? Why was she sticking her rules into someone else’s family? After his mother-in-law left, he always complained to his wife that he felt guilty, and that her mother surely hated him for being such a useless husband for her daughter.
“How can I look for a job right now? My spine is bad, and the pain in my knee still won’t go away. I’d be happy to get hired somewhere already, but you understand yourself—there’s no way. Once I get better, I’ll definitely find something. You know me, Raisa Vasilyevna. I’m not some freeloader, I’m a hardworking man. I’m the first to regret that Anya has to work alone right now. As soon as I recover, I’ll send her on a seaside vacation.”
He’d been saying this for the last six months, but his problems never ended: one thing after another… he’d heal a sprained ankle and then his knee would start hurting. Raisa Vasilyevna didn’t believe he was truly ill; she told her daughter not to fall for empty promises and to send her husband to work. Anna, however, worried about her spouse and asked her mother not to interfere in their relationship—they could decide for themselves how to live. She tried to shield her husband from criticism: it wasn’t easy for him either.
“It’s really not hard for me at all, don’t worry. We’ve got enough money for everything. Please don’t fret, Mom. Everything’s fine. Honestly.”
Raisa Vasilyevna’s heart wouldn’t rest. It seemed to her that her daughter was being used, but blinded by her feelings, Anna didn’t notice it at all. She told her husband to make a full recovery, and only then think about job hunting. At times it seemed that he himself wasn’t bothered in the least. Maksim didn’t even try to find any side work, although acquaintances had already offered him at-home options and were ready to help. If in those moments Anna reached for the offers, Maksim would sharply cut her off and refuse:
“I need to focus on treatment at home, not work. If I start doing something instead of resting, I’ll take even longer to recover,” Maksim grumbled. “Better I recover fully, and then I’ll find something decent and earn proper money.”
Anna agreed. She didn’t want to quarrel with her husband, especially since she herself could end up in his position someday. Surely he wouldn’t pressure her and would let her heal fully. From time to time, her mother-in-law took Raisa Vasilyevna’s side, saying the daughter-in-law was too soft-hearted, and that a man ought to work, not lie around on a couch. It was surprising that his mother sided with her daughter-in-law instead of pitying her own son, but it didn’t matter much.
“When I was pregnant in my last months, I still went to work—I didn’t fall to pieces. You coddle him too much. Be careful you don’t end up regretting it later. Ruining your health is easy; getting it back isn’t always possible, as practice shows.”
But Anna would look at her husband, melt in his embrace, and ignore all the admonitions, believing that Maksim would never take advantage of her kindness or deceive her. If he was still at home, then he had his reasons. On weekends Anna did all the housework, trying not to burden her husband and never asking him for help. She took care of Maksim, but from time to time she felt she was starting to burn out herself. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she no longer saw the cheerful girl she’d been a year ago, but a woman worn out by life. Hiding her lack of sleep under layers of makeup, forcing a smile, Anna told herself these were temporary difficulties, yet it was getting harder to hold it together each time. Sometimes she wanted to drive out to the forest and just scream. Maybe she shouldn’t have kept silent and hidden her condition from her husband?! And still, she didn’t want to make him worry unnecessarily or feel guilty.
Her condition worsened by the day. Working without a vacation so they’d have more money and want for nothing, Anna was driving herself into the ground. When she fainted at work, her boss told her to go home and not show up at the office for a week.
“Get some rest, and don’t you dare argue. You’ve become a shadow! This isn’t right. If something happens to you, I’m the one who has to take responsibility? Besides, where am I going to find such a good, reliable employee?” the man said sternly.
Anna apologized for making everyone panic because of her. She went home, deciding nothing terrible would happen if she really did rest. She forgot to call her husband to warn him she’d be back early. Honestly, she hadn’t even thought she should. He was probably resting anyway; when she got home, she’d tell him not to worry about her condition. She was overworked, but in a week she’d bounce back.
When Anna returned home, she heard noise. As soon as she opened the door, she saw several pairs of unfamiliar shoes by the entryway. Her heart flipped—only recently her husband had texted that he felt unwell and was going to bed. So where had the guests come from? Walking into the kitchen, Anna was stunned to see booze on the table, and her husband playing cards with his friends.
“While my pack mule toils away, I can afford to relax. She’s dumb, she believes every word I say. Thinks I’m really sick and feeble!” Maksim boasted, not noticing his wife. “And she’s so naïve… all this time she’s been hanging on my every word and believing me. I didn’t think she was such a little fool, but it only works to my advantage. There’s always money, and I don’t have to go anywhere.”
“You’re lucky you found such a simpleton,” replied Maksim’s old buddy, Oleg. “Mine would’ve kicked me out to work long ago, even if I could barely drag my feet. Yours is patient. How long are you going to sit at home?”
“What’s the rush? I’m fine with everything. It’s warm, it’s bright, I’m well fed, and my wife literally blows specks of dust off me. Later I’ll work a little and then think up something again so I can lie up. Why work if everything’s already great? Let others work,” Maksim laughed.
Absorbed in the game, the guests didn’t notice Anna frozen in the doorway. Tears of hurt welled in her eyes. Her husband had said he was spending money on tests and medications, paying for procedures, and she had never asked him for receipts or proof. Now she understood where the money she’d been giving him had gone. He wasn’t just gambling, he was gambling for money. Clenching her hands into fists, Anna took another resolute step forward.
“Wrap it up,” she said in an icy voice. “And get out of this apartment. Now.”
“Anyuta?” Maksim turned pale and then seemed to go green altogether. He trembled all over as he looked at his wife trying to suppress a surge of fury.
How she longed to grab something heavy and give him a good whack to set his brains straight and make them work properly. No… That wouldn’t help. It would only add problems. And her mother had been right. Her mother-in-law, too, had been right. They had said Anna was too trusting and soft-hearted, but she had believed only her husband. She’d looked at him like some kind of deity and enabled him. And what had it led to in the end? Shattered hopes. Her heart hurt so much it was all she could do not to give in to the storm of emotions raging in her chest.
“Anya, it’s not what you think. The guys just came to support me. I get bored alone. They decided to check in on me.”
“Everyone out of my apartment!” Anna raised her voice.
The guests scattered at once and left. She ought to have checked whether they’d taken anything, but she didn’t have the strength. Looking at her husband, Anna saw a traitor who had brazenly deceived her, led her by the nose, and taken advantage of her trust. While she worked herself to the bone and took care of him, he was living this disgusting lifestyle. Not only did he mindlessly waste money and sit around, he also mocked his wife, calling her stupid and gullible. More than once Anna had caught a whiff of alcohol on him, but he assured her it was medicine and that he wasn’t touching anything like that because he had to take care of his health in order to get back on his feet as soon as possible. Maybe Maksim was right. She really was too trusting if she’d believed every word so thoughtlessly and never once doubted her husband’s honesty.
“Did you not hear what I said? Get out of my apartment,” Anna repeated, looking him straight in the eye.
“Anya, why are you so angry over such a trifle? So my friends came over and we had a few drinks. Why are you making a scene? Everything’s fine. I didn’t do anything wrong to anyone.”
Anna laughed, unable to hold back her emotions. She thought she shouldn’t break down into hysterics, but how do you control a torrent of raging feeling? How do you keep it together?
“Nothing wrong? Do you really think everything was just wonderful? Fine… I have no desire to talk to you right now. Pack your things and get out. Or do you want me to ask my brother for help?”
Maksim was wary of Anna’s brother. The guy worked in law enforcement and had a commanding presence. He’d once said that if Maks dared hurt his sister, he’d have to deal with him. Ever since, Maksim flinched at the mere thought they might meet.
“Why are you getting so heated? Let’s talk and settle this peacefully. We love each other. This is all a misunderstanding. I’m better now, and I’ll start looking for a job tomorrow. Give me one more chance, Anya. I promise I’ll make it right.”
Her grandmother often said that only the grave straightens a hunchback. Now Anna felt she’d been right. She had not the slightest desire to keep talking to her husband. All she wanted was to be alone. Anna stood her ground, made Maksim pack his things, and leave. Her heart was heavy, but she had to take a decisive step so she wouldn’t regret it even more later.
After thinking it over with a cool head, Anna decided she wouldn’t change her mind and would divorce Maksim. He had taken advantage of her naivety and kindness enough; it was time to end it. Her mother-in-law took her daughter-in-law’s side and said Anna was doing the right thing. She didn’t defend her son, stating that it was his own fault—he’d lost a woman who truly loved him and could have kept the family hearth.
Maksim had to get a job, since his mother wasn’t going to support him and told him he should be grateful she was giving him a roof over his head and not throwing him out on the street. By exploiting his wife’s trust and living off her, the man destroyed his family. He realized it too late, along with the fact that there would be no getting Anna back. As for Anna, she didn’t despair: she knew this was only a trial, and life hadn’t stopped—she simply had to be more careful from now on and not believe words alone.
