“You’re living off my money, so you’d better keep quiet!” Egor snapped, throwing his wife an irritated look.
“What?! What did you just say?” Sofia couldn’t believe what she’d heard. Those words—blurted out in the middle of a fight—stunned her.
“Exactly what you heard,” Egor answered with a frown. He realized he’d gone too far, but pride wouldn’t let him back down.
“So that’s how you want to talk to me? Fine,” Sofia shot back, heat rising in her chest. “Then don’t give me a single ruble. You can shop for groceries yourself. You can pay the utilities, cover daycare, and—actually—handle all the family responsibilities from now on!”
“Enough. I’m done arguing,” Egor muttered, finally grasping he’d said something stupid. He didn’t want this to end in divorce, so he waved his hand and walked out. Sofia stayed on the sofa, furious and shaking.
Sofia and Egor had been married for six years. Right after the wedding, they agreed they would run a shared household budget, regardless of who earned more. Sofia worked as the chief accountant at a large company, while Egor was a sales manager at a trading firm.
Unlike Sofia’s, Egor’s income was never steady. He didn’t have a fixed salary—his pay came entirely from commissions and bonuses based on how much he sold.
Sofia, on the other hand, earned a stable and fairly high income. With years of experience, she was valued by her employer, and for three years her salary had been significantly higher than Egor’s.
Even though Egor did bring in money, there were months when he contributed nothing at all.
“Sales are zero again. What is this? I don’t even know what to do,” he complained over and over.
“Maybe you should switch companies,” Sofia suggested. “Try another firm with a different product. You might even find something with a base salary.”
“You think I haven’t tried?” he snapped. “This stupid crisis hit everyone. I wanted to quit, but a friend talked me out of it. Said I shouldn’t lose a job right now or I’d end up with nothing.”
“Don’t worry,” Sofia reassured him. “I earn enough—we won’t starve. We’ll get through this rough patch, and then we’ll see.”
In the end, Egor did lose his job. He didn’t even have to resign—the company restructured and cut positions. He received a small severance package and was told to look for something else.
When Sofia found out, she genuinely felt for him.
“That’s awful… but don’t lose hope,” she told him gently. “It’ll be okay. You’ll find something even better—you’ll see.”
Finding a new job turned out to be difficult. His friend had been right: decent vacancies were scarce. Sofia didn’t pressure him; she tried to support him, even as anxiety quietly grew inside her.
And the worry became sharper when she learned she was pregnant. She knew she’d soon go on maternity leave, and their income would shrink. Egor worried too. Desperate to bring in something stable, he started working as a courier and sometimes drove a taxi at night.
Despite her fear, Sofia never showed it. She worked almost until delivery and tried to save every extra coin. She hated that Egor had become a courier—it didn’t match his ambitions or the status he was used to—but she stayed quiet. Right now, any money mattered.
At night, while he slept, Sofia scrolled through job listings, looking for ways to earn more. She planned to keep doing accounting work remotely once her maternity leave officially started. She didn’t want to push her husband—he’d been especially irritable lately.
“Did something happen?” she asked one evening, hugging him gently as he sat at the computer. “You’ve been so gloomy.”
“And why should I be happy?” Egor grumbled. “I’m thirty-three, and I’m delivering packages. What exactly is there to celebrate?”
“It’ll get better,” Sofia said softly.
“Sure… ‘better,’” he muttered. “A baby’s coming soon. Do you know how expensive that is?”
“I do,” Sofia admitted. “But we’ll manage. I’ll get maternity payments from my job—we’ll get through it.”
Maybe it was her support that kept Egor from giving up completely. When their baby was born, he unexpectedly got an offer from a big construction company.
“You’re serious? They want you in their sales department?” Sofia lit up when she heard the news. Egor couldn’t hide his smile either.
“It’s real! I passed the interview—they approved me. Finally, a normal job!” he said, almost laughing with relief.
Once Egor started earning well, Sofia finally let herself breathe. She gave up the idea of remote work and focused fully on the baby. When their son turned two and a half, she enrolled him in daycare and decided to return from maternity leave.
But while she’d been away, management at her company had completely changed. They’d placed “their own person” in the chief accountant position and politely suggested Sofia resign “voluntarily.” Sofia refused—she knew her rights. Still, staying there became unbearable.
New colleagues kept their distance, and her boss nitpicked every tiny thing. The office atmosphere turned toxic. In the end, Sofia couldn’t take it anymore and submitted her resignation.
“Why? Why did you leave?” Egor was furious when he learned she’d been pushed out. “They had no right to treat you like that!”
“Maybe they didn’t,” Sofia said wearily, “but working under that kind of pressure was impossible. It’s fine—I’ll find something else. I have experience. I’ll land on my feet.”
Sofia was certain she wouldn’t be home long. But finding a new position proved harder than she expected. The moment employers heard she had a small child—one who would get sick and need care—they turned her down.
After three months, Sofia felt crushed. She applied to dozens of jobs every day and kept getting rejected. She even tried returning to remote work, but that didn’t work either: her former employer had already replaced her, and she couldn’t find a new client.
Watching his wife struggle, Egor began to panic. He earned decent money, but it wasn’t enough for a family with a growing child.
“Anything yet? Any progress?” he asked almost daily.
“Nothing,” Sofia admitted. “Maybe it’s just a bad phase… maybe it’ll improve?”
“Stop comforting yourself with that,” Egor snapped. “Print your résumé and go to companies in person.”
He truly believed Sofia wasn’t trying hard enough—that if she really wanted work, she’d already have it.
“If you can’t find something in your field, you’ll have to become a courier,” Egor suddenly said one day. “Not exactly women’s work, but we don’t have a choice.”
“What?! Are you serious?” Sofia’s eyes stung with tears. When Egor had been a courier, she’d hated it, calling it a step backward. And now he was practically pushing her into hauling heavy packages.
Time passed. Sofia had been home for half a year. Since she couldn’t find a suitable job, she threw herself into the household—caring for their son, keeping the home clean, cooking, and still checking job boards every day.
They had money, but only enough for essentials. Sofia understood and tried to cut corners. Then something happened that made her question what “shared budget” even meant anymore.
Egor came home with a huge box. Inside was the latest gaming console.
“What is that?” Sofia asked, staring at it.
“A console,” Egor said casually, already tearing into the packaging. “Wanted to treat myself. It’s New Year’s.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Sofia blurted. “Why would you buy that? We’re already tight on money!”
“I earned it—I spent it. I have the right,” he scoffed.
“Our budget has always been shared!” Sofia cried. “Since when did that change?!”
That’s when Egor threw the line that started it all:
“You’re living off my money, so keep your mouth shut!”
Sofia went pale. “Say that again?”
Egor knew he’d crossed a boundary, but pride kept him stubborn. “You heard me.”
Sofia’s voice sharpened. “And do you remember the years I earned more? I never once threw it in your face. I never shut you down when you were unemployed and living off my salary for months. I supported you. And now you’re trying to humiliate me the first chance you get?”
“Alright, enough. I’m done,” Egor said, attempting to retreat. He waved a hand and walked away.
But Sofia didn’t let it end there.
“No. Wait. We need to talk,” she said, following him. “This marriage can’t work like this. Either we’re a family, or it’s every person for themselves. And if it’s the second option, I’ve got bad news: I won’t owe you anything, and I won’t let you benefit from my work for free.”
“What are you talking about?” Egor frowned.
“I mean exactly what I said,” Sofia replied. “You can stop giving me money. But then you handle groceries, utilities, daycare—and half the household duties. Starting now, I’ll be job-hunting all day. Which means you’ll be the one taking sick leave when our son gets ill. You’ll be the one picking him up, shopping after work, and spending weekends at the playground while I apply for positions.”
Egor blinked, caught off guard.
“Fine… I’m sorry,” he said at last. “I lost my temper. I’ve wanted that console for ages, and it was on sale.”
“Okay,” Sofia answered evenly, “but when exactly were you planning to play it? Because now you’ll be picking up our child from daycare, then buying groceries. And weekends won’t be free either—someone has to spend time with our son while I search for work.”
“Alright. I get it,” Egor sighed. “Tomorrow I’ll return it. I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”
Sofia stayed hurt for a few days, but she eventually forgave him. She knew he was stressed about money. And she also knew she couldn’t magically create jobs where there weren’t any.
After the console incident, Egor softened. He stopped interrogating her about vacancies and started supporting her more.
Eventually Sofia found a solid job in her field. The pay wasn’t as high at first, but her income grew steadily. Before long, she was earning well again.
And the more she succeeded, the more Egor understood how wrong he’d been that day.
Life has a way of flipping the script: today you’re on top, tomorrow you’re struggling. Egor finally realized that a family is a team—people who back each other up, not people who compete, keep score, or use money as a weapon.
