“Those are such beautiful earrings, Olga,” her mother-in-law, Taisiya Romanovna, said, running her fingers lightly over the jewelry.
“Thank you,” Olga managed, forcing a smile. She could only hope Kuzma would finish up outside quickly. Being alone with his mother was the last place Olga wanted to be.
She loved her husband, but she’d gotten unlucky with her mother-in-law. Taisiya Romanovna adored counting other people’s money.
“Who gave them to you?” she asked suddenly.
Here we go, Olga thought.
“I bought them myself. My birthday is coming up, so I decided to spoil myself a little. I got a bonus at work—and I finally bought the earrings I’ve been dreaming about for ages.”
Olga saw it with her own eyes: her mother-in-law’s mood shifted instantly. One second her smile looked almost genuine; the next it turned tight and strained. The woman frowned and leaned away from her daughter-in-law.
“You bought them… yourself?”
“Of course. I can afford it—and I’ve been able to for a long time. I earn more than Kuzma,” Olga said, firm as a stamp.
Her mother-in-law’s face darkened even more. Olga decided she wouldn’t waste another ounce of energy reacting to her irritation.
Soon Kuzma came back into the house.
“Mom, I fixed the fence and dug up the garden beds,” he announced from the doorway.
“Good boy, thank you so much, sweetheart!” Taisiya Romanovna beamed.
She shifted her full attention to her son, and Olga finally got a break from the conversation.
A few hours later, the couple was heading home. Olga was already in the car when she noticed Taisiya Romanovna pull Kuzma aside and whisper something in his ear.
She’s probably taking another swipe at me, Olga guessed.
Fine. It doesn’t change anything.
But after that day, something in their marriage subtly shifted. Olga noticed Kuzma stopped contributing to everyday expenses. He used to buy groceries at least once a week. Now he started “forgetting” his card or wallet at home—and Olga had to pay out of her own pocket.
And there was never any talk of paying her back.
“I didn’t do it on purpose! Work’s been insane—basic things just slip my mind. Do you want me to reimburse you?”
Kuzma reached for his wallet, but Olga stopped him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t ask you to pay me back. It’s just… this isn’t like you.”
Kuzma puffed up, but he didn’t stay offended for long.
Olga celebrated her birthday three times: with friends, with her parents, and with Kuzma’s family. Her mother and mother-in-law never managed to get along, so Olga decided she wouldn’t force them into the same room again if she could avoid it.
When she and her mom were drinking tea over a homemade cake, Olga finally shared what had been weighing on her.
“Maybe I’m overthinking it? So what if he didn’t pay a couple times at the store. I still earn more anyway.”
Her mother shook her head and placed a hand over Olga’s.
“Honey, I don’t want to interfere in your marriage with Kuzya… but I’ve noticed Taisiya is a greedy miser. I didn’t say anything before, but when we were preparing for your wedding, she counted every penny. Our side paid more even though we had fewer guests. And your mother-in-law still acted like we were cheating them.”
“Mom… why didn’t you tell me?”
And she even had the nerve to judge my mother over money, Olga thought, heat rising.
“You were so happy then,” her mother said softly. “I didn’t want to upset you.”
Her mother suddenly went quiet. Olga lifted her head and looked at her.
“Just… think about it. What if Kuzma takes after her? Is there a chance he’ll start pressuring you about money? Using you like a walking ATM?”
“No, he’s not like that!” Olga defended her husband immediately.
And then, in the same breath, she remembered all the cafes where she always paid, the shopping trips, the household purchases. She couldn’t even recall the last time Kuzma had willingly covered something himself.
“Honestly… I don’t know,” she admitted sadly.
Her mother leaned closer and hugged her.
“Sweetheart, I don’t want anyone hurting you. But Kuzma isn’t the only man on earth. If you don’t feel happy with him—leave. The apartment is mine, you’ll have somewhere to live. And Kuzma can go back to his mother. Don’t torture yourself.”
Her mother’s words were still echoing in Olga’s mind when she looked at her husband’s gift.
He had given her… a set of pots.
Even though Olga didn’t like cooking.
And she had seen that same box at her mother-in-law’s house.
So I got someone else’s unwanted gift.
“Thank you,” she whispered, barely getting the words out.
Kuzma laughed.
“Bought it on Mom’s advice. She said you’ll have to learn how to cook.”
Olga let out a tired breath and glanced at Taisiya Romanovna. The older woman wore a smug little smile.
“Kuzma, how many times do I have to say it? I can cook. I just don’t enjoy it.”
“Well, with cookware like that, you won’t wriggle out of it! That’s it, son—cafeteria lunches are over. Now your wife will feed you!”
Olga’s mood was ruined completely. They were saving money on her, even though she always gave thoughtful, expensive gifts. And on top of that, they’d humiliated her.
That day, Olga decided she would divorce him.
But first she needed to prepare. Quietly, she started spending her savings. She knew she was still young and could earn more later, but she didn’t want to split her nest egg in a divorce. So she went to the sea with her mother.
Her mother-in-law was furious.
“What about your husband? Why aren’t you going with your husband?!”
Olga flipped the page of the magazine in her hands and answered calmly:
“Kuzma couldn’t get time off. The tickets were cheap. And Mom and I haven’t gone anywhere together in a long time.”
Taisiya Romanovna held on to that grudge. And when she found out Olga had paid to fix both her own and her mother’s teeth, she exploded.
“You don’t think about the family at all!”
Later Olga laughed even harder, watching her mother-in-law lose her temper.
“That’s right—I don’t!”
Kuzma reported to his mother that Olga had “dug into” money that was supposedly shared. What Taisiya Romanovna didn’t realize was that the lion’s share of those savings had been contributed by Olga.
Kuzma’s birthday was approaching. One night at dinner he declared:
“I’ve already decided what I want from you as a gift: a new console and a phone.”
Olga raised an eyebrow.
“Kuzma, since when do we pick our own gifts? Or did you forget what you gave me?”
Kuzma frowned.
“But I need them!”
“And I don’t need pots that sat in your mother’s house for years. You spent exactly zero on me—yet you’re demanding an expensive present in return?”
Kuzma shot up from the table.
“Because you earn more! You can afford to spend! Look how much you’ve already blown!”
“That’s my business. I spend my money.”
Kuzma flushed red.
“Mom was right! You’re petty and greedy!”
Olga wanted to tell him nothing was stopping him from leaving—he could walk out any time. But he didn’t wait for her. He grabbed his wallet and keys and stormed out the door, clearly running to complain to his mother.
Olga didn’t call him or chase after him like he was a child. Instead, she enjoyed the silence.
The next day she worked late. There was a mountain of tasks, so she came home exhausted and hungry.
And walked straight into a nasty surprise.
The hallway was chaos—things scattered across the floor. Olga set down her bag and went further in. In the bedroom she ran into her mother-in-law.
“What are you doing here?!”
Taisiya Romanovna kept digging through her things.
“I know you’re hiding money from him!” she muttered. “I won’t let you rob him! I’ll take it all! You ruined my son’s life—you won’t get away with it!”
Olga stepped forward and slammed the closet door shut in front of her.
“Are you out of your mind?! What the hell are you doing going through my things when I’m not home? You’ve crossed every boundary!”
“And you haven’t?!” her mother-in-law screeched. “How much money did you waste on your mother? Why should my son wear rags while you gallivant around resorts?!”
Olga opened the closet again and stepped aside.
“Go ahead. Look. Are these rags?”
Behind her hung Kuzma’s T-shirts, shirts, sweaters, and pants. He clearly wasn’t lacking clothes.
Her mother-in-law started crying, then lunged for the nightstand—but Olga grabbed her arm.
“Stop! You’re not in your own house. You don’t get to rip apart whatever you want!”
“I won’t let you!” Taisiya Romanovna shrieked, her face turning crimson with rage.
“I never did any of that! Everything I spent was mine! And your precious son stopped even buying groceries a long time ago!”
Olga couldn’t stop herself anymore. Her tongue finally loosened. At last she had a chance to pour out every bitter thing she’d swallowed.
“And that’s how it should be! You earn more, so you’re supposed to support our son!”
“He’s a grown man! We’re equals in this marriage. I didn’t hire him!”
“It’s your duty! And you’ll buy him whatever he wants! Otherwise Kuzma will divorce you—and you’ll sign half the apartment over to him!”
At first her mother-in-law smiled—she thought she’d won. But that smugness drained from her face when Olga started pulling out bags and stuffing Kuzma’s things inside.
“Here. Take your son’s belongings right now. And I’ll file for divorce myself—and even pay the fee, so you won’t have to spend money. I’ll even call you a taxi so you can ride in comfort.”
“You won’t dare! Kuzma has the right to live here—half this apartment is his!”
Olga only smirked.
“Dream on, Taisiya Romanovna. The apartment belongs to my mother. No court on earth will take your side. Understood? Goodbye.”
Finally, Olga pushed her mother-in-law out the door. Then she loaded the suitcases into the car and gave the driver an address.
She watched the car pull away and realized it wasn’t just her almost-ex-husband’s belongings leaving—it was a massive weight of worry, stress, and grief being carried out of her life.
She exhaled and took out her phone.
“Mom, hi. Want to come over? Let’s order your favorite food. Yes… there’s a reason to celebrate.”
Olga’s face lit up with a smile as she walked back up to her floor.
