Oksana had bought the apartment before she got married.
It was a two-room place on the second floor of a brick building. She had taken out a mortgage and spent six years paying it off. When she married Maksim, only one year of payments remained. He moved in with her and helped with the bills, but the apartment stayed in Oksana’s name. They had agreed on that from the beginning.
Then their daughter Dasha was born — a noisy, curious little girl full of energy. Maksim worked as a long-haul driver and was often away for several days at a time. Oksana managed the child, the home, and her job at a beauty salon almost entirely on her own. She was exhausted, but she kept going.
Her younger sister, Vika, often came to help. She was twenty-three, worked as a manager in a clothing store, and lived with their parents in a nearby district. Still, she tried to visit Oksana at least once a week. She brought treats, played with her niece, helped around the house. Oksana appreciated that support. With Vika, everything always felt easier and warmer.
Her mother-in-law, Raisa Petrovna, rarely visited. She lived in her own house on the outskirts of the city and helped raise her older daughter’s grandchildren. She treated Oksana coldly — not openly rude, but never affectionate either. She came on holidays, brought toys for Dasha, sat for an hour or two, and left. Maksim always said his mother was busy, tired, and that the trip was too far for her. Oksana never insisted. The less often Raisa Petrovna appeared, the calmer the house felt.
One autumn Saturday morning, Vika came over to help with cleaning. Oksana was making lunch, while her sister washed the living room floor. Dasha ran between them, asking endless questions and demanding attention. Maksim sat on the sofa watching television.
“Oksana, what if we make a cottage cheese casserole?” Vika suggested, coming into the kitchen with the bucket. “Do you have any cottage cheese?”
“I do. In the fridge. Good idea — Dasha loves it.”
Vika took out the cottage cheese, eggs, and sugar, and began mixing the batter. Oksana chopped vegetables for soup while keeping an eye on Dasha, who was trying to climb onto the windowsill.
“Dasha, get down from there!” Oksana called.
“Mom, I want to look at the birds!”
“You can look later. Now go help Aunt Vika.”
The girl jumped down and ran to Vika. Her aunt gave her a spoon and let her stir the batter. Dasha moved the spoon with serious concentration, the tip of her tongue sticking out.
Oksana smiled and continued cooking. Outside, a light rain was falling, and the wind chased yellow leaves across the pavement. October was in full swing — cold and gray outside, but warm and cozy at home.
Vika poured the batter into molds and put them in the oven. Then she wiped her hands and took the cup of tea Oksana had prepared for her.
“Thank you for coming,” Oksana said. “I wouldn’t have managed everything alone.”
“Oh, come on. It’s nothing. I’m always happy to help. Besides, Dasha missed me.”
“She did,” Oksana confirmed. “She spent all evening yesterday asking when Aunt Vika would come.”
The sisters laughed and kept cooking. Vika peeled potatoes, Oksana cut up the chicken. They worked smoothly, almost without words, understanding each other with just a glance.
Then the doorbell rang — sharp and insistent.
Oksana wiped her hands and went to open the door. Raisa Petrovna stood on the threshold with a large bag and a dissatisfied expression.
“Hello, Raisa Petrovna,” Oksana said, stepping aside to let her in.
“Hello,” the mother-in-law muttered, walking into the hallway.
She took off her coat, hung it on the hook, and handed Oksana the bag.
“Here. Apples. From the dacha.”
“Thank you.”
Raisa Petrovna went into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. When she saw Vika by the stove, she frowned.
“And who is this?”
“My sister, Vika. You know her,” Oksana replied, placing the bag of apples on the table.
“I know her,” Raisa Petrovna said, looking Vika up and down. “What is she doing here?”
“She’s helping me. We’re making lunch together.”
Raisa Petrovna walked farther into the kitchen, glanced into the pot on the stove, opened the oven, and looked at the casserole.
“Casserole? Maksim doesn’t like casserole.”
“It’s for Dasha,” Oksana explained.
“For Dasha…” the mother-in-law said, shaking her head. “And what are you making for Maksim?”
“Chicken soup. His favorite.”
“Soup… Well, fine.”
Raisa Petrovna went into the living room, where Maksim was sitting. He stood up and hugged his mother.
“Hi, Mom. I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I decided to check in. I haven’t been here in a while.”
“Come in, sit down. Do you want tea?”
“Later.”
She sat on the sofa and looked around the room. Her eyes stopped on the children’s toys scattered across the floor.
“What a mess,” she stated.
“Mom, she’s a child. She’s playing,” Maksim shrugged.
“A child, a child… I had three children, and my house was never a mess.”
Maksim said nothing. Oksana heard the remark from the kitchen and pressed her lips together. There was no mess — she and Vika had just cleaned. Dasha had only been playing for an hour, and they simply hadn’t picked everything up again yet.
Vika gave her sister a knowing look. Oksana shook her head slightly — don’t pay attention.
Raisa Petrovna returned to the kitchen. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.
“Oksana, why is it cold in this house?”
“It isn’t cold, Raisa Petrovna. The radiators are hot.”
“I’m cold. Maksim, are you cold?” she called toward the living room.
“I’m fine, Mom,” came his voice.
Raisa Petrovna tightened her lips. Then she looked at Vika again, who was pretending very hard to be busy with the cooking.
“How long is this one going to stay here?” the mother-in-law asked, nodding toward Vika.
Oksana lifted her head from the cutting board.
“Vika? Until evening. She’s helping with lunch, and then we planned to go shopping.”
“Shopping… with her…” Raisa Petrovna smirked. “And you don’t want to spend time with your husband?”
“Maksim is home. He can come with us if he wants.”
“Maksim is tired! He was on the road all week! He needs rest, not to be dragged around shops!”
Oksana put down the knife and turned toward her mother-in-law.
“Raisa Petrovna, no one is forcing Maksim to go anywhere. He’s resting at home.”
“Resting! While strangers are wandering around here!”
Vika froze by the stove. Oksana took a step forward.
“Vika is not a stranger. She is my sister.”
“Sister or not, what is this parasite doing here? Get out!”
Silence fell.
Even Dasha, who had been playing with a doll in the corner, stopped and looked at her grandmother.
Vika went pale. She set the spoon she had been using to stir the soup on the counter. Her hands began to tremble.
For a moment, Oksana couldn’t find words. Blood rushed to her face, and her heart began to pound.
“What did you just say?”
“I said she should get out. Strangers have no business wandering around here!” Raisa Petrovna raised her voice, staring directly at Vika.
Vika stepped back toward the wall, blinking. She didn’t know where to go. She wanted to say something, but her voice wouldn’t come.
Oksana stepped between her mother-in-law and her sister.
“Raisa Petrovna, this is my apartment. Mine. And I decide whom I invite here.”
“Your apartment!” the mother-in-law snorted. “My son lives here! He has a say!”
“Maksim,” Oksana called without turning around. “Are you hearing this?”
There was silence from the living room. Then the sofa creaked. Maksim stood up and appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking from his mother to his wife, then to Vika.
“What happened?”
“Your mother insulted my sister. In my own home!” Oksana’s voice trembled.
“Mom, why did you do that?” Maksim frowned, but his tone remained calm.
“Maksim, I’m defending your interests! Strangers are hanging around here, and your wife doesn’t give you any attention!”
“Vika isn’t a stranger,” Maksim said. “She comes here often. She helps Oksana.”
“Helps!” Raisa Petrovna threw up her hands. “And who helps the husband? Who takes care of the home? The wife is going shopping while the husband sits here like what?”
“Mom, enough. Don’t start a scandal.”
“I’m not starting a scandal! I’m telling the truth!”
Vika said quietly:
“Oksana, maybe I should go.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Oksana replied firmly. “This is my home, and you are welcome here.”
Raisa Petrovna turned sharply toward Oksana.
“Oh, she’s welcome! And what am I, unwelcome?”
“The way you are behaving right now, yes, I don’t want you as a guest.”
The mother-in-law opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Maksim stood silently, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Maksim! Do you hear how your wife is talking to me?”
He sighed.
“Oksana, Mom didn’t mean it. She’s just worried.”
“Worried?” Oksana turned to him. “Maksim, your mother called my sister a parasite and a goat. In my apartment. Do you think that’s normal?”
“Well… Mom got carried away.”
“Got carried away,” Oksana repeated slowly. “And you’re not going to say anything?”
“I already said — enough with the scandal.”
“Enough with the scandal…” Oksana gave a bitter smile. “Maksim, your mother insulted a person who came here to help. Someone who regularly helps your wife and your daughter. And you’re just standing there watching.”
“Oksana, don’t blow it up.”
“Don’t blow it up,” she repeated, shaking her head. “Fine.”
She turned to her sister.
“Vika, go into the room. We’ll finish cooking later.”
Vika nodded and quickly walked past the mother-in-law and Maksim. She closed herself in the bedroom. Oksana heard muffled sobs.
Raisa Petrovna stood in the middle of the kitchen with her arms crossed. She looked pleased, as if she had achieved exactly what she wanted.
Oksana went to the stove and turned off the burners. She covered the pot with a lid, took the casserole out of the oven, and placed it on the counter. She did everything slowly and methodically. Her mind was racing, but her hands were steady.
“Raisa Petrovna,” Oksana said without turning around, “leave my kitchen.”
“What?!” the woman leaned forward.
“Leave. Immediately.”
“Are you throwing me out?”
“I am asking you to leave the kitchen. This is my apartment, and I decide who stays here.”
“Maksim! Do you hear this?”
Maksim stood in the doorway without moving. His face was tense, his eyes darting away.
“Oksana, let’s not get emotional.”
“Not get emotional?” Oksana turned and looked him in the eyes. “Your mother insulted my sister. Brought a young woman to tears. In my apartment. And you’re telling me not to get emotional?”
“Mom didn’t do it on purpose…”
“She did it very much on purpose, Maksim. Raisa Petrovna came here looking for a fight.”
“You’re the one making a scene!” the mother-in-law shrieked. “Throwing your husband’s mother out of the house!”
“Out of my house. The one I bought. With my own money. Before marriage.”
“My son lives here!”
“He does. But I am the owner. And I decide who is welcome here and who is not.”
Raisa Petrovna grabbed her bag and threw on her coat right there in the kitchen.
“Maksim, let’s go!”
He froze.
“Mom, I live here…”
“Let’s go, I said! You’re not going to stay with this…” She jabbed a finger toward Oksana.
“Mom, calm down.”
“I will not calm down! Let’s go!”
Maksim looked at Oksana. She stood by the stove with her arms crossed. Her face was calm, but her eyes were cold.
“Maksim, choose,” Oksana said quietly. “Either your mother apologizes to Vika, or both of you leave.”
Raisa Petrovna gasped with outrage.
“Me? Apologize? To that girl?”
“To my sister. The one you insulted.”
“Never!”
“Then leave.”
Raisa Petrovna grabbed her son by the arm.
“Maksim, I’ll wait for you in the car. If you stay here, consider that you no longer have a mother.”
She turned and left the apartment, slamming the door. Maksim remained in the hallway, looking from the door to Oksana.
“Oksana…”
“What, Maksim?”
“Maybe you didn’t have to be so harsh?”
Oksana silently walked past him and opened the bedroom door. Vika was sitting on the bed, wiping her tears.
“Vik, everything’s all right. Go wash your face, then we’ll finish cooking.”
Her sister nodded, got up, and went to the bathroom.
Oksana returned to the kitchen. Maksim was still standing in the doorway.
“Your mother is waiting for you in the car,” Oksana said.
“I’m not going.”
“As you wish.”
“Oksana, let’s talk normally.”
“What is there to talk about, Maksim? Your mother insulted my sister. You stayed silent. That says everything.”
“I didn’t stay silent! I said the scandal should stop!”
“You said that to me. Not to your mother, who caused the scandal.”
He rubbed his face with his hands.
“She’s my mother, Oksana. I can’t throw her out.”
“I’m not asking you to throw her out. I’m asking you to protect my family. My sister. From insults.”
“Well, Mom could have apologized and that would’ve been it.”
“Your mother refused to apologize.”
“Because you backed her into a corner!”
Oksana looked at him for a long moment.
“I see.”
“What do you see?”
“Everything, Maksim. I see everything.”
She turned and went into the bedroom. Maksim remained alone in the kitchen.
Oksana closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned against the frame. She breathed deeply and evenly. Her hands were shaking, but she held herself together. Vika came out of the bathroom with red eyes.
“Oksana, I’m sorry. This whole scandal happened because of me.”
“Not because of you. Because of Raisa Petrovna. You did nothing wrong.”
“Maybe I really should leave?”
“You are not leaving. This is my home, and you are welcome here.”
Vika sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees. Oksana sat beside her and hugged her shoulders.
“Vik, don’t take it to heart. Raisa Petrovna is like that. She needed a reason to start a fight, and she chose you.”
“But she was so cruel… parasite, goat… I didn’t do anything bad.”
“Of course you didn’t. She just can’t accept that I’m the one in charge of this home, not her son. That’s what makes her furious.”
Vika wiped her tears and looked at her sister.
“And Maksim? Why didn’t he say anything?”
Oksana sighed.
“I don’t know. Maybe he fears his mother more than he respects his wife.”
“Oksana, what happens now?”
“I don’t know, Vik. We’ll see.”
They came out of the bedroom together. Maksim stood in the kitchen, looking out the window. When he heard their steps, he turned around.
“Oksana, let’s talk.”
“Talk.”
“Mom is upset. This is hard for her.”
“Hard for her?” Oksana tilted her head. “And what about Vika?”
“Well… Mom didn’t mean harm.”
“Maksim, your mother called my sister a parasite and a goat. Whether she meant harm or not, it was an insult.”
“I understand. But she’s my mother. I can’t fight with her.”
“Then go to her.”
“What?”
“Go to your mother. If she matters more to you than respect for my family.”
“Oksana, don’t start.”
“I’m not starting. I’m ending this. Nothing like that will ever happen in my home again.”
“Nothing like that? Oksana, you’re exaggerating!”
“Exaggerating?” Oksana stepped closer and looked straight into his eyes. “Maksim, if you think insulting someone in my home is an exaggeration, then we truly have nothing to discuss.”
He looked away and said nothing. Oksana turned back to the stove and continued cooking as if nothing had happened. Vika stood beside her and helped. They worked in silence. Only the bubbling soup and the hiss of oil in the pan could be heard.
Maksim stood in the hallway for a while, then went into the living room. He turned on the television but kept the volume low. Dasha ran to her father and climbed onto his lap. He hugged his daughter and buried his face in her hair.
They ate lunch in silence. Oksana set the table and called Maksim and Dasha. Vika sat with her eyes lowered to her plate. Maksim chewed without lifting his head. Dasha swung her legs and chatted about a cartoon, but no one was really listening.
After lunch, Vika said quietly:
“Oksana, I think I’ll go. I’ll help Mom.”
“Vik, stay. We wanted to go shopping.”
“Another time. Really. I’m tired.”
Oksana hugged her sister goodbye.
“Don’t take it too personally. Raisa Petrovna is just an angry woman.”
“I know. But it still hurts.”
“Call me when you get home.”
“I will.”
Vika got dressed and left. Oksana watched her go, then closed the door. She returned to the kitchen and began washing the dishes. Maksim sat in the living room watching TV. Dasha played with her dolls.
Two hours passed. Oksana finished cleaning and sat on the sofa with a book. Maksim stood up, walked around the room, and stopped by the window.
“Oksana, maybe you should call Mom after all? Apologize?”
Oksana lifted her head from the book.
“Apologize for what?”
“Well, you threw her out.”
“I didn’t throw her out. I asked her to apologize to Vika. Your mother refused and left on her own.”
“You know how Mom is. She’s proud. She won’t apologize.”
“Then she doesn’t need to come here.”
“Oksana, she’s my mother!”
“And Vika is my sister. In my home, my rules apply.”
Maksim clenched his fists, turned, and left the room. The bedroom door slammed. Oksana kept reading, though the letters blurred before her eyes.
That evening, Raisa Petrovna called. Her number appeared on Oksana’s phone. Oksana answered.
“Yes?”
“Oksana, it’s me. Raisa Petrovna.”
“Hello.”
“What are you doing? Turning my son against his mother!”
“Raisa Petrovna, I’m not doing anything. You came into my home and insulted my sister.”
“Your sister! Everything is yours, yours! Have you thought about the family?”
“I have. My family is my husband, my daughter, my sister, my parents. You were part of that family too, until you crossed the line.”
“What line? I’m his mother! I have the right!”
“The right to what? To insult people in my apartment?”
“I have the right to guide my son!”
“Maksim is an adult. He decides how to live.”
“Decides for himself? You manipulate him!”
“Raisa Petrovna, this conversation is over. Goodbye.”
Oksana ended the call and blocked her mother-in-law’s number. She placed the phone on the table. Her hands were trembling, but her face remained calm.
Maksim came out of the bedroom.
“Who called?”
“Your mother.”
“And?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Oksana, let’s act like adults…”
“Maksim, I am an adult. And I am behaving like one. I’m protecting my family and my home. If your mother wants to come here, she can learn respect. If not, she is no longer welcome.”
“Are you forbidding me from speaking to my mother?”
“I am forbidding your mother from insulting people in my apartment. You can talk to her wherever you like — at her place, outside, in a café. Just not here.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. He said nothing. Then he turned and went back into the bedroom. The door slammed.
Oksana sat on the sofa. Dasha climbed onto her lap.
“Mommy, why is Daddy sad?”
“He’s tired, sweetheart.”
“Why did Grandma shout?”
“Grandma behaved badly.”
“And Aunt Vika cried.”
“She did. But everything is all right now.”
Dasha wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and pressed her nose into her shoulder. Oksana stroked her daughter’s hair and closed her eyes. It had been a heavy day.
The following days passed in tense silence. Maksim barely spoke, answered in short phrases, and avoided her eyes. Oksana didn’t push him to talk. She had already said what needed to be said. Now it was his turn to decide whose side he was on.
Raisa Petrovna did not call again. Maksim went to see his mother by himself, without Oksana or Dasha. He returned gloomy and silent. Oksana didn’t ask what they talked about. That was not her business.
A week later, Vika came over. She called beforehand and asked if she could stop by. Oksana was glad.
“Of course. Come. Maksim won’t be home — he’s on the road.”
“Are you sure I won’t be in the way?”
“Not at all.”
Vika arrived with cake and flowers. Oksana greeted her with a hug.
“Vik, how are you?”
“I’m fine. I’ve calmed down. It was just unpleasant.”
“I understand. But you did nothing wrong.”
“I know. Oksana… are things okay between you and Maksim?”
“I don’t know. He’s offended because I won’t let his mother come over. He’s not speaking much.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“And how are you?”
“Calm. I said what I had to say. I’m not going to tolerate rudeness in my own home anymore.”
Vika hugged her sister.
“You’re right. Oksana, this is your apartment. Your home. No one has the right to dictate who can be here.”
The sisters drank tea, talked, and laughed. Dasha spun around nearby, showing off her new toys and asking Vika to read her a book. Vika happily read to her niece, changing voices and acting out the characters. Dasha laughed and clapped her hands.
Oksana watched her sister and daughter and smiled. This was real. Warmth, care, love. Not shouting, insults, and demands.
In the evening, Vika left. Oksana stayed alone with Dasha. She put her daughter to bed, tidied the kitchen, and sat by the window with a cup of tea. She looked out at the dark courtyard, the rare streetlights, the passing cars.
She thought about Maksim. About how he had behaved that Saturday. He had stayed silent while his mother insulted Vika. He had defended his mother, not his wife. He had been offended because Oksana refused to let her mother-in-law be rude in her own home.
That meant his mother mattered more to him. More than his wife. More than respect. More than their family. Oksana understood that clearly now.
Maksim returned from his trip three days later. He came home tired and quiet. He greeted Oksana, kissed Dasha, and went to take a shower. Then he sat down to dinner. He ate in silence without lifting his eyes.
“Maksim, we need to talk,” Oksana said when he finished eating.
“About what?”
“About what happened with your mother.”
“Oksana, we already discussed it.”
“No. We didn’t. I want to hear one thing from you. Do you think your mother had the right to insult my sister?”
Maksim was silent for a moment.
“No. She didn’t.”
“Good. Then why did you stay silent?”
“I didn’t stay silent. I told everyone to calm down.”
“You said that to me. Not to the mother who started the scandal.”
“Oksana, what was I supposed to do? She’s my mother.”
“You could have stood by your wife. You could have demanded that your mother apologize. You could have defended Vika. But you didn’t.”
Maksim rubbed his face with his hands.
“Oksana, it’s hard for me to be between you.”
“It’s hard for you?” Oksana gave a bitter laugh. “And is it easy for me? Your mother comes into my home and insults my sister. You say nothing. Then you sulk because I won’t let your mother back in. Is that easy for me?”
“I didn’t want conflict.”
“Your mother created the conflict. Not me.”
Maksim stood up from the table.
“Oksana, I’m tired. I don’t want to fight.”
“We’re not fighting. We’re talking.”
“I don’t see the difference.”
He went into the bedroom. Oksana remained sitting at the kitchen table. The conversation had failed. Maksim didn’t understand. Or didn’t want to.
A week later, Raisa Petrovna called Maksim. He spoke quietly, but Oksana heard fragments.
“Mom, I can’t… No, Oksana won’t allow it… Mom, what can I do?”
He hung up and came into the kitchen.
“Mom wants to come. For Dasha’s birthday.”
“When is the birthday?”
“In two weeks.”
“I see.”
“Oksana, let’s let her come. For Dasha’s sake.”
Oksana looked at him.
“Maksim, has your mother apologized to Vika?”
“No.”
“Then no.”
“Oksana, it’s our child’s birthday!”
“Exactly. My child’s birthday. In my home. And I don’t want a woman who insults my family to be there.”
“But Dasha wants to see her grandmother!”
“Raisa Petrovna can see Dasha another day. She can invite her to her own house. I’m not against that. Just not here.”
Maksim clenched his jaw.
“You’re taking revenge.”
“I’m protecting my home.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“No, Maksim. It isn’t.”
He turned and left. That evening, he packed a bag and said he would stay at his mother’s for a couple of days. Oksana did not object.
They celebrated Dasha’s birthday without the mother-in-law. Oksana’s parents came, along with Vika and a few friends with children. It was noisy and cheerful. Dasha enjoyed her gifts, blew out the candles on the cake, and played with the guests. Maksim arrived in the evening, congratulated his daughter, and gave her a doll. He sat quietly, gloomy and withdrawn. Oksana’s parents exchanged glances but asked nothing.
After the party, Maksim went back to his mother’s. He returned three days later.
“Oksana, we need to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“How we’re going to live.”
Oksana put down her book and looked at him.
“Explain.”
“I can’t live without contact with my mother.”
“No one is forbidding you from contacting her.”
“Not letting her into the house is the same as forbidding it.”
“Maksim, I will not allow a person who insults my family into my home. If your mother wants to come here, she can apologize to Vika. If not, she can stay at her own place.”
“She won’t apologize.”
“That’s her choice.”
“And what now?”
“We live as we are.”
Maksim shook his head.
“That doesn’t work for me.”
“What does work for you?”
“For my mother to be able to come into the home where I live.”
“This is my home, Maksim. I bought it before marriage. And I decide who comes here.”
“So I’m nobody here?”
“You are my husband. The father of my child. But the apartment is mine.”
Maksim stood and paced the room.
“I see. So I’m just a tenant to you.”
“Don’t twist my words.”
“I’m not twisting anything. You said it yourself — the apartment is yours. So I live here only with your permission.”
“Maksim, don’t turn this into drama. This isn’t about the apartment. It’s about your mother insulting my sister and refusing to apologize.”
“And you won’t forgive her.”
“I will. When she apologizes.”
He stopped by the window and looked into the courtyard.
“I’m leaving.”
“Where?”
“To my mother’s. Temporarily. Until we figure this out.”
Oksana nodded.
“All right.”
“All right? That’s all?”
“What else should I say?”
Maksim looked at her for a long time. Then he went into the bedroom and began packing. Oksana stayed in the living room, listening as he folded clothes into a bag, opened the wardrobe, and took out shoes.
He came out with two bags and set them by the door.
“I’ll take the rest later.”
“All right.”
“Will you tell Dasha?”
“I will.”
“Oksana… maybe you should think it over?”
“What is there to think about, Maksim? You chose your mother’s side. I chose my family.”
“I am your family.”
“You were. Until you stood with the person who insulted my sister.”
He picked up the bags and opened the door. Then he turned back.
“You’ll regret this.”
“I don’t think so.”
Maksim left. The door closed quietly.
Oksana remained sitting in the living room, listening to the silence. Strangely, there was no heaviness in her soul. Only calm.
She got up and went to the kitchen. She put the kettle on, took out her favorite cup, made tea, and sat by the window. Behind the glass, the first snowflakes were falling. November. Winter was close.
Dasha was asleep in her room. In the morning, she would ask where Daddy was. Oksana would explain simply: Daddy had gone to stay with Grandma for a while. Dasha would understand. Children always understand more than adults think.
Her phone vibrated. A message from Vika.
“Oksana, how are you?”
“I’m fine. Maksim left for his mother’s.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. His choice.”
“Oksana, I’m sorry. Because of me…”
“Vik, not because of you. Because my husband couldn’t protect my family. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Are you sure you did the right thing?”
“I’m sure. No one will ever dare insult the people I love in my home again.”
“I’m proud of you, sis.”
“Thank you, Vik.”
Oksana finished her tea, washed the cup, and dried it with a towel. Then she went to the bedroom and lay down. For a long time, she stared at the ceiling and thought.
Maksim had left. Maybe he would return, maybe he wouldn’t. But that was his choice now.
What mattered was that the apartment was peaceful again. No insults. No shouting. No attempts to decide who was in charge.
There was only Oksana, Dasha, a warm home, and the right to decide who was welcome there — and who was not.
And that was how it should be.
Because a home should be a fortress where you protect your loved ones, not a place where you allow people to hurt them.
