“Tatiana, this is disgraceful!” Galina Ivanovna burst through the door early Saturday morning. “Look at this bathroom! How can you live in such a mess?”
Tanya froze by the stove. A surprise visit at seven in the morning was the last thing she needed.
“The bathroom is clean,” she said tightly. “I scrubbed it yesterday.”
“Clean? This? The water is yellow, the tiles are old—do you ever clean properly?”
“It’s a rental apartment,” Tanya explained patiently. “The plumbing is ancient. No matter how much you clean it, it still looks worn.”
“Exactly. Temporary. And why? Because you’re still studying! Nearly thirty, and still a student!”
Sergey came out of the bedroom, half-asleep.
“Mom, what happened?”
“What happened is your wife let the house fall apart! You have no money, and she wastes time on classes!”
Tanya clenched her hands. Balancing her last year of distance learning with a tiny assistant accountant salary was hard enough. The tuition ate half their budget.
“In six months I’ll graduate,” she said evenly. “Then I’ll find a proper job and—”
“Six months? And what are you living on meanwhile? Sergey works alone, and you bring home pennies!”
Every weekend was the same: criticism, complaints, comparisons to “normal women.”
Three years later, Galina Ivanovna stood in their new, spacious three-room apartment, eyeing the expensive furniture with open disapproval.
“Bought something again. Cost a fortune, didn’t it?”
“Quality things aren’t cheap,” Tanya replied as she hung new curtains.
After her third promotion, she now headed a financial department; her salary was triple Sergey’s. They bought the apartment with her income.
“I don’t like how things are turning out,” Galina said. “You’re the one in charge now. My son earns less than his wife. That’s wrong.”
It didn’t stop there. Over the next two years, whenever Tanya earned a bonus, Galina demanded to know where the money went—and increasingly insisted Tanya should “help the family.” Sergey’s sister Lena had debts and overdue bills. Sergey secretly sent her money; Tanya never interfered. But soon Galina confronted her directly.
“Share your bonus with Lena,” she said sharply. “She’s family. You’re living in luxury while she suffers!”
“Why should I support a person who never even says hello to me?” Tanya answered calmly.
“Because you’re my daughter-in-law!”
“No. Because you want my money,” Tanya said. “For eight years I’ve listened to your insults—first because I studied, then because I earned more than your son, and now because I won’t pay your daughter’s debts.”
“You’re greedy!” Galina shouted.
That was when Sergey stepped into the room.
“Enough,” he said, voice shaking. “Mom, you’ve mistreated Tanya for years. You blamed her when we were poor. Now you demand her money because she succeeded. This stops now.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?”
“Leave our home,” Sergey said firmly. “And if you plan to beg for money again—don’t come back.”
Galina stormed out, vowing revenge.
For weeks afterward, relatives called nonstop—lecturing Sergey, guilt-tripping him, insisting Tanya should “share” her income. By the third week, he simply blocked every number.
He finally sat beside Tanya, exhausted.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should’ve protected you years ago.”
Tanya stroked his hair gently. “It’s over now. What matters is us.”
They sat together in the warm quiet of their apartment — peaceful at last.
