1. Dinner Before the Storm

The last light of the day slid through the tall windows, laying long, tired streaks across the Persian rug.
Oksana’s apartment on the fifteenth floor wasn’t palatial, but it was hers — the proof that she had made it.

She stood by the window, gazing at the gray evening sky over Saint Petersburg. Down below, headlights crawled like fireflies across the wet asphalt. “My own home,” she thought — proud, but with a strange ache in her chest. She had saved for years, living in permanent austerity, cutting out every luxury. Two small rooms in exchange for her youth — her proof of independence.

“Maksim,” she turned, voice light, hopeful. “How about a barbecue on the balcony this weekend? Like last time. Let’s invite everyone — it’ll be fun.”

But Maksim, her husband, didn’t answer. He sat at the table, riffling through documents, looking as if life itself weighed him down.

“Sorry, honey,” he said at last, not lifting his eyes. “I can’t. I’m going to my parents’ this weekend. Andrei has problems.”

That name again — Andrei. His golden brother, the eternal reason for every canceled plan, every ruined weekend.

“Andrei again.” Oksana sighed, collapsing into a chair. “You tell me everything about him, and I just sit here wondering who I’m even married to.”

“It’s not serious,” Maksim said quietly. “Just… he and Lena want to move here. To Petersburg. For the kids — better schools, more opportunities.”

For a moment, Oksana thought she’d misheard. Then the meaning hit her like ice water.

“Move here? Where exactly?”

“It’s not decided yet,” Maksim mumbled — but his eyes said enough.

And in that instant, Oksana knew: they were about to drag her husband — and her life — right back into the family circus.

2. The Mother-in-Law Arrives

That evening, when the doorbell rang, Oksana already knew who it was.

On the doorstep stood Lyubov Andreyevna, her mother-in-law — immaculate as ever: pearl earrings, a salon-perfect hairdo, and a perfume strong enough to fill the entire hallway. She swept in like a queen inspecting her property.

“Oksanochka, my dear daughter-in-law!” she trilled sweetly. “Maksim, run to the store and get something nice. Your wife and I will have a little chat of our own.”

When the door shut behind Maksim, the transformation was instant. The sugary smile vanished. The eyes hardened, sharp as glass.

“Well, daughter-in-law,” she began, her tone clipped. “How long do you plan to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“What exactly are you talking about, Lyubov Andreyevna?” Oksana asked evenly, though she already knew.

“About registering Andrei and his family, of course. Temporary registration. You’re not planning to refuse, are you?”

The older woman paced the room, her gaze sweeping over every surface — the rug, the table, the curtains — as if already assessing what would soon be hers.

“You live comfortably,” she went on. “You have a roof over your head. And Andrei? He’s struggling. Two children, both in school. You’ve seen their place — a dump! Don’t you feel sorry for the kids?”

Oksana’s hand tightened on the armrest until her knuckles went white.

“Pity has nothing to do with it,” she said quietly. “Registration is a legal matter. It can cause problems.”

“Problems?” Lyubov let out a laugh worthy of the theater. “You think we’re after your little apartment? You don’t trust us?”

“It’s not about trust,” Oksana replied. “It’s about responsibility.”

“Oh, stop it with your laws and responsibilities!” the woman snapped, waving her manicured hand. “What laws can there be between relatives? They’re family! They just need a little help to get started. Do you have no heart?”

Just then, the door opened — Maksim returned, a bag of groceries in hand. The air in the room was thick enough to choke on.

“What’s going on?” he asked, oblivious.

“I’m explaining family values to your wife,” his mother said primly. “But she keeps hiding behind legal nonsense.”

Maksim sighed. “Oksan, maybe Mom’s right. It’s just for a short while.”

Oksana turned, her eyes sharp and cold. “And can you guarantee they’ll move out in six months? Deregister and all?”

“Of course!” Lyubov cut in before he could answer. “Just until the kids start school, they find work…”

“So there’s no actual deadline,” Oksana said, her voice now edged with sarcasm. “And if they don’t find work?”

“My God, what kind of person are you?” the mother-in-law cried. “Counting months when children need help! When I was your age—”

“When you were my age,” Oksana interrupted calmly, “the country was different. The laws were different. Now, registration gives people rights. Legal rights to the property.”

Lyubov’s face turned red. “Maksim! Tell her! He’s your brother!”

Her son looked helplessly between them. “Maybe we can compromise,” he muttered.

“There’s no compromise here,” Oksana said coldly. “It’s my apartment. And I’m not risking it.”

“Your apartment!” the mother-in-law mocked. “Two rooms in a concrete block — and she’s terrified of losing it!”

“Mom, please,” Maksim said, but she wasn’t listening.

“No, she needs to know her place! I didn’t raise my son so some upstart could dictate how the family lives!”

That was the moment Oksana snapped.

“Lyubov Andreyevna, don’t be insolent! And let me decide whom I register in my own home!”

A beat of silence. Then Oksana stood, composed.

“I think we should end this conversation for today.”

“There won’t be another!” the older woman hissed. “Either you help your husband’s family — or Maksim will have to choose: you or us.”

The door slammed so hard the frame shook.

3. Ultimatums

The silence that followed was heavier than any argument.

Maksim paced the living room. Oksana stared out at the darkened city.

“So what now?” he finally asked.

“What your mother said,” she replied without turning around. “You choose.”

He blinked, confused. “Choose what?”

“Between me and your family.”

The words dropped like stones.

4. When the Whole Family Attacks

The next day, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Aunt Zina screamed about “family loyalty.” Grandma Klava wept about “sacred kinship.” Then came Lena — Andrei’s wife.

“Oksana, come on, we’re not strangers!” she pleaded. “You really think we’d cheat you?”

“It’s not about that, Lena. It’s the law.”

“To hell with your laws!” Lena shouted. “You’re a heartless witch!”

By the time Oksana ran into them at the supermarket, the hostility was open. Andrei and Lena turned away; even their children looked at her as if she were a villain.

That evening, Maksim said quietly, “See what you’ve done? Even the kids avoid us now.”

“What I’ve done?” Oksana gave a bitter laugh. “Maybe it’s your mother turning them against me.”

“Against you,” he corrected. “She still loves me. She just doesn’t understand… you.”

“Do you?” she asked.

He said nothing.

5. The Café and the End

A month later, they met with Lyubov Andreyevna in a café — neutral ground.

She arrived dressed like victory itself. “I’ve decided everything,” she announced. “Andrei sold his apartment. They’re moving in with me. You can relax — your precious square meters are safe.”

Oksana stared at her, pale and silent.

“Don’t think you’ve won,” the older woman went on. “You’ve just shown everyone what kind of person you are. From now on — stay away from family gatherings. For me, you don’t exist.”

“And Maksim?” Oksana asked quietly.

“He’ll choose,” the woman said coldly. “Between his family and the one who tore it apart.”

She stood, gathered her purse, and left — leaving the smell of triumph behind.

6. The Break

That evening, Maksim packed his things.

“I’m sorry, Oksan. I can’t live like this anymore. Mom’s right — family must stay together.”

“And me? I’m not family?”

He hesitated, then looked away. “You’re… different.”

When the door closed behind him, Oksana didn’t cry. She simply stood by the window, watching the city lights flicker through the mist.

“An apartment,” she thought, “isn’t just a roof over your head. It’s freedom. Freedom from manipulation. From other people’s will. From being owned.”

7. Six Months Later

Spring came.

One morning, Oksana stepped into the elevator and met her new neighbors — a woman and two cheerful children. They chatted happily about moving into their new place next door.

The woman mentioned her husband’s name: Andrei.

Oksana froze. So they’d bought an apartment right in the next building.

So the money had been there all along. They just wanted to test her — to see how much she could be pushed.

Oksana smiled faintly and stepped out into the sunlight. The air felt cleaner than ever.

For the first time in years, she felt truly free.