“So, you finally came home, our wealthy heiress?” Slava asked with a smirk.

“Well, look who finally came home, our wealthy heiress,” Slavic said with a smirk.
Since it’s just the two of us, tell me—how did this inheritance thing happen?
Why are you the heir? Why not me, for example? Or Sasha’s ex-wife?
“You know very well his ex left Sasha for another man,” she replied. “Why would he leave his inheritance to her?”
Taya was just as shocked by what happened as her husband Vyacheslav. Their family friend Alexander’s actions caught everyone completely off guard.
“Taissia Andreyevna, did you understand everything that was just read to you?” the notary asked.
Taya nodded.
“My assistant will explain the next steps to you,” the notary continued. “Please proceed to the other office.”
Taissia and Vyacheslav left the office. At that moment, her husband grabbed her wrist painfully.
Startled, the woman cried out.
“What’s wrong with you? That hurts,” she said, trying to pull her hand away.
Slavic’s face twisted into a look of pure anger.
“Why did Sasha leave the house and land to you and not me—his best friend? Who are you, anyway?” he hissed.
“I had no idea about any of this,” Taya tried to explain, but at that moment, they were called into the office for further details.
Her husband sat as if the chair was covered with needles stabbing into him.
Taissia could feel her husband’s burning gaze out of the corner of her eye.
“Tell me, how can you check if this will is authentic?” her husband suddenly asked the notary’s assistant.
The older woman stared at him in bewilderment:
“What do you mean, authentic? This is a notarial document, drafted and certified in accordance with the law.”
“I doubt that Sasha would leave me just a used Lada and give the rest of the estate to my wife,” Slavic replied gruffly. “He was my friend. We grew up together.”
The assistant’s face stretched even longer in surprise:
“Excuse me, but this is the final will of the deceased Alexander Evgenievich.”
Therefore, the only way to contest the will is through the courts, though it’s highly unlikely in this case.
The woman turned pointedly toward Taissia and resumed writing out the list of required documents for claiming the inheritance.
Once outside, Taya was incredibly relieved she had to return to work. The last thing she wanted now was to go home with her husband.
“I’m heading to work,” she said. “See you at home tonight.”
Slavic grunted angrily and headed for the car.
That evening, as soon as she stepped into their apartment, Taissia could tell Slavic had already celebrated today’s news. The smell of alcohol hung heavily in the hallway.
A minute later, her husband appeared in the doorway, barely able to stand.
“So, the rich heiress decided to come home, huh?” Slavic said with a sneer.
“Where are the kids? Why is it so quiet?” Taya asked hesitantly.
“They’re at your friend’s place,” her husband replied. “Playing video games.”
Taissia let out a sigh of relief. She always tried to keep their three children away from their father whenever he’d been drinking.
It didn’t happen all that often, but every such occasion could easily be described as a dramatic adventure.
“While it’s just the two of us, tell me how all this with the inheritance happened?”
Why are you the one who inherited everything? Why not me? Or even Sasha’s ex-wife?
“You know perfectly well that his ex left Sasha and went to someone else,” she replied. “Why would he leave the inheritance to her?”
Taya took a deep breath and continued:
“And he didn’t leave anything to you because he knew it would all go to waste,” his wife responded sarcastically. “Sasha saw how quickly you squandered your own father’s inheritance.”
That’s probably why he decided to leave everything to me. Plus, I was the only one who helped Sasha after he got out of the hospital, wasn’t I?
“Now I think I understand how you really ‘helped’ my friend,” her husband said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
“Slavik, that’s so rude,” Taya scolded her husband. “Sasha was a wonderful person. I’m sorry his life turned out so badly.”
She sighed and added:
“Frankly, just like mine.”
After those words, Vyacheslav showered his wife with nasty insults and, staggering a bit, went back to the kitchen table where a bottle and some snacks were waiting.
The woman decided her best option was to leave the house for now. She headed to her friend Valentina’s, where the kids were visiting.
Walking quietly down the street, Taya reflected on her life.
Vyacheslav was nothing like this when they got married. Back then, he was a promising engineer at a major manufacturing plant, and he won her heart.
Her husband’s drinking problems started much later, after their second child was born.
Slavik began drinking heavily when he was promoted to a management position at the plant.
Very few people knew about his problem, since he never drank in public. Only his childhood friend Sasha and his father-in-law were aware of what was going on.
Alexander had always liked Taya, but they never crossed any boundaries.
Things were never easy in Alexander’s personal life. His wife left him for another man, and even his relationship with his common-law wife didn’t work out.
“Oh, Slavik, if I had a wife like Taya, I’d be the happiest man alive,” Sasha often said. “Treasure her.”
Vyacheslav would just smile silently in response.
After his father-in-law’s passing, her husband sold the apartment he inherited from his dad and spent all the money on an expensive car, despite Taissa’s protests.
A year later, in the winter, he got in a car accident, and the vehicle was wrecked beyond repair.
Sasha was furious with his friend at the time and told him exactly how foolish that decision was.
The friends didn’t talk for a few months, but eventually, things went back to normal.
Then, out of nowhere, Alexander suffered a stroke that changed everything. The once healthy and strong man never fully recovered.
He switched to working from home online, but after a year, a second stroke put an end to any hope of a normal life.
That’s when Taya started helping Sasha around the house. She bought groceries, cooked meals, and helped clean whenever it was needed.
Her husband’s friend secretly paid Taissa for those services. It wasn’t much, but it made a big difference for her.
At that time, Taya had firmly decided to divorce Slavik. But with three kids, she simply had nowhere to go.
She didn’t have her own place or any close relatives who could take her in.
She had a job, but there was no way she could support herself and the children on just her salary. Her husband earned well and provided for the family financially.
Things between the couple got much worse after their third child was born. Slavik had insisted she end the pregnancy, but Taya refused to give in.
After that, her husband became even more controlling, constantly showing how much more important he was at every turn.
Living together under one roof grew harder and harder with each passing day.
One day, while Taisia was cooking at Sasha’s house, she unexpectedly broke down in tears.
Just an hour earlier, Slavik had again thrown hurtful words at her, making her feel worthless. Taya just couldn’t hold in her emotions anymore.
Later, she apologized to her husband’s friend and regretted letting her feelings get the best of her.
“It’s okay. You and the kids are going to be alright,” said Sasha, who was ill at the time. “You’ll see.”
Now, as she slowly walked down the street, she suddenly remembered that moment. Maybe that’s what inspired Alexander to write the will in her name.
There was no one to confirm or deny her guess. She could only accept Sasha’s decision with gratitude.
“Taya, this is your only chance to break free from those toxic ties to Slavik,” Valentina said after hearing her story. “Sasha did the right thing, like a real man.”
Don’t you dare do what your husband wants. I know him—he’ll start tormenting you until he gets everything he wants.
Taisia thought about it. Her friend was a thousand percent right, but a strange fear had her completely paralyzed.
Deep down, she was afraid of her husband, knowing how angry he was about what he saw as an injustice.
The next four months, until the inheritance officially took effect, were absolute hell for Taya.
Vyacheslav demanded that his wife not dare make any decisions about the inheritance on her own.
According to him, since the property belonged to his friend, only Vyacheslav had the right to decide what should be done with it.
“It’s our joint property,” he would say. “We’ll sell the house and the farm land.”
“Then we’ll buy a new car, and I’ll figure out what to do with the rest later.”
“Funny, I don’t recall you asking my opinion when you spent your inheritance from your father,” his wife snapped.
“You’re right, that was my father’s inheritance,” he replied harshly. “So why would I have to ask you about it?”
And anyway, who could’ve known about that car accident and that the car would be wrecked? Stuff happens, you know.”
Soon Taisia realized there was no point in arguing with her husband. She decided to claim her rights calmly, then file for divorce and move with the kids into Sasha’s house.
When her dream finally became reality, Vyacheslav lost it. He never expected his wife would actually just leave him like that.
Instead of trying to talk Taisiya out of filing for divorce, Slavik started threatening to take away the kids and even talked about depriving her of her property.
Luckily, his threats never turned into real actions, but it still caused a lot of stress and anxiety.
Taya moved with her daughters and son into a house they had inherited. She felt like even the air was cleaner and better here. It was finally easier to breathe and relax.
She still couldn’t believe she now owned her own home. In her mind, she kept thanking Alexander for such a wonderful gift.