“Have you completely lost your mind?” Nina’s voice trembled with deep, smoldering fury. “Your sister took out loans for her foolishness, and I’m supposed to sell my own apartment?”
“Not yours—ours!” Igor banged his mug down on the kitchen table. “We’ve been married for five years! And Sveta is not a stranger—she’s family, and the bank people are literally camping outside her door!”
Nina closed her eyes. Her temple throbbed intensely. This was already their third scandal this week.
Her sister-in-law, Sveta, had always been reckless with money. Expensive resorts one minute, new phones the next. Now the debt had gone over two million. And Igor seriously believed that Nina should be the one to pay for it.
“The apartment was inherited from my grandmother,” Nina said, stressing every word. “I got it three years before we met. It’s not ours. It’s mine.”
“But we did the renovation together!” Igor turned bright red. “I put my whole soul into it! By law it’s joint property now, and I have every right to claim my share!”
Nina gave a bitter smile. Yes, they did renovate together, but it was Nina’s parents who paid for all the supplies. Igor simply directed the workers. But trying to argue this with a screaming husband was pointless.
“If you won’t agree peacefully, we’ll settle this in court,” he snapped, throwing on his jacket. “Get ready to split the assets, you greedy woman!”
The door slammed so hard that the calendar fell off the wall. Nina sank into a chair. She was forty-five. All she had wanted was a normal, strong family, but instead she’d found herself in a never-ending struggle just to survive.
That evening, Oksana came over. They had been friends for over ten years. Oksana had always been by her side, in both joy and sorrow. Nina trusted her as much as herself.
Her friend confidently made tea, set cups on the table, and sighed sympathetically.
“Nina, think it over carefully,” Oksana said gently, stroking her hand. “You have a huge apartment, three rooms. You could sell it, pay off Svetka’s debt, and still have enough left to buy a nice two-bedroom place. At least your family would stay together. Igor’s a good catch—you’ll lose him.”
Nina jerked her hand away. Her friend’s words stung her.
“Let him leave. I won’t use my only home to pay off someone else’s debt.”
“You’re making a big mistake,” Oksana’s voice suddenly lost its warmth, becoming dry and businesslike. “By law, he’s right. The renovation was major. The court will easily decide the apartment is joint property. You’ll just lose even more paying lawyers.”
Nina looked at her friend carefully. How did Oksana know so much about family law? And why was she defending Igor so actively?
A bad feeling started to stir inside her. Nina remembered how Oksana had recently asked a lot about their household budget. She’d often praised Igor, calling him a ‘real man of the house.’
“I’ll think about it,” Nina replied stiffly, wanting to end this unpleasant conversation.
Oksana left. Nina opened the window wide, but the heavy feeling in her chest didn’t go away.
The next day, Nina was getting ready for work. She had just stepped out into the stairwell when she remembered an important folder with documents and went back, quietly opening the door with her key. Igor was supposed to be sleeping—he had the day off.
Nina took off her shoes and walked down the hallway. Voices came from the bedroom. Igor was talking on the phone. The door was slightly ajar.
“I’m working her over, don’t get anxious,” Igor grumbled. “I’m telling you, she’ll sell the apartment. What choice does she have? She’ll be scared of court and cave in.”
Nina froze. She could hardly breathe. With trembling fingers, she pulled out her phone and turned on the recorder.
From Igor’s phone speaker came a clear, painfully familiar woman’s voice. It was Oksana.
“Push harder, Igor,” her best friend demanded. “We’ll split the apartment, toss some to your idiot sister so the people at the bank back off, and the rest will be our down payment. We agreed, didn’t we? I’m sick of bouncing from place to place.”
“I remember everything, Ksyusha,” her husband purred. “Just wait a little longer. We’ll get her out, buy our own place. That fool has no idea about anything.”
Nina stood frozen in the hallway, clamping her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t scream. She could barely breathe. She’d been betrayed. By the two people closest to her.
Her friend had envied her success and spacious apartment. And her husband was just a common marriage swindler, ready to throw his wife out on the street for his mistress.
Nina didn’t burst into the room. She didn’t throw a fit or smash any dishes. Silently, she saved the recording on her phone. Then she took her folder and quietly left the apartment.
Tears dried up before they had a chance to fall. All that was left inside was a cold, calculating emptiness.
The court proceedings started quickly. Igor kept his promise and filed a lawsuit to divide the property. He demanded the apartment be recognized as jointly owned, citing the expensive renovations as evidence.
In the courtroom, her husband sat with his head held high, wearing a new suit bought with Nina’s money. In the front row, Oksana sat quietly among the spectators, watching Nina with false sympathy that barely hid her triumph.
Igor’s lawyer spoke at length and with passion about building materials, receipts, and his client’s huge contribution.
The judge, a stern woman in glasses, turned her gaze to Nina.
“Defendant, do you have anything to say in response?”
Nina calmly stood up. She straightened the collar of her formal blouse and looked her husband straight in the eyes.
“Your Honor, all the receipts for the building materials were paid with my father’s bank card. We have provided the statements,” Nina said, her voice steady and confident. “But I have another piece of evidence—a proof of conspiracy to deprive me of my property.”
Nina’s lawyer handed the phone with the recording to the court secretary. A minute later, Oksana’s voice echoed through the silent courtroom:
“We’ll split the apartment…throw a piece to the silly sister…take the rest for ourselves… That fool has no idea what’s going on…”
Igor shrank into his chair and looked away, as if trying to disappear. Oksana, sitting on the spectator’s bench, started breathing heavily and covered her face with her hands. The courtroom filled with heavy, oppressive silence.
The judge listened to the recording until the end. Her face turned to stone.
“The claim is denied in full,” the judge announced dryly. “The apartment remains the personal property of the defendant. In addition, the case materials will be sent to the prosecutor’s office for review for potential fraud.”
Nina walked out of the courthouse calmly, without looking back. The autumn wind felt refreshingly cold against her face. She headed straight to her apartment. It was time to put an end to this once and for all.
When she reached her floor, Nina found the apartment door wide open. Igor was frantically stuffing his things into large bags, alone. Oksana was nowhere to be seen—apparently, she bolted right after court.
“You recorded me illegally!” Igor shouted, throwing a shirt on the floor and glaring angrily at Nina. “That’s low!”
Nina slowly walked into the room. She looked at the man she had devoted five years to, and remembered the friend she had trusted for ten.
“Give my apartment away to your sister-in-law for her debts? You’re all here temporarily!” Nina stepped forward, her voice ringing firm. “Now get out. And don’t ever come back.”
“Nina, come on,” Igor tried to force a pathetic smile. “It was just talk. We’re a family…”
“Family ended the moment you started making plans for my place,” Nina cut him off. “You have three minutes to pack. Then I’m calling the police.”
He left in silence, dragging his heavy bags. He was left with nothing—no money, no spacious borrowed apartment, and no hope for a luxurious life. His clever plan had completely collapsed.
Nina closed the door behind him and turned the key twice in the lock. Then she walked into the kitchen and pushed open the window pane—the fresh air filled the room.
That same evening, a locksmith arrived. Nina had ordered the installation of a new lock with extra security. Peace and quiet returned to the apartment.
She settled into her favorite chair and gazed out at the night city through the window. There was no pain or resentment left inside—just immense relief. Life had freed her from deceitful people, and now something new was opening up ahead. For the first time in a long while, Nina smiled sincerely. She had stood up for herself.
