“Darling, we found an eight-million-ruble house for Mom! With your executive salary, we’ll pay off the mortgage quickly,” her husband announced.
Irina climbed the steps toward the entrance of her apartment building, exhausted after a long day at work. Her position as an executive at a large company demanded total commitment, but the salary made it worthwhile. The September evening was chilly, and all she wanted was to get inside and enjoy the warmth and comfort of home.
When she opened the apartment door, Irina heard an animated conversation coming from the living room. Her husband’s voice blended with that of Valentina Sergeyevna, her mother-in-law. Irina took off her shoes and quietly walked toward the room, not wanting to interrupt them. Her husband and his mother were discussing something excitedly and did not even notice her enter.
“This option is the most suitable,” Valentina Sergeyevna said, pointing at something on the tablet screen. “The house is large, the plot is a decent size, and it’s not far from the city.”
“Yes, Mom, I agree. The location is excellent,” Oleg said enthusiastically. “And the price is reasonable for a property of that size.”
Irina stopped in the doorway and listened more carefully.
What house were they talking about?
Oleg worked as a middle manager, and his salary was barely enough to cover their regular expenses. Valentina Sergeyevna received a small pension and lived in a rented one-bedroom apartment.
“Darling!” Oleg exclaimed happily when he finally noticed his wife. “You came at just the right time! Mom and I found a house! It’s an excellent option. It costs only eight million. With your salary, we’ll pay off the mortgage quickly.”
Irina froze, blinking in disbelief and unsure how to react. Her husband spoke about such an enormous sum as casually as though he were talking about buying a loaf of bread.
Eight million rubles was an amount Irina would need several years to earn.
“Excuse me, what are you talking about?” Irina asked slowly. “What house? What mortgage?”
“Oh, come on, dear,” Valentina Sergeyevna interrupted. “We’ve already discussed the fact that it’s time for me to move out of my rented apartment. At my age, I need a home of my own.”
“Discussed it?” Irina repeated. “I don’t remember having any such conversation.”
“Of course we discussed it,” Oleg insisted. “Last summer, when Mom’s landlord increased her rent.”
Irina did remember a conversation about the problems with the rent. But at the time, they had discussed finding Valentina Sergeyevna a cheaper rental apartment, not buying her an eight-million-ruble house.
“It is a son’s basic duty to help his mother,” Valentina Sergeyevna continued, looking at her daughter-in-law disapprovingly. “A man wasn’t born so that his mother would have to spend her life moving from one rented apartment to another.”
Blood rushed to Irina’s face, revealing her growing anger. Her mother-in-law spoke as though the decision to buy the house had already been made and Irina was simply obligated to finance it.
“And since when did I agree to pay for your house?” Irina asked sharply.
Oleg quickly intervened.
“Darling, don’t speak like that. This is a family decision. You wouldn’t deny your family anything, would you? Mom is alone. She needs our support.”
“A family decision?” Irina raised her voice. “Oleg, nobody asked me about buying a house! This is the first time I’ve heard about these plans!”
“But Mom and I have already thought everything through,” her husband explained. “We calculated that it would be perfectly manageable with your salary. The bank will approve the loan. I’ve already collected the necessary documents.”
“You collected the documents?” Irina frowned. “Without telling me?”
“I only made some preliminary inquiries about the terms. It’s nothing serious.”
A folder was sticking out of Oleg’s bag, which was lying on the sofa. Irina noticed it and, without asking permission, pulled it out.
Inside were printouts from real estate websites, a preliminary house-purchase agreement, and a draft loan contract.
As Irina examined the papers, she felt a chill run down her spine.
The documents specified a loan of eight million rubles, repayable over fifteen years. The monthly installment was nearly half her salary.
“Oleg,” Irina said quietly, “were you planning to slip these papers in front of me and get me to sign them?”
“What do you mean, slip them in front of you?” her husband protested. “I was going to discuss everything with you. I just researched the matter first so that we could have an informed conversation.”
“Researched it?” Irina studied the documents more closely. “My position is listed here, along with my salary and even my company’s banking details. Where did you get all this information?”
Oleg hesitated.
“Well… I remembered most of it. I asked you a few questions in passing.”
“In passing?” Irina thought back over their conversations during the past few weeks. “You did ask about my income several times. You said you needed the information for a bank certificate.”
“Yes, a certificate about the family’s income. They could offer us a loan.”
“They could offer me a loan,” Irina corrected him. “Based on my salary and under my responsibility.”
Valentina Sergeyevna watched their exchange and decided to intervene.
“Irina, why are you behaving like a child? Family means helping one another. Oleg is a faithful husband, and I’m a good mother-in-law. Is it really so difficult for you to help us?”
“Valentina Sergeyevna, we are talking about eight million rubles!” Irina tried to remain calm. “That is an enormous sum of money!”
“So what? You have a good job and a stable income. I’ll be sixty soon, and I finally want to live in a house of my own.”
“Then buy it with your own money.”
“With what money?” her mother-in-law exclaimed indignantly. “My pension is tiny, and Oleg’s salary is small.”
“Then buy a house you can actually afford.”
“With our income, we could only afford some kind of shed!” Valentina Sergeyevna snapped.
“But this house is a dream! It has two floors, a fireplace, and a huge garden!”
Irina flipped through the photographs of the house.
The cottage did indeed look luxurious. It had spacious rooms, modern renovations, and beautifully maintained grounds. Only wealthy people could afford a property like that.
“Oleg,” Irina said, turning to her husband, “do you understand that this loan would have to be paid for fifteen years? Every month, more than half my salary would disappear.”
“I understand. But we’ll manage. We’ll cut back on other expenses.”
“What expenses?” Irina laughed nervously. “Oleg, we already live fairly modestly. What else are we supposed to cut?”
“I don’t know… We could travel less and buy clothes less often.”
“And what happens if I get sick and can’t work? Or if the company goes bankrupt? Who will pay the mortgage then?”
“Stop imagining the worst,” her husband dismissed her concerns. “Everything will be fine.”
Irina realized that her husband did not understand the seriousness of the situation. To Oleg, an eight-million-ruble loan was nothing more than a figure printed on a page.
“I’m not signing anything,” Irina declared firmly.
“Why not?” Oleg asked in surprise. “It’s a family matter. Besides, you’re an executive. It will be easier for you to get the loan.”
“Precisely because I’m an executive, I understand the responsibility involved. I will not take out a loan of that size.”
“But Mom dreams of owning a house!” her husband exclaimed.
“Then she can keep dreaming. Or she can buy one with her own money.”
Valentina Sergeyevna threw up her hands indignantly.
“Well, I never! What a selfish woman! You only think about yourself!”
“I’m thinking about our family budget,” Irina replied calmly. “A budget that I mostly provide.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is!” her mother-in-law said sarcastically. “You have money, and now you think you’re more important than everyone else! Is Oleg somehow inferior to you?”
“What does Oleg have to do with it? The point is that we cannot afford an eight-million-ruble loan.”
“Can’t afford it?” Oleg pulled out a calculator. “Look. Your salary is one hundred and twenty thousand. The monthly payment is sixty thousand. That leaves sixty thousand for living expenses, plus my salary. That’s more than enough.”
“Oleg, you’re forgetting about taxes,” Irina said wearily. “I take home one hundred thousand. After the loan payment, forty thousand would remain. Add your thirty-thousand-ruble salary, and that gives us seventy thousand a month for the two of us.”
“That’s fine,” her husband shrugged. “People live on less.”
“They survive on less. That isn’t the same as living.”
Irina sat down in an armchair and tried to consider the situation calmly. Her husband and mother-in-law looked at her expectantly, as though waiting for her to change her mind and approve their plan.
“And what if we have children?” Irina asked. “How are we supposed to support them?”
“With the same money,” Oleg replied. “Children don’t eat that much.”
“Children need more than food. They need clothes, toys, education, and healthcare.”
“We’ll manage somehow.”
“Somehow?” Irina shook her head. “Oleg, you don’t understand the scale of this problem.”
“I understand. But Mom is more important than all those calculations.”
Valentina Sergeyevna smiled with satisfaction when she heard her son’s words.
Irina understood that the conversation had reached a dead end. Her husband and his mother had already decided everything between them. All that remained was to force Irina to sign the documents.
“Let me take a closer look at the contract,” Irina requested.
Oleg handed her the folder. Irina carefully read every line.
The contract stated that the loan would be issued in Irina’s name, while ownership of the house would be registered to Valentina Sergeyevna.
“Wait,” Irina said. “The loan will be in my name, but your mother will own the house?”
“Yes,” Oleg confirmed. “Mom is the one who needs the house.”
“So I’m supposed to spend fifteen years paying off a loan for someone else’s property?”
“It isn’t someone else’s property. It’s for the family,” her husband argued.
“The family? Oleg, if the house is registered to your mother, it belongs to her. I will have no legal claim to it whatsoever.”
“Of course you will. We’re family.”
“And what happens if we divorce? Your mother keeps the house, while I keep the debt?”
“Why are you talking about divorce?” Oleg protested. “We love each other.”
“We may love each other, but legally, I would be placing myself in an incredibly foolish position.”
Irina set the documents aside.
The situation was becoming increasingly absurd. Her husband and his mother wanted Irina to take out an enormous loan for a house that would not even belong to her.
“If you want this house, take out the loan yourselves,” Irina said.
“They won’t approve us,” Oleg admitted. “Our incomes are too low.”
“Exactly. That means you cannot afford the house.”
“We can afford it if you help us.”
“I will not help under these conditions.”
Valentina Sergeyevna rose from the sofa and headed toward the door.
“Fine, then. It’s clear that you’re a stranger to us. A proper wife would never refuse her husband anything.”
“A proper husband would never drag his wife into a scheme like this,” Irina replied.
Her mother-in-law slammed the door behind her.
Oleg was left alone with his wife. For some time, the couple remained silent, reflecting on what had just happened.
Irina stood up, took the folder of documents, and went into the bedroom. Oleg followed her.
“Darling, don’t be angry. We only wanted what was best.”
Without saying a word, Irina took out her phone and began photographing the documents, one page at a time.
Oleg became nervous.
“Why are you taking pictures?”
“Just in case.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Not after today.”
“We weren’t planning anything bad!”
“You have a certificate showing my income, my company’s details, and a purchase contract. This looks like an attempt to arrange the deal without my knowledge.”
“I would have explained everything!”
“When? After I had signed?”
Oleg had no answer.
Irina put her phone away.
“If everything is honest, you have nothing to fear. I’m simply protecting myself.”
The next morning, Irina went to the bank and asked to speak with a loan officer.
“I want it officially noted that no one except me, appearing in person, may submit a loan application in my name,” Irina explained to the employee.
“We’ll record your statement. Do you have reason to be concerned?”
“I suspect someone may attempt to arrange a loan without my consent.”
“I understand. If an application is submitted, we’ll contact you to verify it.”
“And what if someone forges my signature?”
“We’ll notify the police. That would be a criminal offense.”
Irina thanked her and left.
Outside, she felt relieved. The situation was now under control.
Her husband and mother-in-law saw her as nothing more than a wallet.
When Irina returned home, she found Oleg and his mother planning renovations. Valentina Sergeyevna was showing him photographs of furniture.
“We’ll put a leather sofa here and a large television,” her mother-in-law said.
“Wonderful, Mom,” Oleg agreed.
Irina slapped the folder down on the table.
“It’s over. You tried to put an eight-million-ruble debt in my name behind my back.”
“No one did anything!” Oleg protested.
“Then explain the income certificate. When did you get it?”
Her husband turned red.
Valentina Sergeyevna jumped to her feet.
“Enough of these scenes! Oleg was only trying to help!”
“Help whom?”
“The family! You’re greedy and disgraceful! A proper wife would never refuse!”
Irina laughed.
“Live on your own money. Teach your son how to earn more.”
“My son is a good man! You’re the selfish one!”
“I’m an honest selfish woman who doesn’t reach into other people’s pockets.”
Irina went into the bedroom and pulled out a suitcase. She began packing her husband’s clothes.
Oleg stared at her in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Packing your things.”
“Why?”
“You don’t live here anymore.”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
Irina wheeled the suitcase into the hallway and held out her hand.
“The keys.”
“This is our home!”
“The apartment is mine. I bought it before we got married. Give me the keys.”
Reluctantly, Oleg handed over the key ring.
Irina turned to her mother-in-law.
“Valentina Sergeyevna, give me your duplicate key too.”
“What duplicate?”
“The one you asked for so you could water the plants while we were on vacation.”
Her mother-in-law threw the keys onto the cabinet.
“Both of you, leave.”
“I’m not leaving!” Oleg said stubbornly.
“Then I’ll call the police.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Irina dialed the emergency number.
“Good afternoon. There are people in my apartment who are refusing to leave.”
Oleg tried to grab the phone, but Irina stepped away and gave the dispatcher her address.
“Irina, we’re married!” her husband pleaded.
“We were married, until you decided to use me as an ATM.”
The police arrived quickly. Two female officers entered the apartment.
“Did you call us?” the senior officer asked.
“Yes. These people are refusing to leave my apartment.”
“Do you have proof of ownership?”
Irina showed them the property documents.
“And who are these people?”
“My husband and mother-in-law. But they no longer live here.”
“Are either of them officially registered at this address?”
“No.”
The officers turned to Oleg.
“Do you have any documents proving your right to live here?”
“No, but I’m her husband!”
“Marriage does not give you the right to live in property belonging solely to another person. You need to leave.”
“Where are we supposed to go?” Valentina Sergeyevna protested.
“That is not our concern. You have five minutes to collect your belongings.”
The officers prepared a report regarding the disturbance. Oleg and his mother took the suitcase and left.
“You haven’t seen the last of us!” Valentina Sergeyevna shouted.
“I doubt I’ll see you again,” Irina replied before locking the door.
For the next month, Oleg called constantly. He begged her to take him back and promised to forget about buying his mother a house.
Irina remained firm.
The trust between them had been destroyed forever.
Then her husband tried to gain her sympathy. He complained about the rented apartment, their lack of money, and his mother’s health.
Irina listened without emotion.
A month later, she filed for divorce.
Oleg resisted. He failed to appear in court and tried to delay the proceedings, but the ruling was issued without him. They had no jointly owned property and no children.
The divorce was finalized quickly.
When Irina received the certificate, she breathed freely for the first time in months.
That same day, Oleg came to collect the last of his belongings.
“Do you realize that you made a mistake?” her former husband asked.
“My mistake was not seeing what kind of person you were sooner.”
“I loved you.”
“You loved my salary.”
“That’s unfair.”
“What’s fair is that everyone should live on their own money.”
Oleg picked up his bag and headed toward the door.
“What if you change your mind?”
“I won’t.”
Irina closed the door behind him and felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
The apartment was finally quiet and peaceful.
She went into the living room, sat in the armchair, and looked around her home.
No one would ever again plan someone else’s future at her expense.
The folder containing the house documents was still lying on the table. Irina threw the papers into the trash.
Eight million rubles of debt and fifteen years of payments were now nothing more than a bad memory.
Freedom smelled like tea and silence.
A new life lay ahead of her—a life in which she alone would make her own decisions.
