The phone trembled on the bedside table for a long time, yet neither man nor woman stirred. The clock showed six in the morning.
Alexey had anticipated that something like this might happen, so he had already switched both his and his wife’s phones to silent mode. Although he tried to convince himself that the situation was resolved, a slight feeling of unease, though deeply hidden, still lingered.
It turned out that Alexey’s worries were not unfounded. An hour later, after several unsuccessful knocks at the door, persistent—and even aggressive—drumming sounds were heard.
The first to awaken from the knock was Yana. With concern, she glanced toward the hallway.
The knock repeated. In the quiet of a Saturday morning, when it seemed that the entire city was still asleep, these pounding sounds resembled the rumbling of thunder.
“Oh my God, all the neighbors will wake up now,” Yana thought in fear and gently shook her husband’s shoulder.
— Alexey, Alexey…
— Open up, you scoundrels! — a voice thundered from behind the door. It was Alexey’s mother, Irina Arkadyevna. — Otherwise, I’ll break down the door.
Alexey also lifted his head from the pillow. The man had always loved to sleep and had always found it difficult to let go of that state.
— Open up! — Irina Arkadyevna’s commanding voice demanded once again.
Finally, Alexey realized what was happening.
— Alexey, I’m scared, — Yana whispered.
— Don’t worry, I’ll handle it, — Alexey said.
He got out of bed and headed toward the hallway. Yana, too, did not remain in bed; she hurried into the next room to check if the early guest, little Semyon, had been disturbed. Fortunately, the baby was in the room farthest from the hallway, continuing to sleep soundly in his crib.
Meanwhile, Alexey opened the front door, and his mother burst into the apartment like a tornado.
— I hate it! — she shouted from the threshold, but Alexey just huffed.
— Quiet, you’ll wake the child up!
Taking his mother by the arm, Alexey led her into the kitchen and firmly closed the door.
— What are you doing? — he asked sharply.
— And he’s still asking! — Irina Arkadyevna continued to fume. — At night, Katya came home with her things! That scoundrel dumped her!
— And what do we have to do with this? — Alexey asked. — So, that was their fate.
— Don’t act like you don’t understand! — the woman kept angry. — It’s your fault and your …
— My wife’s name is Yana, — the head of the apartment replied calmly. — And stop shouting, or I’ll just kick you out.
— You wouldn’t dare, — Irina Arkadyevna retorted, though her tone softened slightly. — You ruined your sister’s life.
— Katya ruined everything for herself by choosing the wrong person, — Alexey calmly countered.
— You could have fixed everything, — the mother wouldn’t relent. — You and your …
— I repeat, my wife’s name is Yana, — Alexey coldly reminded her. — Mom, do you realize that your demands were not just absurd? They completely defy all human logic!
— Nonsense! — Irina Arkadyevna persisted. — You’ve made a complete mess of everything. You and …
The woman left her sentence unfinished. Yana sat by her son’s crib, as if to ensure that no harm would come to the little one. Through the wall, she listened to the hushed voices of her husband and mother-in-law, once again pondering the situation she found herself in.
— How much do you want? — Irina Arkadyevna demanded, practically looming over the heavily pregnant Yana. — Name the sum!
— Irina Arkadyevna, I already said I’m not going to…
— How much?! — the woman shrieked, waving her fists. — Do you understand that my daughter’s well-being is at stake?! I’ll … you scoundrel…
The front door slammed, and Alexey reentered the apartment. He immediately assessed the situation.
— Mom, are you at it again?
Quickly, he walked into the living room and positioned himself between his mother and his wife.
— Alexey, convince her, explain to her how important this is for Katya…
— Mom, stop spouting nonsense! — Alexey couldn’t hold back and raised his voice. — Get out of here. And don’t even bring up this topic again.
— Do you know that I will curse you? — hissed Irina Arkadyevna. — You have no idea what power a mother’s curse holds.
— I don’t believe in that foolishness, — Alexey replied. — Now leave. Conversation over.
Irina Arkadyevna could clearly see that her son was extremely resolute. So, the woman had no choice but to withdraw. However, she lingered at the threshold, casting an angry glare at both her son and daughter-in-law.
— If Katya gets into trouble, I will never forgive either of you!
Having said that, she left, and Yana finally breathed a sigh of relief. Alexey embraced her.
— It’s all over, Yanochka, don’t worry.
But the man was mistaken.
Yes, in Alexey’s family, a classic situation had developed where the children were loved differently. Alexey was both the pride and the weakness of his father, Pavel Sergeyevich, who saw in him his successor and heir. And his daughter Katya, who was five years younger than her brother, idolized her mother, Irina Arkadyevna. The head of the family was fifteen years older than his wife, and Irina’s marriage was clearly calculated. She did not love her husband. Instead, she adored his money and status in society.
Alexey was very much like his father, both in appearance and character. And Katya turned out to be the exact replica of her mother.
This was exactly why Irina Arkadyevna treated her children so differently.
The situation was further aggravated by the revelation after Pavel Sergeyevich’s death that he had substantial debts. Thus, his family inherited nothing but troubles. So now, in her older son, Irina Arkadyevna saw a copy of the man who had ruined her life.
— I gave so many years to that bastard, — the woman sobbed, — and what did I get in return? Nothing!
Alexey had left his parental home early and started an independent life. Despite everything, he continued to respect his late father. Moreover, during his lifetime, Pavel Sergeyevich had managed to teach his son many things.
Pavel himself had entered a university on a state-funded program, successfully graduated, got a job, and confidently began climbing the career ladder.
Katya, however, chose a different path.
She managed to seduce one of her father’s business partners—a married man. Kateryna acted patiently, gradually and persistently, and eventually succeeded in divorcing Nikolay Alexandrovich from his wife.
The children of Kateryna’s chosen partner were already grown up, and he had divided his property with his ex-wife through the courts. Nevertheless, he remained a very wealthy man.
Finally, Kateryna moved into Nikolay Alexandrovich’s mansion as its mistress.
Alexey lived his own life, married Yana, whom he had met at work. Soon they took out a mortgage on an apartment.
Irina Arkadyevna was not at all interested in the personal life of her older son. Her main focus was on Katya, convinced that a fortunate marriage for her daughter would help her regain her former standard of living.
Soon, it became apparent that Nikolay Alexandrovich decided to reclaim his youth in full swing. He desired an heir.
The thing was, in his previous marriage, the man had two daughters. His first wife never gave him the son he had dreamed of. Now, this was supposed to be accomplished with Katya.
But time passed, and Kateryna just couldn’t manage to conceive. The mature husband began to show his displeasure. Then, a plan was hatched by the mother and daughter.
Kateryna informed her husband that she was pregnant. And Irina Arkadyevna, in turn, began searching for a woman who would agree to sell her newborn baby. It had to be a boy.
And then it suddenly emerged that Yana was also expecting a child. At first, Irina Arkadyevna didn’t take this fact seriously.
But time passed, and her search for a suitable candidate yielded no results.
During one of their phone conversations, Alexey inadvertently mentioned that he and Yana were going to have a son.
— We’ve already done ultrasounds twice, — Alexey said, — There’s no mistake. We’re going to have a boy.
Alexey was completely unaware of the situation between his sister and her collusion with their mother. After Kateryna married the wealthy man, she practically reduced communication with her “poor” brother to nothing.
Not immediately, but a new, more specific plan began to form in Irina Arkadyevna’s mind.
Yana was in her seventh month of pregnancy when Irina Arkadyevna invited her son for a serious talk.
— Alexey, you must give your future son to Katya, — declared the mother.
Alexey didn’t immediately grasp what his mother was talking about.
— Katya is ready to pay any amount, — added Irina Arkadyevna.
— Mom, are you out of your mind? — Alexey was astonished. — How could you even come up with such an idea?
— Alexey, listen, this depends on Katya’s fate and her marriage, — Irina Arkadyevna persisted. — Your son will grow up in luxury. And Yana will bear you another! Nature, unfortunately, bypassed Katya in that regard. She’s wearing a fake belly now, and her husband is convinced she’s expecting an heir. Can you imagine what will happen if the truth comes out? My poor girl, I can’t even imagine what awaits her! Alexey, you have to understand…
— Mom, forget about this once and for all! — Alexey said firmly as he got up from the table. — And let Katya solve her problems with her husband on her own, not at our expense!
And Alexey left. However, Irina Arkadyevna wasn’t about to give up. She began harassing her son with phone calls and visits, and then she set her sights on Yana.
In the end, Alexey couldn’t stand it: he blocked his mother everywhere and threatened to file a police report for harassment.
Semyon was born on time and brought immense happiness to his parents with his arrival.
Meanwhile, the mother and daughter were feverishly searching for a way out of the situation. Irina Arkadyevna managed to bribe a doctor who informed Pavel Sergeyevich that his child was stillborn. At that moment, the man was on a business trip, and the mother and daughter decided to seize the opportunity.
It seemed that Nikolay Alexandrovich believed them. However, after some time, doubts began to plague him. He went with his wife to a trusted gynecologist to examine his young spouse.
It was then that the man learned he had been deceived three times. Katya had never been pregnant, had never given birth. Moreover, she was incapable of having children.
A terrible scandal broke out at home between the spouses. Katya pleaded with her husband to forgive her and give her another chance, but Nikolay Alexandrovich remained uncompromising. Kateryna was sent back to her mother. The couple had not yet accumulated any joint property, so there was nothing to divide.
After that scandal, on that Saturday morning, Alexey decided to completely cut ties with his mother. He was still afraid for little Semyon’s safety. And Irina Arkadyevna and Katya were left alone with their problems.
