“I don’t need to calm down,” Veronica replied. “I’m completely calm and clear-headed.”
Her husband stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Veronica heard voices—Dmitry talking to his mother in hushed tones. Then Galina Petrovna’s scream rang out.
« How could she not let her in?! How dare she! This is your house too! »
“Mom, calm down,” Dmitry tried to convince her.
« I won’t calm down! Throw this witch out! Let her out of here! »
Veronica smiled and locked the door. The reaction was predictable. Galina Petrovna had always believed she had the right to make decisions for her son. Being rejected by her daughter-in-law was clearly not part of her mother-in-law’s plans.
The screaming continued for about fifteen minutes. Then someone knocked on the door. It wasn’t a bell, but a fist.
“Veronika, open up!” Dmitry demanded.
My wife didn’t move. She sat on the sofa and flipped through a magazine.
The knocking grew louder. Dmitry was now pounding on the door with both hands.
— Veronica! Stop fooling around! Open the door immediately!
“Get lost with mommy,” Weronika replied calmly through the door.
– This is my home too!
“No,” Weronika protested. “Your home is where your mother is. Since you sided with her.”
Galina Petrovna’s hysterical scream came from the entrance.
« Dimochka, tell that idiot to let me in! I’m your mother! I have the right to live with my son! »
Veronica got up from the sofa and went to the door.
« Dmitry, listen carefully, » his wife said loudly. « Either you go in alone, without your mother, and we can live as before. Or you stay with Galina Petrovna in the hall. The choice is yours. »
The silence beyond the door became almost palpable. Then her husband’s voice rang out—quiet but firm.
« Veronica, I can’t leave my mother. She’ll be living with us. »
Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
– Fine. Then live with her wherever you want. But not here.
She slammed the door shut and turned the latch. She leaned back against the door, trying to stop her knees from shaking. It happened. The choice was made. Dmitry had chosen his mother.
All hell broke loose outside the door. Galina Petrovna screamed so loudly she could probably be heard throughout the hall. Dmitry tried to calm her down, but her mother-in-law wouldn’t give up. She demanded they call the police, break down the door, and throw out her insolent daughter-in-law.
Weronika entered the bedroom. She pulled two large suitcases from the closet. She began packing her husband’s clothes—shirts, pants, socks, underwear. There was no emotion involved. Just mechanical movements.
It took her an hour to pack. Two suitcases were completely stuffed with belongings. Veronica zipped them together and rolled them toward the front door. The noise outside continued—sometimes louder, some quieter, but never stopped.
Veronica unlocked the door and flung it wide open. Dmitry and Galina Petrovna were sitting on the steps, both looking exhausted.
“Your things,” Veronica said calmly, rolling out the suitcases. “Get out of here. Both of you.”
Dmitry jumped to his feet.
– What are you doing?!
“What I should have done a long time ago,” Veronica replied. “I’m cleaning out the apartment of freeloaders.”
Galina Petrovna clutched her heart.
— Freeloaders?! Yes, I…
« You’ve been sucking money out of Dmitry for four years, » Veronica interrupted. « You kept demanding help, even though you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself. And now you’ve decided to move here and live off my dime. Sorry, I’m not interested. »
Dmitry tried to enter the apartment, but Veronica blocked his way.
« I’m serious, Dima. Either you stay here without your mother, or you go with her. Decide now. »
The husband looked at his mother, then at his wife. His face contorted into a grimace of anguish at the choice.
– I… I can’t leave her, Veronica.
“Then get lost,” Weronika slammed the door.
She installed the deadbolt, lock, and chain. She entered the room and sat on the sofa. The silence in the apartment was deafening after an hour of shouting and arguing.
The noise outside the door echoed again. Dmitry was banging, ringing the bell, begging to be opened. Galina Petrovna echoed her son’s words—demanding, threatening, wailing. Veronika turned up the television volume, drowning out the sounds coming from the hallway.
Half an hour later, the noise subsided. They must have left. Veronica looked through the peephole—the hallway was empty, the suitcases were gone. Gone. Really gone.
The woman walked through the apartment, scanning the space. Silence, peace, no shouting. She could breathe deeply. She sat down in the kitchen and looked out the window.
The phone rang around eight. It was Dmitry. Veronica hung up. My husband called again – again he hung up. Then the messages started coming in:
“Veronica, let’s talk normally.” “You don’t have to react so harshly, we’re family.” “Mom’s just desperate, she really has nowhere else to go.” “Let’s find a compromise.”
Weronika didn’t answer any of them. She blocked the number. She went to bed early in the empty, quiet apartment.
I woke up feeling rested and energized. For the first time in a long time, I slept well. I ate a leisurely breakfast and got ready for work. On the way, I stopped at a law firm I’d heard about earlier.
The lawyer listened to the situation, nodded, and took notes. Finally, she looked up.
— Is the apartment your personal property, acquired before the wedding?
« Yes, » Veronica confirmed. « I bought it with my own money three years before we got married. All the documents are in my name. »
« Then her husband has no rights to her, » the lawyer concluded. « We’ll file for divorce; the procedure is simple. There’s no need for division of property or a prenuptial agreement. You’ll be free in a month. »
Veronica nodded.
– Let’s start the paperwork.
The documents were filed the same day: the lawsuit, copies of the apartment documents, and the marriage certificate. Everything was on the list. The lawyer promised the process would be quick – the couple was childless, there was no division of property, and consent was not required.
Dmitry learned of the divorce a week later when he received a summons to court. He called from an unknown number, and Veronica accidentally answered.
