Elena Nikolaevna paused before a familiar door, retrieved her keys, and entered her son’s apartment. A woman’s laughter and the scent of perfume greeted her in the hallway. Moving into the living room, she froze — an unfamiliar woman in a robe, evidently just out of bed, was seated on the couch.
“Arthur!” she called her son, striving to maintain composure.
He emerged from the kitchen clutching a mug, noticed his mother, and visibly tensed.
“Mom, a heads-up would have been nice…” he said, irritation clear in his voice.
“Don’t you have a wife, Irina, and a daughter, Svetlana?” Elena Nikolaevna retorted sharply, disregarding the stranger’s presence. “Or is your memory as selective as your conscience?”
“That’s precisely what I plan to discuss with my wife today,” Arthur answered calmly, displaying feigned indifference.
The woman in the robe rose and deliberately hugged him possessively, as if marking her territory.
“Introduce us, dear,” she purred with a venomous grin. “Though, I suppose introductions are unnecessary. I’m Olga.”
“And I am a disappointed mother,” Elena Nikolaevna replied coldly. “I hope you realize you’re intruding on someone else’s family.”
“But isn’t family about love?” Olga sneered. “Here, I see nothing but… habit.”
“I have no reason to stay,” Elena Nikolaevna threw to her son before turning to leave. “Remember, Arthur, what you sow, so shall you reap.”
On her way home, she reminisced about how twenty-five years ago she and her husband Nikolai moved into this very apartment. She had sold her grandmother’s country house, he had invested his savings—they bought it together, dreaming of a happy family. Yet life unfolded differently. Constant quarrels, mutual accusations, coldness prevailed. Neither dared to part—their bond held by habit and the fear of losing the apartment. Little Arthur grew up amidst conflicts, accepting it as normal.
“Raising children amidst the ruins of marriage is a bad omen,” she thought bitterly. “They end up building just as many ruins, but slightly more polished.”
When Arthur turned seven, Nikolai and his friends started a small cooperative that prospered over time, blossoming into a significant construction holding with Nikolai at its helm fifteen years later. Financial success arrived but failed to bring happiness—only new reasons to quarrel.
In the spacious four-room apartment, daughter-in-law Irina greeted her holding granddaughter Sveta. The little girl joyfully reached out to her grandmother, melting Elena Nikolaevna’s heart momentarily.
“How is Arthur?” Irina asked, rocking the child. “You seem upset.”
Elena Nikolaevna frowned. Irina was a decent wife and mother, yet her son had clearly decided to tear the family apart. She knew the woman in the robe—Olga from the bank where Arthur worked.
“Dear Irina,” she began cautiously, “life sometimes hands us painful lessons. You’ll understand once he returns.”
“Has something happened?” Irina’s concern was evident.
“What befalls men who think the grass is greener on the other side,” Elena Nikolaevna remarked sarcastically. “Although, often it’s just artificial turf.”
Meanwhile, Arthur embraced Olga on the same couch, indulging in the illusion of freedom.
“Everything is going according to plan,” he declared confidently. “Soon I’ll be free, and we’ll live truly.”
“Finally,” Olga teased, tracing her finger playfully across his chest. “I was starting to think you’re one of those men who promise to leave their wife but die still married.”
“Not funny,” Arthur grimaced. “I just need to do it right. My reputation matters.”
“What reputation?” Olga laughed. “Secret lover of a bank employee? Very impressive.”
Arthur reflected on how his father once insisted he become a lawyer “for the company’s benefit.” However, Arthur chose programming instead, a choice he did not regret. Their conflict peaked when he announced his intention to marry Irina.
“No time, I have a meeting,” Nikolai replied without lifting his eyes from documents.
Elena Nikolaevna sided with her husband, as usual. Arthur secretly married Irina without informing his parents, deciding they would learn from the undeniable fact.
After Svetlana’s birth, Elena Nikolaevna tried to mend relations and invited her daughter-in-law and granddaughter to live with her. Since then, Irina stayed at her mother-in-law’s, while Arthur increasingly spent nights at his bachelor apartment, citing work. This was why his mother decided to visit him.
That evening, Arthur returned to his mother’s home still intoxicated by the meeting with Olga. Elena Nikolaevna was absent. Irina met him with a somber expression, eyes red from crying.
“Your father passed away today,” she said flatly, her voice trembling. “He called you several times, but you didn’t answer.”
“What?” Arthur sank into a chair, his confident facade collapsing.
“A heart attack. Right at the office,” Irina continued, looking at him with pain. “And the worst part? You never found the courage to reconcile. Now, you never will.”
“I… I didn’t know…” Arthur stammered, already considering how his father’s company might change hands. The inheritance could alter everything.
“Of course, it’s frightening,” he expressed grief, though it felt hollow. “Dad was… a complex man, but accomplished much.”
Irina glanced at him with contempt—the insincerity was clear even to a child, let alone a woman who had lived alongside him for years.
“Are you thinking about money now?” she quietly inquired. “At such a moment?”
“Don’t say nonsense,” Arthur snapped. “I’m just being practical. Life goes on.”
“Yes, life goes on,” Irina agreed bitterly. “Especially yours. With… Olga.”
Upon contacting her mother, Arthur learned Elena Nikolaevna had only received news about her husband’s death by midday and was now at the morgue dealing with paperwork. His next call was to the company’s lawyer.
“Arthur, my condolences,” the lawyer spoke. “The board has convened and appointed an interim manager. Inheritance depends entirely on the will, which has yet to be revealed.”
“When can it be read?” Arthur urged.
“After the funeral. But you understand, the primary heir is most likely you.”
“Naturally,” Arthur smirked. “Who else?”
Returning to the room, he found Irina rocking their sleeping daughter. Svetlana peacefully rested, unaware her grandfather was gone.
“Mother told me about your mistress,” Irina whispered. “What now?”
“I will file for divorce,” he admitted honestly, deciding secrecy was futile. “No point in continuing this charade.”
“Good,” Irina looked up sharply, not with pain. “And will you give up your daughter?”
Arthur was taken aback, expecting tears, pleas, attempts to keep him.
“If you don’t mind…” she cautiously added. “Less hassle with alimony and visitations…”
“I don’t mind,” Arthur nodded. “In fact, I insist.”
“Agreed then,” Irina exhaled in relief.
Key Insight: What seemed an easy agreement masked a looming trap for Arthur.
The funeral was modest—Nikolai disliked ostentation. Arthur’s divorce was swift, mutually consented. He relinquished parental rights, agreeing only to pay child support. Elena Nikolaevna was furious with this decision.
“Get rid of that… woman!” she demanded when Olga moved in with her son. “She destroyed your family!”
“Don’t interfere in my life!” Arthur retorted. “I’m an adult and know what I’m doing!”
“An adult?” his mother scoffed. “Adults don’t abandon their children for the first pretty stranger!”
“Olga is not the first! We love each other!”
“Love…” Elena Nikolaevna smiled bitterly. “Let’s see how long this lasts.”
Recognizing her son inherited his father’s stubbornness, she chose to support him. “There may be many grandchildren, but only one son,” she reasoned.
“Irina, you must move out,” she announced to her former daughter-in-law a week later. “I will cover rent for a few months to help you get back on your feet.”
“Give me four months,” Irina asked calmly. “That’s enough to settle everything.”
“Fine,” Elena Nikolaevna agreed magnanimously. “But afterward, I will pack your things and send them wherever you wish. I don’t want delays.”
“Don’t worry,” Irina smiled. “I’m not one to cling to the past.”
Time passed steadily. Nikolai, aware that reconciliation with Arthur was unlikely even far into the future, decided to transfer all assets to granddaughter Svetlana—the apartment share, savings, and company stock. After formalizing all inheritance documents, Irina visited her former mother-in-law out of courtesy.
“Elena Nikolaevna, you must vacate my apartment now,” said Irina with cold politeness.
“What do you mean—my apartment?” Elena Nikolaevna asked in surprise.
“It once was,” Irina corrected calmly. “Now it belongs solely to Svetlana. I am her legal guardian until she’s of age. However, I’m willing to buy your former share at a fair price.”
Elena Nikolaevna blinked in bewilderment—where did this meek woman find such audacity and funds? Yet, she truly had no choice.
“You… understand you’re acting dishonorably?” she tried to pressure her conscience.
“I’m being practical,” Irina replied unruffled. “Besides, you’ve always said I wasn’t practical enough. Seems education paid off.”
At the notary’s office, Elena Nikolaevna faced a harsh shock—neither she nor Arthur received anything in the will. Everything belonged to little Svetlana.
“How is this possible?!” she yelled at her son. “You promised to fix everything! You said Dad would forgive you!”
“I thought…” Arthur mumbled, skimming documents. “He couldn’t have done this to me!”
“He did,” the notary stated plainly. “The will is legally sound. Contesting it will be difficult.”
“We’ll find a way!” Elena Nikolaevna fumed.
“With what funds?” the lawyer questioned. “Court fees aren’t cheap.”
Learning Arthur was almost destitute, Olga erupted into a grand scene, shattering dishes and yelling throughout the apartment.
“You promised me a secured, beautiful, carefree life!” she cried while packing. “Told me about inheritance, the apartment! Instead, you’re a useless failure and pauper!”
“Olga, wait! I’ll fix this!” Arthur tried to calm her. “We’ll think of something!”
“Fix what, pathetic man?” she snorted disdainfully. “You couldn’t even convince your own father! And I’m taking the car—registered in my name!”
“But what about our plans? The wedding?”
“What wedding with a bankrupt?” Olga laughed cruelly. “Get a real job first, then we’ll talk. Goodbye, loser!”
Elena Nikolaevna, carrying her boxes, returned to the two-room apartment she and her late husband purchased twenty-five years ago. Determined not to waste money from the sold share—else her son might throw her out in fury.
“Mom, it’s temporary,” Arthur tried reassuring her while making space in the closet. “I’ll find a better job, save money…”
“What job?” she sneered bitterly. “No management experience. Who needs you?”
“We’ll figure something out,” her son muttered uncertainly.
“Yes, you’re good at coming up with things,” his mother said acridly. “Like this life you’ve invented for us…”
Meanwhile, in the spacious apartment, Irina signed a contract as executive director of the construction holding. Little Svetlana happily ran around rooms with a Labrador puppy barking gleefully.
“Mom, look how funny he is!” the girl shouted joyously. “He already knows his name! Barsik, come here!”
Irina smiled watching her daughter. How wonderful it was that everything had worked out. No more betrayals, no daily humiliation from her mother-in-law, no quarrels or reproaches.
“Mommy, why doesn’t dad live with us anymore?” Svetlana asked, sitting beside the puppy.
“Sometimes grown-ups can’t get along, sweetheart,” Irina gently explained. “But we’re happy together, aren’t we?”
“Of course!” the girl laughed. “Now we have Barsik, and you don’t cry at night anymore!”
On a nearby desk lay company documents—now belonging to Svetlana, requiring proficient management until she came of age.
The phone rang melodiously—Irina’s new secretary called.
“Irina Sergeevna, there’s an important investors’ meeting tomorrow about the new residential complex,” she reported. “Documents are ready.”
“Excellent, I will be prepared,” Irina replied confidently.
She hung up and gazed out the large living room window. Somewhere in the cramped two-room apartment, Arthur and his mother were calculating child support for Svetlana. Here was a new life, built with her own hands and mind.
“Mommy, was grandpa very smart?” Svetlana asked, approaching her mother.
“Very smart and just, dear,” Irina replied warmly, embracing her daughter. “He understood people well.”
“So he knew you’d take good care of his business?”
“Exactly, my little wise one.”
Meanwhile, in the old apartment, Arthur scrolled job sites futilely while Elena Nikolaevna harshly criticized his every move.
“See? They want experience!” she sneered. “And what do you have? Just spending money and changing wives!”
“Mom, please, stop,” her son pleaded wearily. “It’s already painful.”
“Is it fun for me?” she snapped. “I thought I’d live like a human in old age, but here I am, back in this den! All because of your stupidity!”
“I’ll fix it, find a job…”
“Fix what, unlucky lover?” his mother snorted. “You should have become a lawyer like your father advised, now you’ll only fix computers—great prospects!”
At the same time, Irina studied financial reports, admiring her father-in-law’s foresight. The old man truly built a profitable enterprise, now a reliable foundation for Svetlana’s future.
- Financial stability provides a secure legacy for future generations.
- Prudent management is essential until the heir becomes an adult.
- Strong foundations arise from foresight despite family turmoil.
“Mom, are we rich?” Svetlana suddenly asked, peering over her mother’s shoulder at the numbers.
“We’re comfortable, sweetheart,” Irina cautiously answered. “But the greatest wealth is wisdom and hard work. Money is merely a tool.”
“Like a hammer?”
“Exactly,” the mother smiled. “A hammer can build a house or destroy it, depending on who wields it.”
“Got it!” the girl nodded. “Did dad know how to use this hammer?”
“Unfortunately, no, dear. He did not.”
This was the unvarnished truth—so different from what they once believed.
In conclusion, this family’s journey illustrates the intricate web of love, betrayal, and the enduring impact of choices. While some relationships fractured under strain, others found new strength and direction. It highlights how legacies extend beyond wealth, shaping futures through resilience, wisdom, and renewed hope.