— That’s right, son, — Klavdiya Gennadyevna nodded with satisfaction. — You’ll have plenty of time for restaurants later, but for now, help me.
Evelina felt something inside her break. She walked to the stairs leading to the second floor of their duplex apartment and stood in Timur’s way.
— No, — she said firmly. — We are going to the restaurant now, as planned, and then we will calmly discuss the situation.
— Move, — Timur was looking somewhere past her. — You’re being unreasonable.
— Me?! — Evelina exclaimed. — Your mother shows up unannounced, tells us she’s going to live in my study, treats me like dirt, and I’m the one being unreasonable?
— No, — Timur’s voice took on a steely edge. — First, we’ll talk.
— This girl has gotten completely out of hand! — shrieked Klavdiya Gennadyevna. — Timur, are you really going to let her talk to your mother like that?
Evelina saw her husband’s face change. From guilty, it became hard, alien — she had never seen him like this before. He stepped forward and roughly pushed her with his shoulder, trying to pass. Evelina swayed, instinctively grabbing his sleeve to keep from falling. Timur jerked, trying to free himself, and the bags flew from his hands. Losing his balance, he began to fall down the stairs, pulling Evelina with him.
— Timur! — screamed Klavdiya Gennadyevna, rushing to the stairs.
Everything happened so quickly that Evelina barely had time to realize what was going on. She fell onto the steps, bruising her hip badly, but managed to grab the railing. Timur, however, tumbled down head over heels. The mother-in-law, trying to catch him, couldn’t keep her balance in her high heels and followed her son. A crash, cries of pain, the sound of breaking glass — the wall photos came crashing down from the impact of someone’s body. And then there was a deafening silence, broken only by groans from the landing below.
Evelina slowly got up, holding onto the railing. Her knees were trembling, and a single thought pounded in her temples: “What have I done?” Down below, Timur lay crumpled. Blood was flowing from his nose, and his right arm was twisted at an unnatural angle. Nearby, leaning against the wall, sat Klavdiya Gennadyevna, cradling her left arm and whimpering softly in pain. The festive evening was definitely not happening, and in that second, Evelina understood that it wasn’t just her husband and mother-in-law who had collapsed at her feet, but her entire familiar world.
The emergency room of the trauma ward smelled of antiseptic and human suffering. Evelina sat on a plastic chair, her back straight and her hands folded in her lap like a model schoolgirl. Guilt mingled with growing irritation. She hadn’t pushed them down the stairs; she was just defending her boundaries.
— Last name of the injured? — the nurse at the counter looked up from her computer and peered at Evelina over her glasses.
— Krainov. Timur and Klavdiya Gennadyevna.
— And you are?
— The wife and… — Evelina hesitated. — The daughter-in-law.
— What happened?
— An accident. They fell down the stairs.
The nurse looked at her doubtfully, and Evelina realized: she was a suspect. In hospitals, they see victims of domestic violence every day who invent absurd excuses for their injuries.
— I didn’t push them, — she added quietly. — It really was an accident.
— Of course, — the nurse replied coldly. — Please wait in the corridor. You will be informed of the examination results.
Evelina returned to her seat and took out her phone. A notification from the restaurant lit up the screen: “You did not show up for your reservation. We hope to see you another time.” And below that, a message about a charge for the missed dinner. A text from her boss congratulated her on the promotion and reminded her of an important client meeting tomorrow morning: “Be on your A-game, Eva. I’m counting on you.”
Evelina winced. Instead of a celebratory dinner — a hospital bench. Instead of her husband’s support — his servility to his mother. Instead of a calm preparation for her first day in a new position — a headache and shattered dreams.
A doctor, a young man with tired eyes, came out of the examination room.
— Relatives of the Krainovs?
Evelina stood up.
— The man has a broken nose and a dislocated shoulder joint. The woman has a displaced fracture of the radius bone; both have been put in casts. Their condition is stable, but hospitalization is necessary. The woman’s age requires observation. The man has a concussion.
— How serious is it? — Evelina’s voice trembled.
— Nothing life-threatening, — the doctor reassured her. — But they will have to spend a week under observation.
— Can I see them?
— In half an hour, when we’re done with the paperwork. But not for long.
When Evelina entered the room, it felt like she had walked into a tribunal. Timur was half-lying on the bed, his nose bandaged, and his right arm in a sling. On the adjacent bed sat Klavdiya Gennadyevna with her left arm in a cast and an expression of righteous anger on her face.
— You’ve arrived! — exclaimed the mother-in-law. — Look at what you’ve done!
— I didn’t do anything, — Evelina replied quietly. — Timur pushed me, and we all fell.
— Liar! — shrieked Klavdiya Gennadyevna. — You did it on purpose! You attacked my son! I saw it!
— Evelina, why did you do that? — Timur’s voice was muffled, accusatory.
— Do what? — she couldn’t believe her ears. Defend her right to a calm conversation? Try to explain that ultimatums are unacceptable in a family?
— You pushed me! — Timur turned away. — I almost broke my neck!
— What?! — Evelina gasped with indignation. — You’re the one who pushed me roughly! I barely held onto the railing!
— See, Timurchik? — the mother-in-law switched to an unctuous tone. — She’s even blaming you! No gratitude for the fact that you support her, give her a roof over her head!
— Support her?!
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