Hearing all that, Katya was even more convinced that divorce was the right move. By the time they stepped outside, it was dark, and her friend walked Anna to a cab. Before they parted, she told her to stay steady and call anytime, day or night, if she needed anything.
On the ride to the hotel, Anna watched the city lights slide past the window. For her, this ordinary evening felt like the beginning of a completely new chapter. Her room was wonderfully quiet, and she took a long, hot shower.
Her phone stayed silent, safely protected by the block list that now included five different numbers from her husband’s family. Anna reread the last exchange, where Igor had dismissed her feelings as hormones. He hadn’t even tried to understand the conflict. He had simply written her off as irrational.
And yet, early in their relationship, he had been attentive, caring, and protective. Anna realized the change had started as soon as she met the disapproving Galina Petrovna. From the first meeting, her mother-in-law had made it clear that Anna was not good enough for their family.
Instead of defending his wife, Igor had gradually started agreeing with his mother’s endless complaints. Anna had bent over backward trying to meet their expectations, but it had all been pointless. It was never enough for her mother-in-law, and her weak husband preferred the safety of silence.
Then a new message came through from her mother-in-law, sent from a neighbor’s phone. In a commanding tone, Galina Petrovna demanded that Anna call back and stop embarrassing them in front of guests. At the end, she made the almost comical threat that Anna would lose out on some imaginary inheritance and have her reputation ruined.
Anna laughed out loud at the absurdity of it, feeling lighter than she had in years. She blocked the neighbor’s number and forwarded the message to Katya with a laughing comment. Katya replied with a string of laughing emojis and confirmed she would be there at nine the next morning to help.
Anna silenced her phone again and set it face down on the nightstand. She knew the next day would be hard, with the move and a meeting with a lawyer. She needed to handle the divorce properly so she wouldn’t lose her rightful savings.
She stood by the window and looked at the scattered lights in the sleeping city. Somewhere out there, Igor was probably listening to another round of poisonous complaints from his beloved mother. But their family drama no longer had anything to do with her.
Back in bed, Anna turned off the light and settled into the dark. For the first time in years, she fell asleep without that sticky feeling of guilt and dread about tomorrow. Her eyes closed, and she dropped quickly into a deep, restorative sleep.
Morning greeted her with an unfamiliar, ringing quiet and no angry calls. The blocked numbers couldn’t get through, and the peace felt almost unreal. Anna got dressed, drank coffee, and made a final list of what she needed to take.
Igor had left on a work trip, which made the apartment available for a calm, uncomplicated move. At exactly nine, Katya arrived with Denis and two sturdy movers. Anna opened the door with her key, and the apartment greeted her with a familiar smell that already felt like someone else’s life.
The men quickly and efficiently started carrying out the heavier furniture, following Katya’s directions. Anna methodically packed her personal belongings, pleased to see the rooms emptying out so fast. She left the wedding photo on the dresser, the one where her mother-in-law stood between the bride and groom.
While checking the bedroom drawers, Anna came across her husband’s banking paperwork. It was a recent agreement for a $3,000 certificate of deposit. The date matched the same period when Igor had refused to pay for the urgent bathroom repair.
At the time, Anna had been forced to take out a loan, which she was still paying off. She slipped the documents into her bag and hurried out with her friends. On the landing, they ran into a nosy neighbor who happened to be one of Galina Petrovna’s friends.
With a smile, Anna told the woman that her mother-in-law would be mopping her own floors from now on. Leaving the neighbor standing there open-mouthed, the whole group headed down to the moving truck. The guys drove ahead, while Katya stayed with Anna to finish the last details.,,
