Katya is going to her parents’ for the weekend.”
“Come over.”
Katya swallowed the lump in her throat and continued scrolling. There was more. Much more. Photos. Andrey and Lena hugging. Lena in her underwear. Andrey shirtless. They were kissing. They were in bed. In her bed, in her apartment.
The messages became more and more explicit.
“I can’t wait until we live together.”
“Soon, sunshine. Be patient. What about Katya?”
“We’ll figure it out. The main thing is not to get caught for now.”
Katya read, and with each message, it wasn’t pain that grew inside her, but fury. A cold, calculating anger. She scrolled to the recent messages. Here was a conversation from two days ago.
“I think I’m going into labor tomorrow. Contractions have started. Hang in there, my love. I’ll be by your side.”
“Will Katya find out?”
“No. I’ll say I’m at work. She’ll come to you during the day, after the birth, and I’ll pick you up from the service exit. It’s all planned. I love you.”
“I love you too. Finally, we’ll be together, like a family.”
Katya turned off the tablet and put it back on the table. She sat, staring at a single point. A plan was forming in her mind. Clear, sequential. She wouldn’t make a scene. She wouldn’t scream, cry, or beg. They want her apartment? They want to kick her out? They would get nothing.
Katya got up, went to the home computer. Turned it on, went online. She started searching: lawyers specializing in housing disputes, family law, divorce, eviction of registered persons from an apartment. She read articles, studied court practices. She wrote down important points on a piece of paper. She learned that an owner has the right to evict a registered person if they are not a family member. After the divorce, Andrey would cease to be a family member.
Katya found the contacts of several law firms. She chose one with good reviews and extensive experience in housing disputes. She wrote down the phone number. Then she found the website of a security agency. She would need security when she was kicking Andrey and Lena out of the apartment. They wouldn’t leave peacefully, that was for sure. Especially Lena—she would play on pity, cry, scream. Katya knew her sister. She wrote down that number too.
She looked at the clock. Two-thirty. Andrey would be back from work around seven, as usual. No, not from work—he hadn’t even gone there. He would be back after taking Lena and the baby to their parents and pretending he was busy with business. Katya had time. She picked up the phone, dialed the number of the law firm.
“Legal Shield consultation, how can I help you?” a man’s voice answered.
“Good afternoon. I need a consultation on a housing issue. Urgently.” Katya was surprised at how calm and firm her voice sounded.
“Let me check. We have a lawyer free in an hour. Will that work?”
“That works. I’ll be there.” She wrote down the address, hung up…
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