Alla Sergeyevna snapped, “Can’t you hear me, Zhenya? You’ve let her dominate you! She decides everything! This is no longer your home; it belongs to her!”
Daria put down the knife and finally turned to face her mother-in-law. No anger, no fear—just exhaustion beyond measure. “I don’t disrespect anyone, Alla Sergeyevna. I am simply preparing breakfast for my husband. If you’re unhappy with your home, the door is there.”
The Confrontation Outside the Factory
A few hours later, Evgeny left the factory, the smell of asphalt and metal dust clinging to his clothes, and she was there—his mother, a cold, dark silhouette. No smile, no sign of reconciliation, only a clear objective.
“Zhenya, we need to talk,” she said, her voice both familiar and alien. Every sound around them seemed to fade in the gravity of her tone. She grabbed his sleeve as if rooting herself into him, her cold hand almost trying to transfer her anger into his body.
A Terrifying Proposal
“Daria has gone too far. This morning, she threw me out, Zhenya! She showed who really rules this house.”
Evgeny froze. Every word was a demand to turn him into a tool to undermine his wife. “Mother, what do you want? I can talk to her…”
“No! You must show her the power of a man! Teach her a lesson… so she knows who’s in charge!”
But Evgeny was no longer the obedient boy he once was. Exhaustion, resentment, and determination surged. He gently removed her hand from his sleeve, as if peeling off something filthy that had stuck for too long. “What do you want from me? For me to hurt my wife? You’ve completely lost your mind!”
A Boundary That Cannot Be Crossed
Evgeny stepped back, his fatigue and disgust giving way to resolve. He would not be a tool for arrogance and oppression. His mother could be angry, she could think she had won, but the line between love and tyranny had been drawn. He turned, walking back home to where Daria waited—where love and respect were the only law.
