Stage 1. « The mother-in-law kicked her pregnant daughter-in-law out, thinking the house belonged to her son. An hour later, the notary’s car drove into the yard. »
« Mom, what did you do? » Artyom’s voice became sharp. « Who gave you permission to take Lena’s things out? »
Valentina Petrovna straightened up.
« Don’t raise your voice at me. I was acting in the family’s interests. »
— In the interests of which family? Your sister’s?
« Lyudmila has nowhere to live. And this house is still yours. »
« The house isn’t yours, Mom. And Lena doesn’t have to go anywhere. »
– You yourself said yesterday that you need to live separately!
« I said we need to calmly discuss the renovation and expenses. You’ve got it all wrong again! »
Lena closed her eyes. It became difficult for her to stand. Water splashed beneath her feet, and the cold gradually crept under her thin jacket.
« Artyom, I’ll be right there, » he said to her. « Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. »
– Fine.
She turned off the phone.
Valentina Petrovna looked angrily at her daughter-in-law.
— Are you happy? You turned your son against his mother.
— I didn’t set anything up. I just called him.
– He will do as I say anyway.
– Then why were you in such a hurry to throw me out on the street?
The mother-in-law did not answer.
Lyudmila Nikolaevna said quietly:
– Valya, maybe you really shouldn’t have been so abrupt?
– Don’t interfere! I’ll sort it out myself.
Lena sat down on her suitcase. Her stomach was churning, her heart was pounding. She pulled the doctor’s report out of the folder and reread the line: « Threatened premature labor. Rest. Avoid stressful situations. »
The thought almost made me laugh. Avoid stressful situations like being thrown out in the rain with your belongings while you’re pregnant.
Twenty minutes later, Artyom’s car suddenly pulled into the courtyard. He jumped out before it came to a complete stop.
– Lenochka!
He ran up to his wife, took off his jacket and covered her shoulders with it.
— How are you? Have you taken your blood pressure?
— I feel bad, but it’s bearable.
Artyom turned to his mother.
— Put your things back.
– Don’t command in my house!
– This is not your house.
Valentina Petrovna turned pale.
– What did you say?
– You heard perfectly well.
« I raised you! I carried you alone after your father died, and now you’re throwing me out of my own home? »
« I’m not kicking you out. But you have no right to dispose of other people’s things or other people’s lives. »
Lyudmila Nikolaevna lowered her eyes. Her children stood silently by the door.
“Artyom,” Valentina Petrovna began to cry, “you promised that the house would remain with the family.”
« He’ll stay with the family. But that doesn’t mean you can move anyone you want in here and kick Lena out. »
« Your wife is ungrateful! She came to a ready-made house and immediately became the mistress! »
– Because we bought it together.
– You bought it!
Artyom was silent for a second.
– No. We bought it together.
Lena looked up. She knew the house was registered to Artyom, but they’d made the down payment from two sources: her husband had sold his old car, and she’d received the money from the sale of her grandmother’s apartment. Lena hadn’t officially insisted on her share at the time. Artyom had promised he still considered the house to be shared property.
But now these words no longer seemed sufficient.
« Mom, pack Lyudmila’s things. They’re leaving today. »
– Where?
— To a hotel or to relatives. That’s not my problem anymore.
– You wouldn’t dare!
At that moment, another car pulled up at the gate. A black sedan with a small notary’s office crest on the side door.
Everyone fell silent.
A woman of about fifty, wearing a formal gray coat, emerged from the car. She held a leather folder in her hands.
« Elena Andreevna? » she asked.
Lena stood up slowly.
– Yes.
« I’m notary Irina Pavlovna Sokolova. Did you submit a request for document processing yesterday? »
Artyom frowned.
— What request?
The notary looked at him, then at her mother-in-law.
« I think it’s best to discuss this internally. But first, I’d like to make sure Elena doesn’t require medical attention. »
“She’s not feeling well,” Artyom said.
– Then let’s not waste time.
Valentina Petrovna stepped forward.
– Who are you and why did you come to my house?
The notary calmly replied:
— I came to the property owners.
The mother-in-law froze.
Stage 2. « The mother-in-law kicked her pregnant daughter-in-law out, thinking the house belonged to her son. An hour later, the notary’s car drove into the yard. »
The house felt crowded. Lyudmila Nikolaevna and the children stepped aside, Artyom helped Lena take off her wet jacket, and the notary laid out the documents on the living room table.
Valentina Petrovna was still standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed over her chest.
– Artyom, I demand an explanation.
“They’ll explain everything now,” he said.
Irina Pavlovna took out several sheets of paper.
— Elena Andreevna contacted me a month ago regarding the registration of the marital share in the house.
« What? » Artyom looked at his wife.
« I wanted to do it later. I didn’t think it would be needed so urgently. »
– Why didn’t you tell me?
— Because your mother spent several months convincing you to transfer the house to her.
Artyom turned sharply to Valentina Petrovna.
– This is true?
The mother-in-law looked away.
— I just wanted to protect the property.
— From whom?
– From her.
Lena smiled bitterly.
— From a pregnant woman who paid a mortgage for four years?
The notary continued:
The house was purchased during the marriage. The down payment consisted of funds from both spouses. Additionally, the loan payments were made from a joint family account.
« But the documents list my son as the owner! » Valentina Petrovna objected.
— This does not always mean that the property is the personal property of one spouse.
— Do you want to take his house away from him?
— No. I explain that the law provides for the rights of the second spouse.
Lena listened to the notary speak in a calm voice, and for the first time that day she felt the ground beneath her feet become solid.
Irina Pavlovna took out another document.
« Furthermore, Elena Andreevna provided a receipt for the down payment. Artem Sergeyevich’s signature is at the bottom. »
Artyom took the paper.
He remembered that sheet. That day, they were sitting in the kitchen of their rented apartment, counting their money and rejoicing at finally finding the right home.
“Why did you keep this?” he asked.
« Because you said, ‘Someday we’ll make everything fair.’ I believed it would happen someday. »
Artyom ran his hand over his face.
— I had to get everything done at once.
– Yes.
– But I didn’t mean to deceive you.
« I know. But your mother almost convinced me that I’m a nobody in this house. »
Valentina Petrovna laughed sharply.
« Of course! Now it’s easy to blame everything on me. And she herself decided to take away your home when you’re expecting a child! »
– Mom, this is my child too.
– You’ll regret getting involved with her!
At that moment, Lena swayed. Artyom managed to grab her by the elbow.
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