Alla Petrovna crossed the apartment with a firm step, completely ignoring Victor’s stuttering greeting.
When she reached the bedroom and saw Zoina pale and trembling in bed, her stitches still fresh from the operation, her face darkened like the sky before a storm.
“Victor!” she shouted in a voice that shook the walls. “Come here right now!”
Victor appeared in the bedroom doorway, trying to force a smile.
“Alla Petrovna, what a pleasant surprise! I didn’t know that…”
“Silence!” she interrupted him with an authority that made his brow furrow.
“I heard everything you said to my daughter. Do you think she’s your servant?”
“But I… my mother and sister came to visit me, I had to…”
“Your mother and sister can go to a restaurant if they’re hungry!”
“Zoina,” Alla Petrovna exclaimed, approaching her, her face flushed, “she just came out of the operating room!”
At that moment, a commotion came from the living room, where Victor’s mother and sister were arguing about dinner.
Alla Petrovna hurried over.
“Good evening!” she said with icy politeness. “I’m Zoina’s mother.”
“Did you expect my daughter, who had just had her operation yesterday, to cook you dinner?”
Victor’s mother, a woman with dyed hair and large earrings, stood up indignantly.
“Well, she’s Victor’s wife! It’s her duty to take care of the family!”
Alla Petrovna gave a short laugh.
“You should know that my daughter worked twelve hours a day to pay for Victor’s accounting courses. She paid the deposit on this apartment.”
“And now, after a serious operation, you want her to crawl into the kitchen?”
Victor’s sister tried to intervene:
“But we came from far away…”
“Perfect!” exclaimed Alla Petrovna, raising her hand.
“Then you can go back to where you came from! Or go to a restaurant!”
“Or better yet…” and here she smiled maliciously, “let’s let Victor cook! It’s time he learned!”
Victor tried to protest, but Alla Petrovna hadn’t finished.
“And one more thing!” she said, taking her phone out of her purse. “Zoina is coming with me to my house to recover.”
“I’ve already spoken to her doctor. She needs a month of complete rest.”
“You can’t…”
“Of course I can, and I will!” she interrupted. “And if you try to stop me, I’ll report you.”
“We’ll see what your colleagues at the company say when they find out how you treat your sick wife.”
Victor paled. He worked for a respectable company, where image was everything.
“Alla Petrovna, let’s talk…”
“There’s nothing to talk about!” he replied, turning to Zoina.
“Darling, I prepared your room at home. You have all the medicine you need, and I’ll take proper care of you.”
Zoina burst into tears, but this time they were tears of relief. It was the first time in months that someone had stood up for her.
Victor’s mother and sister looked at each other, then began to gather their things.
“Well, if that’s the case…” Victor’s mother murmured.
“That’s right!” Alla Petrovna confirmed.
“And Victor, if you want your wife back, learn what respect means. If not, she’ll stay with me forever.”
After everyone left, the apartment fell silent.
Victor sat on the living room sofa and, for the first time, realized he was about to lose everything—not just his wife, but also his self-respect.
The next day, he knocked on Alla Petrovna’s door with a bouquet of flowers and a humble look.
“I’ve come to apologize,” he said softly, “and to learn what it means to be a true husband.”
Alla Petrovna looked at him for a moment and then opened the door.
“The first step is to learn how to cook,” she said. “Zoina needs some good chicken broth. Put on your apron!”
And for the first time in his marriage, Victor entered the kitchen not to ask, but to learn how to give.
If you liked the story, share it with your friends! Together we can spread emotion and inspiration.
