I stopped shopping when I realized I was crying and everyone else was eating. That same evening, a car pulled up to the entrance… and within two minutes, the woman was in shock.

The apartment smelled of apple pie. Olga took the baking sheet out of the oven and set it on the windowsill to cool. Rain was pouring down the window, and drops were slowly rolling down the glass.

It promised to be a quiet, cozy autumn evening.

Denis sat in the living room in front of the television, flipping channels. The couple lived together in a two-room apartment on the third floor of an old brick building.

Olga had inherited the place from her grandmother five years earlier. Since then, she and Denis have done some minor renovations, replacing the furniture and hanging new curtains.

Olga worked as an accountant in a trading company. Her salary was average but consistent. Denis worked in logistics and received a slightly higher salary.

Olga managed the household budget. She recorded expenses, planned purchases, and kept track of bills. Their lives were calm, predictable, and free from major disruptions.

– Ola – Denis turned to her – did my parents call you today?

“No. Why would they call?” she asked, cutting the cake into slices.

The man turned off the TV.

– A pipe burst in their apartment. It flooded their apartment and their downstairs neighbors.

Olga froze with the knife in her hand.

– Really?

“Unfortunately. The renovation crew is already there. They said the work will take at least two months. The floor needs to be replaced, the ceiling needs to be repaired, and the electrical system needs to be repaired.”

– Where will they live now?

Olga put a plate of cake on the table.

Denis looked out the window for a moment.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask. Maybe they’ll move in with us temporarily? Just for the duration of the renovation.”

Olga slowly dried her hands with a towel. She felt an unpleasant knot in her stomach.

The apartment was small. It had a bedroom, a living room, a six-square-meter kitchen, and a bathroom with a toilet.

“Denis, we’re going to be very tight,” she began cautiously. “Where are we going to put them?”

“In the living room, on the fold-out couch,” he replied, putting his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “It’s really only temporary. Two months, a little longer at most. They’re my parents, after all.”

– How many people are coming?

– Three. Mom, Dad, and Tonia.

Antonina was Denis’s twenty-eight-year-old sister. She didn’t work and still lived with her parents. Olga saw her mainly at family gatherings. The girl usually sat with her phone in her hand, answering questions with single words.

“Three?” Olga repeated. “Do you understand that there will be five of us in a two-room apartment?”

“I understand,” he sighed. “But what are they supposed to do? They have nowhere to go. Mom’s already packing her things.”

Olga moved away from her husband.

“Is he packing already? So you’ve basically already agreed?”

“I said I’d ask you first. But Mom decided we definitely wouldn’t say no.”

Olga bit her lip.

She wanted to say no. But these were her husband’s parents, and their apartment had flooded. It was hard to leave them without help.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Let them come.”

Denis smiled broadly and kissed her cheek.

– Thank you, Ola. You’re the best.

The in-laws moved in that same day.

In the evening a car stopped in front of the building.

The first to disembark was Tatiana Viktorovna, a portly woman in an elegant coat with a perpetually disgruntled expression. Behind her appeared Vladimir Petrovich, a gray-haired, stooped man with glasses.

Antonina got out at the end, dragging a huge bag.

Denis helped carry in the luggage, and Olga stood by the door and watched as the whole family moved into her small apartment.

“Good morning, Olga,” said Tatiana Viktorovna, taking off her coat and looking around the hallway. “We’ll have to fit in here somehow.”

– Good morning.

Olga took the coat from her and hung it on the hanger.

Vladimir Petrovich simply nodded and walked into the living room. Antonina didn’t even say hello. She immediately sat down on the couch and took out her phone.

“Show me where we will sleep,” my mother-in-law ordered.

Denis unfolded the couch and prepared the bedding.

Olga stood in the doorway of the living room, feeling the space of the apartment shrink with each new bag, parcel, and suitcase.

“Okay, we’ve managed to get along somehow,” Tatiana Viktorovna said, sitting down on the couch. “It’s not comfortable, but it’s okay.”

Olga didn’t say anything. She returned to the kitchen and began cleaning up after dinner.

The first few days passed peacefully as everyone tried to adjust to the new situation.

In the mornings, Olga and Denis left for work. Vladimir Petrovich also disappeared for several hours—apparently meeting friends or going for walks.

Tatiana Viktorovna and Antonina stayed in the apartment.

Olga did a big shopping spree for everyone. She stocked the fridge with meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and other items. She spent over ten thousand.

She figured she could help at first. Denis’s parents would surely start contributing to the food soon.

A week has passed.

On Saturday morning, Olga opened the refrigerator and froze.

Inside there was half a jar of jam, a small piece of cheese and two eggs.

A week earlier the shelves were full.

Olga began to recall the last few days. Tatiana Viktorovna cooked dinner, fried meat, made soup, and baked cakes. Antonina constantly ate sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and chips.

Vladimir Petrovich sat at the table every evening and ate a full dinner.

However, only Olga bought the products.

She took out a notebook and began writing down every receipt and every expense.

After two weeks, she calculated that she had spent over thirty thousand on food, or half her monthly salary.

Denis’s family did not contribute a single coin.

Antonina spent her days lounging on the couch, watching TV series, and eating snacks. Tatiana Viktorovna prepared meals from ingredients bought by her daughter-in-law and shared them with her family.

No one even thanked me.

Vladimir Petrovich ate in silence, and then moved in front of the television, as if everything was happening naturally and obviously.

Olga stopped financing food for five people

At the beginning of the third week, Olga made a decision.

On Monday morning, she went to work as usual, but that evening, she didn’t go to the store. Instead, she visited an inexpensive coffee shop near the office.

She ordered salad, soup, and tea. She paid three hundred rubles.

She came home later than usual. Denis was sitting in the kitchen eating a sandwich.

“Ola, have you eaten dinner?” he asked.

– Yes, in the cafe.

– You didn’t buy the products?

– NO.

Denis frowned but said nothing.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were the same.

Olga ate lunch and dinner out, sometimes opting for inexpensive takeout. She spent between three hundred and five hundred rubles a day.

It was much cheaper than supporting five people.

At home, she only drank tea. Occasionally, she would eat an apple if there was one left.

The contents of the fridge were disappearing quickly. By Friday, only sauces, half a stick of butter, and one onion were left.

Tatiana Viktorovna regularly opened the refrigerator door, looked at the empty shelves, smacked her lips in dissatisfaction and demonstratively slammed the door.

Antonina began to complain:

– Mom, I’m hungry. What are we going to eat?

“I don’t know, my daughter,” her mother-in-law replied, loud enough for Olga to hear. “Apparently, the landlady has forgotten about us.”

Olga sat in the bedroom with a book and did not react.

On Saturday morning, Tatiana Viktorovna entered the bedroom without knocking. Olga was working on her laptop.

“We need to talk,” my mother-in-law said, crossing her arms.

– I’m listening.

Olga did not take her eyes off the screen.

– Why is the fridge empty?

– Because no one is buying food.

– You’re the mistress of this house! You should be feeding the family!

Tatiana Viktorovna took a step forward.

Olga closed her laptop and looked at her calmly.

– I have no such obligation.

“What did you say?!” My mother-in-law blushed. “We’re guests in your home! You should be feeding us!”

“Guests? You’ve been living here for three weeks. I’ve never once seen any of you bring so much as a carton of milk.”

– We have no money! It all went to renovations!

– Then you need to eat less or find a way to make money.

“You’re stingy and heartless! How can you behave like this?”

“Without much effort,” Olga replied, standing up. “Every adult should be able to provide themselves with the basic necessities.”

She walked past her mother-in-law and headed for the kitchen.

Antonina was sitting on the couch. When she heard raised voices, she put down the phone.

– What happened?

“Olga won’t feed us!” Tatiana Viktorovna shouted as she left the bedroom. “Can you imagine?”

Antonina jumped up from the couch.

– Really, Ola?

– Absolutely.

Olga turned on the kettle.

“You’re stingy! Our apartment was flooded and you’re acting like this!”

“It was your apartment that flooded, not mine. I let you live here. That doesn’t mean I have to support you too.”

“Denis!” Tatiana Viktorovna called out.

The man came out of the bedroom and looked from his mother to his wife.

– What’s going on?

“Your wife is starving us in her own home! Tell her something!”

Denis hesitated.

– Olu, maybe you could actually buy the products?

– No. Let them buy them themselves.

“For what?” My mother-in-law spread her hands. “We don’t have any money!”

– Then you have no food. That’s quite logical.

Olga poured boiling water over the tea.

Vladimir Petrovich came out of the bathroom, attracted by the noise.

– Why is everyone shouting?

“Olga refuses to buy food,” his wife announced.

The man adjusted his glasses and looked at his daughter-in-law sternly.

– Young woman, this is disrespectful to elders.

“Vladimir Petrovich, you’re sixty-two years old and you’ve worked your entire life. Do you really have no savings?”

– It’s none of your business! You have a duty to show hospitality!

“I showed it. I let you live rent-free and I’m not even asking for utilities. Is that still not enough?”

“You’re ill-mannered! Denis, do something about your wife! Teach her proper behavior!”

Denis stood between his parents and Olga, visibly pale.

– Mom, Dad, Ola… Let’s try to calm down.

“Calm down?” Tatiana Viktorovna turned to her son. “Your wife wants to starve us, and you ask for peace?”

“I’m not kicking anyone out,” Olga said. “You can live here, but buy your own food.”

– Denis, talk some sense into her immediately!

The man opened his mouth, then closed it. He glanced first at his mother, then at his wife.

“Maybe we can find a compromise?” he finally managed.

Olga looked at him for a long moment.

He always offered a compromise. He never said, “I support my wife.” He never asked his parents to behave decently.

He just wanted the conflict to subside, even if Olga had to pay the price for peace.

Then she realized that Denis would not side with her.