If it ends up in the wrong place.
And that while the problems had already invaded the room.
I tried to stand up.
It felt like my stomach had been cut open again by the stitches.
The nurse ran towards me.
– Stand still.
But I could no longer sit still.
The mother-in-law, Galina Petrovna, pressed Leo against her fur coat as if he were not a baby, but an object she was about to take out.
Her lips did not tremble with fear.
Out of anger.
Because things did not go according to plan.
‘This woman is unstable,’ he said loudly to the guards. ‘She must be put in isolation. The child is mine.’
He spoke with self-confidence.
As someone who has dedicated his or her entire life to breaking down barriers for others through his or her voice.
As a man to whom a deal was rarely refused.
For years, I did exactly that.
She remained silent.
I gave.
She looked away.
Not because I was afraid of her because she was a woman.
I was afraid of marriage.
I was afraid that the truth about my situation would only make matters worse.
When I met Artyom, he had been living separately from his mother for a long time, but he was still morally dependent on her.
She called him in the morning.
I checked what he ate.
She reminded him who he had to thank for it.
And all conversations ended on the same note.
It is not a request.
Indication.
At first, I thought it was just normal family tension.
That happens.
A lot of.
Especially if the child grew up in a family where love was measured by sacrifice.
But then I realized something else.
Galina Petrovna was not the only one involved.
She built a debt system around Artyom.
All his successes were thanks to her.
Every woman who was in his vicinity was considered a passenger.
Every restriction is an insult.
When we got married, she was smiling in the photos.
In the kitchen, in front of the guests, she scooped salad onto my plate.
She said: “The most important thing is that we take care of each other.”
A week later, he asked me if I had money to buy winter boots, or if his son would pay for everything now.
Then I was silent.
And also many times after that.
She called me quiet, characterless, and boring.
