The mother-in-law mocked her son’s wife for a long time until one day she received an eviction notice signed by her daughter-in-law. Liliya was in her office, lost in thought.
Important documents related to real estate lay on her desk in front of her.
She had inherited significant property from her parents—three apartments in a prestigious area of the city and a compact shopping center on the outskirts.
Her fingers automatically ran through the lines of the lease agreement. The name of the tenant, Alla Sergeevna Voronova, was prominently displayed.
Her husband’s mother didn’t even suspect that she was paying rent to her own daughter-in-law. Liliya had deliberately arranged the whole deal through a real estate agency to keep this secret.
Three years ago, when her relationship with Igor was just beginning, she decided not to reveal her financial capabilities to him.
“Dear,” Liliya had said then, looking at her embarrassed future husband, “I really don’t care how much you earn. What matters to me is your attitude towards me.”
Igor blushed, feeling somewhat awkward. He was a regular engineer at a construction firm, and his income left much to be desired.
“But how can you… You’re so beautiful, so smart. Will a simple life really be enough for you?” he wondered.
The girl laughed and hugged him.
“I love you, dear. Everything else is secondary.”
Thus, Liliya preferred to keep her wealth a secret. She said she worked as a manager at the shopping center but omitted the fact that she owned it. The apartment where they lived, she presented as part of her inheritance.
Two years into their marriage, Liliya sometimes regretted her choice. This was especially true when it came to constant attacks from her mother-in-law. Alla Sergeevna had not gotten along with the daughter-in-law from day one.
“How could you choose such a woman?” she often asked her son. “She can’t cook, doesn’t know how to manage a household. All she does is run off to work.”
Liliya silently endured, though these words hurt her deeply. For the sake of her beloved husband, she was willing to put up with any criticism from his mother, even when it became more open and malicious.
One day, while preparing dinner, Liliya overheard a phone conversation of her mother-in-law…
…Alla Sergeevna’s sharp voice carried through the thin walls of the kitchen.
“I don’t know what my son sees in her,” she sneered. “She’s useless—doesn’t even know how to be a proper wife! Always running off to her so-called ‘job’ while my poor Igor comes home exhausted. If I had my way, he would’ve married someone more respectable, someone who actually contributes something!”
Liliya’s hands froze over the cutting board. Her stomach churned. She had endured years of snide comments and backhanded insults, always holding her tongue for Igor’s sake. But this? To hear Alla Sergeevna belittle her like this, as if she were nothing?
Her patience had just run out.
She took a deep breath, placed the knife down, and quietly left the kitchen. She had work to do.
A week later, Alla Sergeevna returned from her afternoon shopping trip to find a thick envelope waiting in her mailbox. She frowned, pulling it out and tearing it open.
Her eyes skimmed the words.
Her face turned pale.
Eviction Notice.
She stumbled back, gripping the paper as if it might change its contents. Her lease was terminated. She had thirty days to vacate the premises.
“This must be a mistake!” she muttered, hurrying inside to grab her phone. She dialed the real estate agency, her fingers shaking.
“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded the moment someone answered. “I’ve never missed a payment! How can I be evicted?”
There was a pause before the agent responded coolly. “Mrs. Voronova, your lease was terminated at the request of the property owner.”
Alla Sergeevna blinked. “The— The owner?”
“Yes. Per the signed documents, they are within their rights to end the lease at their discretion.”
Her heart pounded. “Who is the owner? Let me speak to them!”
Another pause. Then the agent replied, “That would be Liliya Voronova.”
Silence. Cold, stunned silence.
Alla Sergeevna felt her breath hitch. “That… that can’t be. That’s my daughter-in-law.”
“That’s correct. She is the legal owner of the building.”
The phone slipped from her grasp, landing with a dull thud.
Liliya. That girl she had mocked and insulted for years. That girl she had always treated as beneath her.
Liliya was the one who had been letting her live there.
And now? Now she was kicking her out.
That evening, Liliya was calmly sipping tea when she heard the frantic knock on her door. She set her cup down and took her time answering.
When she opened the door, Alla Sergeevna stood there, face flushed with anger and disbelief, gripping the eviction notice in her hand.
“You!” she spat. “How dare you do this to me?”
Liliya leaned against the doorframe, her expression cool. “Is something wrong, Alla Sergeevna?”
“You know exactly what’s wrong! You’re throwing me out of my own home!”
“Oh, you mean the apartment you rented?” Liliya’s lips curled into a small smile. “The one you’ve been paying me for?”
Alla Sergeevna’s mouth opened and closed, words failing her.
Liliya crossed her arms. “You’ve never respected me. You’ve never even tried. For years, I held my tongue. I let you belittle me, all for Igor’s sake. But now? Now, I’m done.”
She stepped closer, voice lowering to a dangerous softness.
“You don’t think I’m a good wife? That I don’t contribute anything?” She tilted her head. “Well, I’m certainly contributing to your new housing situation.”
Alla Sergeevna gaped at her, the realization finally sinking in. She had no power here. No control.
Liliya took a step back and smiled politely. “You have thirty days. I suggest you start packing.”
And with that, she shut the door.
As she returned to her tea, she felt lighter than she had in years.
For the first time, she had won.
