“I DON’T CARE THAT IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY! GET UP AND COOK FOR US!”
Marina slowly opened the folder.
Neither Bogdan nor Lydia spoke.
She removed the first document and slid it across the table.
Bogdan frowned.
“What is this?”
“The deed to this apartment.”
He barely glanced at it.
“So?”
“You should read the owner’s name.”
His expression slowly changed.
“It… says your name.”
“Only mine.”
Silence filled the room.
Lydia leaned forward and grabbed the document.
“That’s impossible.”
“It was purchased before our marriage,” Marina replied calmly.
“I paid for it with money my grandmother left me.”
Bogdan looked confused.
“But… I thought…”
“You never asked.”
She reached into the folder again.
“This is the second document.”
He looked down.
A notarized notice.
His eyes widened.
“Divorce?”
“Yes.”
Lydia jumped to her feet.
“You ungrateful woman!”
Marina ignored her.
“The third document is a restraining order request.”
Both of them froze.
“It includes photographs.”
Medical reports.
Audio recordings.
Security-camera footage.
And written statements from neighbors who had repeatedly witnessed Lydia’s abuse.
“You’ve been collecting this?”
“For eighteen months.”
Lydia’s voice shook.
“You planned this?”
“No.”
“I hoped things would change.”
“But this morning…”
She gently touched the bruise forming near her temple.
“…you made the decision for me.”
Bogdan finally found his voice.
“Marina… we can talk.”
She looked at him quietly.
“I tried talking.”
“You stayed silent.”
“I cried.”
“You looked away.”
“Your mother insulted me.”
“You defended her.”
Lydia slammed her hand on the table.
“You’ll regret this!”
Marina smiled for the first time that day.
“No.”
“You will.”
Just then, the apartment buzzer rang.
Bogdan walked to the intercom.
Two police officers.
A court officer.
And Marina’s attorney.
Lydia’s confidence disappeared instantly.
“What are they doing here?”
Marina picked up her handbag.
“They’re here to help you collect your belongings.”
“You have one hour to leave my apartment.”
“You can’t throw us out!”
“I already have.”
The court officer handed Bogdan the official documents.
Everything had been legally prepared days earlier.
The divorce filing.
The request for temporary exclusive possession of the property.
The evidence package.
The abuse complaint.
Bogdan’s hands trembled as he flipped through the pages.
“You planned all this… on your birthday?”
Marina looked at him sadly.
“No.”
“I planned it the day I realized I was the only person in this marriage who acted like family.”
Lydia tried one last time.
“My son loves you.”
Marina quietly shook her head.
“A man who watches his wife be abused without stopping it…”
“…doesn’t love her.”
She walked toward the front door.
Before leaving, she looked back one final time.
“For two years you treated me like your servant.”
“Today…”
“…I’m finally treating myself like someone worth protecting.”
She closed the door behind her.
For the first time in years…
She celebrated her birthday in complete peace.