“Listen closely, Viktor.” His wife stood in the kitchen, her eyes filled with disdain. “What I have to say matters. Don’t even think about cutting me off.”

“Alright, Viktor.” — His wife stood in the kitchen, eyeing him with clear contempt. — “I need to talk, and don’t you dare interrupt me.”

Years of marriage had taught him exactly what that tone meant. A storm was coming, and it would hit hard.

“Fine, fine, go on.” — He already had a pretty good idea of what was coming. Their relationship was hanging by a thread, and for months now, shouting matches and heated arguments had become their norm. What pained Viktor the most was their daughter, Karina. At just fourteen, she was caught in the crossfire, forced to hear the constant turmoil between the two people she loved most.

“I have someone else. We’ve been seeing each other for three months, and we’re completely fed up with this situation,” — the wife crossed her arms over her chest, signaling that this was just the beginning. — “I want a divorce. And I want to live with the person I love, not with you, whom I don’t even want to see.”

“Okay, got it.” — The man grimaced as though he had eaten a lemon. — “Wonderful. But I have questions. The most important one — when will you vacate my apartment?”

“What do you mean?” — His wife didn’t understand. — “Where are we supposed to live?”

“Not ‘we,’ but ‘you,’” — Viktor smirked. — “You seem to have forgotten that this place was left to me by my parents long before we met. You, madam, have no claim to it. Tomorrow, I’m going to the relevant authorities to have you officially removed from the lease.”

He smirked at the shocked look on his wife’s face.

“So, sweetheart, you better get moving, find somewhere to live.”

“What about Karina? You can’t take away my own daughter’s home!” — Larisa flared up.

“Completely agree,” — the husband put on a semblance of a smile. — “I’ll tell you more. I’ll transfer the apartment to her so that when she turns 18, she’ll be the rightful owner.”

The couple continued to argue for a long time, discussing who would get what in the divorce. Meanwhile, their daughter sat in her room, crying bitterly. She had no idea how she would live without her father.

“Dad, where will you go?” — she asked, entering the kitchen and seeing her father sitting alone at the table. — “Where will you live? What will you do?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t disappear,” — the man ruffled Karina’s short hair. — “A childhood friend of mine called me. He owns a huge factory in Siberia. He needs a reliable assistant he can trust with a lot of things.”

Viktor sighed and looked around the room despondently.

“That’s how life goes, sweetheart. You live, you trust someone, you believe in them. And then… they betray you, as if nothing ever happened.”

The divorce process didn’t take long. All formalities were settled, and the daughter became the owner of a two-bedroom apartment. However, until she turned 18, Larisa was her legal guardian.

Two days after her father’s departure, a new tenant moved into Karina’s apartment. He hastily brought in his bags and immediately began bossing around, telling her where to put things.

“So, is it too much for you to have two tables?” — he said, rudely peering into her room without knocking. — “You can give me one. I don’t have anywhere to put my computer.”

“It’s better off on the floor,” — Karina retorted boldly. — “Dad bought all the furniture in my room, and I won’t let anyone take it.”

“We’ll see,” — smirked Semen. — “When you’re hungry, come to the kitchen. I’ll put my food in the fridge.”

“By the way, the fridge…” — Karina began, but the man couldn’t hold back and slammed the door shut with a bang.

From the very first moment, it was clear that she wasn’t going to have a good relationship with her stepfather.

“Hey, where are you taking the sausage?” — he scolded her with a piece of his mother’s boyfriend. — “And don’t forget the butter, that’s too much! Until your dad sends my Larisa alimony, you’ll be living on bread and water.”

This became the daily routine. Karina’s clothes slowly turned into rags. To buy the cheapest cosmetics, she had to beg her mother for money. But her mother preferred to spend everything on herself.

“Dad, daddy, take me with you!” — the girl cried into the phone. — “I beg you. I’ll listen, I’ll do everything you say. Can I come to live with you?”

“Hold on a little longer, sweetheart. Just a little more, summer will come, and I’ll come to get you,” — her father tried to calm her down. — “Time will pass quickly, you won’t even notice.”

The man opened a personal bank account for her so Karina could buy things with her plastic card.

But it didn’t last long. The first Sunday in May became the scariest day of her life.

“Karina?” — An unfamiliar male voice came through the phone. — “This is Fyodor, your dad’s friend.”

“Why are you calling from his number?” — the girl asked anxiously. — “What happened?”

“Well, Karina… something happened… Viktor is no more… He died in a car crash. I’m really sorry.”

The smartphone fell from Karina’s hands. She cried loudly, not understanding how she would live from now on.

“What’s all the crying about?” — Semen looked in with irritation. — “Can you keep it down, you’re interrupting the movie.”

“My dad died!” — She said, staring into space.

“Yeah, bad news,” — her stepfather said, scratching his stomach through his t-shirt. — “An extra freeloader off my back.”

At the end of the summer, Karina’s mother gave birth to a baby brother. And Karina’s life turned into pure hell.

“Watch the baby, I have a manicure appointment,” — Larisa demanded. — “Don’t forget to feed him.”

“Hey, hey, go to the store!” — her stepfather shouted. — “You sit at home all day doing nothing.”

And the baby screamed like a steamship whistle, giving her no rest day or night.

“Karina, are you even doing your homework?” — Teachers would ask during classes in the fall. — “It seems like you haven’t even seen your textbooks.”

And that was the truth. As soon as she returned from school, she had to take care of the baby she hated. Then she would cook, go shopping, and clean the house.

“I have a surprise for you.” — Larisa smiled slyly one day as she entered her room. — “Soon the baby will be living with you.”

“Why, mom?” — the girl asked in confusion. — “You have your own room.”

“Soon we’ll have another baby, so little Hero will be under your care,” — her mother said decisively and slammed the door.

Karina collapsed onto the floor, buried her face in her hands, and silently cried.

With the arrival of the second baby, her life turned into a monotonous cycle of dull days.

“Karina, go get some milk. Don’t forget the diapers.”

“Girl, go to the kitchen, make some food. Can’t you see your father is home from work? I’m earning money for you.”

Semen mocked her. In fact, he constantly reproached her but never bought her anything.

Little Hero misbehaved, grabbed and ruined Karina’s things, and when she punished him, she got scolded by her mother and stepfather.

Karina barely finished the 10th grade, but she got a bit lucky in the summer.

A nearby computer, tablet, and smartphone repair shop was hiring high school students for simple work. The owner promised to teach them everything, as long as they were willing. Karina happily got a job there. She used every opportunity to avoid being at home.

“I don’t allow you!” — Larisa yelled when she found out. — “Who will help me with the kids?”

“Let her work,” — Semen suddenly approved. — “At least she won’t be eating all my food.”

Excited, Karina did her best. The owner, noticing her intelligence, began to teach her specifically, assigning her increasingly difficult tasks. When she received her first paycheck, the girl ran to a café with tears in her eyes. She bought a huge portion of ice cream and ate it.

“Ah, daddy, if only you knew how bad I feel without you!” — she thought, holding back her tears. — “Do you remember, we used to come here all the time when you were with me?”

The owner paid well and regularly, and Karina started buying trendy clothes. With the owner’s permission, she assembled a decent smartphone from old parts.

“Okay, girl, I see you’re starting to live it up!” — Semen began one night at dinner. — “Guess we’ll have to share. The little brother needs diapers, and you’re flaunting new clothes.”

“This is your son, so you take care of him,” — the girl replied suddenly, defiantly. — “I’m not your servant. Let your mother go to work.”

Semen yelled at her for a long time, trying to “educate” her. And then she suddenly realized that she couldn’t wait until she turned 18.

“And you, my dear relatives, will be out on the street!” — she firmly decided for herself. — “Not a second longer will you stay in my apartment.”

When Karina entered her last year of high school, it became even harder. She didn’t want to quit her job. She came home in the evenings, did her homework in a hurry, and ran to the workshop.

“Is there anyone skilled?” — one day a voice asked at the reception. — “I need a responsible worker.”

“I can,” — Karina came out of the repair room.

The young man skeptically looked her up and down.

“Here, take a look,” — he said, handing her a very expensive device.

Karina had recently been trained on this model, so she knew the problem perfectly.

“Leave it, it’ll be ready tomorrow.”

The next day, the owner took the smartphone and was amazed by the quality of the repair.

“You know, girl,” — he smirked. — “I’m impressed. Here’s my business card. I work at a law firm. If you need help, call me. We’ll sort it out.”

Ivan seemed to foresee future events and left his contacts for Karina.

It was less than a month before she needed the help of a lawyer.

One day, the girl came home, planning to quickly have dinner before hiding in her room. But her plans were disrupted.

“Come here,” — her mother called without preamble. — “Sit down, we need to talk.”

“Karinka, you’re an adult now, you understand everything,” — Semen suddenly began affectionately. — “I have problems at work. They’re laying people off. Larisa is also unemployed. Life in the city is hard and expensive. We’ve decided to move to the village.”

Karina nearly jumped out of her chair with joy, imagining how her hateful relatives would load their things into a truck, while she waved them off happily. But that didn’t happen!

“We figured that if we sell the apartment,” — her mother interrupted her partner, — “we’ll have enough for a lot. We’ll buy a nice house in the village. Everyone will have their own room. We’ll buy land, start a farm. Chickens, geese, sheep. We’ll definitely get a cow. Fresh milk every day. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Yeah, everything’s great,” — the girl nodded. — “But what’s that got to do with me? I like living in the city.”

“Stop acting like an idiot!” — Semen shouted. — “Can’t you see?! We sell the apartment, move to the village. Your mother and I have already picked out a place, even found a house.”

“So what?!” — the girl said loudly and clearly. — “I don’t care.”

“Wait, Karinka, don’t be so hasty,” — her mother said in a pleading voice. — “You know, we really need money. And there isn’t any. Well, there is, if we sell the apartment…”

“I. Don’t. Want. To. Sell. My. Apartment,” — Karina said, each word carefully pronounced as she stood up. — “The conversation is over!”

“Have you completely lost it?!” — Semen shouted angrily. — “Think about your mother, your brothers! How many years have I fed you, clothed you…”

“You did nothing for me!” — The girl looked him in the eyes. — “I won’t sell anything.”

And turning to her mother, she added.

“You won’t do anything over my head.”

The next day, she called her new acquaintance and explained the situation. He invited her to a café to discuss the details.

“Look, Karina, here’s what we’ll do,” — he told her, laying out a plan of action.

The girl eagerly awaited her 18th birthday. What were those days like? It’s better not to remember them! Every day was filled with arguments, tears, accusations of selfishness and ingratitude… She didn’t want to go home, but she did, repeating to herself like a mantra: “This is my apartment. I’m the boss here. They live in my place, not me in theirs!”

And then it came, her 18th birthday. Karina told Ivan she was ready. She went outside to avoid seeing her “beloved” relatives. Soon, the young man arrived with law enforcement officers.

“Here’s my client. Her mother, brothers, and stepfather refuse to leave the apartment, which Karina owns. We need your help.”

The police slowly entered the building, and the girl opened the door for them. She watched with pleasure as her mother screamed, her brothers cried, and Semen tried to make a scene.

“My God, daddy! You don’t know how happy I am, finally, my dream has come true,” — she whispered as she watched her relatives pack their things. — “Just a little more, and I’ll never see these people again. How many years I’ve endured their abuse. Now it’s my turn!”

“You…,” — Larisa choked on tears. — “How can you do this to me! — What did they do wrong?” — she pointed at the crying boys. — “They’re your brothers.”

“They’re your sons from that jerk! Let him take care of them,” — Karina smiled. — “If they were my dad’s kids, that’d be different. Get out of my apartment now. I’m the boss here, and you don’t get to tell me what to do.”