An ordinary evening turned into a real storm when her husband burst into the house, his face twisted with anger.
“Mom can’t withdraw your salary. Why isn’t the card working?”
He shouted, waving his hands. It turned out that his mother had tried to cash out his daughter-in-law’s money without her knowledge.
This audacity was the last straw for the young woman who had long planned to put an end to her mother-in-law’s financial control.
The office of Media Stream had quieted down after the workday. Only the soft hum of computers and the steady click of keyboards disturbed the silence. Lily Price sat hunched over her monitor, triple-checking the numbers in the quarterly report. The clock showed the beginning of ten in the evening—running late again.
Henry Price, the head of the marketing department, stopped by her desk.
“Family must be waiting for you.”
Lily rubbed her eyes wearily.
“I want to finish the report tonight. The presentation for the CEO is tomorrow.”
Henry nodded understandingly.
“Diligence is commendable. By the way, soon we’ll be deciding on the position of key account manager.”
He looked at her meaningfully, and Lily felt her heart skip a beat. This was the position she had been dreaming of for the past six months, ever since Serena went on maternity leave.
“I’ve almost finished that Art Media project you assigned me, too,” Lily quickly said. “It’ll be ready by Monday.”
“Spending your weekend on work again.” The boss shook his head. “Don’t overdo it, but I do appreciate the enthusiasm.”
When Henry left, Lily allowed herself to lean back in her chair and smile drearily. The manager position wasn’t just prestigious. It also came with a substantial salary increase—a whole thirty percent.
With that money, she could finally feel free.
Lily got home around eleven. The light was on in the apartment, which meant Alex was still awake. Sounds of the TV came from the living room.
“Where have you been wandering till night?”
Her mother-in-law’s voice rang out so suddenly that Lily flinched. Gloria stood in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over her chest.
“Alex has been having dinner for an hour. And you? Where were you?”
“Good evening, Gloria.” Lily tried to keep her voice polite. “I was held up at work. Tomorrow is an important presentation.”
“Presentation. Presentation.” The mother-in-law mocked. “All you ever think about is work, and your husband sits hungry.”
“I left him lunch in the fridge,” Lily replied quietly, moving into the kitchen. There on the table awaited a mountain of unwashed dishes. Fried potato scraps floated in the sink.
“Do you want me to heat up the stewed cabbage?” her mother-in-law asked with an exaggerated sigh. “I cooked it today.”
“Thanks. I’m not hungry,” Lily quickly said, clearing the table, washing the dishes, and peeking into her daughter’s room.
Six-month-old Cheryl was asleep, adorably tucking a tiny fist under her cheek. Lily’s heart tightened with tenderness. She carefully adjusted the blanket and left.
In the living room, Alex was watching football.
“Hi,” Lily said softly, sitting down beside him.
Her husband didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
“Mom says you’re late again.”
“Yes, tomorrow is important.”
“I know, I know,” Alex interrupted. “Important presentation.”
“Listen, Mom reminded me. Tomorrow’s Friday.”
Lily tensed. Friday was the day Gloria went to the bank and withdrew almost her entire salary for “family needs,” as she called it.
“So what?” Lily asked cautiously.
“What do you mean, so what?” Alex looked surprised. “Mom plans to go to the beauty salon.”
“She needs—what’s it called?—a facial treatment and a new hand cream. Her skin’s rough after the summer house.”
Lily gritted her teeth. Her salary—her money earned through endless overtime—would once again go to her capricious mother-in-law. Last time it had been a restaurant outing with friends. Before that, new shoes.
And Lily, meanwhile, had to keep wearing old clothes because for some reason she always got the meager leftovers.
“We still have unpaid bills,” she cautiously noted. “And Cheryl needs new sleepers.”
Alex frowned.
“Come on. Mom deserves a little joy.”
“She’s had such a hard life.”
Lily bit her lip. A hard life. And what about her, Lily? She hadn’t taken maternity leave for three months after giving birth, working from home, rocking the baby with one hand while typing reports with the other.
Apparently, that was an easy life.
“I’m going to bed,” she said quietly. “Early start tomorrow.”
Over the following weeks, Lily worked like a machine—arriving at the office before everyone else, leaving last, taking projects home. Even when the entire department went on vacation for the May holidays, she stayed behind and managed tough negotiations with a demanding client.
On Wednesday afternoon, Henry called her in. The CEO was already sitting in his office.
“Have a seat, Lily,” he nodded formally. “Henry and I have been discussing the department’s restructuring.”
Lily’s heart froze. Could it be?
“Your results for the last quarter are simply impressive,” the CEO continued, “especially the Art Media project.”
“The client was satisfied and increased the budget. Therefore, we’ve decided that the key account manager position is yours.”
Lily felt tears of joy welling up.
“Thank you for your trust,” she tried to speak calmly. “I won’t let you down.”
“And of course, the position comes with a thirty percent salary increase,” added Henry, handing her the papers.
“Here’s your new employment contract. Please review it.”
Thirty percent. It was even more than she had hoped for.
With this raise, she could not only cover all her current expenses, but also start saving for her own home—the cherished dream of Lily.
In the evening, she left the office elated. On the way home, she stopped by the bank and got a new salary card only in her name. She told them she had lost the old one. When a helpful employee asked if she needed a card for family members, Lily replied firmly:
“No, thank you. Additional cards are not needed.”
She took the new card into a secret pocket in her wallet. It was her little secret, her personal victory, her chance at financial independence. If she didn’t tell Alex or her mother-in-law about the raise and the new card, she might manage to keep at least part of the money for herself.
On Friday, as usual, Gloria dressed up for her trip to the bank. She wore her best cream-colored suit—bought, of course, with Lily’s salary—fluffed her styled hair, and applied bright pink lipstick.
“What time are you getting your salary today?” she asked business-like at breakfast.
Lily, feeding Cheryl her porridge, pretended not to hear.
“Lily, I’m talking to you.” Her mother-in-law raised her voice. “What time will the money arrive?”
“It should be transferred by lunch,” Lily answered evasively.
“What were you planning to buy, Gloria?” Lily asked, keeping her face neutral.
Her mother-in-law pursed her lips.
“By the way, I’m not spending it all on myself. I picked out a new shirt for Alex and we need groceries for the week.”
Lily nodded, trying to hide her irritation. A new shirt for Alex was of course fine. But for some reason, these family purchases never included anything for herself.
“Give me the card.” Her mother-in-law held out her hand.
“It’s in my bag at work,” Lily lied. “I forgot to take it yesterday.”
Gloria squinted.
“You’re hiding something. Oh well, give it to Alex in the evening. He’ll pass it to me.”
All day at work, Lily was on edge. She knew that at lunch the regular salary would be credited to the old card, while the raise and bonus would go to the new one—which nobody knew about.
She turned off her phone to avoid the inevitable outraged calls when Gloria discovered that the old card was blocked.
In the evening, returning home, Lily felt a mix of fear and a strange, intoxicating sense of freedom. Whatever happened next, part of her money now belonged only to her.
For the first time in a long while, she could decide for herself how to spend it.
At the entrance, she took a deep breath and pressed the intercom button. A new chapter of her life had begun.
The question was: where would it lead?
Gloria approached the ATM with a particular well-rehearsed serenity honed over years. These Friday trips were a kind of sacred ritual for her. She strode proudly across the bank’s marble floor, feeling like an important person.
The employees behind the counters already recognized her by sight.
“Good afternoon, dear.”
Gloria nodded to the young bank assistant.
“It’s rather busy today, isn’t it?”
“Friday, payday.” The girl smiled. “Would you like help with the transactions?”
“I can manage myself. It’s not my first time.”
The mother-in-law waved her off and headed to a free ATM. She took the worn card with Lily’s name out of her wallet, carefully wiped it with the edge of her scarf, and inserted it into the machine.
She entered the PIN—her son’s birthday, easy to remember—and confidently pressed the withdraw cash button.
The screen displayed the available balance.
Gloria frowned. Something was wrong. The amount was too small—only her daughter-in-law’s regular salary without any bonuses.
Maybe it hasn’t been fully transferred yet, she thought, and refreshed the screen just in case. The amount didn’t change.
Hesitating slightly, she still entered the usual withdrawal amount, almost all the money, leaving Lily a meager two thousand for pocket expenses. She pressed the confirmation button and the ATM screen flashed red.
Transaction declined.
Card blocked.
Gloria blinked, reread the message, and tried again. Red message again.
“What kind of nonsense is this?” she exclaimed, drawing the attention of nearby people.
An assistant immediately approached her.
“Are you having trouble with your card? Can I help?”
“The card is blocked,” Gloria announced indignantly. “Why?”
“Let’s check,” the girl said, taking the card and scanning it on her terminal.
“Yes, the card is indeed blocked. It says here it was done at the client’s request.”
“The card holder blocked it herself.”
“What? Herself?” Gloria felt her blood boil. “That can’t be.”
Then it dawned on her. Lily—her quiet, always obedient daughter-in-law—had planned something.
No wonder she mumbled this morning about the card being in her work bag. No wonder she had been staying late recently and hiding something.
With a decisive motion, Gloria snatched the card from the assistant and grabbed her phone. Her hands trembled slightly with anger as she dialed her son’s number.
“Alex!” she shouted as soon as he answered. “Do you know what your wife has done?”
Lily was rocking Cheryl softly, singing a lullaby. The baby was fussy with teething and had been restless all day. Finally, her daughter began to fall asleep and Lily carefully laid her in the crib.
The front door slammed open.
Startled, Lily flinched. Cheryl woke up and started crying.
“Lily!”
Alex’s voice rang out. Judging by the stomping, he was charging down the hallway like an enraged bull. Lily scooped up her daughter and stepped out of the nursery.
“Quiet. You woke the baby.” She tried to reason with her husband.
Alex stood in the middle of the living room, breathing heavily. His face was red with rage.
“What did you do with the card?” he shouted, ignoring the crying baby. “Mom just called.”
“She couldn’t withdraw your salary.”
Lily pressed Cheryl to her chest, trying to calm both the baby and her own racing heart. She knew this moment would come, but she still wasn’t prepared for such a reaction.
“I got a raise,” she said calmly. “And I got a new card.”
Alex stared at her as if she had just announced she was an alien.
“A raise? What raise?”
“I was appointed key account manager. I now earn thirty percent more.”
For a moment, Alex froze, processing the information. Then his eyes narrowed.
“And you kept quiet. Hid it on purpose.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Lily lied, rocking Cheryl, who was beginning to calm down. “I wanted to make us all happy.”
“A surprise.” Alex took a step toward her. “Then why couldn’t Mom withdraw the money? Why is the card blocked?”
“I got a new one,” Lily repeated. “The old one doesn’t work anymore.”
“Where’s the new card?” Alex demanded. “Give it here.”
“Mom’s already getting ready to go shopping. Her friends are waiting.”
Lily put the now-sleeping Cheryl back in the crib and firmly closed the nursery door. Then she turned to her husband.
“I have a new card and I’m not going to give it to you.”
Alex stared at her as if she had suddenly started speaking a foreign language.
“What do you mean you’re not going to give it? Are you out of your mind?”
“We’ve always done it this way. Mom used to allocate your salary for the family’s needs.”
“For the family’s needs,” Lily repeated quietly.
“Alex, let’s be honest. Your mom spends my money on herself.”
“New cream, dinners with her friends, clothes—all of that is for her, not for us.”
“I wear hand-me-downs and can’t even buy myself new shoes because I never have any money left.”
“Mom takes care of us,” Alex objected.
“She cooks, cleans, and so do I,” Lily interrupted.
“I work full-time, cook, clean, and take care of the child. But somehow my salary counts as family money, and your earnings are just yours.”
“You never account for where you spend your money.”
Alex’s face turned even redder.
“I’m a man. I provide for the family.”
“No, Alex.” Lily felt a strange calmness. “I provide for the family. My salary is higher than yours.”
“We pay the rent, buy groceries, and clothes with my money.”
“And your money? I don’t even know what you spend it on.”
“That’s audacity.”
Alex exploded and jumped up close to her.
“You’ve forgotten your place, Lily. Give me the card immediately.”
“No.”
This simple answer seemed to shock both of them. Lily herself hadn’t expected to be able to stand so firmly against her husband. Something had changed in her over these six months of fighting for a raise. She was no longer the quiet, submissive woman who obediently handed her salary to her mother-in-law.
Alex wasn’t used to resistance. His face twisted with rage.
He grabbed Lily by the hair and yanked sharply.
“Where’s the card?” he growled.
Pain shot through her head, but Lily didn’t scream. She silently wrenched free from his grip, leaving a few strands of hair in his hand.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” she ground out through her teeth. “Never again.”
Her voice was so cold and decisive that Alex froze for a moment. Taking advantage of his hesitation, Lily quickly went into the bathroom and locked the door.
Her heart was pounding like crazy.
What had she done? What would happen now?
Outside the door, Alex pounded his fists on the wall and shouted, “Come out immediately. You will give me the card anyway. Mom is waiting.”
Lily remained silent.
She took out her phone and opened her banking app. She transferred part of the money she had just received to a new account she had recently opened at another bank—just in case her intuition hadn’t failed her.
Gradually, Alex’s shouting quieted. Lily heard the front door slam. He had left. Probably to explain himself to his mother.