Veronica gently opened the antique redwood jewelry box. Her fingers brushed over the velvet lining inside. Diamonds sparkled brilliantly under the morning light. Memories tightened her chest painfully. Her grandmother had bestowed this collection upon her just a month before passing away. The set included a ring adorned with a large central gem, delicate earrings, and a pendant hanging from a slender chain.
From the hallway, Maxim’s voice echoed.
— “Nika, are you ready yet? They’ve already called me three times!”
— “Almost,” Veronica replied, closing the box carefully.
Maxim appeared in the bedroom doorway. Having been married three years, Veronica learned to detect subtle shifts in his mood almost instinctively. Today, he seemed tense.
“Looking at grandmother’s jewels again?” he asked, nodding toward the box. “Why don’t you wear them for once?”
“It’s your colleague’s birthday, though,” Veronica countered. “Why bring diamonds to a work event?”
Maxim shrugged and left the room. Veronica gazed at the gems one more time before neatly placing the box back into the dresser.
Two weeks later, Veronica prepared dinner while her mother-in-law, Lyudmila Petrovna, arrived for supper. Suddenly, her familiar voice came from the living room.
— “Maxim, darling, show me those diamonds Nika has once again,” her mother-in-law requested. “Such beauty shouldn’t just lie unused!”
Frozen with a plate in her hand, irritation surged within Veronica.
— “Mom, that’s an inheritance from her grandmother,” Maxim explained calmly. “She decides when to wear them.”
— “I understand,” sighed Lyudmila Petrovna. “But Elena Vasilyeva’s daughter is getting married next month. Imagine the impression I would make wearing that set!”
Veronica entered the living room and carefully placed plates on the table.
— “Lyudmila Petrovna,” she spoke quietly, “I have already explained these jewels are very special to me.”
— “Just for one evening!” the mother-in-law pleaded, folding her hands as if in prayer. “I promise I will wear them gently!”
— “I’m sorry, but no,” Veronica replied decisively.
The mood at the table thickened. Maxim ate silently, avoiding his wife’s glance. Lyudmila Petrovna deliberately pushed her plate away.
Weeks passed. The visits from her mother-in-law increased, as did her mentions of diamonds each time.
- “Nika, dear,” she began with a honeyed voice, “the institute’s anniversary gala will include the rector. I want to look dignified!”
— “Lyudmila Petrovna, you have such beautiful jewelry yourself,” Veronica responded patiently.
— “Yes, but none like those!” her mother-in-law exclaimed. “Max, tell her!”
At that moment, Maxim’s attitude started shifting. Previously silent, now he sided with his mother.
— “Nika, what’s the harm?” he said one evening when alone. “Mom isn’t asking forever.”
— “Max, these are grandmother’s memories!” Veronica could not believe her husband didn’t understand. “She entrusted them to me!”
— “Come on!” Maxim waved off the sentimentality. “They’re just stones. Mom is upset because of your stubbornness.”
Staring at her husband, Veronica barely recognized the man she had married. Where was the attentive partner she once adored?
One evening following another visit from her mother-in-law erupted into a fiery argument.
— “Your mother is unbearable!” Veronica snapped once the door closed behind Lyudmila Petrovna.
— “You are unbearable!” Maxim suddenly exploded. “You’re selfish over some trinkets!”
Veronica recoiled. Trinkets? Her grandmother’s inheritance dismissed so casually? Her heart shattered. The man before her was a stranger.
— “If those are just trinkets to you,” her voice trembled with hurt, “then we speak different languages.”
— “Mom’s right,” Maxim continued. “You’re egotistical. Only caring about yourself!”
Tears welled up, but Veronica clenched her fists, forcing herself to contain the pain. She refused to reveal how deeply those words wounded her.
Turning abruptly, she retreated to the bedroom and slammed the door shut. Tears suffocated her. Why must she surrender what was most precious to someone who only saw glittering stones?
Her mother-in-law’s sixtieth birthday approached — a milestone. Veronica agonized over what present to give.
— “Lyudmila Petrovna, could you hint what you wish for?” she asked at their next meeting.
The older woman surveyed her with a condescending look.
— “I need nothing, dear,” she said with deliberate emphasis. “I have everything.”
Veronica glanced at Maxim helplessly. He buried his face in his phone.
— “Max, what should we give your mother?” she asked that evening.
— “I don’t know,” he mumbled. “You figure it out.”
— “But it’s your mother!”
— “So what?” Maxim threw the phone aside in irritation. “She said she wants nothing.”
Veronica purchased an expensive silk scarf and French perfume, wrapping them in an elegant box although a bad feeling lingered.
The birthday morning began chaotically. Veronica wore a deep green dress and chose to complement it with emerald earrings — another gift from her grandmother, less precious than the diamonds. Opening the jewelry box, she froze. The velvet slots yawned empty. The diamonds were gone.
Her heart pounded wildly. She rifled through the entire dresser and checked every shelf — nothing. Bursting from the bedroom, she stormed into the kitchen where Maxim calmly sipped coffee.
— “Max! Where are my diamonds?” she screamed.
Maxim met her gaze coolly and took another sip.
— “I gave your diamonds to my mother,” he stated evenly. “They suit her better.”
Veronica stood frozen. The room spun before her eyes.
— “What have you done?” she whispered.
— “What should have been done long ago,” Maxim put down his cup. “Enough hoarding!”
— “That’s my inheritance!” she yelled. “How dare you?!”
Gripping the table, Veronica’s vision blurred with rage and sorrow. Maxim calmly stood, pushing back his chair. His indifference hurt more deeply than any words.
— “Stop throwing a tantrum!” he snapped. “Mom deserves them more. At least she’ll wear the jewels!”
— “This isn’t your decision!” Veronica’s voice cracked. “Nor your mother’s! You are both thieves!”
Burning inside, her hands trembled with fury. This man — her husband — whom she loved and trusted betrayed her so easily. Just to satisfy his mother’s greedy wishes!
— “Watch your language!” Maxim shouted. “That’s my mother!”
— “And I’m your wife! Or am I not?”
Grabbing her bag, Veronica fled the apartment. Outside, she hailed a taxi and gave her mother-in-law’s address. Throughout the ride her hands shook uncontrollably, though she tried to calm herself.
The birthday woman opened the door dressed in a festive burgundy gown. Glittering were grandmother’s diamonds on her neck and ears.
— “Nika?” Lyudmila Petrovna exclaimed, surprised. “You’re early! The guests won’t arrive for another two hours!”
Veronica stared at her precious jewels adorning another’s neck, fury boiling inside.
— “Take them off,” she spat through clenched teeth.
— “What?” her mother-in-law recoiled. “Are you mad?”
Veronica stepped forward, reaching for the clasp of the necklace. Lyudmila Petrovna shrieked and tried to push her away.
— “Don’t you dare touch them!” she screamed. “It’s a gift from your son!”
— “They’re my inheritance!” Veronica unclasped the necklace and removed it from her mother-in-law’s neck.
— “Thief!” Lyudmila Petrovna yelled. “I’ll call the police!”
Calmly, Veronica took off the earrings and grabbed the ring from the hall table. Though inside a storm raged, her hands were steady. The mother-in-law flailed in the hallway, waving her arms.
— “Call them,” Veronica responded coldly. “You can tell them how your son stole his wife’s grandmother’s inheritance.”
— “How dare you…” Lyudmila Petrovna’s face flushed with rage. “On my birthday! Max won’t forgive you!”
Veronica paused in the doorway, turning to face her mother-in-law. The woman she had called “Mom” for three years stood before her — spiteful, petty, willing to do anything for sparkling stones.
— “Don’t expect me at the party,” Veronica declared. “I never expected you and your son to stoop so low.”
She left, slamming the door so hard the windows rattled.
Back home, Maxim greeted her with yelling.
— “Have you lost your mind?!” he screamed. “You ruined my mother’s birthday!”
— “Your mother is a thief!” Veronica walked past him into the bedroom. “And so are you! How could you give her my inheritance? How, Maxim?”
— “How dare you?!” Maxim blocked her way. “She’s my mother! She wanted those jewels and she got them!”
Veronica halted, her chest tightening with anguish. Three years of marriage and love, and this was their end. Maxim stood before her as a stranger, hostile and cold. She couldn’t fathom how she missed the rot inside him and his mother.
— “And who am I to you?” her voice wavered. “A nothing?”
— “You’re selfish, caring more about stones than family!”
“Those words cut deeper than any blade,” Veronica thought, biting her lip to hold back tears. Yet fury fueled her strength.
— “You’re a mama’s boy ready to rob his wife for his mother’s whims!” she spat. “Get out of my apartment!”
Maxim stepped back, clearly unprepared for this blow.
— “What?!” he stammered.
Veronica watched his expression shift; confidence vanished. But it was too late. Too late for both of them.
— “You heard me. Pack your things and go to your mommy!” she pushed past him into the bedroom. “Since she means more to you than your wife!”
— “You can’t kick me out!”
— “Watch me! This apartment is mine, in case you forgot! Or do you want to gift it to her too?”
A month later, the divorce was finalized. Sitting alone in the now-empty apartment, Veronica’s phone rang. The screen showed Lyudmila Petrovna’s number.
— “So, are you satisfied?” her mother-in-law sneered. “Those stones turned out more important than your marriage!”
Veronica smiled coldly.
— “Those stones mattered less to me than your son’s happiness,” she replied evenly. “You convinced him to steal what belonged to me.”
— “How dare you…”
She ended the call with a deep breath. On the dresser sat the opened jewelry box, diamonds softly shimmering in the evening glow. Her grandmother’s inheritance remained with her. And that was what truly mattered. The past now behind.
Conclusion:
This painful tale highlights the profound struggles that can arise within family dynamics, especially when heritage and personal values clash. Veronica’s experience shows how respect for sentimental treasures and boundaries must be upheld to preserve trust in relationships. Ultimately, she reclaimed what held true significance to her, refusing to let greed drive a wedge between love and legacy.