CHAPTER 2 — The Secret Hidden in the Documents
The next morning, Sergey did not go to work.
He went straight to a lawyer.
For years, he had avoided conflicts with his mother.
He respected her.
He believed family should always come first.
But there was one thing he could not forgive.
She had frightened his children.
She had made his wife feel like a stranger in her own home.
The lawyer, Anton, carefully examined the documents.
After several minutes, he looked up.
“Sergey… where did your mother get this?”
“She claims she helped purchase the house.”
Anton shook his head.
“She didn’t purchase anything.”
Sergey frowned.
“What?”
Anton pointed at the document.
“This is not an ownership agreement. It is only a private loan statement.”
“So?”
“So your mother gave you money years ago, but you paid it back.”
Sergey froze.
He remembered.
Seven years earlier, when his business was struggling, Nina had lent him money.
He had repaid every cent.
But apparently…
She had kept the old document.
And she was now using it as a weapon.
Anton continued.
“She cannot claim ownership. Legally, this house belongs only to you and Liza.”
Sergey closed his eyes.
A strange mixture of anger and sadness filled him.
His own mother had planned this.
Not accidentally.
Not emotionally.
She had prepared everything.
When Sergey returned home, Nina was waiting.
“So?”
She smiled.
“Did you realize your mistake?”
Sergey placed the lawyer’s papers on the table.
“No.”
Her smile faded.
“I realized yours.”
Nina picked up the papers.
Her hands slowly began shaking.
“This is impossible.”
“No, Mom.”
Sergey looked at her.
“What’s impossible is that you thought you could destroy my family and nobody would find out.”
Liza stood behind him silently.
She had spent years trying to keep peace between Sergey and his mother.
But now she understood.
Some people did not want peace.
They wanted control.
Nina’s voice became louder.
“I am your mother!”
“And she is my wife.”
Sergey pointed toward Liza.
“And those girls are my daughters.”
He paused.
“My family is not something you can take away because you feel forgotten.”
Those words hurt Nina more than anything.
Because deep inside…
That was the truth.
She was not trying to steal a house.
She was trying to force her son to choose her again.
But she chose the wrong way.
Days later, the truth became even worse.
Sergey discovered another secret.
His mother had contacted a real estate agent.
She had already planned to sell the house.
Without permission.
Without telling them.
She had even found a buyer.
A wealthy businessman who thought he was purchasing a family property.
When Sergey revealed this information…
Nina finally broke.
“I just wanted you to remember me.”
Sergey looked at her sadly.
“Mom… I never forgot you.”
“But you replaced me.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I created my own family.”
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And that was the moment Nina realized she had lost something much more valuable than a house.
She had almost lost her son forever.
