“How a penniless husband and his mother tried to keep a woman’s gift, but ended up empty-handed.”

Anna looked up from the bank notification on her phone. Another transfer. Another expense. Alex had spent money again without telling her.

— “Alex, what is this transfer of one hundred thousand for?” her voice sounded tense. — “Oh, that?” the husband didn’t even turn away from the computer. “New equipment for work. The old stuff is useless now.” — “Equipment?” Anna slowly stood up. “For a hundred thousand?”

She was boiling inside. One time three hundred thousand for some courses, another time two hundred thousand for “important tools.” Always the same story.

— “Anna, don’t start again,” Alex finally turned around. “It’s an investment in our future.” — “Investment?” her voice trembled with contained rage. “Alex, we’re renting! We don’t even have decent savings!” — “So what? Are we going to spend our lives hoarding money and never spending anything?”

Anna started pacing the room, but every step only increased her fury. Her dream was to have their own home. They planned to save. And he was squandering money recklessly.

— “We had an agreement!” she stopped abruptly. “Big purchases only after discussing them together!” — “You’re against all spending,” he waved his hand dismissively. — “I’m against useless spending.”

Alex looked back at the screen. That gesture always infuriated Anna.

— “Alex, I’m talking to you!” — “I hear you,” he mumbled. “Another sermon about how irresponsible I am.” — “Not irresponsible, but reckless!”

She sat on the edge of the armchair, clutching the phone. — “In the last three months, you’ve spent six hundred thousand! Six hundred!” — “So what? Money is meant to be spent.” — “To be spent wisely!” Anna stood up. “Not to be thrown away on nonsense!”

He also stood up: — “It’s not nonsense! It’s necessary stuff for progress.” — “Progress in what? In your fantasies?”

The silence became heavy. — “So, it’s my fault we still live in a rented place,” his voice turned cold. — “I didn’t mean that…” — “No, you said it clearly,” he smiled bitterly. “Bad husband, a failure, an obstacle to you.”

The following days passed in tense silence. Anna’s birthday was approaching.

In the morning, the phone rang. — “Happy birthday, daughter!” her mother’s voice sounded cheerful. “Come down right away!”

Her parents were waiting in front of the building. A brand-new car gleamed beside them. — “Mom, Dad, what is this?” — “Your gift!” her father handed her the keys.

Anna took them with trembling hands. The car shone in the sun. — “It’s too much…” — “Nothing is too much for you,” her mother smiled. “The papers are already in your name.”

Anna looked at her husband. He stood to the side, with a forced smile.

But the next day, the problems began.

— “Where are you going?” Alex blocked the doorway. — “To work.” Anna held up the keys. — “In my car?”

Anna froze. — “It’s my car. My parents gave it to me. The papers are in my name.” — “It’s a gift for the family. And in the family, the man is the head.”

— “What nonsense are you talking about? It was a personal gift, for my birthday!” — “A woman behind the wheel is dangerous,” he said in a lecturing tone. “Accident statistics prove it.” — “What statistics?” Anna couldn’t believe her ears. “I’ve been driving for ten years without a single accident!”

That morning changed everything. Anna looked at her husband’s face, whom she had once seen as a source of support, and now saw as a stranger. Alex stood in the doorway, arms crossed, like a guardian, not a companion.

“Anna, listen to me carefully,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. “That car is an opportunity for me, for us. I must drive it, I decide.”

Anna shook her head, barely containing her anger.

— It’s a gift from my parents to me. The documents are in my name. You’re not the owner.

He let out a short, contemptuous laugh.

— Documents, papers… That doesn’t mean anything. In a family, other things matter.

At that moment, Anna understood that the argument wasn’t about a car. It was about control, about respect, about her dignity. She felt something inside her break.

The pressure from Alex’s mother

A few days later, Alex’s mother, Doña María, appeared at the apartment. With a forced smile, she took the car keys that were on the table.

“What a lovely gift for the family,” he said. “And of course, my son should be the one to use it. What would a woman need a car like that for?”

Anna bit her lip, trying not to explode. But Maria didn’t stop.

— Don’t forget, Anna, that the husband is the head of the family. The car is for him. You should take care of the house, the shopping, and someday the children.

“Mrs. Maria,” Anna interrupted in a cold voice, “my parents gave me the gift, not your son. I’m sorry, but you have no right to it.”

Maria’s eyes sparked with anger.

— How dare you speak to me like that?

Alex, who had remained silent until then, raised his hand asking for calm.

— Mom is right. It’s my responsibility to decide what we do with the car.

Anna stood up abruptly, her heart racing.

— If you think I’m going to stay silent and let you treat me like a servant, you’re very wrong!

The decisive moment

That night Anna didn’t sleep a wink. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she thought about the years she had spent with Alex. She remembered the promises, the dreams, the plans they had shared. But reality was different: a husband who ignored her voice, who spent money without warning, and who even wanted to take away the gift from her parents.

At dawn, with his eyes swollen from insomnia, he made a decision.

When Alex woke up, she was waiting for him in the living room. On the table were the car’s registration papers and a suitcase.

“Alex,” she said calmly, “I’m leaving for a while. I can’t go on living like this.”

“Are you leaving?” Her face tensed. “And where do you plan to go?”

— To my parents’ house. I’ll stay there until you understand what really matters.

He tried to stop her, but Anna raised her hand.

— Don’t try to control me anymore. If you want to save this marriage, you have to learn what respect means.

He left the apartment with a determined stride. The car keys were in his pocket.

The support of his family

At home, her parents welcomed her with open arms. Her father, Juan, said firmly:

— My daughter, that gift was for you. No one has the right to take it away from you. And if your husband doesn’t understand that, it means he doesn’t deserve you.

Her mother hugged her and whispered:

— We will support you, whatever you decide.

The days at home brought Anna back to calm. She drove the car with pride, feeling free for the first time in a long time.

The final confrontation

A week later, Alex showed up at his in-laws’ house. He looked tired, but he was still stubborn.

— Anna, come home. We can’t live like this.

“You’re right,” she replied coldly. “We can’t live like this. But I won’t come back until you understand that you don’t own me.”

“I am the man…” he began, but Anna interrupted him:

— No! You’re my partner, not my master. If you don’t accept that, we have no future.

For the first time, Alex seemed lost. His voice trembled:

— I don’t want to lose you.

Anna looked at him firmly:

— Then prove it. Change. Respect me.

The election

Months passed. Alex truly tried to make amends: he found a new job, started saving, and stopped spending money without consulting her. The car was exclusively for Anna, and he never again mentioned that “the man of the family” should drive it.

But the wound was still there. One night, Anna looked at him for a long time and said:

— Alex, I appreciate your effort. But I can’t forget how you tried to humiliate me, how you and your mother tried to take what was mine.

He lowered his head.

— I know. I was blind.

Anna took a deep breath.

— I don’t know if we can stay together. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t. But one thing you should know: I will never again allow myself to be treated like a voiceless woman.

Epilogue

Time passed. Anna kept the car, but more importantly, she kept her dignity. Her story became an example of courage for her friends.

She didn’t know if her marriage would survive, but she was certain that the future belonged to her. For the first time in years, she felt she was in control of her life.

And then, as she drove to work with the morning sun illuminating her face, Anna smiled. Not because of the gift, not because of the car, but because she had regained her strength.