The wife noticed that someone is in their apartment while she and her husband are.../Life stories

on Friday Patricia had a short day at the office as soon as the clock signaled the end of the workday her colleagues grabbed their bags and rushed home Patricia was delayed by her computer the old machine took a while to shut down as a result the young woman was the last to leave the office her husband couldn't pick her up from work as his boss had scheduled an important evening meeting that Max had to attend the boss never made decisions without Max's wife present it was strange but but Max found it oddly pleasing Patricia decided

not to call a taxi and opted for the bus taking a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood due to this she arrived home later than planned when Patricia entered the apartment she sensed unfamiliar sense in the hallway she sniffed the air and a second later the scent vanished as if it had never been there Patricia looked around for some reason everything else seemed normal nothing had changed even the large gold earrings casually left by the mirror were in their place definitely not burglars she jokingly said aloud C her time she forgot about it took a leisurely

shower dried her hair and went to warm up dinner in the fridge she noticed an empty packet of sausages it was full just yesterday and now only five remained Patricia was surprised that her husband Upon returning home had chosen sausages for dinner instead of lasagna with crab salad it didn't seem like Max but it was his choice Patricia set the table and sat down to eat eax returned late and declined food the meeting took place in a restaurant and he had a good meal there his wife didn't question him about the sausages throughout the following

week Patricia noticed Small Things indicating that someone was in their apartment in their absence water droplets appeared in the bathroom that weren't there in the morning bottles on the shelves changed positions and her CB was found lying on the floor on the weekend the couple went out of town and returned only on Sunday evening Patricia began loading clothes into the washing machine and discovered that it was wet they had been away for 2 days but the drum looked as if the laundry had just finished Max sometimes I feel like someone is in our apartment when

we're not here Patricia said thoughtfully how so her husband asked I don't know she replied but I have this feeling she told him about The Oddities in the apartment she had noticed recently our spare keys are with my parents why would they come all the way across the city to eat sausages and do laundry they seem to have a working washing machine it's just strange Patricia mused maybe Max agreed she rubbed her forehead thoughtfully Patricia maybe you're just tired from work lately stress can affect you like that Max suggested I don't know Patricia waved it

off but someone used the washing machine Patricia we used it Max replied it would have dried in 2 days she insisted Max sighed he came home later than his wife and felt that nothing changed in the apartment do you suspect my mom he asked who else Patricia my dear she left for her friends in another city 3 days ago she couldn't physically use our washing machine and her father even less so he is more interested in watching TV than washing or cooking for himself Patricia began to ponder again believe her mother-in-law really left she couldn't

have come her father-in-law doesn't see any point in visiting the young couple at all not because he is a sensitive father he simply doesn't care about how his younger son is doing well the Elder one too but with the Elder one Peter at least he could boast the man has achieved great success in the capital earns well bought a brand new EXP expensive car and owns a house the father-in-law never tires of expressing his respect for Peter as for Max he is considered a failure by his father no the younger one doesn't ask for money

from his parents he's not unemployed doesn't have bad habits or legal problems he never caused trouble for his parents and doesn't do it now if help is needed they always call Max and he never refuses because he is nearby in the city Max has a good job a c and has done Renovations in his apartment but his father doesn't consider the younger son's achievements worthy of attention moreover the father thinks the younger one hasn't achieved anything the next day Patricia noticed that her hair conditioner was completely gone she distinctly remembered there was half a bottle

left before she left Max did you take my conditioner she asked her husband no he replied you're again looking for traces of green men I had half left and now it's at the bottom Patricia insisted Ma sighed and looked irritatedly at his wife her Quirk scared him he was sure that no one was in their apartment it's just impossible if these are thieves why don't they take anything valuable shampoos and detergent are not the most valuable things in their apartment if it's Mom or Dad it's time to call a doctor why do two not so

young people travel across the city to take a bath in their son's house Max couldn't find a reasonable explanation for this he tried to talk to his mother but she assured him that she had never come to the apartment without an invitation the father was even more puzzled I told you women only bring problems he said learn from your brother HEK free and no one bothers him Max waved his hand and left the room he could never have a normal dialogue with his father soon Patricia realized what had happened to her air conditioner she found

traces of it on the tiles someone spilled it and then wiped it away ax insisted it wasn't him but if not him then who and while Max was thinking about which doctor to consult to help his wife Patricia anxiously inspected the apartment she felt very uncomfortable here the young woman went through every square meter carefully examining every corner nothing interesting was found it seems her paranoia is Playing Tricks on her Patricia seemed to calm down for a while but a couple of days later she noticed another Oddity for example the mirror in the hallway had

a fingerprint on it too large to belong to Patricia or Max both of them had neat fingers Max look a stain on the mirror now you won't argue with me clearly it's not yours or mine she said Patricia one of our friends could have left it Max suggested her last time we had guests was a month and a half ago I cleaned two weeks ago there was no stain here Patricia replied dear maybe we should see a doctor Max asked at the exit he looked her straight in the eyes Patricia realized that he wasn't joking

do you think I've gone crazy she asked no but maybe you have an obsessive thought we need to do something about it Max replied understood the woman replied offended she was simply certain that she wasn't imagining things Patricia's husband didn't believe her he referred her to a therapist who after careful listening prescribed medication to help her calm down but Patricia didn't feel any better she just stopped sharing her observations with her husband instead a plan matured in her mind for several consecutive days she left work early explaining it as her husband's illness her boss accommodated

her Patricia came home early hoping to catch an Uninvited Guest red-handed but every time she turned the key in the lock she found only a ringing emptiness the young woman woman pondered what was happening to her coming home earlier than usual for the fourth time she vowed that if everything was normal today she would admit to being unwell Patricia cautiously opened the door the water was running in the bathroom she glanced at the shoe rack Max was not home yet taking a step Patricia suddenly noticed unfamiliar men's shoes no it was definitely not her husband's

and she had no paranoia there was a truth that for some reason was being hidden from her and now she would find find out what it was Patricia wanted to burst into the bathroom to catch The Uninvited Guest off guard but she stopped in time it was better to wait for him in the room it was unlikely that an armed criminal had rushed in to steal some shampoo Patricia sat on the sofa in the living room and waited after a few minutes the sound of water stopped it became completely quiet as if the guest was

tiptoeing on the tiles the young woman got up approached the door frame and listened everything inside froze finally someone cracked open the bathroom door and judging by the soft steps walked into the corridor Patricia breathed a sigh of relief and left the room in the corridor she almost collided with her husband's brother Peter Peter recoiled in fear slightly slipping on the new laminate he wore a non-fresh T-shirt and quite stylish trousers wet hair clung to his forehead confusion filled his eyes you Patricia exclaimed claimed how did you end up here she had seen Peter only

a few times her husband's older brother lived in the capital and rarely visited family he was always busy solving some problems spinning around as if on a hot Skillet each of his visits was considered a celebration his mother would flutter around preparing Delicacies and tidying up the apartment other would Len up and rush to the store for good wine which however Peter refused to drink offering his own this time for some reason they kept quiet about the arrival of the beloved Son Patricia I'll explain everything her husband's brother said guiltily lowering his eyes well try

please she replied I thought I was going crazy and Max acted like he didn't know anything he didn't pretend he really didn't know nobody except mom knows that I'm here Serj added Patricia looked closely at Peter's face during their brief interaction she was most struck by his perpetually tired gaze it seemed that the sparks in this person's soul had long gone out his eyes looked completely empty and his smile seemed forced Patricia wondered why his parents didn't notice or pretended not to notice why all the secrecy Patricia asked did your mother give you the keys

yes he confirmed I couldn't go to them if you didn't want to live with them why couldn't you just ask us to take you in I don't understand I'll tell you but promise me that Dad and Max won't find out are you hiding from someone debt collectors Patricia tried to guess no I don't owe anyone anything not anymore Peter said he told Patricia that his business had hardly generated any income for several years despite taking significant loans to promote it nothing changed one day everything finally collapsed he had to close the company and urgently sell

assets to settle debts with the banks do you understand if it weren't for my vanity I wouldn't have gotten into such a mess I should have cut expenses downsized but I didn't want to I didn't want to take a step back it would have meant admitting that I couldn't handle it that I was weak he explained well yes after all you never lose in our eyes Patricia replied Serge chuckled well I couldn't present myself as a failure in front of friend friends father and brother seriously Patricia raised her eyebrows angrily you risked everything just so

someone wouldn't think you're weak bad news you never had and never will have friends maybe now I definitely don't Peter replied even big companies face crisis the most successful companies are on the brink of bankruptcy and it's okay take that step back work on your mistakes what's shameful about that Patricia questioned I know but I couldn't do it Peter irritably replied it's easier for me to pretend that everything is fine just because it couldn't be any other way your crown isn't tight Mr I do everything perfectly Patricia remarked sarcastically it's not tight Peter admitted the

brother-in-law seemed a bit offended by these words and now what will you quietly sabotage my sausages the young woman asked I'll think of something Peter replied but I'm ashamed ashamed to to go to my father and brother and admit that I messed up is sneaking into your brother's apartment not shameful Patricia retorted it is Peter sighed I'm very ashamed of the situation I'm in but I still can't face my father HEK so proud of me and I I'm not what he thinks of me I've never been successful smart lucky I always had problems with business

I'm in debt constantly maneuvering jumping from One loan to another just to maintain external stability and not become the black sheep if my father finds out that I've lost everything and I'm going to work for someone else it will be a disgrace I don't understand Patricia shook her head are you really willing to shape your whole life just to please your father no it's not about that Peter shook his head my mom will accept me no matter what but my father wants me to measure up Sister up to what Patricia wondered maybe I just don't

know are Are You The Heirs of some great Noble lineage and can't disgrace the family name Patricia felt a wave of irritation knowing everything about the brother's childhood and their relationship with their father she sincerely wondered where the older one got such reverence for this person Peter sighed loudly no we're just a simple family we always lived in poverty my father never achieved anything and didn't even try he went to work and didn't take extra shifts he worked from start to finish the family's dire situation didn't bother him my mom took odd jobs and he

watched TV read books he didn't teach us anything didn't help with anything but always laughed when things didn't work out for us my friends taught me how to ride a bike I was hoping he would commend me for learning something on my own but when I demonstrated my skills he just laughed he said I was riding a bike like a little girl I know these stories Patricia shrug and I doubly don't understand why you're so afraid of his judgment you've already achieved more than he has and lost it all I live in the cheapest apartment

don't even have a washing machine I'm living on my mom's money haven't found a job yet I came back to the city with just one suitcase it only contains the remnants of past luxury knock among those remnants were awful perfumes Patricia replied I smelled them immediately in the hallway Peter laughed really a awful yes Patricia answered they fell silent for a moment Patricia was still impressed by what she had heard she wanted to help Peter but in this situation only he could help himself he Max why don't you want to tell the truth he could

help you find a job Patricia sincerely asked asking my younger brother for help no I can't but you can secretly break into someone else's apartment Patricia felt herself getting angry stop it I'm ashamed very ashamed but if I confess to Max it will turn out he was right in what in everything in how to live in the fact that I was pursuing the wrong things in life oh my God Patricia exclaimed rolling her eyes I envy him Peter admitted he has a life and for years I blinded myself because of my stubbornness and vanity I

lost everything I had and now I stand in the hallway of my younger brother's apartment and realized that I had nothing valuable just dust Peter fell silent with a significant pause please don't tell Max that I've returned I was ready to install cameras in the apartment suspected Max had a lover even went to a therapist cured my neurosis and now when everything is clear you ask me not to tell him the truth no I'll tell him everything about you and your mom's brilliant idea to give keys to our apartment whoever she pleases This Time Peter

got angry I knew you were like that like what Patricia crossed her arms and gave her brother-in-law a stern look I hope Max can set your mind straight she said you'll stop playing The elusive guest and start living a normal life yes starting over is hard but it's better than fixating on a mistake there's no point in hiding you can't escape from yourself during the conversation between the two brothers Patricia noticed that Max kept searching Peter's face not finding something continuing the conversation and then searching again but no Max wouldn't laugh at him wouldn't say

hurtful words and wouldn't try to humiliate him if you want live with us he offered Patricia was okay with it once you find a job you can move out seriously absolutely Max nodded what did you expect that I would shame you Peter I thought you would judge me Peter admitted only for driving my wife crazy I really thought she was developing a Mania because of you his brother replied I'm sorry he said looking down you have a great wife by the way she's wise if not for her I would have kept hiding for a long

time but my dad will definitely say I'm a loser let him say it Max Shrugged he tells me that regularly so what should I stop living now for a long time I thought you were a failure ESP especially when you went back home after studying in the capital ma sincerely couldn't understand how someone could take such a step backward but then I saw you and I realized that I even envied you Max smiled for the first time in many years they spoke sincerely with each other Peter didn't boast didn't try to jab didn't interrupt or

argue his father took the news of his son's return with his characteristic coldness threw in a few sharp remarks added a couple couple of hurtful words he said he was disappointed and went back to watching TV he no longer brags about his Elder son more and more often in conversations with friends he reminisces about the younger one working at the Dasha Max from being a failure gradually turned into a worthy successor Peter found a job rented an apartment and moved out from his younger brother's place gradually he stopped mourning the Lost status as well as

the fact that his father no longer considered him successful he no longer lives someone else's life now Peter is absolutely sure that everything around him is his happiness his success his choice there are more important things in the world than status the size of the wallet and the opinions of others the main thing is to understand this before attempting to sneak into your brother's apartment to take a shower