The grandson stood at the edge of the pier, smiling as if he was about to do something completely harmless.
— Grandma, do you remember saying you couldn’t swim and always wanted to learn?
She nervously adjusted her headscarf and looked at the water. The lake seemed dark and cold.
— Yes, I said that. But I’m afraid of water. Very afraid. Please don’t joke like that.
— Stop being so dramatic, — the nineteen-year-old laughed. — You’re just working yourself up.
She stepped back, but he was quicker. A light push to her back — and she instantly lost her balance. She fell into the water, hit the surface, and disappeared for a moment.
When she resurfaced, pure terror filled her eyes.
— Help me… I can’t… — her voice broke.
SHE TRIED TO GRAB THE EDGE OF THE PIER, BUT HER HANDS SLIPPED ON THE WET WOOD. HER CLOTHES DRAGGED HER DOWN, HER BREATH TURNED CHAOTIC. SHE STRUGGLED, SWALLOWED WATER, AND SANK AGAIN.
Laughter echoed from the pier.
— Record this, record this, this is epic, — the daughter-in-law said, holding up her phone.
— Grandma, you deserve an Oscar, — shouted the second grandson.
Her own son stood aside, smirking.
— She’s pretending, she just wants attention, — he said calmly, as if discussing the weather.
She went under again, and for a moment there was silence. But when she surfaced coughing, the laughter resumed.
— Enough of the show, just get out already, — the daughter-in-law said impatiently.
NO ONE OFFERED HER A HAND.
Eventually, she managed to reach the edge, pulled herself up with her elbows, and dragged herself onto the pier. She lay there, breathing heavily, water dripping from her hair, her lips trembling.
The laughter slowly faded.
She slowly got up. Looked at them for a long time — without shouting, without tears. Just a gaze with neither pleading nor weakness.
And at that very moment, she did something that shocked them all.
Water still ran down her body, her dress clung to her, her hands trembled — not from cold, but from humiliation.
The grandson still smiled, though less confidently.
— Grandma, come on, it was just a joke…
SHE DID NOT ANSWER. SLOWLY TOOK HER PHONE OUT OF HER POCKET. HER FINGERS WERE WET, BUT SHE HELD IT FIRMLY.
— Hello. Police? I want to report an attempted murder. I have evidence. A video should be enough.
Their faces changed instantly.
— What are you doing? — the daughter-in-law whispered, turning pale.
— What I should have done a long time ago, — the woman said calmly.
The daughter-in-law rushed forward and tried to delete the recording.
— We’ll delete it now and forget everything, Mom, don’t make a scene, — the son interfered.
But the older woman was faster. She snatched the phone from her hand so abruptly that she couldn’t react.
— DON’T EVEN TRY, — she said quietly.
For the first time, the smile disappeared from the grandson’s face.
— Grandma, you don’t mean that…
— Your badly raised son will face consequences, — she cut the daughter-in-law off and looked at her firmly. — And you will regret raising him like this. Though… he simply became just like you.
The son stepped closer.
— Mom, you’re overreacting. We’re family.
— Family doesn’t push someone into the water who is afraid and cannot swim, — she replied.
She straightened up, as if the water had washed away not only dirt but her fear as well.
TOMORROW YOU WILL MOVE OUT OF MY APARTMENT. I WILL NO LONGER SUPPORT YOU. I DON’T CARE THAT YOU HAVE NO MONEY. YOU ARE ADULTS. LEARN TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS.
No one laughed anymore.
— You will regret what you did to me, — she said calmly.
Sirens were already heard in the distance.
