He outwitted himself

After the divorce, Denis gave himself a word - never again—no more foot in the registry office. And I can't say that his ex-wife was the one who took him in; the money for the apartment was given equally by his parents on both sides, and both of them paid the rest. So they divided it fairly. Huff, an older woman, is breathing incense. Half of the cost that Denis paid in court did not put him in bankruptcy.

 Alimony

 Yes, it seems it's a shame to lose a quarter of your salary. On the other hand, now no one will force him to drag himself to a parent-teacher meeting and take a kicking, capricious girl to the doctor. No one will kick you out for taking a walk on the playground on the weekend, and no one will be indignant that he has again taken his daughter from the very last extended day. Now this does not concern him. Now he will be a holiday dad. For this, even a quarter of the salary is not spared.

In short, financially, the divorce was not a disaster, but the court proceedings... Disassembly... Scandals... It would be a different matter if we lived like this, in a civil marriage. I'm tired, tired – I'm sorry, dear, we're not on the same path anymore! "You throw your things into the car and you're as free as the wind in the field!" Well, or he packed her things in a suitcase and called a taxi. However, Denis was more inclined to the first option. Letting someone into his territory was not part of his plans. The ideal is a woman with a living space who will not seek to ring him at any cost.

 Denis found a new divorcee.

 He who seeks, he will find. Three years later, Denis met Cathrine. Of course, she did not reach the ideal at all, because she had a serious flaw: a ten-year-old daughter, the same age as Denis's daughter. On the other hand... On the other hand, everything was as Denis dreamed. Cathrine divorced her husband, unable to bear his infidelity. "Say thank you for marrying you," her ex-husband told her, not at all remorseful when he was caught red-handed. "Is that what you wanted?" You got it. You should be grateful to me for that."

 For some reason, Cathrine was not satisfied with this situation. Yes, she said that she does not recognize cohabitation, which is shamefully called a "civil marriage", so he must make a choice - either we get married, or we run apart from each other. And he proposed. Now it turned out that she had begged him to marry her, and he had done her great honor. Cathrine filed for divorce and swore to herself that she would "never set foot in the registry office again." However, the biggest plus was that just a year after the divorce, Cathrine inherited her mother's two-room apartment. The apartment was not very large, and it was not very well located, but it was mine. No rents, no mortgages.

Come and live with me, Denis.

And a year later, Denis appeared.  Of course, he offered to let her live with him in a gentlemanly way. But... He had a one-room apartment. On the ground floor. In a good area, but with a view of the old cemetery. And Cathrine said that it was more convenient for her to live in her territory. Plus, there is a good school nearby, where her daughter has excellent relations with both teachers and classmates. "If you don't mind, move in with me," Cathrine suggested, "or we'll just meet," and Denis, of course, took advantage of the offer.

They began to live happily ever after, and even to do a little good. Denis managed to rent his apartment to a writer who wrote mystical stories, and the view from the window greatly inspired him. Therefore, without haggling, he agreed to a slightly inflated price and said that he would move in today. This is the money that Denis put aside, dreaming of saving up for a new (okay, at least newer) car.

They did not quarrel with Cathrine. With her daughter, they kept even, polite neighborly relations, which suited all parties. They led a simple life and even took a joint vacation by the sea. A year passed, and Cathrine's old grandfather quietly died, leaving her, as the only heiress, his one-room apartment. Cathrine buried her grandfather, made maintenance repairs in his apartment, and as soon as she entered into inheritance rights, she also began to rent out the apartment. True, she earned less money than Denis; she was unlucky with strange writers. Besides, she immediately decided to pay taxes. "Stupid, who needs it?" - Denis laughed at her, and Cathrien answered: "Me." She also saved money for my daughter's studies.

 Three years later, Cathrine said that she wanted to sell both apartments and buy a three-room apartment—a big, good one. Make repairs, change furniture. There should be enough money for everything, she has already found out. And here Denis surprised her very much. He proposed to her.

Marry me Denis

"You know," he said to her, "I remember that you need it, but... I need it. Suddenly, I realized that it was all wrong. I don't want to be your roommate. I want to be your husband. And I want you to be my wife. Look, we've been together for so many years. We feel good together, and we love each other. Our relationship has stood the test of time. Marry me!" It was very unexpected, and Cathrine asked for time to think. Denis, however, did not lag. He did not press or demand, but he started talking about it all the time. As you know, water wears away even stone. In addition, Denis was nothing like her ex-husband. He was calm and thorough. Greedy, stingy – yes. But this is not the biggest sin. And Cathrine gave in, however, setting a condition,

 all sorts of "bitter!", pigeons, and photo shoots. Denis was more than satisfied with this. They signed that it did not entail any changes in their relationship at all. Denis did not collapse on the sofa with a beer, and Cathrine did not turn into a hysterical, consistently dissatisfied person. Everything remained as it was before. For a year and a half. And then Denis suddenly filed for divorce. "I don't understand anything!" – Cathrine was stunned. "I'm sorry, but I suddenly realized that I was plunging with you into some kind of sleepy swamp. There is no brightness or drive in you..." - "Have you just noticed this? I've always been like that." - "No, not seas. I thought I could live without it. Alas. I was wrong. I'm a living person..." - "And tell me, a living person," Cathrine suddenly asked shrewdly, "Isn't there someone brighter here than me, who promises to pull you out of this swamp? Or is it already pulling?" - "It doesn't matter at all!" - Denis flared up. Even though there had never been any African passion between them, the divorce turned out to be an excruciating blow for Cathrine.

 Something unexpected happened.

 After all, "nothing foreshadowed". And Denis persuaded her to this marriage, she did not immediately agree, and here it is... She didn't understand anything. Absolutely nothing. Until I found out that there was to be a trial on the division of marital property. Namely, a three-room apartment... "It's you! It's all you.. - Furious Denis rushed around the tiny kitchen and shook his finger in front of the nose of a beautiful, sleek woman who was sitting at the table with a glass of wine in her hands and looking at him in surprise. His delight, admiration, and the love he had felt for her for two years had gone somewhere. Now he almost hated her. You said that everything would work out! What did you talk to the lawyer?" - "I did," the woman nodded. – Was the apartment bought during marriage? In marriage. So it can be divided." Oh yeah! Denis grabbed his hair and pulled hard. - Why did I listen to you?" - "Can you sit down and calmly explain what happened?" - "Calmly? He hovered over her and yelled in her face. –Apartment

 Cathrine presented a counterclaim.

 The apartment was purchased with the money from the sale of the flats she inherited. Understand? Legacy! And she can easily prove it! And she... She's freaked out! At first, she was ready to disperse simply, but when she found out about the lawsuit... I filed a counterclaim... On the section of my new car." "Why didn't you tell me anything about the inheritance? You said – WE bought it. That's what I told the lawyer - you bought together in marriage. So, this is your joint, not mine. And not a lawyer," the woman grinned calmly, "And the car... You also bought it with your money. You rented out your premarital apartment. You can prove it too. The lease agreement... Taxes paid... Well, I don't know... Transfers are probably made monthly to your card... So, you shouldn't panic." He did not have any contracts but rather avoided paying taxes. For the same purpose, he went personally to collect money every month, taking it in cash.

 He sank into a chair, exhausted, snatched a glass from the woman's hand, and in one sip, Denis drank the wine in one gulp, put his head in his hands, and howled softly. Something about a crane, about a sage, and simplicity was spinning in his head, but he could not understand what it was. The feeling of complete failure took possession of him more and more.