Anna hurried up the stairs of the notary’s office, nearly half an hour late. The city traffic had been brutal, and the bus had broken down halfway there. Her heart was racing—not only from climbing so fast, but from anxiety, too. Today was the day her grandmother’s inheritance would finally be decided. In the waiting … Read more
That evening, Maria came home from work later than usual. From the hallway she heard water rushing in the kitchen and realized Kirill—her husband—was washing the dishes. He normally did it with obvious reluctance, but today he must have decided to lend a hand. She moved quietly down the corridor, slipped off her coat, and … Read more
— Marinochka, dear, what on earth is that on your stove? an indignant voice echoed from the kitchen. — Borscht is simmering, Marina answered without looking up from her paperwork. — Borscht? That’s not borscht. That’s dishwater! Lyudmila Georgievna stormed out of the kitchen with a pot in her hands. Marina raised her eyes and … Read more
Anna first met Svetlana at Dmitry’s birthday party, when he and Anna had only just started dating. Dima’s sister showed up two hours late and stepped into the apartment like she was on a catwalk—flashy, loud, instantly pulling every eye toward herself. She swept her gaze over the guests and stopped on Anna. “So this … Read more
Viktoria was setting plates on the table when the doorbell rang. Exactly six o’clock. Her mother-in-law always arrived to the minute, as if Galina Nikolaevna had a Swiss clock ticking inside her. “Coming, coming!” Vika called, wiping her hands on a towel. She opened the door. Galina Nikolaevna stood on the doorstep in a beige … Read more
Yulia stood by the window, staring out at the city as evening settled in. Streetlights glimmered in the rain-darkened asphalt, and people hurried home after work. A three-bedroom apartment right in the city center was the kind of dream most urban residents never stopped chasing. She had bought this place five years earlier—long before she … Read more
— What the hell are you doing?! — Andrey stormed into the entryway, nearly ripping the door off its hinges. Marina didn’t even blink. She stood at the mirror, fixing her earrings — the same pearl ones he’d given her for their tenth anniversary. Three years ago. Six months before he slammed the door and … Read more
“Oh, Lyudochka, could you cover it? I think I left my card on the hallway table…” Lyubov Petrovna flung her hands up so dramatically that the cashier froze for a second, still holding a bag of frozen shrimp. Behind us, the line hissed with annoyance. Friday night—everyone’s trying to get home, and here we are, … Read more
Marina stood in the middle of the kitchen and watched her husband, Oleg, carve off a piece of juicy pork chop with pure enjoyment. The smell was so rich it made her stomach cramp—she was eight months pregnant, and she wanted that meat so badly. Her hemoglobin had been dropping for three months straight. The … Read more
“Shut your mouth—Mom’s the one speaking here!” my husband snapped so loudly the teaspoon in my hand rang against the saucer. I went still. A thick, suffocating silence settled over the table. My mother-in-law, Raisa Andreevna, smoothed the collar of her blouse with the triumphant air of someone pinning a medal to her own chest. … Read more