Vera walked up to the fourth floor, trying not to spill the herbal tincture Grandma Gulfiya had prepared in a small glass jar. In her sports bag were massage oil, towels, and a notebook where she recorded every change in Stepan Gennadyevich’s condition. She had started the treatment course three days earlier and was already … Read more
Darya ran across the station square faster than Olympic champions. Her heels clicked against the asphalt in a frantic rhythm, and only one thought spun through her head: “Please, let me make it!” The business trip to Yekaterinburg was important. It was her first serious project after her promotion at the advertising agency. To fail … Read more
Rita woke to the barely audible crying of her daughter. Half-asleep, she glanced at her phone. Half past six in the morning. It was still dark outside; December had been especially gloomy this year. Stanislav was sleeping with his arms spread out and did not even stir at little Masha’s whimpering. “Stas,” she whispered, nudging … Read more
Anfisa stood at the stove, dreamily thinking that right now she could have been sitting in a cozy little restaurant on Pokrovka, eating a delicious warm salad with goat cheese and drinking expensive wine, instead of conjuring up fifteen portions of Olivier salad. She could have put on a beautiful dress, painted her lips, and … Read more
— Nastya, are you serious? Fourteen million! That’s a whole fortune! I’ve never even seen that kind of money in my wildest dreams! Her sister squealed with excitement so loudly that Nastya involuntarily smiled. Eva had always been emotional, but this time she was clearly overdoing it. — Keep it down! — the woman hissed, … Read more
Valentina signed the last document and leaned back in her chair. Outside her office window, rows of sewing machines could be seen. Their small women’s clothing factory was operating at full capacity. After major Western brands left Russia, orders had tripled. Domestic stores were literally lining up for their products. Five years earlier, she and … Read more
They had gathered the way they always did, for the kind of occasion that practically organized itself: Valentina Petrovna’s sixtieth birthday. To be honest, Svetlana had thought about finding an excuse not to come. Too many clients. Accounting not finished. Or simply, “Sorry, I’m sick.” But Mikhail had looked at her with such guilty, puppy-like … Read more
“You’re not the one in charge here.” “Either your mother is not moving in with us, or there will be no wedding,” Ella said, surprised at how calm her own voice sounded. Sasha stood by the kitchen window as if a draft had pinned him there. His phone was still in his hand. On the … Read more
“You’ve completely lost it, Marina,” Igor said quietly, yet every word rang like a wire pulled too tight. “My mother only hinted that we had a spare room, and you’re already building a border wall.” “It is not our spare room,” Marina replied without raising her voice, which made her words cut even deeper. “It … Read more
“Liz, we need to talk,” Roma said as he walked into the apartment and headed straight for the kitchen, where Liza was making dinner. “Did something happen?” she asked, turning around and wiping her hands on a towel. “Mom called. She wants to come stay for a week,” he said, sitting down on a stool … Read more