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Marina stared at the laptop screen, where the third-quarter losses glowed in red digits. The numbers were honest, unlike the people behind the neighboring glass partition. The Kirillov family business had flourished for twenty years, but for the past six months something had been going wrong. “Marina, come here,” her father-in-law Viktor Semyonovich’s voice rang … Read more

Irina came back from the store with two bags of groceries. One—for her own family, the other—for her mother-in-law. October evening had already wrapped the city in dusk, the courtyard lights switching on earlier than usual. The woman climbed to the third floor, opened the apartment door, and the first thing she did was carry … Read more

The final payment went through on Friday evening. I stared at my phone screen, at the numbers in the banking app, and couldn’t believe it. Eight years. For eight years I’d set aside that amount every month, cut back on everything, worked two jobs for the first three. A two-room apartment on the outskirts, but … Read more

Three hundred and eighty thousand!” Inessa slammed the bank statement onto the table, watching the white sheets scatter across the surface. “Rodion, where’s the money?!” Her husband didn’t even bother to tear his eyes away from the TV screen, continuing to flip through channels. “What money?” he muttered indifferently. “The very money we’ve been saving … Read more

— Galka, are you out of your mind? We’ve been married eight years! — Yura looked at his wife in bewilderment as she methodically packed his things into a duffel bag. — Exactly! Eight years I’ve put up with your rudeness and your buddies! And now — ENOUGH! — What rudeness? What are you even … Read more

— “Your husband can have his birthday without you. You go meet my daughter,” the mother-in-law said brazenly. Victoria slowly lifted her eyes from the colorful gift boxes she was neatly arranging on the table. In the doorway stood Evelina Markovna—her mother-in-law—draped in an expensive dress the color of burgundy wine. “Excuse me, WHAT?” Victoria … Read more

The first big milestone for our little one—his fifth birthday—was an event I began preparing for months in advance. Our child was growing and changing, each day full of new discoveries, but this birthday felt special to me. I wanted it to be a bridge between two very different worlds, two shores of one family. … Read more

Irina grew up a quiet child. She did well in school, but her parents rarely came to meetings. Yet at her younger sister Olga’s performances, they were always in the front row, filming and applauding louder than anyone. “Olga is our talented one,” their mother would say whenever Irina brought home another top grade. “And … Read more

— No one’s asking you, Zhenya, — said Irina Alekseevna, sitting at the kitchen table in the city apartment. — It isn’t reasonable to cling to that kind of property. A hundred kilometers from the city! Think about it yourself—what’s the point? Evgeniya set the plate on the table with a bit more force than … Read more

Their home was like a large, quiet, well-oiled machine. Twenty years of marriage. The children had grown up and moved out. At forty-five, Irina finally felt she could exhale. She worked as an art historian and had her own small gallery. Her husband, Oleg, was a successful business consultant. Their huge country house, which they … Read more