— Mom, maybe grandma should just leave and get lost? It would be better for everyone, — Masha said defiantly.

Mash, don’t forget to lock the door,” Mom said tiredly, rising from the table. “Mom, how many times? Are you going to remind me for the rest of your life?” fifteen-year-old Masha replied, feeling hurt. “Not for life, but as long as grandma lives with us. If she goes outside, she will get lost and…” … Read more

The brother looked after his sister while mom was working. But no one could even imagine…

Marina Sergeyevna noticed that Sashka stopped attending classes in mid-November. Initially, she thought the boy was just sick—autumn, viruses, nothing unusual. But a week passed, then another, and he was still absent. During breaks, she caught herself waiting for Sashka to enter the class, sit at his desk by the window, and pull out his … Read more

A little lost girl wandered into the ward of a dying rich man. And he wanted to live.

There are always differences between the rich and the poor, the kind and the evil, the educated and the uneducated. All this becomes irrelevant when a person enters the emergency room. Ambulance services are open to everyone. Everyone there is simply a patient. Yet, even here, some manage to secure better conditions for themselves. Lev … Read more

The wealthy husband, upon their divorce, gave his wife a loss-making farm in the middle of nowhere. But a year later, he couldn’t even imagine…

— “You know I don’t need you hanging around here,” Maxim told his wife. “So I suggest you move to the village.” — “What village, Maxim? What are you talking about?” Tamara didn’t care anymore. Her closest person had betrayed her. They had started from scratch together. Tamara had sold her apartment, and Maxim had … Read more

The daughter of a drinking father was humiliated at school. She got a job as a cleaner to save for her graduation.

The last year turned out to be the most challenging for Nina during her entire time at school. Previously, some students still thought about studying, but in the senior class, it seemed everyone forgot why they were there. Relationships were forming around her, and future plans, money, and clothes were being discussed. Nina felt as … Read more

Irina didn’t manage to end her husband’s call and unexpectedly caught a woman’s voice on the other end.

Irina stood by the window, staring blankly at the falling St. Petersburg snow. The phone conversation with her husband was coming to an end—a typical, unremarkable call, like the many they had over fifteen years of marriage. Yura was reporting on his “business trip” in Moscow: all was well, meetings were successful, he would return … Read more