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October rain drummed against the windows of her parents’ apartment. Kristina sat at the table in the living room, nervously fiddling with the edge of a napkin. Pavel perched beside her, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. Across from them sat her parents—Nikolai Petrovich and Valentina Ivanovna. Both looked solemn, even a little excited. The young … Read more

Svetlana came home from work late — outside, October dusk was already thickening, and the wind chased wet leaves along the asphalt. Kicking off her shoes in the entryway, she walked into the kitchen and froze on the threshold. Her husband Dmitry was sitting at the table, and across from him sat his mother, Galina … Read more

— “Galya, what, did you fall asleep? Petrov dropped his fork—bring him a clean one! And refresh the carafe too. You’re sitting there like some lady of the manor while people’s glasses are empty!” My husband’s voice cut through the clink of dishes and the buzz of conversation. Boris sat at the head of the … Read more

—That’s how we ended up falling out. We haven’t spoken for two months,” Anna Viktorovna told her friend sadly. Ella Andreyevna had been away for a long visit with her older son and his family, so she didn’t know about her friend’s quarrel. “He doesn’t call, and neither do I. How does that even happen? … Read more

Lika was just finishing her coffee during a break between appointments — a warm, slightly bitter sip was supposed to help her perk up before the next couple of hours of intense work. She set the cup down on the table and reached for a napkin when, with a loud clatter, a chair dropped down … Read more

Rita hadn’t seen her son for two years. From the new photos he posted on his profile, she knew that Vasya was doing fine—though she didn’t see it that way. He met Marta in his final year at university. By then, Vasya had been dating a sweet girl named Ira for two years, a girl … Read more

— “Well, if you’ve decided to ruin your life—then go on, Tanya, get out! Just remember: apartments are dust. Today you have them, tomorrow you don’t. But a husband and a child—that’s a cross you’ll carry for the rest of your life!” Galina Petrovna hissed, her knuckles white as she clamped onto the countertop as … Read more

— “Do you even understand what you’ve done?!” Roman’s voice broke into a shout as the door slammed shut behind his mother. Alina stood by the window, holding a cup of tea that had already gone cold. The tea trembled—just like her hands. “I protected myself,” she replied quietly. “You threw my mother out!” Roman … Read more

The phone vibrated on the kitchen table, and Marina saw her mother-in-law’s name on the screen—her heart instantly dropped, like an elevator when it jerks into motion. “Marina, open up, I’m by the entrance with my things!” Galina Petrovna’s voice burst into the line without any greeting. Marina froze with a half-finished mug of coffee … Read more

Nikolai Vorontsov had been used to unconditional recognition of his merits since childhood. His mother idolized him, teachers admired him, girls swooned. And how could it have been otherwise? Tall, well-built, with a perpetual half-smile on his lips and a sly squint in his gray eyes. At university they nicknamed him “the lucky one”—he always … Read more