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— So, how do you like the vacation, dear? Just don’t faint from happiness!” Antonina Petrovna theatrically took off her glasses, folded her arms across her chest, and made a “million-dollar face.” “This isn’t Anapa for eight hundred rubles, it’s Sochi! Practically Europe!” she added breathily, glancing at Lena’s sandals as if they were soggy … Read more

Natalya looked around the room with pride. The new wallpaper with a delicate pattern and the modern furniture were a pleasure to the eye. The renovation of her own two-room apartment was finally finished. “Mom, can you believe it? I stayed within the budget!” Natalya reported happily over the phone. “I even have enough left … Read more

Tanya was sorting through the documents in her desk drawer, trying to bring order to papers that had piled up for years. Among old receipts and manuals for long-broken appliances, she found the divorce certificate. December. Four months had already passed. The divorce from Misha had turned out strangely ordinary. No shouting, no smashing dishes. … Read more

“You’ll be the brightest star—the most gifted of them all. They’ll notice you, and your name will be on every poster.” Sophia folded over the blanket that covered her father and wept into its edge. His hand—weak but still warm—found her hair and drifted through it. “Don’t cry, my girl,” he whispered. “Fate isn’t fooled. … Read more

— Gena, are you absolutely sure you’ve thought this through? — Mom… — I know exactly what I’m saying. She’s only with you for the money, isn’t she? Gennady exhaled, a slow, weary breath. — Mom, I get why you’re worried, but you’re wrong. There’s no arguing with you anyway—you won’t change your mind. Believe … Read more

“Just make sure all the documents in Svetlana’s name are in perfect order,” Tamara Igorevna’s voice oozed metal and molasses at once. She was addressing the notary but looking at me. Her gaze was like a surgeon’s before an operation—cold, appraising, faintly disgusted. Her daughter, Svetlana, sat beside her with lips pressed tight. A copy … Read more

A tiny black lens was staring at her from between the spines of the books. Irina brushed the dust off the shelf and froze. Her fingers stopped a millimeter from the glass. This wasn’t part of the décor. It was a camera. Her brain refused to accept it, shoving forward rational explanations: maybe it was … Read more

My husband has decided he’s so important that he can lay down the law for me. My spouse, Dmitry, suddenly decided he’s the center of the universe and can boss me around. And how! His demands make my blood run cold. He threatened me with divorce if I don’t stop seeing my daughter, Alisa, from … Read more

Tatiana found out about her husband’s affair by accident. As so often happens, wives are the last to know. Only later did Tatiana grasp the meaning of her colleagues’ strange looks and the whispers behind her back. Everyone at work knew that her best friend, Nadezhda, was having an affair with her husband, Andrei. But … Read more

— “Al, I’m coming from Mom’s. She’s decided to start a renovation,” Igor tossed his keys onto the hall table and walked into the kitchen, where Alla, bent over a large sheet of drafting paper, was carefully drawing with a fine mechanical pencil. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and graphite. “She wants everything … Read more