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The woman froze by the stove, where she was stirring a vegetable stew. The wooden spoon stopped in her hand, and her gaze sank into the bubbling mix of peppers and eggplants. For the third month in a row, Danil had been meeting her from work with the same demand. “I already told you I’ll … Read more

Galina stood by the front door, blocking Elena Pavlovna’s way. In the young woman’s eyes burned a fire her mother-in-law had never seen before. Behind Galina, children’s laughter rang out – four-year-old Timofey was playing with his building blocks in the living room. “You demanded I get an abortion, remember?” Galina asked her former mother-in-law. … Read more

It seemed that on that day the sun was shining especially bright, flooding the city streets with liquid, warm gold that glinted off car windows and peeked curiously into every window. It felt as if the universe itself was tuning up to a new, major key, getting ready to perform a symphony dedicated to a … Read more

The solid vault of the sky split open, pouring endless streams of cold, piercing rain down onto the earth. The monotonous drumming of heavy drops on the roof of the old car blended with the quick, anxious rhythm of her own heart. Margarita was gripping the steering wheel with damp, almost numb hands, trying to … Read more

“You live off everything that’s already done for you, you haven’t put in a single kopeck of your own!” my mother-in-law hissed while I silently set the table in the apartment whose renovation I had paid for down to the last ruble. They thought I would endure it forever. They didn’t know I had already … Read more

Valentina stood at the stove, mechanically stirring the vegetable stew. The kitchen smelled of braised eggplant and spices. Outside, the October day was slowly fading, painting the sky in pale lilac tones. From the living room came Sergei’s loud voice—once again he was telling someone over the phone what a “spineless” wife he had. “Can … Read more

Raisa sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the suitcase. Not opened, not packed — just standing there like a silent reproach. Black, worn, with one crooked wheel that had gotten stuck in a cracked tile back in Turkey and since then rattled like a pot full of peas. For two years … Read more

“Let’s get divorced. That’ll be fairer. I’ll take out the mortgage in my name, and you can be added later when you come back from maternity leave.” Anya was sitting by the window, gently stroking her rounded belly, when her husband Dmitry said these words. In one hand he was holding a cup of tea, … Read more

Katya put the kettle on and, while it hummed, leaned her shoulder against the cool doorframe. The evening dragged lazily on: from the window came the voices of kids in the yard, someone was kicking a ball around and arguing whose turn it was to stand in goal. Mint in a mug on the windowsill … Read more

Maybe we should just hand her your bank card too?” Kira threw the bank envelope onto the table, the one she had just picked up from the little stand in the hallway. Denis froze in the kitchen doorway, tugging off his scarf. Outside, November rain drummed on the window ledge; the apartment smelled of braised … Read more