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Vera sat in the kitchen and stared out the window. Rain drummed against the glass. Life was over. “Mom, what are you doing in there?” her daughter Katya shouted from the hallway. “Sitting and being sad again?” “I’m not sad,” Vera lied. “Just drinking tea.” Katya walked into the kitchen, looked at her mother, and … Read more

Katya, I talked to Mom today. A long talk—thorough. So, we’ve thought it over and decided it’s time for her to move in with us.” Oleg said it in his usual, slightly lazy tone—the same one he used to comment on a football match or the weather outside. He was sitting deep in an armchair, … Read more

Roma, it’s me. Can you come over now? I urgently need the jars.” Zhanna Arkadyevna’s voice in the receiver carried no trace of a question. It assumed no refusal, allowed no objections. It was that coaxing yet steely tone Roman had learned to hate since his teens. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge … Read more

She wasn’t taking revenge. She simply signed a document. Sometimes justice arrives quietly—without pomp, but with a cool satisfaction that lasts longer than applause. Rita set down her pen and closed the personnel folder for the finance department employees. Staff reduction was always an unpleasant procedure, but the company was going through a restructuring, and … Read more

I’m not going to pay for your family, got it?” she said bluntly—without raising her voice, but with such chill that the air in the kitchen seemed to freeze. Ilya slowly lifted his eyes from his cup of coffee, foam sliding down the sides. He didn’t understand right away what she’d said. Or maybe he … Read more

Well hello there, Victoria,” came the voice—icy polite. “I want you to know something. You turned my son against his family. He used to be a normal man. Now he’s a doormat.” “Are you calling to insult me?” Victoria opened the fridge and took out some kefir. She didn’t have the strength to be angry … Read more

Diana stood in the kitchen, staring at her phone screen. A message from her mother-in-law, Alla Gennadyevna, glowed like an unnaturally bright blot in the evening half-dark: “Pasha, just a reminder—my birthday is on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. I’m expecting you and Seryozha. There’ll be a big spread. Ask Diana for me to bake a … Read more

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

“By the way, I didn’t tell you—my parents are coming next week. For about a week.” The words dropped into the kitchen like heavy, dirty stones into a clear stream. Irina froze, her hand holding the carton of milk suspended halfway to the refrigerator. The crinkle of the paper bag against the countertop, the sound … Read more

— Son, throw her out of the apartment before it’s too late. She’s ruining your life! Marina froze behind the door. Her mother-in-law’s voice carried clearly from the bedroom—Andrei had put the call on speaker. Marina pressed her back to the hallway wall, afraid to so much as breathe. — Mom… — Andrei answered wearily. … Read more