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Why did you drag yourself here again without warning?!” Yana’s voice cracked sharper than she meant it to. She was standing on a stool in the middle of a damp, unfinished room, putty knife in hand, while chalky plaster dust rained down from the ceiling. A heatwave in December was normal for their southern coast, … Read more

Oksana didn’t realize right away that it was him. At first she only noticed a silhouette on the bench by the entrance—hunched, tense, irritated, as if he’d been splashed with gray paint. But when the car she was riding in rolled to a smooth stop by the building, the silhouette jerked to its feet and … Read more

Thirty-five thousand?!” Alexey slammed his palm on the table so sharply that the cup of lukewarm tea jumped, but didn’t spill. “Are you serious? That’s your salary? You can’t live decently on that kind of money!” Marina tightened her grip around her mug, trying not to look at her husband—because she knew that if their … Read more

I always knew my mother-in-law didn’t like me. But what I saw when I came back from a business trip exceeded my worst expectations. The key turned in the lock with its familiar click. I pushed the door open and immediately felt it—something was off. The apartment greeted me with silence, but it was the … Read more

The keys jingled in the lock, and Lidia pushed open the door to her two-room apartment. The July heat outside had made her turn the air conditioner on that morning, so the place should have been cool. But instead of silence, she was greeted by children’s laughter and unfamiliar voices. Lidia froze in the entryway. … Read more

Svetlana froze by the sink, a glass of water hanging motionless in her hand. The phrase seemed to hover in the kitchen air so suddenly that at first it felt like Sergey was joking. But her husband stood in the middle of the room with a completely serious face, waiting for her reaction. She was … Read more

Svetlana froze by the sink, a glass of water hanging motionless in her hand. The phrase seemed to hover in the kitchen air so suddenly that at first it felt like Sergey was joking. But her husband stood in the middle of the room with a completely serious face, waiting for her reaction. She was … Read more

Ekaterina woke up before the alarm and, first thing, looked at her sleeping husband. Roman was lying on his back with his arms spread out, breathing evenly and calmly. She quietly got up, slipped on her robe, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. As usual. In seven years of marriage it had become … Read more

Seventy isn’t just a date,” she said the moment Alexey and Irina took off their shoes in the entryway. “It’s a major event. And we’ll celebrate accordingly. No pathetic crafts from the kids and no homemade cards with little flowers. I want gifts I can be proud of in front of people.” Alexey adjusted his … Read more

— “So you’re choosing your pride over our family?” Marina flung the medical report onto the table. — “How adorable. So now you’re going to blackmail me?” Viktor smirked. “Very original.” — “Vitya, it’s just a procedure! Millions of couples do it!” — “Millions of idiots jump off a bridge too. Should I jump as … Read more