— I thought I’d marry off my father’s wallet and live in the Maldives, but here’s a surprise. Come on, dear, improvise!

– Artyom, are you even listening to me? – Huh? Yes, yes, of course, Elina, – Artyom hurriedly sipped his tea, trying to look focused. – I’m asking, which color is better for the wedding: peach or ivory? Artyom thought for a moment. Honestly, he didn’t really understand the difference between those colors, but decided … Read more

— You’re rich now? Buy me an apartment, — demanded the mother-in-law. Anna silently placed a printout with rental prices in front of her.

Anna already knew that going there was a lousy idea. But Dmitry was persuading her with his usual bored tone, as if discussing the weather or the dollar exchange rate. “It’s just mom… Let’s not make a tragedy out of this. We’ll go for a couple of hours — that’s all.” Anna stood by the … Read more

— You threw a buffet here for the relatives on my money? Now get out of my kitchen, — the wife had been tolerating freeloaders for too long.

Elena was rubbing her hands with antiseptic after finishing the last session of therapeutic massage. The patient — an elderly woman suffering from sciatica — nodded gratefully while paying for the procedure. Elena carefully folded the money into her wallet. Every bill counted: tomorrow she needed to buy groceries, the day after — pay for … Read more

The daughter-in-law accidentally left her phone in the kitchen with the camera on, and the device recorded her mother-in-law slipping powder into her tea.

The café smelled of cinnamon, caramelized milk, and something sweetly unsettling, as if the air carried the fresh tension of an autumn storm. Darya sat by the window, holding her cup close, as if hoping the coffee would not only invigorate her but also help her “come down to earth” a little, distract her from … Read more

Children refused to care for their sick mother, and after her health recovered, they found out she had changed the terms of her will.

Andrey frowned as he heard his mother’s hoarse voice over the phone. “Mom, why are you breathing so hard?” “I just caught a little cold, son. I’ve been coughing for a week — it just won’t let up.” “Then go see a doctor! At your age, you can’t take colds lightly.” “I did. The doctor … Read more

The ambulance nurse recognized the patient as someone she would have preferred not to save, but the thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone…

Darina had been working as an emergency medical doctor for several years. Sometimes she thought she couldn’t handle the pressure — the workload was enormous. But quitting the profession was impossible: the city was desperately short of qualified doctors. Getting into a private clinic was almost unrealistic, and switching to a local therapist position meant … Read more

Yulia was shoved into the car so skillfully that she didn’t even have time to squeak. And she never thought that something like this could happen in our time.

They shoved Yulia into the car so skillfully that she didn’t even have time to squeak. And she never thought something like this could happen in our time. Yulia worked at a sanatorium, and she had to take the electric train to get there. The commute was exhausting, but the pay was decent, and the … Read more