— Are you unfaithful to me?” he said, lowering his eyes and staring at the floor. She did not rush to answer. Silently, she approached the mirror, adjusted her earring, ran her fingertip over her lips, slightly smudging her lipstick. Then she turned toward him. “— And do you remember how you betrayed me yourself?” … Read more
Lena, did you forget to put sugar in the tea again?” Viktor’s voice was deliberately calm, but I already knew: it was about to begin. In the living room the conversations instantly died down. His mother averted her gaze, his sister buried herself in her phone, and his father began scrutinizing the pattern on the … Read more
He’s not a live one anyway,” said the wife in an alien, cold voice. “Why don’t you come yourself and talk with the doctor if you don’t believe me. They have nurses there—everything will be provided for him. After all, they didn’t invent this palliative care for nothing; everyone does it…” Ilya was born two … Read more
Maria stood in the middle of the living room, silently surveying her surroundings. Everything looked foreign—even the walls on which she had once lovingly hung photographs. Now they were empty. Only hooks and the traces left by frames remained. In the corner were several boxes, fitting twenty years of her life. And now her husband … Read more
Do you think we could move into a place like that? You’ve dreamed of it for so long, haven’t you?” I asked while examining pictures of houses on my laptop screen. Igor snorted and put down his fork. “On your salary? Let’s be honest, Anya, the whole budget runs on me. And I’m just not … Read more
Valya, have you already made the mortgage payment? Today is the final deadline,” Denis said without even looking up from his phone as he continued scrolling through the news feed. “Yes, as usual. Ninety-two thousand. And, as always, it was charged to my card,” replied Valentina as she set a cup of coffee in front … Read more
Irina was hurrying home. She missed her native town, her favorite street, and her apartment terribly. After being away for half a year, even the familiar streets that flashed by in taxi windows seemed a little different. More than anything, Irina now longed to sink into a bathtub filled with fragrant foam—to wash away the … Read more
The morning hustle in the office of “Grand-Ver” was in full swing. Employees hurried about their business, talking to one another and running from the elevators to their offices. No one paid any attention to the young woman of about twenty-five who calmly entered the lobby and looked around. “Alright, Anya, it’s time to act,” … Read more
Are you out of your mind? We can’t even survive a holiday with her, and you invited her to live with you?” Ksyusha fumed. “Well, it’s good for her—just bear with it a little!” Roman was not about to back down. “It’d be easier for me to move to the city by myself while she’s … Read more
Marina stopped her car by an acquaintance’s gate and sat for several seconds, examining her well-tended garden. The June sun generously flooded the plot, its rays playing across the veranda’s windows. She adored that summer house with all her heart – every lilac bush had been planted by her own hands, every flowerbed crafted with … Read more