“I will take the fall for you,” whispered the wife to her husband, standing over the body. After leaving the colony, she realized what price she had paid.

The night was humid and sultry, as if the air had thickened. Cars rarely passed through the deserted intersection—their headlights briefly illuminating two people frozen over a body on the wet asphalt beneath the trembling light of a streetlamp. The body lay motionless, and nearby stood Igor—her husband. He was shaking with fear, his face … Read more

Mother-in-law didn’t invite her son’s wife to the anniversary, but 11 days later called asking for help. The daughter-in-law’s answer surprised everyone

Elena was folding the kitchen towels — new ones, with a delicate floral pattern — when the phone vibrated. She sighed: four missed calls from Katya, a friend from work. It was probably nothing important. Elena returned to the cupboard, but the phone vibrated again. “Lena, why aren’t you answering?” Katya babbled. “Did you know … Read more

I’ll marry the first woman I meet. A wealthy bachelor picked up a stranger with scars by the highway

Maxim Artemyev adored his balcony. Especially on Friday mornings, when the city was still slowly digesting the last hours of the workweek, and he was already free — a successful head of a bank department who had been the first to slip away from the weekday bustle, eagerly anticipating the long-awaited weekend. The air smelled … Read more

The MILKMAID was late for her flight — flying on vacation for the first time in her life, when suddenly an expensive car pulled up nearby.

On Monday, the spacious, sunlit office of the agricultural company buzzed like an agitated beehive. The final meeting was taking place, but most people were already lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, the director—a sturdy man in his fifties named Vitaly Semyonovich, always impeccably dressed in a neat plaid shirt—raised his hand, calling for silence. … Read more

Nina could not understand why her meetings with her former mother-in-law had become so frequent. She couldn’t write it off as mere coincidence.

Nina could not understand why her encounters with her former mother-in-law had become so frequent. She couldn’t just write it off as coincidence. Tamara Viktorovna seemed to be stalking her. Their first meeting happened a week ago. The woman herself approached her former daughter-in-law on the street when Nina was leaving the office and heading … Read more