On the exquisite restaurant terrace, decorated with white roses and golden ribbons, solemn music played. Guests raised their glasses, congratulating the newlyweds. The bride — Alina — was glowing with joy. But this happiness proved to be too fragile. When the first dance began, the groom Ilya whispered something in her ear. Alina flinched and … Read more
Marina was in the kitchen of a small roadside restaurant, holding a hot cup of tea. Outside the window, the summer morning was gradually gaining strength, and in an hour the restaurant was to open its doors to customers. Marina’s colleagues—waitresses Sveta and Olya, also young girls—were sitting nearby. “Listen, Marinka,” Sveta began, biting a … Read more
Nyurka, you little rascal! Where are you rushing on the wet floor?!” — rang out in the corridor of the orphanage. The voice of the cleaner, Valentina Egorovna, trembled with indignation. “If I catch you — I’ll tear your ears off!” Anya dashed away, dodging the hem of the housekeeper’s dress and trying to get … Read more
A warm May day wrapped the park in golden light. Lyova and Misha, both wearing identical school trousers and blue shirts, sat on the grass, and nearby, stretched out at full puppy length, lay Rex — a large, shaggy Alabai with a wet nose and kind, almost human eyes. “Look what he can do!” Lyova … Read more
Olya finally sent her whole family off skiing and returned to the kitchen. So… what did she want to do? Wash the dishes, start the laundry, prepare lunch, and begin cleaning her son’s room… what else? At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Olya hurried to it — maybe they forgot … Read more
“Listen, Yan, let’s go to my parents’ place this weekend! There’s a sauna, a river, we can grill some kebabs, relax properly! I’m slowly getting fed up with this city!” Anton suggested to his wife. “What do you think about it?” “Anywhere but your parents’, Antosh. I don’t want to listen to your mother lecturing … Read more
— Nikita, couldn’t you at least consult me once before promising something to your mother? — Oksana put her bag down and gave her husband a meaningful look. — What’s the big deal? Mom asked for help at the dacha this summer. You’ll be on vacation anyway, — Nikita shrugged without looking up from his … Read more
“What if we ask your parents for help?” Gennady said thoughtfully, stretching out on the couch after dinner. Irina carefully set her cup of tea on the table and sat down beside him. The news about Svetlana selling her dacha had been on her mind all day. “Can you imagine what an opportunity this is?” … Read more
At the interview, she felt an unpleasant prick of anxiety when her gaze accidentally landed on a photograph lying on the table in front of the manager. It wasn’t the neat, carefully made picture meant for a résumé that she was used to from previous interviews. No — this was a candid moment, captured stealthily, … Read more
I began to suspect that my husband was putting some kind of sleeping pill into my coffee. So, when we sat down to drink coffee with cake, I took advantage of the moment when he stepped away and discreetly poured out the contents of my cup. Then I pretended to fall asleep. However, what happened … Read more