“So you’re leaving me for another woman and also planning to claim my apartment?” I asked again in astonishment, not believing my ears.

— “So you’re leaving me for another woman and decided to claim my apartment?” I asked my husband in disbelief, not trusting my ears. Alexander stood in front of me, nervously fiddling with a button on his jacket. He kept looking away, his whole posture broadcasting how awkward and ashamed he felt. But the words … Read more

“You trusted your mother more than me? Fine—here’s the DNA, choke on it!” Yulia said, and filed for divorce.

Yulia sat at the kitchen table, peering out the window where a fine autumn rain was falling. A cup of long-cold tea stood nearby. She tried to understand when everything had gone wrong—when the chill between her and Boris had turned into an entire wall of ice. — Sashenka, careful there, — Yulia said in … Read more

— Oh, so now it’s “ours,” is it? And the fact that the apartment is MINE, the car is MINE, and the earrings are MINE—did you forget?!

— Lena, you don’t mind if my mom stays with us for a bit, do you? — Kirill tried to keep his voice calm, but his eyes gave him away: the decision had been made, and asking your opinion was just for show. Lena tore herself away from the laptop for a second, looked at … Read more

Yura, I’m exhausted… Every month it’s the same: money for Katya, your mom, Katya… And us—when?

— Listen, I just don’t understand, — Varvara froze by the kitchen cabinet without turning to her husband. — This month we’re not putting aside a single ruble again. Do you get that? Nothing. Zero. And you’re just sitting there calmly chewing chicken. How? Yury tore himself away from his plate and exhaled. He wasn’t … Read more

“Sveta, I’ll be late today. Go to bed without me,” was the message Svetlana received from her husband, and her heart began to ache even more.

“Svéta, I’ll be late today. Go to bed without me,” — that was the message Svetlana received from her husband, and her heart began to ache even more. Pyotr had his own auto repair shop; it was his life’s work. If a job was interesting, he would climb under the car himself and could spend … Read more

— What’s going on here? Who allowed you to enter my apartment?” — Strangers have moved into my apartment.

Nina pressed the ring of keys to her chest and smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. The two-room apartment in a new building finally belonged to her. No loans, no debts—just the result of her own work and persistence. “Congratulations on your purchase!” the agency manager handed over the papers. “Wishing you a smooth move-in.” … Read more

— Be a man. What other apartment are you trying to split up? — his wife said firmly. — I’ve already given you what’s yours.

When Lena stepped off the train, it was still dark. She hadn’t told anyone she was coming back. She bought a ticket for early morning, took the last car, didn’t read, didn’t look out the window. She only listened to the clatter of the wheels—as if they were tapping out what she still hadn’t said. … Read more