— Our boy was born deaf? Leave him at the hospital, I’m not ready to raise such a child!” — my wife’s voice rang with a fury I had never noticed before. “— Olga, what are you saying? This is flesh of our flesh,” — I looked at her as if seeing her for the … Read more
Vadim, with utmost caution, like a professional thief, inserted the key into the lock. The mechanism made a nasty screeching sound, as if deliberately trying to attract the attention of everyone in the house. The man froze in place, listening intently. In response, there was only the deathly silence. “That was close,” he exhaled with … Read more
Are we going somewhere?” Ira asked in surprise when she walked into the room and saw Maxim packing his things. She had just returned from work, and he hadn’t warned her about anything. “Maybe he wants to surprise me?” “No, we’re not going anywhere,” Maxim replied without even turning his head. “I’m leaving you.” “I … Read more
He promised to return, and Masha believed him, even though everyone laughed at her. As a farewell, he gave her earrings – two golden doves, and she wore them without taking them off. “You’re so naive, Masha,” sighed her friend Tanya. “Why would he want you now? You saw how he is, they even showed … Read more
Kristina had dreamed since childhood of marrying a wealthy man, so when she started working at an elite fitness club, she immediately realized that the owner, Dmitry, was someone she needed to “take control of.” Dmitry was twenty-five years older than Kristina and came to the gym more for the “checklist” than anything else, but … Read more
Anna rearranged the figurines on the shelf, wiping the dust off with her sleeve. Every Friday, she performed her ritual of a deep cleaning—whether guests were coming or not. Cleanliness had become a habit, one that turned into an obsession. At fifty-eight, she felt that control over her home was the last thing that truly … Read more
— “If you spill the truth, they’ll lock me up,” Maria whispered to her son, looking around fearfully. “Mishenka, say that I fell in the entrance. I was running, tried to skip a step, and crashed down! Tell them that Senya found you and brought you home. And don’t even think about tarnishing Senya’s name! … Read more
Don’t, son,” begged the elderly stranger whom Artem was hurrying to get to the hospital. “They won’t accept me there anyway. I’ve been there many times with complaints… It seems my time has come… Leave me, son!” Artem carefully wound the wire onto a reel and loaded it into the van. His partner, sitting at … Read more
Christina got up at the crack of dawn this morning: she had to hurry to the store while there was still fresh bread and before her favorite curd snacks were snapped up, which, in her opinion, paired perfectly with tea. She quickly pulled on her jeans, a sweater, and on her feet—her old, comfortable sneakers. … Read more
— Lyudmila Sergeyevna, please at least eat something,” the young woman said softly, looking at her mother-in-law with worry. “I just can’t, Ninochka, truly I can’t. Just the thought of food makes me feel ill,” the elderly woman sighed, shaking her head. Nina sat down beside her mother-in-law on the sofa. “You can’t do that,” … Read more