— What did you say? — Tatyana couldn’t believe her mother-in-law would come up with something like that. — You heard me! I don’t understand, what kind of reaction is that? I’m his mother, and Anton can fulfill my wishes sometimes too, not just yours. Isn’t that right? Or are you against it? — I … Read more
It was late. After tucking the children in and smoothing the blankets one last time, Liza drifted to the kitchen. She set the kettle on, watched the tiny lights flicker under the metal, poured tea, and sat at the table with both hands around the cup. Roma still wasn’t home. Lately he’d been drowning in … Read more
“Katya, where’s my blue tie?” Dmitry shouted from the bedroom. Ekaterina stood over the stove, stirring oatmeal that had already turned thick and listless. Seven years of marriage, and every morning played like a looped reel: he sprinted toward money and importance; she hovered between the kettle and the washing machine. “In the closet, second … Read more
Marina stood outside the wallpaper store, carefully examining the samples. Her parents’ apartment had long needed repairs, and their daughter had decided to take the initiative into her own hands. In two years of marriage, she had learned how to plan a budget so there was enough not only for her own needs but also … Read more
The commuter train was slowly approaching the familiar platform, and Anna pressed her forehead to the carriage’s cold windowpane. She hadn’t been to this town in five years. Five years of building a career in the capital, working twelve-hour days, saving on everything—even the coffee from the vending machine. Every kopek went into her dream … Read more
“Listen, Liza, I talked it over with Kostik,” Dima was turning his phone in his hands without looking at his wife. “He says it’s stupid to keep the apartment only in your name. If something happens, I’ll have to prove my rights later.” “What rights?” Liza froze with a towel in her hands. “It’s my … Read more
The champagne was icy and prickly, burning her throat with a thousand tiny needles. Olga drank it slowly—not like a festive drink, but like medicine. They brought her a huge platter on ice, strewn with oysters, shrimp, and halved crab claws. She ate methodically, without visible pleasure, as if performing an important but unpleasant task. … Read more
The recorder trembled in my grip—a small black rectangle no heavier than a bar of soap, yet it seemed to contain the wreckage of my entire life. I pressed play. Mike’s voice—warm, intimate, unmistakable—slid out of the tiny speaker. “Hey, beautiful. Your husband is leaving on a business trip tomorrow.” It was the same voice … Read more
I never expected to see him again—certainly not here. The women’s health clinic smelled faintly of antiseptic and stale coffee, the walls plastered with posters about prenatal vitamins and fertility timelines. I sat in the waiting room, tapping the corner of my appointment slip against my knee, willing my name to appear on the screen. … Read more
For three straight years my dad sat at our table every night and never realized my plate was just a prop. My mother only ever needed to dominate one child. Not Ava—the flawless, size-zero, homecoming-queen-in-training—but me, the eldest daughter who, in her eyes, took up too much air, too much noise, too much space. The … Read more