When I saw Lyudmila Petrovna’s number on my phone screen, my heart skipped—but not from joy. My sense of foreboding proved prophetic: five minutes into the call, our peaceful summer idyll collapsed like a house of cards. And yet Maxim and I had been dreaming of a trip to the sea with our four-year-old Masha… … Read more
“Mom, why have you started treating Denis so badly? Did he offend you in some way?” This time, Varvara decided not to stay silent. “Again you’re filling my head with nonsense,” Tamara Fyodorovna muttered discontentedly. “Don’t you have anything better to do than compare your husband with your sister’s husband?” “Oh, please, Mom. I’ve never … Read more
“Do you honestly think this place is fit to raise a child?” My eyes traveled across the skewed walls, as if the whole house were clinging to life by luck and a few rusty nails. “Olga, spare me the theatrics,” Viktor said, flat as slate, heaving the last bag onto the groaning porch. “I’m leaving … Read more
Rain threaded down the windows that Saturday morning as James Whitmore—a billionaire tech founder and tired, devoted single dad—pushed open the door of a quiet corner café. Beside him, four-year-old Lily walked with her small fingers folded into his. Lately, James didn’t smile much. Not since Amelia—his wife, his compass—had vanished two years earlier in … Read more
When Alexey uttered those words, my world collapsed in an instant. All my dreams, plans, and hopes shattered like the glass I dropped in shock. The red stain on the floor looked like the blood of my broken heart. How could someone betray me so cruelly? How could he give to a stranger what we … Read more
When the doorbell rang, I had no idea that in an hour my life would be turned upside down. The people at the door smiled so warmly that I was confused — after all, we weren’t selling anything. Then it turned out that my mother-in-law, Valentina Petrovna, had decided to dispose of our apartment without … Read more
Arthur Lebedev, a man for whom luxury was an everyday routine and cold smiles a part of the game, had long grown used to masks. He moved through high-society salons as if through a labyrinth of crystal and deceit, where every glance was calculated, every word weighed, and the soul carefully hidden behind velvet drapes … Read more
“What did you just say?” Tatiana couldn’t believe her mother-in-law would even think of something like that. “What you heard! I don’t understand—what kind of reaction is this? I’m his mother, and Anton can sometimes fulfill my wishes too, not just yours. Isn’t that right? Or are you against it?” “I don’t even want to … Read more
Diana put the last plate into the dish rack and turned off the water. The kitchen in their two-room apartment was small but cozy. Viktor was sitting on the couch in the living room, scrolling through the news on his phone. — Vitya, did Inna call? — Diana asked, wiping her hands on a towel. … Read more
“Mom, we’ve been thinking,” my son Oleg began cautiously, barely stepping across the threshold. His wife Anya, standing behind him, nodded vigorously, as if to confirm the wisdom of his every word. She carried into the hallway the scent of expensive perfume — and a sickly-sweet hint of unease. “That always ends badly,” I muttered … Read more