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— “Al, I’m coming from Mom’s. She’s decided to start a renovation,” Igor tossed his keys onto the hall table and walked into the kitchen, where Alla, bent over a large sheet of drafting paper, was carefully drawing with a fine mechanical pencil. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and graphite. “She wants everything … Read more

The hall of the expensive restaurant was awash in lilies and an atmosphere of meticulously choreographed cordiality. Yelizaveta Ignatyevna Veresayeva, my mother-in-law, was celebrating her fifty-fifth birthday. She stood in the center of the room, in a sapphire-colored dress, basking in admiring looks. She raised her glass, sweeping the guests with the heavy, velvety gaze … Read more

— “The apartment goes to Vadim, and we’re buying a car for Sveta,” my mother’s voice—Galina Petrovna’s—poured through the room like warm oil, coating everything and lulling vigilance to sleep. She paused, looking over the three of us. Vadim immediately buried his face in his phone, and Sveta gave the slightest smile when she caught … Read more

— This year, don’t spend on yourself—pay for your sister’s wedding; we’ve already decided,” his father informed him. The voice on the phone sounded casual, as if his dad were saying they needed a loaf of bread for dinner. Nothing more, nothing less. Kirill froze, staring at his laptop screen. An Excel sheet glowed there—his … Read more

Dawn caught us on the dusty road leading out of the village. In one hand I clutched little Sonya’s palm; in the other— a light suitcase stuffed less with clothes than with disappointed hopes. The bus chugged away from the stop, carrying us from the place where, only a few hours earlier, I had still … Read more

“What do you mean your daughter is going to live with us now, Slava? Did you mix something up? This is my apartment, and I’m the only one who has the right to let anyone in!” Katya burst out, freezing in the doorway with grocery bags in her hands. She had just crossed the threshold … Read more

— “And what are you doing at my jubilee? I invited only my son! Get out!” the mother-in-law said mockingly to her daughter-in-law. “God, please let everything go well,” Angela thought for the hundredth time, smoothing the folds of her new dress. The pale-blue silk shimmered beautifully in the rays of the setting sun. In … Read more

— All right, Dasha. I bought you this blouse for last year’s birthday for twelve thousand, — Semyon ostentatiously put the item on the scale. — Eight hundred grams. We multiply by the current price of gold. Fine, let’s say three thousand. — Are you serious right now? — Dasha looked at her husband in … Read more

Lera always tried to keep her composure when it came to Valentina Mikhailovna. Her mother-in-law would come to their apartment two or three times a week, and every visit turned into a trial. The September days were getting shorter, and Lera’s mood was growing worse. Valentina Mikhailovna adored throwing feasts. She would arrive with bags … Read more

Every morning, Yulia woke to the sound of raindrops tapping on the windowsill and saw gray clouds outside the window. The weather seemed to mirror her mood—anxious, uncertain, full of vague suspicions. For the third week in a row, her husband Igor packed a gym bag and announced: “My parents aren’t feeling well. I’m going … Read more