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“Mom, maybe that’s enough for today? You already smell of mothballs—and the past.” Irina wrinkled her nose with distaste, standing in the doorway of her father’s bedroom. Vera Koltsova didn’t even turn around. Methodically, as if performing a ritual, she was folding his shirts into a cardboard box. One after another. Collar to collar. “I … Read more

“Sign it, Kseniya Arkadyevna, and let’s be done with this farce.” Rodion carelessly slid a folder of documents toward me. His well-groomed fingers drummed on the mahogany desk, and on his lips played that very smirk I’d come to hate over the years. The smirk of a predator driving its prey into a corner. “What … Read more

When your own blood turns to poison and family ties become a choking noose, the only salvation is escape. But what do you do when the past catches up with you even in your new life, knocks at the door of your happiness, and demands its share? My story is about how I learned to … Read more

“Yes, I know that Tatyana Pavlovna fooled everyone into thinking I did nothing around the house. But all the cleanliness and the cooking—that’s my handiwork. You’ll have to live with that information now, Igor Ivanovich. I don’t even know how you managed before we moved in. Although… you’ll have a perfect chance to remember. Because … Read more

The cold spring river took him silently, leaving no cry, no splash, no explanation. When Alexander, Alina’s father, drowned, the village talked of nothing but the absurdity and cruelty of fate. An avid, experienced fisherman who knew the water like the back of his hand—and then such a senseless death. Some whispered he had slipped … Read more

After my husband’s funeral, my son drove me to the edge of town and said, “This is where you get off, Mom. We can’t support you anymore.” I said nothing. I had been guarding a secret for years—one my ungrateful son would one day come to regret. It drizzled the morning we buried Ramón. My … Read more

— Salty. It wasn’t a question and it wasn’t a reproach. It was a statement of fact, spoken in an even, almost indifferent tone that was scarier than any shout. Vadim slowly set his spoon on the table beside his plate, carefully, so as not to make an extra sound. He didn’t look at Olga. … Read more

— You’ve forgotten your place, Irina. This dacha and this apartment—all of it belongs to my son. So you’d better keep quiet if you want to stay here for a long time. Irina had been living with her husband for several years. Together with Anton, they were raising a wonderful daughter, Ksenia, who was about … Read more

“Sweetheart, I’m planning to move in with you soon—right after I sign my apartment over to your younger sister. So start getting a room ready for me with your husband!” The words landed on the little table between them with a clink louder than a teaspoon against porcelain. They dropped straight into the saucer of … Read more

“Come in, Marina. Dinner needs to be cooked—the groceries are in a bag in the kitchen. The laundry’s in the basket. Wipe the dust in the living room; I haven’t gotten around to it in ages,” the future mother-in-law rattled off, and then, as if casually, added, “And Vanya and I will watch a movie … Read more