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— Dry again! Where did you even learn to cook? — Oleg pushed the plate away and grimaced. — My mom’s is always juicy! You could at least go over there once and see how you’re supposed to cook! Kristina slowly set her fork down and looked at her husband. He was scrutinizing dinner with … Read more

Anatoly sat hunched into the cold plastic of the hospital chair, and the whole world had shrunk to the size of this soulless corridor painted a dreary celery green. His large fingers—hands used to a keyboard—were clasped helplessly around his head, hiding a face wet with tears. Behind the frosted glass of Room Seven, in … Read more

— Dasha, you don’t know how to make salads at all! This is a jubilee, not a student party! — Tamara Nikolaevna demonstratively pushed away the plate with the freshly chopped ingredients. — I’m doing everything according to the recipe! — Dasha tried to speak calmly, though her hands were already trembling with tension. — … Read more

October evening wrapped the city in a gray veil. Rain drummed against the windows, and drops slid down the glass, leaving winding trails. Elena sat in the kitchen with a cup of hot tea and watched those rivulets of water. It had already been six months since the divorce, but she still hadn’t gotten used … Read more

I often catch myself thinking that smells are more honest than people. They don’t pretend, don’t wear masks, don’t speak in half-truths. If the kitchen smells of dill, it means someone tossed it generously into the soup, even if you swore to yourself it would be pumpkin cream today, no greens, just the way you … Read more

Sofiya heard a floorboard creak in the doorway and looked up from her book. Mark was standing on the threshold of the living room, and his posture—stiff and unsure—told her at once that something unpleasant was coming. He wouldn’t meet her eyes; his fingers anxiously picked at the seam of his house sweater. Silence hung … Read more

My decision to take a job in a wealthy house on the outskirts wasn’t driven by desperation or financial need. I had savings, a modest but cozy apartment in the city, and even a small car I’d bought a few years ago. No, my escape was of a different kind. After everything that happened with … Read more

Marina wiped her hands on her apron and looked over the terrace. The table was set perfectly—just like everything in her life. Olivier salad in a crystal bowl, herring under a fur coat cut into neat individual portions, homemade eggplant caviar in a ceramic pot she had bought especially for the dacha. Even the tomatoes … Read more

“Do you even realize my son is depriving himself of the last he has?” Alina Vitoldovna’s voice rang so loudly through the phone that Veronika had to move it away from her ear. “What do you mean?” she asked calmly, though she already knew the answer. Alina Vitoldovna called with the same complaint enviably often. … Read more

“Lena, you don’t mind if Mom stays with us for a bit, do you?” Kirill tried to sound calm, but his eyes gave him away: the decision had been made, and he was asking purely for form’s sake. Lena lifted her gaze from the laptop for a second, looked at her husband over the rim … Read more