“Will you ever tell the truth?” — my voice sounded too loud in the quiet room. I didn’t recognize myself — my body was trembling from tension, and my heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was about to burst from my chest. I stood across from Anya, my younger sister, who … Read more
— Go to hell… you know where? I didn’t sign up for this kind of marriage! — Dasha tore off her veil and threw it in her mother-in-law’s face. — Stop wasting time, Petya! I’m not going to be your cash cow! — Dasha declared firmly. — You’re all freeloaders and parasites, — she gritted … Read more
Ma… Looks like you won’t get to wait for grandchildren,” Pavel was happily eating his favorite pies, which Irina had just taken out of the oven and was generously piling onto his plate. “Why do you say that?” his mother asked, surprised. “Well… I’m already over thirty, and there’s not even a hint of a … Read more
Marina lowered her head, fully aware of the futility of her visit. Even if her mother-in-law had left something for her grandson, her ex-husband would inevitably take it for himself. Now he had another woman who occupied all his thoughts and time. Anton had not only forgotten about the existence of his son, but he … Read more
— “Mom, I’m not alone!” — Oleg declared as soon as he stepped over the threshold. An elderly woman in a housecoat entered the corridor. First, she saw her son, and then behind him, a girl holding a cake in her hand. — “Wow, we have guests,” she said in surprise, and looked more closely … Read more
— Look, I still have this dress, — Olya said, placing it on top of the other clothes that her daughter no longer wore. The first one to be born was Sveta, now five years old. Just a year later, Nadya was born to her sister Vika, and a couple of months later, her sister-in-law … Read more
The midday sun burned relentlessly, heating the road surface and sending invisible waves of hot air over the earth. I was heading home after a tiring shift at work, looking forward to the coolness of the house and the reunion with my shepherd dogs — Thunder and Hurricane. The sound of gravel rustling under the … Read more
Mother raised Tatyana within strict boundaries. Even in her senior school years, she wasn’t allowed to stay out late. “Where there are late walks, trouble isn’t far behind,” she often repeated. Tanya was indignant. Her friends’ parents allowed them to meet up with friends in the evenings, while she was forced to stay home. Nevertheless, … Read more
— Denis… — Vika looked at her husband in bewilderment and extended some kind of stick to him. — What is this? — Denis twirled the object in his hands, then examined it closely, noticing two stripes, and looked up at Vika. — Is this what I think it is? She nodded. — I’m pregnant, … Read more
Pavel and Olga had long dreamed of having their own house, even though they already owned a modest but comfortable one-room apartment in a multi-family building. Construction began five years ago with the spontaneous purchase of a suburban plot. “Come on, dear,” the husband said to Olga, “we need to invest our money somewhere so … Read more