— Lena, you don’t mind if my mom stays with us for a bit, do you? — Kirill tried to keep his voice calm, but his eyes gave him away: the decision had been made, and asking your opinion was just for show. Lena tore herself away from the laptop for a second, looked at … Read more
— Listen, I just don’t understand, — Varvara froze by the kitchen cabinet without turning to her husband. — This month we’re not putting aside a single ruble again. Do you get that? Nothing. Zero. And you’re just sitting there calmly chewing chicken. How? Yury tore himself away from his plate and exhaled. He wasn’t … Read more
“Svéta, I’ll be late today. Go to bed without me,” — that was the message Svetlana received from her husband, and her heart began to ache even more. Pyotr had his own auto repair shop; it was his life’s work. If a job was interesting, he would climb under the car himself and could spend … Read more
The wedding dress fitting was postponed to the next day because the seamstress working on it had to take her child to the hospital. Lena was a little upset, but immediately switched herself to a positive mindset. There was no point worrying over trifles—she’d try it on tomorrow. She was eager to see how she’d … Read more
Nina pressed the ring of keys to her chest and smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. The two-room apartment in a new building finally belonged to her. No loans, no debts—just the result of her own work and persistence. “Congratulations on your purchase!” the agency manager handed over the papers. “Wishing you a smooth move-in.” … Read more
I stood at the living room window, looking out at the gray roofs of our neighborhood, and couldn’t believe it… Finally! After three years of divorce, after all the courts and the splitting of property, I had what I’d dreamed of all my life—my own territory. My apartment. My rules. Light walls I picked out … Read more
The doorbell rang at exactly half past six on Sunday morning. At first, Svetlana thought it was the fire alarm—the ringing was so sharp and insistent. But no, it was the door. — Sveta, open up! — came her mother-in-law’s voice through the door. — We’ve got important business! Svetlana threw on her robe and, … Read more
When Lena stepped off the train, it was still dark. She hadn’t told anyone she was coming back. She bought a ticket for early morning, took the last car, didn’t read, didn’t look out the window. She only listened to the clatter of the wheels—as if they were tapping out what she still hadn’t said. … Read more
The kitchen smelled of mint tea, with a hint of slightly burnt toast. Yekaterina sat by the window in her favorite stretched-out T-shirt that read “I need more coffee,” watching the yard where an elderly woman in leggings was pumping her arms energetically. It was noon on a Friday, yet instead of new orders, clients, … Read more
Anna’s very first memory was not of the warmth of a mother’s hands or the sweet scent of New Year tangerines. It was a pricking, ice-cold thing, stamped on the wrong side of her soul like a scar that would ache all her life. She was six. Into the neat, polished-to-sterility world of the orphanage—smelling … Read more