Andrey Nikolaevich leaned back in his chair and finally allowed himself a deep, long exhale. The week had dragged on as a heavy procession of endless tasks: reports, inspections, documents that had “needed his signature yesterday.” He rubbed his temples with his fingers, as if trying to erase the fatigue, and, squinting slightly, swept his … Read more
Lena stood on the threshold of her bedroom, staring at the wreck Valentina Petrovna had made of her closet. Half the shelves gaped empty, as if a hurricane had blown through. On the bed lay a neat stack of survivors—gray blouses, dark knee-length skirts, nondescript cardigans. Everything her mother-in-law deemed fit for a married woman. … Read more
Masha nervously twisted the ring on her ring finger, staring at the notification in her banking app. Negative again. Once more she had to choose between a week’s groceries and new sneakers for Alisa. The girl was growing like a weed, and children’s shoes cost an arm and a leg. “Mom, when are we going … Read more
Sister-in-law Lena had always loved tossing snide little jabs at her brother’s wife. But today she outdid herself. “ You know, Katya,” the relative drawled, elegantly slicing a piece of charlotte cake, “if you were to suddenly disappear, no one in the family would even notice. You’re a complete nonentity!” The table fell silent for … Read more
It happened just six months after his own wedding. How could he have rushed like that! Wouldn’t it have been better to wait a little? But no—he fell in love and decided to get married right away! When Sasha Danilov saw his brother’s wife, he was stunned—he had never encountered such breathtaking beauty, as if … Read more
“Like a parasite, for God’s sake…” Natalia Petrovna said quietly, anger in her voice. “Olya, do you remember we’re going to Mom’s for her birthday on Sunday?” her husband asked over breakfast. “As if I could forget… You’ve drummed it into my ears. And the mother-in-law reminded me four times just this past week… You … Read more
Alexei knew this conversation was inevitable. When he saw Igor’s number on the screen, his heart skipped—not from joy at hearing his younger brother. Igor’s voice trembled with agitation, his words spilling out like peas from a torn sack: an accident on the Garden Ring, the car smashed, but he was alive and that was … Read more
The door slammed with indifferent loudness, cutting off the sounds from the stairwell. Vadim stepped aside to let her go first. The girl. I knew they would come. He had called in the afternoon, his voice soaked with that brisk businesslike cheerfulness I’d learned to hate, and said that in the evening there would be … Read more
Lisa had always been quieter than her brother. A year younger than Maksim, she seemed to balance out his loudness with her invisibility. While he tore around the yard shouting, she sat in a corner with a book. While he told jokes to their parents at dinner, she silently finished her soup. “Our little Maksim … Read more
Alexey was checking on his phone where so much money had gone on the credit card while Marina washed the dinner dishes. His mother’s call caught him off guard—she usually phoned on Sundays, and today was Wednesday. “Lyoshenka,” Valentina Petrovna’s voice sounded especially sweet, which always put him on alert, “I’ve been thinking about my … Read more