Angelina stood on the balcony of her two-room apartment, holding a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. Below, the city was alive with noise — cars passing by, voices of pedestrians, dogs barking somewhere in the neighboring courtyard. She had bought this apartment five years earlier, when she was twenty-six. Back then, it … Read more
Margarita opened the door to her apartment. She had bought it with her own money five years earlier, back when she was working as a manager at a large IT company and saving every bonus she received. Thirty-eight square meters in a quiet neighborhood, with windows overlooking a park. Small, yes — but it was … Read more
Polina was wiping her hands on a kitchen towel when the doorbell rang. A pot of soup was bubbling on the stove, the potatoes in the oven were not ready yet, and she was just about to set the table. It had been a difficult workday, her legs were aching, and all she wanted was … Read more
Svetlana sat at the kitchen table, studying the mortgage agreement. Twenty years. Twenty years of payments — but at least it would be her own home. Finally. She ran her finger along the lines where it was written clearly in black and white: Svetlana Igorevna Sokolova. Borrower. The only one. Platon walked into the kitchen, … Read more
The apartment on Leninsky Prospekt had become more than just a place to live for Vasilisa. It was her own island of freedom. Her parents had bought the two-room apartment for her as a graduation gift — sixty-two square meters overlooking the park, bright rooms, and high ceilings. Vasilisa had furnished it exactly to her … Read more
Taisiya slipped her key into the lock and pushed the door open with her shoulder. One bag of groceries was weighing down her arm, while in the other hand dangled a shopping bag with her new shoes. She had been waiting so long to buy them — genuine leather pumps, classic, with a medium heel, … Read more
Victoria came home after her evening shift at the clinic and kicked off her shoes right by the door. Her feet were aching after eight hours on duty. So many children had come in today that she had not even managed to eat a proper lunch. In the refrigerator, there was a container of soup … Read more
Regina had been cleaning the apartment since early morning. A few days earlier, she had returned from the south, where she had been finalizing the paperwork for a small new house by the sea, and as soon as she came home, she had to put the apartment back in order. During the time she had … Read more
Taya was browsing curtains for their new apartment on the website of her favorite little store. A few days earlier, she and her husband had come across a wonderful option: a perfect location, a convenient layout, good renovations, and almost all the furniture was included. They had managed to sign a preliminary agreement and even … Read more
“We’re the owners here, so get lost while we’re still asking nicely,” Pavel said, without even taking his hand off my gate. He was wearing my rubber slippers, holding my pruning shears, and looking at me as if I had come begging to enter someone else’s property. Behind him, the veranda of my country house … Read more