My CMS

“Poor little beggar?” Larisa slowly turned her head toward her mother-in-law and smiled. “Then why has your family been living in my apartment for three years?” The table went silent at once. Until that moment, everyone had been pretending that the evening was going almost decently. Valentina Yegorovna was serving salad onto plates, her father-in-law, … Read more

The neighbor called out to me by the entrance just as I had already pressed my key to the intercom. “Lena, wait… Was that your sister who came to see you during the day?” I did not turn around right away. After work, I was always in the same state: my head buzzing, bags in … Read more

“You should at least once put your own money on the table, dear, instead of eating through Vitya’s!” Olesya set her glass aside. It was Kapitolina Petrovna who said it — loudly, across the entire veranda, loud enough for the people at the neighboring tables to hear. A restaurant by the pond, the end of … Read more

“You’re spineless, that’s what you are! A doormat, not a wife worthy of my son!” My mother-in-law stood in the middle of the kitchen with her arms crossed, staring at me as if I had just smashed her favorite porcelain set. And all I had done was say that I wanted to take some professional … Read more

“Did you seriously just say that?” Rain hammered against the entrance canopy as if someone were throwing handfuls of tiny stones onto sheet metal. Alina stood on the step beneath the narrow shelter, a wet strand of hair stuck to her cheek, a folder from the notary’s office tucked under her arm, and that strange … Read more

“We’re already in the taxi, set the table!” came the cheerful, commanding voice of Lena’s sister-in-law from the phone speaker, so loudly that Lena had to pull the device away from her ear. “We’re coming with the whole crew! The kids miss Uncle Vadik so much. We’ll be at your place in about twenty minutes!” … Read more

“Darling, I quit my job! Finally, I’ll be able to do something I actually enjoy,” Yura said with such relief, as if great achievements were waiting for him just ahead. But Zhanna knew her husband had no real plan at all. “And what do you enjoy? What are you going to do? Are you thinking … Read more

“Liz! Do you know where the money is?” her mother stood in the doorway, frightened and confused. She could not understand where the savings had gone, because she was the only one who knew the code to the safe. “What money?” Lisa reluctantly looked up from her laptop, where she had been browsing profiles on … Read more

Roman did not understand what had happened right away. His phone kept ringing insistently, again and again. The melody grated on his nerves, but the number was unfamiliar, so he hesitated to answer. A few seconds later, a message arrived: “Please call back or pick up the phone. It’s urgent. It concerns your wife and … Read more

After divorcing his wife, Rodion moved to the other side of the country. He said it would be easier that way to start over, and besides, he had been offered a decent job with good prospects. “Well, I’ll call you, kids!” he told the children when he came to say goodbye. “And later you can … Read more