At night I went out to take out the trash. In the car by our building I saw my son-in-law—and I realized where his first wife had really disappeared without a trace…

The trash bag was oozing something sticky, dripping nastily right onto my old robe. I should have done this earlier, not waited until midnight, but it had been a hard day. First Katyusha with her whims, then that… Gleb. My son-in-law. The perfect son-in-law. The dark courtyard met me with a clammy smell of damp … Read more

“Wow, your relatives are already dividing up my house? Excellent! I’ve already changed the locks,” Yana said to her husband with a smile.

The news of her grandfather’s death reached Yana in the middle of the workday. She was sitting at her computer when a message came from her mother: “Grandpa Misha is gone. His heart. Come as soon as you can.” Yana didn’t cry—they hadn’t been especially close in recent years. But something snapped inside her, as … Read more

“Irka, stay strong! I’m about to tell you something, but don’t panic,” Vika’s voice was very agitated.

“Ira, brace yourself! I’m about to tell you something, but don’t panic,” Vika’s voice was very agitated. “What happened?” Irina grew alert. Her friend was usually calm and unemotional, but something in her was different today. “Say it—don’t drag it out. If you do, I really will panic.” “You said your Borya went on a … Read more

The husband secretly took out a loan—when she learned the truth, the wife did something none of the relatives expected

Marina frowned. A letter with the bank’s logo lay on the kitchen table—the third one this month. She reached for the letter opener, her heart beating out of rhythm. Something was wrong. “Dear Viktor Nikolaevich… payment overdue… subject to penalty… collateralized property…” Collateralized property? What property? “Vitya!” she shouted, holding the letter between two fingers … Read more

“So you’re leaving me for another woman and also planning to claim my apartment?” I asked again in astonishment, not believing my ears.

— “So you’re leaving me for another woman and decided to claim my apartment?” I asked my husband in disbelief, not trusting my ears. Alexander stood in front of me, nervously fiddling with a button on his jacket. He kept looking away, his whole posture broadcasting how awkward and ashamed he felt. But the words … Read more

“You trusted your mother more than me? Fine—here’s the DNA, choke on it!” Yulia said, and filed for divorce.

Yulia sat at the kitchen table, peering out the window where a fine autumn rain was falling. A cup of long-cold tea stood nearby. She tried to understand when everything had gone wrong—when the chill between her and Boris had turned into an entire wall of ice. — Sashenka, careful there, — Yulia said in … Read more

— Oh, so now it’s “ours,” is it? And the fact that the apartment is MINE, the car is MINE, and the earrings are MINE—did you forget?!

— 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

Yura, I’m exhausted… Every month it’s the same: money for Katya, your mom, Katya… And us—when?

— 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

“Sveta, I’ll be late today. Go to bed without me,” was the message Svetlana received from her husband, and her heart began to ache even 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