— By your own words, I need to lose weight, I’m, you see, too fat for you—did you say the same to your friends? Then enjoy chewing nothing but greens with me, because there won’t be any junk food in our house anymore!

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“Alinka, enough already with stuffing yourself with pastries, or soon you won’t fit through the doorway!” Stas’s voice—loud and self-satisfied—was still ringing in her ears. It had boomed out last night, cutting through the cheerful buzz of a friendly get-together. And right after it—an explosion of laughter. Not malicious, no. Just simple, stupid, male guffawing … Read more

— What on earth made you think you could bring your kids to my place and I’d look after them here? They have a mother for that—and you! And by the way, they shouldn’t be here at all, in my apartment, in case you’ve forgotten!

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— Are you serious right now? — Margarita slowly set the book down on the arm of the sofa. Her voice was so even and quiet that for a moment it seemed as if she were merely clarifying some trivial detail. Andrey, who had already kicked off one shoe in the entryway, turned and looked … Read more

She got pregnant early—at sixteen. It came to light by accident: during a routine school medical exam, the girl flatly refused to go in to the gynecologist, and the teacher informed her parents.

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The shadow from the tall poplar outside had already split the yard in two when the worst moment in sixteen years of the Beketovs’ life together began. The living room air—stagnant with cigarette smoke and unsaid words—felt thick enough to slice. Artyom Viktorovich, veins ridging the backs of his hands and a commander’s stare turned … Read more

“I’m done carrying all of you on my back! Not a single kopeck more—feed yourselves however you like!” Yana shouted, freezing the bank cards.

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Yana pushed open the apartment door and immediately caught the low hum of voices coming from the kitchen. Her husband, Igor, was in there with his mother—Valentina Stepanovna—who had shown up that morning and, as usual, made the kitchen her base camp. “So what’s with the TV?” Igor was asking. “It’s ancient,” his mother complained. … Read more

— Even if my parents buy us an apartment as a wedding gift, what about yours? Are they planning to give us anything besides that old, cracked tea set?

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— Chris, will you talk to your parents? I asked you to. Oleg’s voice, usually soft and enveloping, now sounded to Kristina like an old engine idling — monotonous, buzzing, and provoking a dull irritation. She sat in an armchair with a book, but for the last ten minutes she’d been reading the same page. … Read more

— You yelled at my son again for making noise? He’s MY child and this is MY apartment! Pack your things — your “discipline” ends here!

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— “Could you keep it down a little? My head is splitting.” Roman’s voice from the living room wasn’t loud, but it carried that particular, icy note that made something in Anna’s stomach unpleasantly clench. She froze for a moment with the knife poised above the cutting board, listening. The kitchen smelled of fried onions … Read more

Everything’s gotten to you? Yeah? Then I’m not holding you! Go live with your mother—there you never had to do anything, not work, not help around the house! Go on, and live it up!”

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— That’s it! I’ve had enough! The cheap plastic remote hit the laminate with a dull thud and bounced under the coffee table. The sound wasn’t dramatic—more pitiful, fitting the whole scene. Maxim sprawled on the couch, laced his fingers behind his head, and stared at the ceiling with the air of a martyr being … Read more

— So my birthday doesn’t matter to you—you just ordered a pizza—and now you’re asking me to organize a big celebration for your parents’ wedding anniversary? Not a chance! You handle it yourself

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— Can you imagine, Verunya, this has to be something grand! Not just sitting around in a café. I’ve already found a country venue with a big veranda overlooking a lake. A pearl wedding, thirty years together—that’s a whole era! First, a light outdoor reception while the guests arrive. A saxophonist playing something unobtrusive, you … Read more

He invited me to his wedding to humiliate me. He didn’t know it would become my best day.

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“Are you… together now?” the young man said quietly, his gaze shifting between Emily and the man standing beside her. “Yes,” her face lit with a gentle smile. “Isn’t that what you wished for? For me to find my happiness and move forward…” Outside the small apartment in one of Rome’s old neighborhoods, a fine … Read more

“So you’re going to support your sister and live at my expense? And you’ll also demand reports on every single thing I spend? Haven’t you gotten a bit too brazen, my dear? You won’t see another kopeck of my money!”

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— “And what is this supposed to be?” Alexey’s voice—steady and cold as a scalpel—sliced through the cozy evening quiet. Larisa, absorbed in her reading, didn’t look up right away. He stood in the living-room doorway, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on a small paper bag with a bookstore logo lying on … Read more