Olga Viktorovna sat in her office, thoughtfully twirling an expensive fountain pen between her fingers. This habit had developed long ago—twirling something in her hands when her thoughts drifted away from the numbers in the reports. Today, however, they stubbornly circled back to him. Fifty-six years old. Two higher educations. A company with a turnover … Read more
What did you expect, fool?’ Vera squinted as if that could make her husband’s words vanish. She had just left the courtroom, where their divorce proceedings had concluded. Ten years of life together, ten years of grueling toil for the sake of the family—and this was how it all ended. The house they had built … Read more
For the past couple of weeks, the Samoilov family had been living in joyful anticipation of their long-awaited vacation. This time, the couple was headed to Turkey—Angelina had been dreaming about this trip for a long time. Stepan’s business was flourishing, and Angelina’s work was also bringing in a good income. They had enough money … Read more
— And my opinion doesn’t interest anyone? — Nika set the dustpan on the shelf and turned to her husband. There was pain in her voice. — I’m a person too, Lev. I’m tired. — You must remember that you’re a wife, not a guest! — Lev snapped, his face reddening with anger. — You … Read more
Anna hurried to the office after a business meeting with partners. To save time, she chose a shortcut through the city park. The bright sun illuminated the alleys, but a cold wind blowing from the river cut to the bone. Anna shuddered and wrapped her coat more tightly. Passers-by rushed past without noticing one another. … Read more
In the carriage of a train traveling from Novo-Uren’goy to Moscow, the heavy atmosphere was thick with the aromas of fried food and the stale air of an unventilated space. Valeriy, a man of short stature with a square jaw and tired eyes, shrouded by a murky film of sleepless nights, absentmindedly rubbed his palm … Read more
June sunshine bathed the spacious kitchen in light, where Anna was leisurely preparing her morning coffee. The foam was rising in the cezve, and the apartment was filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed drink. Igor appeared in the doorway, nonchalantly buttoning his shirt. “Good morning! It smells wonderful!” Anna poured the coffee into … Read more
You will become the brightest star, the most talented of all. You will surely be noticed, and your name will appear on all the billboards.” Sofia wept, her face buried in the plaid that had once covered her father. His hand, weak yet still warm, slid through her hair. “Don’t cry, my little girl, there’s … Read more
— Tanka, there’s a traffic jam again because of you! Your rear end is so enormous that even a plane can’t fly around it! It looks like you spend the whole day licking plates before washing them! This phrase triggered an explosion of loud laughter. Tanya squinted her eyes, wishing she could vanish into thin … Read more
A cold October wind was hurling wet snow against the windows as Anna stepped over the threshold of their shared apartment for the last time. Fifteen years of life together had been packed into two battered suitcases. Igor stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall, gazing past his wife. His eyes were fixed on … Read more