Thirty-five thousand?!” Alexey slammed his palm on the table so sharply that the cup of lukewarm tea jumped, but didn’t spill. “Are you serious? That’s your salary? You can’t live decently on that kind of money!” Marina tightened her grip around her mug, trying not to look at her husband—because she knew that if their … Read more
I always knew my mother-in-law didn’t like me. But what I saw when I came back from a business trip exceeded my worst expectations. The key turned in the lock with its familiar click. I pushed the door open and immediately felt it—something was off. The apartment greeted me with silence, but it was the … Read more
The keys jingled in the lock, and Lidia pushed open the door to her two-room apartment. The July heat outside had made her turn the air conditioner on that morning, so the place should have been cool. But instead of silence, she was greeted by children’s laughter and unfamiliar voices. Lidia froze in the entryway. … Read more
Svetlana froze by the sink, a glass of water hanging motionless in her hand. The phrase seemed to hover in the kitchen air so suddenly that at first it felt like Sergey was joking. But her husband stood in the middle of the room with a completely serious face, waiting for her reaction. She was … Read more
Svetlana froze by the sink, a glass of water hanging motionless in her hand. The phrase seemed to hover in the kitchen air so suddenly that at first it felt like Sergey was joking. But her husband stood in the middle of the room with a completely serious face, waiting for her reaction. She was … Read more
Ekaterina woke up before the alarm and, first thing, looked at her sleeping husband. Roman was lying on his back with his arms spread out, breathing evenly and calmly. She quietly got up, slipped on her robe, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. As usual. In seven years of marriage it had become … Read more
Seventy isn’t just a date,” she said the moment Alexey and Irina took off their shoes in the entryway. “It’s a major event. And we’ll celebrate accordingly. No pathetic crafts from the kids and no homemade cards with little flowers. I want gifts I can be proud of in front of people.” Alexey adjusted his … Read more
— “So you’re choosing your pride over our family?” Marina flung the medical report onto the table. — “How adorable. So now you’re going to blackmail me?” Viktor smirked. “Very original.” — “Vitya, it’s just a procedure! Millions of couples do it!” — “Millions of idiots jump off a bridge too. Should I jump as … Read more
Mom, please—just for an hour,” Andrey said for the third time, and with each repetition his voice grew thinner and more pleading. He stood in the middle of their small living room, feeling like a clumsy teenager caught off guard. Galina Borisovna didn’t even turn her head. She sat in the only armchair Oksana loved, … Read more
— Alyona, I was thinking… Sergey’s voice rang out in the room, unexpectedly upbeat and loud. Alyona didn’t turn around. She was kneeling in the middle of the living room, methodically rubbing polish into the door of an old oak sideboard with slow circular motions. The air was thick with the rich, pleasant scent of … Read more