— I don’t work day and night so your friends can live at our expense, — the wife said indignantly.

The apartment door creaked open at half past ten at night. Marina paused in the entryway, slipping the heavy bag from her shoulder. Her legs were buzzing after a twelve-hour shift at the hospital—today had been especially hard. Three emergency admissions, endless tests, discharge after discharge… And at home—the sound of laughter, clattering dishes, and … Read more

“You’re asking me to sign a prenuptial agreement?” the wife asked her husband. “Twenty years after we got married?”

“Did you sign it?” Maxim’s voice shook with anger. “Did you really sign it?” “What else was I supposed to do?” Alina looked her husband straight in the eye. “Your mother was literally breathing down my neck!” “Don’t you dare blame my mother! She wanted to protect our interests!” “Whose interests? Yours? Hers? Certainly not … Read more

— You killed my children three times, is that it?” the husband asked his wife and tossed the medical certificates onto the table.

Autumn evening wrapped the apartment in the golden light of table lamps. Taras stood by the window, looking at the city lights, when he heard the rattle of keys in the lock. Polina had returned from yet another corporate party—elegant, impeccable, as always. “Third time, Polina! The third time in two years!” Taras’s voice trembled … Read more

“Your ex pays you child support, so spend that. I have to help my mother,” Igor threw out calmly, without lifting his eyes from his phone.

“Your ex pays child support—so spend that, and I have to help my mother,” Igor said calmly, without looking up from his phone. Anna stopped mid-sentence and absentmindedly ran the cloth over the table, though it already gleamed with cleanliness. A pot of pasta was cooling on the stove; a cup of half-finished tea sat … Read more

“I already told you we’re not going,” the daughter-in-law breathed out when the mother-in-law once again barged into their bedroom without knocking.

“I said we’re not going!” Marina exhaled, looking at her husband, who stood in the doorway with a guilty expression. Pavel shifted from foot to foot, not daring to step into the bedroom. Behind him loomed a figure—his mother, Lidiya Petrovna—who was clearly eavesdropping on their conversation. “Marin, don’t be childish,” he began in his … Read more

— Sir, today is my mother’s birthday… I want to buy her flowers, but I don’t have enough money… I bought the boy a bouquet. Some time later, when I visited the grave, I saw that same bouquet lying there.

When Pasha was not yet five, the ground fell out from under him. His mother was gone. He stood pressed into the corner of the room, stunned, trying to understand the hush that smothered the house. Who were all these strangers? Why did they whisper, avoid his eyes, keep their hands folded like they were … Read more

My daughter packed me off to a nursing home without even realizing the building belonged to me. That was the moment I decided to teach her a lesson.

My name is Tamara Alexeyevna. I am seventy-four. Once, my days were full—there was a husband I adored, work that felt like calling rather than duty, a house that held warmth even in winter, and three children whose laughter braided itself into the walls. Then, ten years ago, my husband’s heart failed him. After his … Read more

— “Marinochka, open up quickly and set the table!” — the woman found a way to fend off pesky relatives

“Marina, open up already—we’re freezing!” came a familiar, imperious voice from behind the door. Marina froze with the keys in her hand. With her new hairstyle, spring-lilac manicure, and boutique shopping bags, she felt like a queen. There were still two hours before her romantic dinner with Igor—time to change into her new dress, light … Read more