“Your mother is just a simple kolkhoz woman, but my wife is a lady from high society!” — the husband sneered, casting a contemptuous glance at his mother-in-law standing nearby at the celebration.

by

Your mother is just an ordinary village woman, but mine is a real lady!” Anton sneered dryly, casting a contemptuous glance at his mother-in-law, who was standing by the festive table holding a plate. Svetlana turned pale. A heavy silence fell over the room — even the background music seemed too loud compared to that … Read more

— Are these your children? Then you’ll have to feed them yourself, — the husband said coldly. — I don’t have any money right now.

by

— Are these your children? Then you’ll feed them yourself, — the husband said coldly. — I have no money right now. You’re so independent — deal with your problems. No money — let them starve. — Please, help me convince Lesha to fulfill his duties, — Yana pleaded, holding back tears. — He doesn’t … Read more

— What do you want? — Karina asked without opening the door. — I think you already said everything you wanted to say yesterday.

by

What do you want?” Karina asked without opening the door. “I think you already said everything you wanted to say yesterday.” “Actually, I came to my son’s house! And I want to babysit my grandson!” The woman behind the door had no intention of leaving. “Your son is not home. And when he does come, … Read more

Irina raised Zhenya strictly. She brought up her son alone, not spoiling him much. Yet the boy had no less than others.

by

Irina raised Zhenya strictly. She brought up her son alone, not spoiling him much. Yet the boy had everything no worse than others. The war years were behind them; in the fifties, life began to settle down, as if the country’s wounds were healing… Irina gave birth to her son in 1951. Stanislav, a very … Read more

— If you bring your mother to live with us, then I’ll bring my mom too, and then neither you nor your mother will have enough space here.

by

— Sasha, did you talk to your mother again about moving? — Vera stood by the window, arms crossed over her chest, watching her husband spread papers on the table. Sasha paused for a second but then continued sorting through the documents as if nothing happened. — Nothing special, just asked how she’s managing on … Read more

— Who told you that you’re the boss here? You only live here by my allowance! So you can also get kicked out.

by

Roma, what did you do to my dresser?” Vika froze in the bedroom doorway, unable to believe her eyes. The old mahogany dresser, inherited from her great-grandmother, was gone, replaced by some modern minimalist cabinet. “That?!” Roma didn’t even look up from his phone, sprawled out on the bed. “Threw out your junk. Ordered proper … Read more

— Tomorrow they’re coming to look at your village house. We’re selling it, — said the mother-in-law so casually, as if it were her own summer cottage, not the house filled with Natasha’s memories.

by

Natasha ran her palm over the wooden wall, feeling the roughness of the old log. This house remembered her first steps, her first tears, her first joys. A sturdy, though old, village house with a carved porch and a small but well-kept garden had been her refuge since childhood. After her grandmother Anna Mikhailovna’s death, … Read more

— You better watch your tongue, Nina Viktorovna, before I start hitting you in the face with this frying pan.

by

“Ugh! What is this disgusting stuff?” Nina Viktorovna demonstratively pushed the bowl of soup away, pursing her lips. Yulia took a deep breath. Another lunch with her mother-in-law was turning into torture. As usual, the mother-in-law had shown up unannounced—she simply rang the doorbell when Yulia was still in her robe and just starting to … Read more

After 35 years of marriage, the husband wanted freedom. An unexpected truth surfaced right in court

by

Lyudmila placed a cup of tea in front of her, absentmindedly stirring the cooling liquid with a spoon. Her hand trembled, and the metal quietly tinkled against the porcelain — the only sound in the oppressive silence of the kitchen. Their kitchen. Thirty-five years of life shared between two, and suddenly… just like that? — … Read more

A hospital orderly saved a patient’s life during surgery, but the next day she was left without a job.

by

Olga Vasilyevna — a renowned surgeon whose name was well known among colleagues and patients — had just finished a very complex operation. She stepped out of the operating room, staggering — not from anxiety or uncertainty, but from sheer exhaustion. Every muscle ached from fatigue, but her face remained firm and focused, as always. … Read more