— “You’ll watch the nephews for two weeks. What’s the big deal?” — her husband dropped it on her like a fait accompli.

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Marina lifted her eyes from the laptop, not immediately understanding what her husband had said. Pavel was standing in the kitchen doorway, holding a cup of half-finished coffee, looking at her with a somewhat guilty expression. “What did you say?” she asked, slowly closing the laptop lid. “Well, Lena asked…” Pavel shifted awkwardly from foot … Read more

— And these are your and your mother’s things—you’re moving out,” the cheerful wife said, setting two large suitcases down in front of her husband.

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Natalya stood by the window, watching her husband Alexei and his mother struggle out of the elevator with heavy grocery bags. They were discussing something, and by her mother-in-law’s gestures it was clear the conversation was once again about her. Lidiya Petrovna waved toward their third-floor apartment, shook her head, and pressed her lips together—the … Read more

I’m not your nurse or your maid: my mother-in-law gasped, and my husband turned pale — Natalia finally told the truth

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Natalya stood at the stove, slowly stirring the oatmeal. The kitchen was dead quiet, broken only by the soft crackle of the gas. A cold dawn pressed through the window—gray-blue, like the fogged eyes of a tired person. “Natash, you didn’t forget that Mom needs her blood pressure taken before breakfast, did you?” Viktor’s voice … Read more

“Alina, why did you change the locks? My mother can’t get into the apartment,” my husband scolded me over the phone.

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“I clearly remember leaving the new blouse on the bed,” Alina muttered, rummaging through the closet. A strange feeling hadn’t left her for weeks. Things in the apartment seemed to have a life of their own—moving around, disappearing, then turning up in unexpected places. The phone rang suddenly, making her jump. Her husband’s name lit … Read more

Yes, I have my own apartment now. No, my mother-in-law won’t be staying here. Yes, not even “for a couple of days.” I’ve had enough of your “family rules”!

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Yelena Pavlovna swept into the kitchen as if she were about to save the motherland. A cupboard door slammed; the dishes clinked. — Have you completely lost all shame? Shampoo for eight hundred rubles?! What is this, gold soap? Do you understand how much money that is? If you want luxury—buy it with your own … Read more

What a coincidence! You decided to come back only after finding out my father is a millionaire,” the ex-wife said caustically

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Tatyana Nikolaevna sat in the empty house, staring at a cup of tea gone cold. It had been three months since Igor packed his things and left for twenty-five-year-old Kristina. After twenty-three years together, everything collapsed in a single moment when he said he wanted to feel alive. At fifty-two, Tatyana suddenly felt like no … Read more

The neighbor asked me to look after her children, but there was clearly something off about them

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— “Svetlana Petrovna’s kids are kind of strange,” the concierge whispered, wiping the glass partition. — “Very quiet,” the doorkeeper agreed, “like mice. They just dart their eyes around.” I’d moved into the new apartment a month ago, and the boxes in the corners were still unpacked. Work took all my time—when you sit at … Read more

The wedding ended in scandal thanks to my mother-in-law, and three days later my husband’s mother regretted what she’d done

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Crystal chimed merrily, the guests were smiling, and Maria couldn’t take her eyes off her husband. Dmitry—now officially her husband—was beaming with happiness. The wedding had gone beautifully: a cozy restaurant decorated with fresh flowers, their favorite people all around, and most importantly—they were together, despite everything. “Cheers to the newlyweds!” the toastmaster proclaimed yet … Read more

The girl showed up half an hour late to the interview, so I didn’t hire her. A week later she spilled coffee on my million-value contract—but what happened after that…

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Mark Ilyich sat in his spacious office, wrapped in the dusk of evening light, shuffling a stack of papers in his hands. Each one was the résumé of yet another applicant for the position of his personal assistant. Thirty-four years old, a steadily growing business, four appliance stores in different parts of the city. And … Read more