Yana stood in the middle of the empty apartment where her grandmother’s furniture had still been yesterday, feeling a strange mix of sadness and excitement. The sale agreement lay on the windowsill, and the new buyers would pick up the keys tomorrow. One and a half million rubles. Not much by Moscow standards, but enough … Read more
— Want me to paint the fence and keep an eye on things? I’ll charge you a low price, but at least you’ll be calm—someone will be watching the place. Alexander looked up and saw a young boy, about fifteen, wearing a quilted jacket clearly not his size but still sturdy, and a black hat … Read more
Night, thickening over the city, seemed to anticipate a tragedy. Heavy clouds crawled across the sky, as if bearing the weight of unfulfilled hopes and broken fates. The car slid over the wet asphalt like a ghost, leaving behind a trail of headlights and silence pierced by anxiety. Roman sat behind the wheel, gripping it … Read more
— What? — You heard me. I’m leaving. — Where will you go? To your mommy? Or did that girlfriend of yours egg you on? He stepped closer, but Tatiana did not back down. — It doesn’t matter who. What matters is that I will no longer allow you to call our child a “snot-nose.” … Read more
The morning after filing for divorce isn’t coffee with a croissant, but a call from the housing office reminding you about unpaid major repairs. Svetlana got up not because she slept well, but because there was an empty spot on the pillow beside her. Andrey had gone to his mother’s — predictable, like a “Phlebodia” … Read more
Mark moved the pot with the wilting azalea off the windowsill, making room for something new. He moved with that smooth, focused grace that had first drawn me to him. But now every one of his movements stirred a dull, inexplicable anxiety in me. “Why did you move it?” My voice sounded weaker than I … Read more
The plate with dinner flew into the trash can. The sharp crash of porcelain against plastic made me flinch. “Even the dog won’t eat your cutlets,” my husband laughed, pointing to the dog who demonstratively turned away from the piece offered to him. Dmitry wiped his hands on an expensive kitchen towel I had bought … Read more
“Here, take it.” A crumpled thousand-ruble bill flies onto the kitchen table and freezes at the very edge, as if hesitating whether to fall onto the floor. I look at it, then at Stas. He is already fastening his impeccable cufflinks, reflected in the glossy cabinet surface. “I think this will be enough for a … Read more
“The salad turned out delicious. This new sauce suits it perfectly.” Artyom spoke with his mouth full, but even that couldn’t hide his smug smile. He was generally pleased today. With himself, life, dinner. Marina only smiled slightly in response, picking up a leaf of arugula and a piece of sun-dried tomato with her fork. … Read more
No, Oleg, just listen to this!” Marina’s voice—my husband’s sister—rang through the entire kitchen, drowning out the sound of the television. “She says the new installer has ‘pure chaos in his head.’ Chaos! Alina, darling, that’s called deconstructivism.” I silently stirred the salad, feeling her heavy, appraising gaze on me. Oleg, my husband, coughed awkwardly. … Read more