‘What do you mean, WE’RE GETTING DIVORCED?’ the husband asked his wife in surprise. ‘We just took out a mortgage!

Valentina stood at the stove, mechanically stirring the vegetable stew. The kitchen smelled of braised eggplant and spices. Outside, the October day was slowly fading, painting the sky in pale lilac tones. From the living room came Sergei’s loud voice—once again he was telling someone over the phone what a “spineless” wife he had. “Can … Read more

“How dare you put the house only in your name?! We’re family!” shrieked the mother-in-law, who had spent two years calling her daughter-in-law a freeloader.

Raisa sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the suitcase. Not opened, not packed — just standing there like a silent reproach. Black, worn, with one crooked wheel that had gotten stuck in a cracked tile back in Turkey and since then rattled like a pot full of peas. For two years … Read more

Let’s file for divorce and I’ll take the mortgage in my name while you’re on maternity leave and not working,” suggested her cunning husband.

“Let’s get divorced. That’ll be fairer. I’ll take out the mortgage in my name, and you can be added later when you come back from maternity leave.” Anya was sitting by the window, gently stroking her rounded belly, when her husband Dmitry said these words. In one hand he was holding a cup of tea, … Read more

Katya, my son’s new wife needs surgery. Sell your apartment and send us the money, we used to be family, after all, said my ex-mother-in-law on the phone.

Katya put the kettle on and, while it hummed, leaned her shoulder against the cool doorframe. The evening dragged lazily on: from the window came the voices of kids in the yard, someone was kicking a ball around and arguing whose turn it was to stand in goal. Mint in a mug on the windowsill … Read more

Maybe you should just give her your bank card too?” — the wife refused to spend her own money on her sister-in-law’s whims.

Maybe we should just hand her your bank card too?” Kira threw the bank envelope onto the table, the one she had just picked up from the little stand in the hallway. Denis froze in the kitchen doorway, tugging off his scarf. Outside, November rain drummed on the window ledge; the apartment smelled of braised … Read more

Tamara was feeling unwell and went home. As she quietly stepped into the hallway, she heard her husband talking on the phone:

Tamara worked as a cashier in a supermarket. By lunchtime her head started spinning, she felt nauseous. Probably her blood pressure had spiked. “Tom, go home,” said the shift supervisor, Sveta. “Anyone can see you’re not well.” “Thank you,” Tamara nodded gratefully. “I’ll lie down for an hour, it’ll pass.” She got home by two … Read more

“Live on your own money if you’re so smart!” snapped her husband. “I’ve been living on my own money for a long time,” Lena replied calmly.

“Lena, you bought some nonsense again!” Maxim shook the grocery store receipt like it was evidence of a crime. “Expensive yogurts, the wrong cheese… We have a savings plan!” “The savings plan is only for me,” Lena said quietly, taking off her jacket. “And yesterday you spent three thousand at the bar with your friends.” … Read more

My husband said, “Sign the papers without reading them.” But I read every single letter.

Tamara Ivanovna was chopping salad for dinner when her husband laid a folder of documents down in front of her. An ordinary Friday evening—cucumbers, tomatoes, sour cream. The potatoes were finishing up on the stove, the open packet of dill scented the air. “Sign here and here,” Vitaly jabbed a finger at several spots. “What … Read more

Widow Masha was petrified when she saw her husband in a restaurant with another woman. But what she found out by eavesdropping on their conversation stunned her even more.

Alice’s universe split into “before” and “after” three years ago. It didn’t happen gradually, but in a single instant — with a phone call that shattered the darkness of the night. The voice on the line was unfamiliar, official, coming from that other side where her former, calm life still remained. The words were pronounced … Read more