— Even if my parents buy us an apartment as a wedding gift, what about yours? Are they planning to give us anything besides that old, cracked tea set?

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— Chris, will you talk to your parents? I asked you to. Oleg’s voice, usually soft and enveloping, now sounded to Kristina like an old engine idling — monotonous, buzzing, and provoking a dull irritation. She sat in an armchair with a book, but for the last ten minutes she’d been reading the same page. … Read more

— You yelled at my son again for making noise? He’s MY child and this is MY apartment! Pack your things — your “discipline” ends here!

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— “Could you keep it down a little? My head is splitting.” Roman’s voice from the living room wasn’t loud, but it carried that particular, icy note that made something in Anna’s stomach unpleasantly clench. She froze for a moment with the knife poised above the cutting board, listening. The kitchen smelled of fried onions … Read more

Everything’s gotten to you? Yeah? Then I’m not holding you! Go live with your mother—there you never had to do anything, not work, not help around the house! Go on, and live it up!”

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— That’s it! I’ve had enough! The cheap plastic remote hit the laminate with a dull thud and bounced under the coffee table. The sound wasn’t dramatic—more pitiful, fitting the whole scene. Maxim sprawled on the couch, laced his fingers behind his head, and stared at the ceiling with the air of a martyr being … Read more

— So my birthday doesn’t matter to you—you just ordered a pizza—and now you’re asking me to organize a big celebration for your parents’ wedding anniversary? Not a chance! You handle it yourself

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— Can you imagine, Verunya, this has to be something grand! Not just sitting around in a café. I’ve already found a country venue with a big veranda overlooking a lake. A pearl wedding, thirty years together—that’s a whole era! First, a light outdoor reception while the guests arrive. A saxophonist playing something unobtrusive, you … Read more

He invited me to his wedding to humiliate me. He didn’t know it would become my best day.

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“Are you… together now?” the young man said quietly, his gaze shifting between Emily and the man standing beside her. “Yes,” her face lit with a gentle smile. “Isn’t that what you wished for? For me to find my happiness and move forward…” Outside the small apartment in one of Rome’s old neighborhoods, a fine … Read more

“So you’re going to support your sister and live at my expense? And you’ll also demand reports on every single thing I spend? Haven’t you gotten a bit too brazen, my dear? You won’t see another kopeck of my money!”

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— “And what is this supposed to be?” Alexey’s voice—steady and cold as a scalpel—sliced through the cozy evening quiet. Larisa, absorbed in her reading, didn’t look up right away. He stood in the living-room doorway, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on a small paper bag with a bookstore logo lying on … Read more

After throwing his wife out, the husband laughed that all she got was the old refrigerator. He had no idea it had a double wall.

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Viscous, sticky silence filled the apartment, saturated with the scent of incense and fading lilies. Marina sat on the edge of the sofa, hunched over as if an invisible weight pressed on her shoulders. The black dress itched, reminding her of the reason for this wordless hush—today she had buried her grandmother, Eiroyda Anatolyevna, the … Read more

— “Olya, I want a divorce. I’ve got a new high-level position, and you no longer measure up!” the husband brazenly declared.

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Olga was leafing through a cooking magazine with rapt attention, making notes in the margins. A new recipe for French julienne struck her as especially interesting. “I should try adding porcini instead of button mushrooms,” she thought, imagining how she would surprise her husband with the unusual flavor. Cooking had always been her passion. The … Read more

“You filthy cleaning lady, don’t you dare touch my things!” the boss shrieked… not knowing I was the new CEO.

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Anna Sergeyevna stood at the foot of a huge glass building where a special, fast-paced life reigned. The height of the structure seemed endless, and the reflection in its walls looked distorted and alien. She adjusted the modest, frayed bag on her shoulder and took a deep breath. The air was cold and unwelcoming. The … Read more

I don’t need a child from a gray mouse,” he snapped, handing her money. Fate had a terrible lesson in store for him.

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The evening air was cool and damp, but inside the luxury car it smelled of overheated leather and Alexander’s expensive cologne. Elena sat in the passenger seat, clutching her handbag, a nameless anxiety swelling in her chest. Alexander had been silent almost the entire drive, and when they pulled up along a deserted embankment, he … Read more