“We’re already in the taxi, set the table!” came the cheerful, commanding voice of Lena’s sister-in-law from the phone speaker, so loudly that Lena had to pull the device away from her ear. “We’re coming with the whole crew! The kids miss Uncle Vadik so much. We’ll be at your place in about twenty minutes!” … Read more
“Darling, I quit my job! Finally, I’ll be able to do something I actually enjoy,” Yura said with such relief, as if great achievements were waiting for him just ahead. But Zhanna knew her husband had no real plan at all. “And what do you enjoy? What are you going to do? Are you thinking … Read more
“Liz! Do you know where the money is?” her mother stood in the doorway, frightened and confused. She could not understand where the savings had gone, because she was the only one who knew the code to the safe. “What money?” Lisa reluctantly looked up from her laptop, where she had been browsing profiles on … Read more
Roman did not understand what had happened right away. His phone kept ringing insistently, again and again. The melody grated on his nerves, but the number was unfamiliar, so he hesitated to answer. A few seconds later, a message arrived: “Please call back or pick up the phone. It’s urgent. It concerns your wife and … Read more
After divorcing his wife, Rodion moved to the other side of the country. He said it would be easier that way to start over, and besides, he had been offered a decent job with good prospects. “Well, I’ll call you, kids!” he told the children when he came to say goodbye. “And later you can … Read more
For two years, Vadik believed he was the provider in the family — the foundation, the unshakable pillar of their marital happiness. Engineers at the factory were paid quite well, much better than ordinary accountants like his wife, Nadya. Vadik felt so important, so needed, that sometimes he had the urge to climb onto a … Read more
“What is this? I’m asking you, who gave permission?” Marina stepped into the apartment and froze in shock. Alexey and Marina had divorced six months earlier. The divorce had not been easy. The former spouses had argued constantly and fought over property. Alexey did not want to give his wife and daughter two apartments, deciding … Read more
Larisa was staring at her laptop screen when a message from the director popped up in the company messenger. “Everyone to the meeting room. Urgent!” She closed the layout of the new mobile game she had been working on and, already sensing something was wrong, headed to the meeting. “Due to recent developments, it has … Read more
Alina quickly adjusted her beige dress and looked around the restaurant’s banquet hall. Katya’s wedding promised to be loud and extravagant. Her former sister-in-law had always loved doing things on a grand scale, and the groom clearly belonged to the kind of men who did not spare money when it came to making an impression. … Read more
Angelina stood on the balcony of her two-room apartment, holding a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. Below, the city was alive with noise — cars passing by, voices of pedestrians, dogs barking somewhere in the neighboring courtyard. She had bought this apartment five years earlier, when she was twenty-six. Back then, it … Read more