Rita lazily stretched, loosening her stiff limbs beneath an old, grimy blanket that had long lost its original shape and color. Her body felt as if it were made of lead, and every movement sent an unpleasant tingle through her muscles. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, blinking against the bright sunlight that filtered through the … Read more
— “Larisa, leave the kids alone—why do you always have to cling to them?” Vyacheslav Semyonovich snapped at his wife. “They are building their own lives! Especially since Sasha lost her parents not long ago! Don’t meddle with them!” — “I nearly forgot to ask you, right? You can’t possibly save enough money for us … Read more
Polina stood by the window, gazing at the black BMW parked in the yard. The car hadn’t come easy – they had to take out a loan that she and Artem were still paying off. Or rather, only Polina was paying it off – her husband hadn’t worked for the past three years. “Are you … Read more
After dropping his mistress from the car, Buchin tenderly said goodbye to her and drove home. He paused by the entrance for a moment, mentally weighing everything he would say to his wife. Then he climbed the stairs and unlocked the door. “Hi,” Buchin said. “Vera, are you home?” “Home,” his wife replied in a … Read more
– Arina, where are you? Tolya let me in, and he went off to work!” – the voice of the future sister-in-law echoed through the apartment. Arina sighed tiredly. She forced a smile and invited Olga to the table. Her life was falling apart. Stability. Arina had dreamed of it for as long as she … Read more
Just grab and run, you know? Immediately…” “But why me? What’s so special about me?” Thirty years have passed, yet these phrases still ring clearly in my memory, as if spoken only yesterday. That fateful evening radically changed the course of my life. Now, looking back through the prism of all these years, I clearly … Read more
Alexey had taken a break from the book he was intently reading between tasks when he heard an unusual proposal from the head of the department. Igor Dmitrievich approached him with a serious look and said: “Listen, Lyosha, wouldn’t you like to earn a little extra money? There’s a job.” The young man looked at … Read more
Yulia stopped her car a block away from her mother-in-law’s house. The clock read 5:45 PM — she had arrived earlier than the appointed time. “Maybe she’ll finally appreciate my punctuality,” she thought as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her new dress. The gift was carefully wrapped on the back seat — an antique … Read more
The final drop fell onto the smoldering surface of my patience on that evening when I saw his fingers digging into her wrist, leaving crimson traces. My blood boiled, but my sister’s pleading, almost desperate look stopped me. And now, as she is carrying her third child by that monster, my mother suddenly calls me … Read more
— And where’s the baby’s dad? Is he helping? — He left. While I was in the hospital. Elena sat on the bed, wrapped in a hospital gown, and gazed out through the plastic window through which the outlines of a March day slowly emerged. Outside, the sky was gloomy, and somewhere in the distance, … Read more