Will you stay at your parents’ tonight?” her husband asked casually. “We need to free up the apartment.” Sveta smiled and nodded. Another woman in her place might have demanded an explanation or at least asked why her husband needed the apartment for the evening. But it was Sveta and Igor’s wedding anniversary, … Read more
I never thought I would find myself in this situation—planning revenge against my own husband. Life sometimes presents twists that make it feel like you’ve been thrown out of your familiar reality. I developed a plan for retribution after his words at the holiday dinner, and every second of waiting was unbearably oppressive. Something … Read more
Darling, my friends are inviting me on a trip to Astrakhan. It’s only for a couple of weeks. I’ve cleared it at work, but how are things at home? There’ll be tents, fishing…I haven’t caught anything in ages,” Mikhail began the conversation with Irina one evening. The couple had gotten married a year ago, … Read more
In the complete silence of the room, the phone emitted a short beep, illuminating the ceiling with a cold blue light. It was two in the morning. Larisa carefully reached for the nightstand, trying not to disturb her husband, but Viktor had already propped himself up on his elbow, his eyes wide open. “Who … Read more
— “I have a small child, where are we supposed to climb!?” Anna’s voice, a young woman with a tired face, sounded sharp, yet also carried a note of desperation. — “And you suggest an old woman like me climb up there?!” Tatiana Arkadievna’s voice, dry and categorical, cut through the stuffiness of the train … Read more
Christina fell in love at first sight with a modest green house on the edge of the village. Very convenient location. A half-hour drive and you’re in the city. Of course, the house needs a lot of work. The yard and garden are overgrown with weeds. The roof needs replacing. Everything is very old and … Read more
Can one find happiness if their childhood was spent within the walls of an orphanage? This question haunts many… Sveta was only thirteen when fate struck a terrible blow—her parents died in a car accident. Relatives? They just turned away. But the girl… She was special: smart, beautiful, well-mannered, and healthy. It’s no wonder that … Read more
A man stood in the reception area of the maternity hospital, shoulders slumped. He held no flowers in his hands, unlike what is typical when greeting new mothers with babies. His cracked and chewed lips were tightly pressed together. This was not how Ignat had imagined meeting his long-awaited heir. Oh, not like this! He … Read more
“Irina Viktorovna, we’ve got another incident at School No. 7. The shop teacher drank the machines away and wrote them off as ‘obsolete’,” the young secretary said, placing a folder on the polished desk. “Not ‘drank away’—‘lost due to negligence,’ Lenočka. Learn to phrase it so a person can be fired with a lifetime stain, … Read more
Ol, is yours on a business trip again?” – Pavel, a colleague, caught up with Olga as she was heading to the bus stop. – “Maybe we can sit in a cafe? Have your favorite cocoa, talk a bit, since it’s always just ‘hello, goodbye.’” “Sorry, Pash, I can’t today. Ignat promised he’d be home … Read more