At the bus stop, a woman thrust a little girl into my arms and left a suitcase stuffed with cash—I kept quiet for thirty years, and I never imagined…

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

— What on earth made you think I’d work for free at your sister’s salon? Because she’s your relative? She’s nothing to me! So

— Yulya, Anya just called. She wants to talk. Yulia didn’t immediately tear herself away from what she was doing. She sat at her work desk, which looked more like a spaceship control panel—crowded with lamps, sterilizing devices, and dozens of tiny bottles of bright nail polishes. Methodically, she wiped each drill bit with a … Read more

Vladimir is getting married today. Two months ago he returned to his native village after his military service

Vladimir felt as if the ground itself were springing beneath his feet from happiness. Not from drink—no—from that very pure, bright feeling that had been overflowing him since morning. Today was his day. The day he had waited for two long years, swallowing the dust of army training grounds and rereading to tatters the envelopes … Read more

— “You wanna stuff your face? Then cook for yourself! Oh, look at him—the lord of the manor! You can boss your warehouse guys around, but here don’t you even squeak!”

— And dinner? The question was tossed into the quiet of the room as casually as Kirill tossed his jacket onto the back of the chair. He wasn’t expecting an answer; he was stating a need. The sound of his steps across the parquet was heavy, assured—the steps of a man who had returned to … Read more

So I’m supposed to congratulate your mother on every holiday and give her expensive gifts, while you can’t even send my mother a message to wish her well?

— Egor, don’t forget—my mom’s birthday is tomorrow. He waved her off without taking his eyes from the laptop screen, where graphs and tables flickered. The gesture wasn’t so much rude as automatic, like someone swatting away a pesky fly. — Nastya, I remember everything. Don’t start. I told you—I remember. She kept quiet, pretending … Read more

“Your ‘beauty’ can celebrate her birthday without you—go and meet little Yulia!” she heard her mother-in-law say, and she was stunned…

While tidying up the entryway, Milana heard her mother-in-law’s voice and looked out the window. Her husband was sitting on the front steps, talking to his mother over a video call. Milana went back to sorting the shoes, deciding not to eavesdrop, but Nina Yevgenyevna was speaking loudly enough that it was impossible not to … Read more

— “My grandma is coming to stay with us… for a couple of weeks,” Kostya forced out, and Rita realized that pregnancy and the upcoming birth were nothing compared to the nightmare rolling toward them.

— “My grandma’s coming to stay with us… for a couple of weeks,” Kostya managed, and Rita realized that pregnancy and the upcoming birth were nothing compared to the nightmare rolling their way. Svetlana Ivanovna, her husband’s grandmother, looked lively and energetic at sixty-five. It seemed she had more energy than all the young people … Read more

The mother-in-law didn’t invite her daughter-in-law on the family trip—and five days later she regretted it

Lyudmila Sergeyevna checked the hotel reservation for the third time that morning. Everything matched: rooms for seven days, breakfast included, a pool, the beach two hundred meters away. Perfect! “Petya, have you packed?” she called to her husband from the kitchen. “Relax, Luda! We’ve got three days before we leave,” came the reply from the … Read more