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 … Read more
— “Do you have your own car? Or are you planning to rely on Kostya’s?” Nika froze with a glass of juice halfway to her lips. At that moment, Kostya was slicing cheese at the kitchen counter; a slow flush crept over his cheeks. The woman who had just entered the apartment stood in … Read more
Monday at the spacious, sunlit offices of the agribusiness buzzed like a disturbed beehive. A wrap-up meeting was underway in the hall, but most people were already thinking about their own tasks. Suddenly the director—a sturdy man of about fifty named Vitaly Semyonovich, always impeccably dressed in a neat checkered shirt—raised his hand, calling for … Read more
Ludmila automatically wiped her hands on her apron and listened. The front door slammed—Vasily had come home from work earlier than usual. Strange. On Thursdays he always stayed late for meetings. “Lyud, are you home?” Her husband’s voice sounded different somehow. “In the kitchen,” she turned off the stove and covered the pan with a … Read more
“Come on, come on, don’t dawdle! Grab your suitcases and move it! We live here now—me and my wife with the kids,” Nikolai declared boldly. “How do you mean, you? On what grounds? This house is mine! By law. The will names me as the heir, and you know that perfectly well,” Larisa said, trying … Read more
— “The soup turned out very light, of course…” Irina Pavlovna’s voice was even, almost gentle, but the spoon with which she stirred the golden liquid in her son’s bowl moved with surgical precision, as if searching the broth for evidence of criminal negligence. “Valerochka could use something richer right now, with some bone. For … Read more
In the house that once smelled of apple pie and laughter, there now hung a strange, sticky air of things left unsaid. Artyom increasingly noticed the way his mother Anna’s gaze slid over his father Dmitry’s figure with a detached, almost outsider’s interest. And Dmitry, in turn, seemed to be seeking refuge— in the garage, … Read more
The golden light of a Neapolitan evening softly flooded the spacious hall of the Aurora restaurant, tinting the snow-white tablecloths in warm, honeyed hues. The air, dense and saturated, carried a stirring aroma of fresh basil, garlic sizzling in olive oil, and seafood just brought in from the nearby market. At every table a … Read more
— “Sveta, you look absolutely stunning in that dress!” her friend exclaimed, taking in the bride. “We’ll do your hair next—and you’ll look like a real princess!” Svetlana ran a thoughtful hand through her hair, looking at herself in the mirror. “Maybe I should dye it darker? What do you think?” “Absolutely not! Dark … Read more
I found out about the cheating by accident. No, there was no lipstick on the collar or someone else’s perfume—much more banal than that. His phone buzzed on the kitchen table while he was in the shower, and I glanced at the screen without thinking. “Miss you, kitty. When will we see each other?” wrote … Read more