“What delicate earrings you have, Anya,” her mother-in-law, Lyudmila Ivanovna, lightly touched the jewelry with her fingers. “Thank you,” Anya gave a strained smile, hoping that Pavel would soon come back from working in the yard. She didn’t like being left alone with her mother-in-law. She loved Pavel, but things with his mother just didn’t … Read more
The little bell above the door chimed softly, almost inaudibly, but that sound had always been special to him. Viktor Orlov stepped into “Orlov Café,” the establishment that had once been his dream and had since become a network of four locations across the city. He wore a simple dark jacket, worn jeans, and a … Read more
A cold October evening forever changed Arina’s life. She stood at the gate of what had once been her home, holding a hastily packed bag, while her mother‑in‑law’s shrill cry still echoed in her ears: “Out of my house! And don’t you ever set foot here again!” Ten years of marriage ended in a single … Read more
— Do you really think this place is suitable for living with a child?” My gaze drifted over the leaning walls of the house, which seemed to be held up only by a miracle and rusty nails. “— Olga, let’s not be dramatic. I’m leaving you the whole house with its land, even though I … Read more
The SMS from the bank came at 7:15 a.m.: “Debit transaction in the amount of…” I swiped the notification away without opening it. Dima often transferred money for building materials for the dacha. That was normal. The second message arrived a minute later. The third—while I was pouring water into the kettle. The phone vibrated … Read more
The silence in the apartment was special, dense, like cotton. Marina loved this time of the evening, when deep blue twilight thickened over the Volga outside the window, and the only light in the flat was the cozy glow of the desk lamp. Nizhny Novgorod was falling asleep, and she, the head librarian of … Read more
Lena slowly raised her eyes from the book she’d been reading, curled up in the corner of the sofa. Something flickered in her brown eyes — a mix of tiredness and determination. “Yes, I didn’t let him in,” she replied calmly, slipping an old theater ticket in as a bookmark. “And I’m not going to.” … Read more
Natalya opened her eyes and saw a white ceiling. The bright light hurt her pupils, and the first thing that crossed her mind was where she was and why it hurt so much to breathe. Her chest felt as if it were clamped in a vise; every breath came with difficulty. “You’ve come to,” she … Read more
Elena stood at the window, watching an overloaded GAZelle van pull into the courtyard. Her heart tightened with anxiety—she knew what that meant. For three days now Andrey had been walking around the apartment with a guilty look, clearly gearing up for a serious conversation. “Len,” he began cautiously the night before, “remember I … Read more
“Is that it? Has she gone?” Kirill’s voice in the receiver was taut, like a stretched string. There was silence on the other end. Not long—just a second or two—but in that time he managed to imagine the worst. Then Alina’s quiet, exhausted reply came: “She’s gone.” “Are you okay? Did she… do something?” And … Read more