Larisa was sitting in the kitchen as usual—in a tank top, with stretched-out knees on her pants, staring at her phone. She wasn’t scrolling or zoning out, just looking at it like it was an icon. There was a zero blinking, then a three, then a bunch more zeros… three million. Real money. In her … Read more
Nadya did not know what it was like to feel the warm touch of a mother’s hand, to hear her father’s laughter, to see eyes reflecting love. Her childhood did not begin with a lullaby, but with the cold walls of an orphanage, where every day was like the one before — monotonous, devoid of … Read more
Gennady was sitting at his desk, sorting through reports on quarterly results. The numbers demanded attention, but his concentration kept slipping away—there was too much piled up at work. He picked up the next folder when Veronika entered the room. “Gena, can I have a minute?” she asked, stopping at the doorway. “Of course,” he … Read more
Ah, you insolent brat!” Irina Viktorovna shouted loudly and fiercely, frowning angrily. Her hand swiftly lashed out at Natasha’s head, and a sharp slap rang out across the table like a gunshot. Taken by surprise, Natasha flinched and dropped her spoon onto the plate. A wave of bitterness and anger instantly overwhelmed her — this … Read more
— There’s dust on the shelves again. — Valentina Petrovna ran her finger over the dresser and grimaced with disgust. I stood frozen by the sink, towel in hand. This was already the third day in a row she had burst into our home without warning, as if inspecting a candidate for the perfect daughter-in-law, … Read more
Olya watched with visible pleasure as his self-confidence evaporated. It seemed that during the time they had been talking, his face had gone through the entire spectrum of human emotions — from superiority to obsequiousness. How wrong she had been about him, how petty and insignificant he turned out to be, as soon as the … Read more
Victoria stood by the kitchen window, watching the neighbor children playing in the yard. Sunlight fell onto the wooden countertop where samples of wedding invitations lay. In two months, her wedding with Kirill was scheduled, and each day brought new concerns. The three-room apartment on the fifth floor of a panel building had been her … Read more
Raisa Alexandrovna never thought she would have to prove her right to the apartment. She had lived there for thirty-two years. Especially to her husband. And definitely not in a notary’s office, where they had come for a completely different reason. “Do you want to make a gift deed to your son?” the notary asked … Read more
“Timofey, hi!” Lena burst into the apartment like a whirlwind. Even from the entrance, she looked at the windows of their apartment and saw the light on, and was very happy. After all, her Timofey had been on a business trip, and if there was light in the windows, it meant he had returned! Finally, … Read more
— Yanochka, dear, why didn’t you tell me right away that you now have money? — Hello, Yulia Konstantinovna. I don’t understand what you mean? — How so? Kirill said that your mother transferred a nice sum of money to your account. Yana was a terrible careerist. Work consumed her completely: early mornings, night reports, … Read more