— Do you really think I built all of this only to hand it over to strangers?” Alexey scanned the room as if only now noticing every little detail in the house we had built together. “— I never imagined our home would become a battleground for quarrels,” I replied softly, shrugging my shoulders. The … Read more
If I ever had questions about my place in the family, they were answered the moment I stumbled upon the will. I was in the family apartment—the very same one where I grew up and for which I had been paying the bills for the past five years: utilities, groceries, roof repairs, cleaning help. I … Read more
Her head was spinning; she was on the verge of believing in the existence of magic, but everything turned out to be much more prosaic. Nastya stood by the bookcase, holding a large school album filled with photographs from those years, and she gazed at each picture with tender admiration. For half an hour, the … Read more
Hello?” Tatiana picked up the phone. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. “Tatyana Vasilyevna Kuznetsova?” “Yes… It’s me.” “Your mother, Elvira Stanislavovna Kuznetsova, has passed away. Come to Moscow. The funeral will be next week,” the voice on the other end was cold and emotionless. Tatiana froze. She definitely did not expect such news. … Read more
The day turned out to be extraordinarily quiet. Marina sat on the veranda of the summer cottage, sorting through herbs for drying. Her entire life had been measured like the ticking of a clock in a hospital corridor—second after second, day after day. Twenty years of marriage with Andrey had turned into a habit, like … Read more
What will happen if I just tell the truth one day?” he asked quietly, staring into space. “What you fear most in the world, Kirill. You will stop being someone you never were,” his wife replied, not lifting her eyes from the book. The autumn wind hurled handfuls of rain against the windows of the … Read more
The Underhanded Mathematics of Family Life: Squeezing the Most Out of the Least Investment. Waiting for the Last Mortgage Payment. Getting Rid of Unnecessary Ballast. Claiming One’s Share. But then an Unpredictable Variable Appeared in the Equation. Lizaveta held in her hand the receipt for the final mortgage payment and could hardly believe it – … Read more
— Listen to me carefully: this apartment must be registered only in our names! Do you understand, you loafer? Only then will you be able to keep your stubborn wife under control and prevent her from getting out of your grasp!” the mother-in-law grumbled irritably. Not long before that… “— Oh, it’s so cold! It … Read more
Marina stopped her car by an acquaintance’s gate and sat for several seconds, examining her well-tended garden. The June sun generously flooded the plot, its rays playing across the veranda’s windows. She adored that summer house with all her heart – every lilac bush had been planted by her own hands, every flowerbed crafted with … Read more
The twilight of October gently enveloped the city as I set the table for dinner. The familiar cups with worn edges, the old embroidered tablecloth — everything in this kitchen had remained unchanged for the past three decades. Viktor entered, carefully closing the door behind him. The warm October evening prompted him to roll up … Read more