Alyona woke up early, as always. Outside the window it was only just beginning to get light, but inside her the familiar bustle was already rising—she had to make breakfast, get her husband ready for work, and then deal with her own tasks. The three-room apartment in the center of Moscow demanded attention: dust … Read more
Svetlana stood in front of the mirror, trying on her third dress in a row. The blue one seemed too bright, the black one too strict. She stopped on a beige dress with a neat little collar. Tonight her fiancé was taking her to meet his parents, and the girl was as nervous as if … Read more
“I’m ashamed to take you to the banquet,” Denis didn’t even look up from his phone. “There will be people there. Normal people.” Nadezhda stood by the refrigerator with a carton of milk in her hand. Twelve years of marriage. Two kids. And now—ashamed. “I’ll wear the black dress. The one you bought me.” “It’s … Read more
So, what is it? What are you going to treat me to today, wife? Oh man, I’m starving! I could eat a whole bull right now!” Mikhail burst noisily into the apartment, back from work. He was sure his wife—who always came home earlier than he did—was already there, as usual, cooking in the kitchen … Read more
“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