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— I know this child isn’t my son’s! So either you tell him yourself, or I’ll tell him everything! And he’ll throw you out of the house for sure!

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“Drinking plain tea, Ksyusha? Nervous?” Tamara Pavlovna’s voice was sweet like an overripe fruit whose skin already hides rot. She sat at the table in her daughter-in-law’s impeccably clean kitchen and methodically stirred the spoon in her porcelain cup, though the sugar had long since dissolved. That monotonous, scraping sound—scritch, scritch, scritch across the bottom—frayed … Read more

“Your wife is here to take you home,” Elena announced to the man she believed was her fiancé, and looked toward the door.

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— “What do you mean ‘Elena Vladimirovna’? You’re only twenty-nine!” her friends would remark, chuckling. — “It stuck,” Lena would wave it off. “For clients I’m Elena Vladimirovna; for suppliers—especially. And for colleagues.” Lena was building her business and meant it seriously. So at work the tone was businesslike, with no chumminess. — “Come on, … Read more

Olga came to the village, to her long-abandoned nest, to visit her parents. Or rather, their silent marble markers on the hill by the church. To straighten the railing, touch up the little stars, and talk to the wind, which seemed to keep the whisper of their voices.

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The autumn air in the settlement of Lesnaya Sloboda was thick, sweet, and searingly cold. It smelled of rotting leaves, smoke from stove pipes, and that special, timeless silence that wraps the soul like a good old blanket. Olga had come here, to the nest she’d left long ago, to visit her parents—or rather, their … Read more

— “Mom is moving in with us!” the husband declared.

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Anna stood at the kitchen window, watching raindrops slowly trickle down the glass. Behind her came the familiar hiss of the frying pan—dinner for two was on the stove. For her and Mikhail. As usual. Like every day for the last eight years of their married life. “Anya, we need to talk,” her husband said, … Read more

That desperate cry rang out over the glassy surface of the river and then died away, almost unheard and uncomprehended, swallowed by heat thick as honey.

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“Don’t touch me! Let me go! Don’t!” That desperate cry rang out over the river’s smooth surface and died away—heard by almost no one, understood by no one—swallowed up by heat thick as honey. The languid, exhausting swelter pressed the grasses to the ground, silenced the birds, and muffled sound itself, as if brushing aside … Read more

You wanted to relax at my expense, but I’m not going to rescue you from there!” — the daughter-in-law taught her husband and mother-in-law a lesson for their greed

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Lena was standing by the hallway mirror, adjusting her new haircut, when she heard a familiar clearing of the throat behind her. Sergey appeared in the doorway wearing the expression she had learned to recognize without fail — a mix of reproach and barely concealed indignation. “How much did that cost?” he asked bluntly, nodding … Read more

The husband forgot to end the call. The wife overheard his conversation with his mother and filed for divorce the very same day.

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Anna closed the last report and leaned back in her chair. The job of a financial director in her father’s family business required constant attention. At thirty-two, she had already achieved a lot. “Dad, I’m home,” Anna peeked into her father’s office. “We’ll discuss the new investments tomorrow.” “Of course, darling,” her father looked up … Read more

— Oh, is that how it is? What I earn is OURS, but what you earn is YOURS? Darling, haven’t you gotten a bit too cheeky?

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“Oksana, we need to talk. Seriously.” His voice, stripped of its usual evening relaxation, made her stop chopping vegetables. The knife froze halfway through a crunchy celery stalk. Oksana threw a quick glance at her husband over her shoulder. Vadim was leaning against the doorframe, looking as if he was preparing not for dinner, but … Read more

At 70, I realized that the scariest thing isn’t an empty apartment, but a house full of people who don’t need you.

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“You bought the wrong bread again,” my daughter-in-law Katya’s voice grated on my ears as I was unpacking the bags in the kitchen. “I asked for yeast-free. I’ve asked you five times.” She deliberately took the loaf I brought and spun it in her hands as if it were some exotic and poisonous caterpillar. “Katya, … Read more

— While we’re relaxing at your dacha, you should send your wife with the kids to her mother’s, so she doesn’t disturb our rest!” — the friends declared to the owner of the property.

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“While we’re relaxing at your dacha, you should send your wife with the kids to her mother’s so she doesn’t bother us!” — the friends told the owner of the plot. Friday evening had come. The roof of Ivan’s country house shimmered with the sunset’s reflections, creating a cozy atmosphere on the young homeowner’s countryside … Read more