Open up, I brought soup!” The loud voice behind the door made Alina start, splashing coffee onto her new pajamas. It was Saturday morning, half past seven. Alina had just managed to savor the first sip of the aromatic drink and gaze dreamily out the window at the waking city. A day off. The long-awaited … Read more
Galina, exhausted after a long day at work, couldn’t wait to be home. Her husband, Sergey, was away on a business trip, and she dreamed of a quiet evening. Anticipating those small joys, Galina turned the key in the lock—but unfamiliar voices drifted from the living room. She froze on the threshold. A moment later, … Read more
“Yes, I know that Tatyana Pavlovna fooled everyone into thinking I did nothing around the house. But all the cleanliness and the cooking—that’s my handiwork. You’ll have to live with that information now, Igor Ivanovich. I don’t even know how you managed before we moved in. Although… you’ll have a perfect chance to remember. Because … Read more
That November day was gray and raw, as if fate itself were choosing the set for the first act of this drama. The air in the school hall was thick with the breath of a crowd that smelled of wet coats, woolen mittens, and anxious excitement. Alisa, clutching to her chest a brand-new grade book … Read more
— Listen, I just don’t understand, — Varvara froze by the kitchen cabinet without turning to her husband. — This month we’re not putting aside a single ruble again. Do you get that? Nothing. Zero. And you’re just sitting there calmly chewing chicken. How? Yury tore himself away from his plate and exhaled. He wasn’t … Read more
I stood at the living room window, looking out at the gray roofs of our neighborhood, and couldn’t believe it… Finally! After three years of divorce, after all the courts and the splitting of property, I had what I’d dreamed of all my life—my own territory. My apartment. My rules. Light walls I picked out … Read more
— “This is reckless, Artyom—pure madness!” Victoria’s voice—his mother’s—didn’t just ring; it vibrated, filling the kitchen with the current of unfeigned fury. A stray sunbeam playing on the chrome kettle seemed to cringe at her scream. “To marry… her! Do you have any idea what you’re doing to your life? You’re destroying everything I built … Read more
Diana put the last plate in the drying rack and turned off the water. The kitchen in their two-room apartment was small but cozy. Viktor was sitting on the couch in the living room, scrolling through news on his phone. “Vitya, did Inna call?” Diana asked, drying her hands on a towel. “Yeah, she’ll drop … Read more
A puddle of crimson liquid spread across the old, nicked cutting board. Veronika, sleeves of her cotton dress rolled up, separated sinews from springy muscle with almost surgical precision. The kitchen smelled of garlic, bay leaf, and homely comfort—the kind built up over years, brick by brick, like a fortress wall around her small, perfect … Read more
Five years after losing my wife, my daughter and I went to my best friend’s wedding. My world caved in the instant he lifted the bride’s veil. As Alma whispered, “Daddy, why are you crying?” the bride met my eyes—and everything shattered. I hadn’t planned to set foot at that party. My coworker Marcos practically … Read more