It seemed that Kirill had calculated everything: fake bankruptcy, divorce, secret accounts. But he forgot that Anya was not just a «modest housewife.» Behind the borscht and baby diapers hid a woman capable of turning his lies into financial ruin. When the last illusions crumbled, only one question remained: what was worse—losing the business or … Read more
Strange, why did she choose me?” Olesya pondered. Maria Aleksandrovna had three daughters-in-law, but she disliked the youngest the most. Perhaps it was because she was “always nearby” — after all, the other daughters-in-law had chosen to move to neighboring cities, far away from the meddlesome mother-in-law. Or maybe it was some personal antipathy. In … Read more
— You always forgave me for everything! So what have you done now? — Ignat shouted at her with a stranger’s face. — Forgave? No. I trusted you… — Nastya whispered with one lip, watching in confusion as the slender stranger slowly pulled a short dress—more like a T-shirt—over her flexible body. Nastya stopped … Read more
— 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