“I called you. Ten times. Mom’s waiting. We agreed you’d help her with the ceiling today.” Marina didn’t flinch. She slowly raised her head from her book, and in her eyes there was neither surprise nor guilt. Only calm, almost detached curiosity, as if the man standing in front of her wasn’t her husband but […]
Продолжение...
Dima had wanted to be a doctor for as long as he could remember. But life, it seemed, was determined to test him. First came the sudden death of his father — a blow that shattered the ground beneath him. Then his mother’s health began to fail, worn down by nerves and the grind of […]
Продолжение...
Raisa Mikhailovna said it as calmly as if she were commenting on the weather. She sat on the balcony of her city apartment, sipping tea from her favorite rose-patterned mug, and didn’t even glance at her son. Artyom froze, holding his cup. He had come to visit his mother in the city, as he always […]
Продолжение...
My husband stumbled over the threshold, shoulders bent beneath a sloshing bucket of fish. July’s morning chill gnawed at me, but the sight on the bench burned away the cold. “What is it?” Mikhail set the bucket down and came closer. On the rickety bench by the fence sat a wicker basket. Inside, wrapped in […]
Продолжение...
Violetta turned off the ignition and grabbed her phone on the second ring. “Mr. Grigory Sergeyevich?” “My golden goose, turn around!” her boss sounded deflated. “The deal fell through. Business trip is canceled.” Violetta looked at the airport board through the windshield, then at the suitcase on the back seat. “What do you mean, fell […]
Продолжение...
“Napkins. Fix them.” My mother-in-law’s voice, Tamara Igorevna, sliced through my nerves like a dull knife against glass. I froze, staring at the perfectly stacked linen napkins. “What’s wrong with them?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “The corner. It’s lifted by a millimeter. Guests will think we live in a pigsty.” […]
Продолжение...
“Shoes off and straight to the bathroom. Don’t drag that street grime into my kitchen.” Bathroom furniture Irina’s voice—flat and cold, like the ceramic tile underfoot—met Andrei right at the threshold. He’d just finished a twelve-hour night shift; his body hummed with exhaustion, and his head still held the monotonous drone of the shop machines. […]
Продолжение...
Anna opened the door and froze. On the threshold stood her mother-in-law with two strangers and a bouquet of wilted chrysanthemums. — Anna, meet them! — Elena Petrovna beamed. — This is Roman and Svetlana, Sergey’s first cousins. They’re passing through the city, and I decided… — Hello, — Anna replied coolly, not moving […]
Продолжение...
When I heard Maxim say that my family heirloom should be sold to satisfy his mother’s whims, something clicked in my head. Five years of life together, five years of patience and compromise turned to dust in just a few minutes. But let me start from the beginning. It all began that fateful evening […]
Продолжение...
“Well then, of course, he can. Rent is seventy thousand a month.” Lyudmila and Andrey had been married for about twenty years. They had an older son, Denis, who had just graduated from school and entered university, and a younger daughter, Milana, who had just started eighth grade. The family lived harmoniously: there were hardships, […]
Продолжение...