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We were celebrating our little boy’s first birthday. Guests, presents, laughter. I thought it was the happiest day of my life. But then the door flew open, and she walked in—my mother-in-law. Without even looking at the guests, she jabbed a finger at me and screamed, “That child isn’t my Pavel’s! I’ll expose you for […]

Arseny took the last quiche from the plate without even looking up from his phone. He chewed slowly, savoring it—the way people chew only something they truly like. Irina watched him lick his fingers, gathering flaky crumbs from the pads of his fingertips. Her mother, Lidiya Pavlovna, had brought those quiches that morning, still warm, […]

Alexey stood in front of the door to his apartment, his keys trembling in his hand. Three days ago he had slammed this very door shut to teach Irina a lesson. Three days of proud absence at his ex’s dacha. Three days that were supposed to make his wife understand how deeply she had hurt […]

Anna stood at the window of her living room, watching the wind ruffle the golden leaves of the old maple in the courtyard. This apartment was her quiet haven, her own little world—one she had inherited from her grandmother. An old building with high ceilings, decorative molding, wide windowsills where her favorite violets bloomed. Every […]

Irina rearranged the little cups of seedlings on the windowsill. Somewhere deep in the apartment, the muffled voices of her husband and mother-in-law drifted through the rooms. They were talking about something again—without her. Lately, these secret conversations had become the norm. “Ir, is lunch ready?” Sergey appeared in the kitchen doorway, phone in hand. […]

You’re nobody, got it? And you’re going to listen to me your whole life. And no more orders like—pick up our daughter. You hear me?” “I hear you…” Anastasia said softly, and felt his grip loosen. Anastasia had been married to Gennady for several years. He was the solid, dependable type—one of those men who, […]

The doorbell pierced the house’s morning drowsiness—sharp, insistent. I frowned, lifting my head off the pillow. Who would need us this early? Tamara Pavlovna, my mother-in-law, was already scurrying down the hallway. Her whisper was louder than any shout. “I’m coming, I’m coming! Why are you ringing like that…” I threw on a robe and […]

“Speak.” His voice in the phone receiver was even and a little tired, like someone who’d been pulled away from a complicated spreadsheet full of numbers. On the other end of the line, Olga stayed silent for a second, gathering her strength. When she finally spoke, her voice wasn’t trembling—it was completely empty, burnt out […]

— You just need to rest, sweetheart,” my husband Stas said, his voice dripping with fake concern. “Just a couple of weeks at the best health resort. You’ll calm your nerves down.” I stared at him, trying to focus. My head felt heavy and dull, as if it were packed with wet sand. “I don’t […]

“Sonny!” Vera Antonovna cried out, suddenly freezing on the threshold of her apartment. Her eyes widened with astonishment and joy, her hands flew up like birds ready to take flight. She rushed to her son, who had just come in, leaving the door slightly ajar, as if she couldn’t believe her own eyes. “You scared […]