— Yeah, I’m coming, I’m coming… Of all people—someone just had to show up,” I muttered as I opened the door. Standing on the threshold was a girl of about eighteen, a scuffed backpack slung over her shoulders and a steady, light-eyed stare. No confusion—just iron determination. “I’m staying with you for three months. My […]
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The year had turned out surprisingly warm. Indian summer dragged on, painting the leaves in fiery gold. The air was clear and sweet, like thick honey, and a fine pre-winter web drifted through it. In such a setting, the news brought into the house felt especially bitter and unfair. “Varka, Varka,” came a tired voice […]
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Vera was wiping dust off the windowsill when Maksim walked into the room and handed her a sheet torn from a notepad. “Here, sweetheart—these are my mother’s bank details. Take them to payroll so your salary will go to her.” She froze, rag still in her hand. “What?” “Send your salary to Mom. She’ll manage […]
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The phone buzzed at ten at night, just as Marina was finishing the last column of her quarterly report. She swiped away the first notification without looking. The second made her lift her head. The third made her grab the phone with both hands. “Debit: Harvest grocery store.” “Debit: Pyschka café.” “Debit: Madame Chic tailor […]
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—What’s this?! Zhanna Yegorovna pointed a finger at the plate with squeamish disdain, where a lonely mound of something beet-and-mayonnaise was slowly slumping outward. Gleb’s version of a “proper herring under a fur coat” looked more like the aftermath of a failed experiment in a chemistry lab. Alla walked into the apartment at exactly 5:30—just […]
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The mother-in-law’s booming, authority-soaked voice cut through the stale air of the old two-room apartment on the outskirts of Moscow. “Olya, you’re not a stranger. You understand—we’re family. And in a family, how is it? Everything is shared. Shared joys, and so… shared opportunities too.” Olga, a literature teacher with twenty years of experience, silently […]
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Andrew, why have you gone so pale?” Lana looked anxiously at her husband, frozen with a glass of champagne in his hand. Andrey silently nodded toward the dance floor, where his younger brother Oleg was waltzing with his brand-new wife. The newlyweds’ parents stood nearby, glowing with happiness. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Andrey whispered. “Yes,” […]
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The phone rang in the middle of dinner. The whole family was at the table—Katya with her husband Denis, his parents, and his younger sister Angela. “Don’t answer,” the father-in-law grunted. “It’s rude to be on the phone at the table.” But it rang again. Katya gave the relatives an apologetic look and picked up. […]
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Lyudmila was sitting in the kitchen by the window when it happened. She simply got up to fetch the salt to finish the soup—and suddenly her legs turned to cotton, чужие, not hers. She didn’t make it to the table—she sank to the floor, knocking over a jar of grains. Buckwheat scattered across the linoleum, […]
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—Have you completely lost it?! Open up right now—I’ll get in anyway!—the mother-in-law’s voice thundered through the stairwell so loudly that neighbors were already peeking out of their apartments. —This is my home, my property! I’ll show you how you dare drive my son away from his family! Vera pressed her back against the door […]
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