A cold courtroom. The final strike of the gavel, and a thirty-year marriage was dissolved in fifteen minutes of bureaucratic procedure. Natalia clutched the papers in her hand, avoiding the gaze of the man who had been the center of her life for decades. “Well, that’s that, Natasha,” Oleg smiled. He really was smiling at […]
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— Sveta, you won’t believe it! I just saw a woman—the spitting image of you! If I had any doubts, I’d think she was your mother… You don’t happen to have an older sister, do you? — her husband, Dmitry, rolled up behind her with a shopping cart piled high with groceries. — What? What […]
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That day, Antonina Petrovna arrived without warning. “Hello,” came the mother-in-law’s cold tone from the hallway. Luda automatically wiped her hands on her apron. “Hello, Antonina Petrovna.” “Potatoes again?” The mother-in-law looked over the plates on the table and wrinkled her nose. “I told you, children shouldn’t have so much starch.” Relations with Antonina Petrovna […]
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“Have you lost your mind, Lyudmila Petrovna? Olya’s already living practically on a dump, and now she’s going to take my apartment too?” Marina couldn’t believe her ears. She and Sergey were having dinner, and her mother-in-law, Lyudmila Petrovna—wearing the face of a prosecutor—was laying out her plan. “Olya needs support. She needs a place […]
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— “Why isn’t the floor washed? And where’s dinner?” Gleb threw his briefcase on the couch and looked around the room. “You’ve stopped taking care of yourself altogether!” Marina froze at the stove, flustered. It was past midnight, and there she was, like a fool, waiting for her husband with a hot dinner. He smelled […]
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“I came home at the wrong time—or at exactly the right time to catch my mother-in-law playing the heiress in action. Trying on my jewelry came with plans for my property. Then a call to the lawyer.” Tatyana stood in front of a huge mirror in the walk-in closet, scrutinizing her reflection. An ivory cashmere […]
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— “You always knew I wasn’t a prize!” — Viktor threw his keys onto the dresser. — “But right now you’re just being hysterical!” — “Hysterical?” — Marina pressed a palm to her chest. — “I’m hysterical when your Svetka called me herself?” — “What Svetka? What are you even talking about?” Viktor was terrified […]
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Marina stopped in the bedroom doorway, watching Roman hurriedly pack his things into a scuffed backpack. His movements were sharp, jittery—as if he were getting ready to flee. The zipper snapped shut with a metallic click, and he turned his back to the wardrobe. — Going somewhere? — She stepped into the room. — Rom? […]
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Marina paced the living room nervously, lost in deep thought. She was torn by conflicting feelings—a mix of confusion and inner unease. Nothing had gone the way she’d planned, and now she didn’t know which choice to make. The day before, during a visit to the notary, she’d been stunned by unexpected news: six months […]
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I was taking plates down from the shelf for the guests when I caught a snatch of conversation in the hallway. Nina, my cousin, was whispering to Artyom, but clearly enough: “She works at a bank—she gets bonuses and incentives… They say Marina’s already paid for everything. Can you imagine what a celebration it’ll be?” […]
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