A black car came to a silent stop by the massive wrought-iron gates. Beyond them began a short dead-end street of eight identical, solid houses, cut off from the rest of the world by a high brick wall. A small, self-contained kingdom. The security guard in a uniform jacket, bored in his glass booth, sauntered […]
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“You must be joking,” Tatyana said, staring at Ivan Petrovich with her eyes wide. He shook his head. “No, I’m not. But I’ll give you time to think. Because the offer really isn’t a usual one. I can even guess what you’re thinking right now. Weigh everything, think it through properly—I’ll come back in a […]
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In the atrium of the city’s mightiest corporate tower—the flagship lobby of one of the nation’s largest conglomerates—life moved with its usual ceremonial rush. Morning flipped an unseen switch: as the first sunlight slid through the wall-high panes of glass, a fresh tide of ambition, transactions, and ego spilled across the space. The marble didn’t […]
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— “Maksim, when are you finally going to start looking for a job?” Raisa Vasilyevna asked her son-in-law, who was lying on the little couch in the living room in front of the TV. The man only looked at his mother-in-law condescendingly and snorted, as if a pesky mosquito had bothered him. He didn’t like […]
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Irina straightened the kitchen curtains and looked around her creation with satisfaction. The small rented two-room flat in an old building had been transformed thanks to her efforts. Fresh flowers on the windowsill, handmade cushions on the sofa, neatly arranged knickknacks—all of it turned an ordinary space into a cozy home. “How beautifully you’ve arranged […]
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Nastya and the Other “Lady of the House” The Door That Won’t Close Nastya was tired. Not so much from work, or the renovation, or daily routine, but from this invisible intrusion that had gone on far too long. In her own apartment she felt like a guest—and all because of one person. Or rather, […]
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Hello, darling! I’ve got a big surprise for you! Make your signature dish for dinner tonight! “What happened?” Svetlana grew uneasy. “Everything’s wonderful! I’ll tell you this evening!” The call ended, and the woman looked doubtfully out the window. It was a raw, damp October. Her husband’s call didn’t lift her spirits—over twenty-five years of […]
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“‘You must watch the kids!’ — a new duty imposed by the mother-in-law ‘Where are you?! I’m standing at your door with the kids! Mom said you’re obligated to let us in!’ ‘We’ve left,’ Yegor replied curtly. ‘We’ll be out of town for a whole week.’ ‘How could you?!’ Kristina squealed. ‘Mom’s blood pressure is […]
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“Recognize me?” — the voice on the line was nauseatingly familiar. Soft, insinuating — the very one that once promised forever. I stayed silent, staring at the frost patterns on the windowpane. A call from my ex-husband, Dmitry, after two years of almost complete oblivion — that’s never a good sign. It’s always the prelude […]
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Maksim slammed the refrigerator door and turned to his wife with a disgruntled look. “Yelena, what are these sausages for three hundred rubles a kilo? Have you lost your mind?” Yelena froze by the stove, continuing to stir the contents of the frying pan. Her fingers gripped the wooden spatula more tightly. “Maksim, there weren’t […]
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