I’ve been divorced from your son for three years now, so let his new wife help you from now on. I won’t lift a finger,” I told my former mother-in-law.

Yulia stood by the window, watching Oleg load the suitcases into the car trunk. His movements were fussy, hurried—as if he were afraid she might change her mind and refuse to let him go. “Are you sure you can handle it?” he threw over his shoulder, not even looking in her direction. “Do I have […]

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I’ve been divorced from your son for three years now, so let his new wife help you from now on. I won’t lift a finger,” I told my former mother-in-law.

“For three years I’ve been divorced from your son, so let his new wife help you now. I won’t lift a finger,” I told my ex-mother-in-law the day before and hung up. My hands were shaking with anger. Nadezhda Petrovna had already called me three times that week, each time with the same request—to help […]

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“Where do you think you’re rushing off to? My mom’s coming over and the table’s empty!” the husband burst out.

A September morning turned out to be chilly. Irina was standing in front of the bedroom mirror, carefully straightening the collar of her business suit. The documents for an important meeting were neatly placed in her briefcase, her phone checked twice. Everything was going according to plan. Outside, yellow leaves slowly swirled in the air, […]

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Mom is feeling bad! It’s her heart!” my husband was shouting into the phone while my mother-in-law was howling in the locked apartment, the siren screaming over her wails. “Send a patrol,” I replied.

The first thing was the smell. A light, barely noticeable trail of someone else’s perfume — “Red Moscow,” I think. I came home after a 24-hour hospital shift, dreaming only of a hot shower and my own bed. Andrei met me in the hallway, gave me a routine peck on the cheek. “Mom dropped by, […]

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“Why on earth do you think I’m going to register Rita in my apartment?” Alina looked at her mother-in-law in surprise.

Alina, we need to have a serious talk. Rita needs a residence registration, and you now have your own apartment,” Tatyana Vitalyevna placed her hands on the table, as if marking the importance of the moment. Semyon sighed hopelessly. Sunday lunch at his parents’ had suddenly turned into a family council. He had a feeling […]

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