You really ought to dress better, Mom,” Kristina drawled, lazily poking at her avocado salad with a fork. “Dima and I could give you some money. Just so you wouldn’t look so… depressing. People do look, you know.” Anna slowly raised her gaze—not at her daughter-in-law, but at her son. Dima tensed up. The hand […]
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“I’m pregnant,” I said, and a smile spread across my face on its own. Kirill, standing by the window, froze. He didn’t even turn around, but I saw his shoulders tense in the reflection. I expected hugs, joyful shouting—anything but this strange, frozen posture. “I am too,” came Lena’s quiet voice. My sister stepped out […]
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“Napkins. Fix them.” My mother-in-law’s voice, Tamara Igorevna, sliced through my nerves like a dull knife against glass. I froze, staring at the perfectly stacked linen napkins. “What’s wrong with them?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “The corner. It’s lifted by a millimeter. Guests will think we live in a pigsty.” I […]
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The gravel crunched uneasily beneath my car’s tires as I turned onto the familiar dirt road. I was smiling. Igor thought I was meeting friends in the city — but I was rushing to him instead. Surprise. He said there was an emergency at the dacha — a critical project that required total focus. Our […]
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Tamara Pavlovna entered my bedroom without knocking, carrying a glass of water and a small white pill in her hand. Her face radiated an overwhelming concern that made my jaw tighten. “Anechka, sweetie, it’s time for your medicine. Blood pressure is no joke,” she said softly, with that ingratiating tenderness she reserved for special occasions—like […]
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“You’ll love it, sweetheart. This is the best Transformer in the store,” a voice came from behind the shelf. Yekaterina was putting children’s socks into her shopping basket when she heard a familiar voice in the next aisle. Her husband’s voice. She froze, listening. Through the shelves of toys, Yekaterina saw Igor. He was holding […]
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