Day: October 8, 2025

Marina had always been proud of her career. A good position, a high salary, the respect of her colleagues—she had earned all of it through hard work. At forty-two, she confidently headed the marketing department at a large company. People considered her a successful woman. At least, that’s what they said to her face. Her […]

Elena climbed to the fourth floor without an elevator, as always, and already on the landing she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Her mother and Katya were discussing something, speaking quietly but with that particular tone that meant: “an important conversation.” Elena stopped at the door and listened. No, they weren’t talking about her. […]

The first weeks in the new apartment felt like a breath of fresh air after a long suffocation. I stood at the kitchen window, looked out into the courtyard, and couldn’t believe it—no one would be peering over my shoulder, counting how much salt I put in the borscht or commenting that “in my day, […]

Anna knew the day would be hard from the morning on, when Sergei started fussing around the apartment, rearranging chairs and checking whether there were enough plates. His relatives always arrived in a crowd—his sister Larisa with her husband Volodya, Aunt Klava, his cousin Igor with his wife. And every time, Anna felt not like […]