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On Saturday evening, the apartment on the third floor of the concrete nine-storey block smelled of fried potatoes – and of a heated argument that was just about ready to burst out. Anna shrugged off her coat, hooked it carelessly onto the crooked peg in the hallway and, slapping along the linoleum in worn-out slippers, […]

Vika was standing by the window of her three-room apartment, looking out at the snow-covered courtyard. December had only just begun, but the city was already buried in snowdrifts. The wedding had taken place three weeks earlier — modest, without much fuss, only the closest people. The flat had come to Vika two years ago […]

So, tomorrow morning we’re taking the bikes to the new park, and then to that little Georgian restaurant that opened on the embankment?” Katya set a plate of pasta down in front of Alexey with a smile. Her voice sounded light, filled with the anticipation of a well-deserved rest. Friday evening was spreading through their […]

“You?” I stood by the open door, completely taken aback. “Hello, Olechka! Didn’t expect me, did you?” My now ex–mother-in-law, Anna Evgenyevna, stood on the threshold of my apartment, smiling warmly. “Uh… hello. No, I didn’t…” Honestly, I was stunned by the sight of her. Why on earth would Vlad’s mother suddenly come to visit […]

“Did you put salt in it? Mom says you mustn’t add any salt at all for children under one, it affects their kidneys.” Irina didn’t even turn her head. Her hand, holding the small spoon, froze halfway to the mouth of her son, sitting in the high chair. Silently, she returned the spoon to the […]

Vera lifted the laptop lid and checked the time—ten in the morning. In half an hour, an online meeting with clients was supposed to start. Vera worked as a freelance graphic designer; her clients were scattered across different time zones, so her workday started early and ended late. But try explaining that to her mother-in-law. […]

“Olenka, what are you doing?” her mother-in-law burst out. “Where do you think you’re going, and who will ever need you with two kids? Come to your senses!” “Mum, they came again,” Nastya whispered, without lifting her eyes from her textbook. Olga froze in the hallway, clutching the grocery bags. Strange men’s shoes were piled […]

Mom, they’re here again,” Nastya whispered, not lifting her eyes from her textbook. Olga froze in the hallway, clutching the grocery bags. Other people’s shoes were piled up by the door—worn sneakers, work boots, expensive trainers. From the kitchen came the familiar hum of male voices, the clink of bottles and hoarse laughter. Her daughter […]

Olga had always thought that being an adult meant you finally got to run your life the way you wanted. Like a real grown-up. But here she was, standing in an office, holding a promotion order in her hands and feeling as if she were fifteen again. As if the school principal had just praised […]

Kira worked as an interior designer in a small but successful studio, and weekends were sacred to her. Today she had planned to meet Vera, who had come from Perm for a few days on business. Her friend had promised to bring gingerbread from Perm and tell her about a new project to restore an […]