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Galina stood by the window and watched Viktor stride toward the neighboring entrance. Again. For the third time that week. He had some kind of little toolbox in his hands. “Where are you off to?” she shouted from the balcony. “To Alina’s! Her outlet’s acting up!” he waved and disappeared into the stairwell. An outlet. […]

Ira stood at the stove stirring borscht. Sasha paced back and forth across the kitchen. “Salted it again!” He tasted it and grimaced. “How many times do I have to say it?” “I didn’t oversalt anything.” “What’s this then?” Sasha pointed into the pot with the spoon. “The Dead Sea?” Ira clenched her teeth. Thirty […]

Anna woke up to the sound of a baby crying and glanced at the clock—half past six in the morning. Thirty-two years old, her birthday, and of course it began the usual way: feeding five-month-old Artyom. The baby was crying insistently, waving his tiny fists, and Anna thought that motherhood meant even holidays bow to […]

— “Your things are outside the door, the keys are on the table, and I don’t want to see a trace of you here!” Evelina’s voice trembled with anger as she hurled yet another bag of the uninvited guests’ belongings into the hallway. — “Eva, have you completely lost your mind? They’re my relatives!” Ignat […]

The day Svetlana had imagined in her dreams for many years finally arrived. But instead of the expected relief, she felt her hands trembling with nerves. Fifty-eight isn’t an age for a new life—right? That thought haunted her all morning. She scrutinized herself in the hallway mirror. A strict suit, minimal makeup, hair pulled into […]

Anna knew in advance that going there was a lousy idea. But Dmitry kept coaxing her in that bored tone of his, as if they were discussing the weather or the dollar exchange rate. “It’s my mom… No need to make a tragedy out of it. We’ll go for a couple of hours—done.” Anna stood […]

— Inga, I’ve been thinking… Basically, I’ve got an idea how we can get our life on track, — Stas’s voice, full of self-satisfaction and expecting praise, caught her in the kitchen. She was slicing vegetables for a salad, the sharp knife gliding confidently through the firm cucumber, leaving behind perfectly even, fresh-smelling rounds. Inga […]

— Mom’s been discharged from the hospital. The doctor said she needs home care for at least a week. You’ll go to her tomorrow. Denis tossed his phone onto the couch and went into the kitchen, already mentally closing the matter. He spoke as if he were announcing a scheduled water shutdown or that they […]

Alina came home after her second shift at the shopping center. Her legs were buzzing, her head pounding with fatigue. Working as a cashier at a grocery store by day and a cleaner in an office building in the evenings drained her to the limit. But Alina saw no faster way to pay off her […]

My husband quietly transferred everything to his mistress. He had no idea his accountant wife had been preparing a surprise for him for ten years. “Everything’s been transferred. Nothing belongs to us anymore.” Igor tossed out the phrase as carelessly as he used to toss his car keys onto the hall stand. He didn’t even […]