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Marina reread the document for the third time, unable to believe her eyes. An official letter from the notary’s office lay on her kitchen table beside a half-finished cup of tea. In dry legal language, the letter stated that her brother Viktor had filed a claim to recover from her half of the amount spent […]

— “Do you have your own car? Or are you planning to rely on Kostya’s?” Nika froze with a glass of juice halfway to her lips. At that moment, Kostya was slicing cheese at the kitchen counter; a slow flush crept over his cheeks. The woman who had just entered the apartment stood in the […]

“Mom, hi, I urgently need your help.” Her son’s voice on the phone sounded as if he were speaking to an annoying subordinate, not to his mother. Nina Petrovna froze with the remote in her hand, never turning on the evening news. “Kiryusha, hello. Did something happen?” “No, everything’s fine,” Kirill exhaled impatiently. “It’s just […]

I ran my finger over the cold steel of the keys in my pocket. Two brand-new, gleaming keys to an apartment Mark will never set foot in. “Should I hang another shelf above the dresser, what do you think?” he asked without looking up from his laptop. “For my awards. They’re bringing me another one […]

I can’t live like this anymore, Anya,” Sergey said, throwing his keys onto the table. They skidded through a dusting of flour, sending a white spray across the wood like a startled gust of snow. I froze with the dough clinging to my fingers. From the other room, the children fell silent, as if the […]

“Ksenia! Where have you disappeared to? The guests have been waiting half an hour for coffee! And cut the cake into larger pieces—Vasily Timofeyevich has a sweet tooth!” Her mother-in-law’s voice, Elena Petrovna’s, ricocheted through the apartment. Ksenia inhaled slowly, swallowing her irritation. A crowd of about ten had taken over the living room—every one […]

— Mo… The spoon slipped from Svetlana’s hand. The ring of it striking the edge of the cup echoed through the quiet, not-yet-awakened kitchen. “Mom,” Nika repeated, “why did my stepdad say on the phone last night that you aren’t needed anymore?” With a sharp movement, the kissel in the mugs spilled onto the saucers. […]

Polina was trudging home from work reluctantly. The autumn wind tugged at the hem of her coat, and the leaden clouds seemed to press down on her shoulders. But it wasn’t the weather that weighed on the young woman. An unexpected guest had appeared at their home today. In the afternoon, during an important meeting […]

Veronika opened the antique mahogany jewelry box and ran her fingers over the velvet lining. The diamonds shimmered in the morning light. Veronika’s heart tightened at the memories. Her grandmother had given her the set a month before she passed away: a ring with a large center stone, elegant earrings, and a pendant on a […]

At first, Genka thought his mother had simply gained weight. Though in a strange way. Her waist had suddenly rounded out, while the rest of her looked the same as before. It felt awkward to ask—what if his mom took offense? His father kept quiet, gazing at her with tenderness, and Genka pretended he hadn’t […]