Impossible! It can’t be!” Nadezhda thought, looking at a photograph where a young pregnant girl was hugging her husband’s neck, sitting on his lap and smiling joyfully. Twenty-five years of marriage… was it all going to the dogs now? Her heart painfully clenched as she stared at the photo, forgetting that she had logged into … Read more
The house was warm and cozy, with logs quietly crackling in the stove, a favorite TV show playing, and a blizzard howling outside. Antonina, an elderly woman and former local paramedic, comfortably settled in an old, worn chair, watched the movie and stroked her cat, Vasily, curled up on her lap. Suddenly, there was … Read more
Ivan Viktorovich shouted in complete bewilderment: — How can it be — she can’t be found anywhere?! Did she just disappear? The bewildered nanny tried to justify herself: — I really can’t imagine how this happened. I was only distracted for a moment… And then this dog, people started to scatter. I turned around to … Read more
Olya, what time do you need to be at work tomorrow?” Anton asked his wife during dinner.“Early, we have a commission.” “Won’t you be able to take your mother to the hospital?” “No, there’s no way, you do it.” “So I’ll have to ask for time off..” “And me? After all, you have a sister—let … Read more
“I said I’m not giving it!” Marina slammed her spoon on the table so hard the porridge splattered onto the tablecloth. “Cut me into pieces if you want, but I’m not transferring four million to your mother!” Alexey jerked as if someone had hit him with an electric shock. “Marin, are we doing this again? … Read more
Inna dried her hands on a dish towel and gave the table one last inspection. The salads were set out, the main course was ready, and wine glasses and candles glowed on the table. Everything looked tidy and warm. Tonight, Roman was coming with his parents—her future mother-in-law and father-in-law. Inna was nervous. Usually, meetings … Read more
Vera sat in the corner of the small restaurant Basil, nervously twisting a napkin in her fingers. Outside the window, a thin April rain blurred the city’s evening lights into watery brushstrokes. She’d picked this place on purpose—three years earlier they’d celebrated their wedding anniversary here. It still smelled of cinnamon and freshly baked … Read more
Vera sat at a small table in the corner of the café, watching her “new family” like someone observing a scene that had nothing to do with her. Maksim’s parents were loudly trading the latest neighborhood gossip, his sister Alina was paging through the menu in search of the priciest items, and Maksim was … Read more
When Svetlana spotted her former mother-in-law in the school corridor, her heart started beating faster. She knew Valentina Sergeyevna had come to the parents’ meeting too—those meetings were held for the entire grade. Her daughter had just entered eighth grade, and the divorce from Andrey had happened only three months earlier. “You’re here as … Read more
Lena had always dreamed of becoming a mother. So when she found out she was pregnant by a man she’d spent only a single night with, she didn’t panic or fall apart—she was genuinely happy. She told him right away. His response was blunt: he wasn’t ready to be a father and had no … Read more