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At my husband’s anniversary celebration, my mother-in-law proudly announced: “Son, this is a gift from your father and me — the keys to a house. We are giving them only to you, so that this poor country bumpkin and her child from a previous marriage get nothing after the divorce.” The room fell into a … Read more

Grandmother Alexandra’s house, whom the villagers simply and familiarly called Shura, was avoided by day from afar. Not that anyone saw evil or black magic in her, but among the people, as usual, they loved to believe in omens — especially in old times. Strange things were said about her, whispered behind gates, near the … Read more

I was standing by the kitchen window, mechanically stirring the borscht when Andrey came back from his mother’s. I immediately saw from his face—the conversation hadn’t gone the way we hoped. He went to the table, sat down, rested his elbows on the countertop, and rubbed his temples. “Well?” I asked, although I already guessed … Read more

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection as if trying to see the person I used to be. But instead of a confident, radiant woman of thirty-two, I saw a pale, exhausted shadow. My skin had lost its former glow, turning gray as if lifeless. Deep shadows lay under my eyes—not … Read more

— Vera, hi. Mom called. Her violets are dying completely — they urgently need to be repotted. Go visit her, help out, okay? You always manage plants so well. The kitchen was filled with the thick, warm aroma of fried onions and carrots — homey, cozy, as if inviting to forget everything else. But this … Read more

The village was almost extinct. Out of the eighteen houses, only two remained inhabited: in one, elderly Varvara lived; in the other — Stepan with Anastasia. They had no children, but they did have Mitrich the goat, three goats, chickens, and a garden, which they tended more out of habit than necessity. Everything they needed … Read more

Marina had never imagined that she would end up in such a situation. “Beluga” – the restaurant where Victor once proposed to her three decades ago – had now become the place for his secret rendezvous. She stood by the panoramic window, watching as her husband tenderly intertwined his fingers with a young blonde barely … Read more

— Dash, I wanted to talk, — Semyon started cautiously as soon as she stepped over the apartment threshold. He stood in the middle of the hallway, shifting from foot to foot, and his look — guilty yet filled with some inappropriate determination — immediately stirred a dull irritation in Darya. She silently took off … Read more

Irina stood on the porch watching the evening sun paint their brand-new frame house in warm peach tones. Sergey was fussing with string lights, carefully hanging them along the fence. For three years they’d saved, scrimped, skipped vacations—and here it was at last. Their very own dacha. — Sergei, maybe that’s enough? It’s getting dark, … Read more

— Mom, can I come in? I need to talk, — Natalia stood in the doorway of her parents’ apartment, clutching a large bag to her chest. — Come in, just take your shoes off carefully, I’ve washed the floors, — her mother stepped aside to let her in. — Dad’s home, he’s reading the … Read more