The governess found a beaten girl under the fence — a month later the owners didn’t recognize their own home

“Svetlana Alekseevna, don’t be lonely! We’ll be back in two weeks,” Darya Andreevna said with a warm smile, standing at the doorway. The housekeeper nodded; a slight worry flashed in her eyes, but she only sighed and, as always, tried to keep composed: “Oh, I’m no child. Rest well, don’t worry about anything. Everything will … Read more

I found a little girl by the railroad tracks, raised her, but after 25 years her relatives appeared.

— What’s that? — I stopped halfway to the station, listening carefully. Crying came from the left — quiet but persistent. The February wind tickled my neck and flapped the edge of my coat. I turned toward the railway, where against the white snow, a dark abandoned switchman’s hut stood out. A bundle lay right … Read more

So that’s why you took the news about selling the house so calmly!” — The mother-in-law trembled with rage after finding grandmother’s will among my documents.

Mom, wait! I asked you not to touch my documents!” — Marina burst into the study, but it was already too late. Galina Petrovna was standing by the open safe, holding a folder, her face frozen in shock. In her trembling fingers, she gripped a notarized document — the will of Marina’s late grandmother, which … Read more

— Since I’m now the nanny for your sister’s kids, here’s the bill for my services, — the wife had grown tired of tolerating a daycare at home.

Lera was standing by the mirror in the hallway, touching up her lipstick, when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock — half past six in the evening. Sergey hadn’t come home from work yet, and she was supposed to meet a friend at a café. The bell rang again, more insistently. “Lera, open … Read more

“The dog won’t even eat your cutlets,” laughed my husband as he threw the food away. Now he eats at a homeless shelter I sponsor.

The plate with dinner flew into the trash can. The sharp crash of porcelain against plastic made me flinch. “Even the dog won’t eat your cutlets,” my husband laughed, pointing to the dog who demonstratively turned away from the piece offered to him. Dmitry wiped his hands on an expensive kitchen towel I had bought … Read more

— I blocked the account, — the wife said coldly. — The car is mine. The apartment too. Now go ask your mommy.

— Where were you wandering until eleven, huh? — Maxim’s voice came from the bathroom. He slipped through the morning like a drop of ketchup on a white shirt: not a catastrophe, but it spoiled the mood. Elena, already fully ready to go, keys in hand and a serious face, froze at the kitchen doorway. … Read more

When the old grandmother STARTED SINGING, Ivan FROZE, recalling the voice of his mother who had disappeared 45 years ago.

Ivan stood near the subway exit, pressed against the wall to shield himself from the persistent autumn rain that had been lightly and insistently scratching at the skin and clothes of passersby for over an hour. The wind whistled between the buildings, tearing drops off umbrellas and throwing them straight into faces. The world around … Read more