— Kira, this is simply outrageous! The baby is already six months old, and you still carry her around like a crystal vase. At your age, I was already raising two kids, working, and managing a thirty-acre garden! — Berta Alexandrovna’s voice on the phone was, as always, categorical. Kira took a deep breath, trying … Read more
— Mommy, are we going to live here now? — Lisa’s small voice trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind. Svetlana hugged her daughter by the shoulders and looked at the little house. It was crooked, old, with peeling window frames, resembling a tired person whose eyes had long stopped marveling at the world. … Read more
The call from the notary caught Nastya completely by surprise. She barely had time to grasp what was happening when she heard the word “inheritance.” From her grandfather? The name—Pyotr Danilovich—evoked only vague memories in the girl, faint like the flicker of a distant flame. He was her father’s father, but after her parents’ divorce, … Read more
Anna stood by the window of her new kitchen and looked out at the yard that, just a month ago, had seemed perfect to her. A neat green lawn, young fir trees around the perimeter, tidy paths made of natural stone. But now half the lawn was dug up, turned into beds with tomatoes and … Read more
Natasha and her husband were leaving the restaurant where they had celebrated his birthday. The evening had been wonderful. Many guests had come, including relatives and colleagues. Natasha met many of them for the first time, but if Dmitry had invited them, he knew what he was doing. Natasha was one of those people who … Read more
Lena stood in front of the crooked little house, clutching a crumpled piece of paper with the address in her hand. The wind tickled her neck, ruffling her light jacket, and inside she felt empty—like the windows of this abandoned dwelling. Twenty years had passed inside the walls of an orphanage, and now she was … Read more
Yulia threw a jacket right over her home T-shirt and slung her bag over her shoulder. In the taxi, she looked out the window, clutching a pack of marshmallows from Voronezh — Sergey liked exactly those, in the pink packaging. She just wanted to come in, hug him, surprise him. She missed him. The hearing … Read more
This story begins with an ordinary celebration that turned into a fateful event. Sometimes a single careless remark can completely change people’s lives. What will happen to someone who publicly humiliates another person, only to discover the truth afterward? I invite you to dive into this gripping story with an unexpected ending. It was one … Read more
Fyodor Petrovich had long dreamed of going to the cemetery — to visit his son. For a long time, his health had not allowed him to do so. But today he woke up feeling a little better. The paint for the fence had been bought in advance, all the tools prepared. After breakfast, the man … Read more
The Apartment Issue Alesya stood in the hallway, unable to believe her ears. Her mother-in-law, Svetlana Sergeevna, had just declared that the apartment of the late grandmother Zoya would go not to her, but to Lena — the wife of the younger son. “Svetlana Sergeevna, but you promised,” Alesya’s voice trembled with hurt. “You yourself … Read more