“— Miss, may I help you?” he called to the woman, noticing how she was struggling to carry two heavy bags. “— Sorry to approach so suddenly, but it looks like the bags are about to slip from your hands. Let me carry them for you.” “— Oh, really? Are you sure? Aren’t they … Read more
On Saturday evening, the apartment on the third floor of the concrete nine-storey block smelled of fried potatoes – and of a heated argument that was just about ready to burst out. Anna shrugged off her coat, hooked it carelessly onto the crooked peg in the hallway and, slapping along the linoleum in worn-out … Read more
Svetlana Petrovna stood in the doorway of the room, barely opening the door — so as not to disturb, but also not to miss an important moment. She looked at her son with the same gaze that mixed motherly pride, tenderness, and something almost sacred. Sashka stood before the mirror in a light suit … Read more
For Elena, receiving a court summons for the dissolution of marriage was no surprise. The last year of her life with Anton had felt like a slow, painful fading. His constant late nights at work, the coldness, the distant gaze—all of it left no doubt. And a month ago he simply came home, packed … Read more
“Are you kidding me or what?” Sasha’s voice rang like a tight string. “I came home and you didn’t even make anything? Nothing, Katya!” Katya stood by the window, watching how the drizzle smeared the lights in the courtyard. Her fingers still smelled of medicine and adhesive bandages — during her shift at the … Read more
“Here, Anya, take it. Just be careful out there, okay? Don’t speed,” Andrey said with a wide smile, handing his sister the car keys. “Thanks, big bro! You’re the best! I won’t be long, honestly! There and back, I’ll stay at my friend’s for a couple of days and bring it back,” Anya happily … Read more
Galina closed the door behind her, kicked off her shoes onto the floor and took a deep breath. Finally, she could relax. Today had been an important day—she had completely paid off the mortgage on her apartment. The very one she had bought before marriage, when she worked twelve-hour shifts and denied herself everything. … Read more
Alla had been wiping the same cups for ten minutes already. Her thoughts were tangled, her hands were trembling. Pavel’s voice was still ringing in her ears: “I’ve filed for divorce. The house will be mine, the money too. You understand yourself: everything’s in my name.” Thirty-two years of marriage. Thirty-two! And all of it—erased … Read more
Marina stood by the living room window, watching two boys racing across her perfectly trimmed lawn with a soccer ball. One of them, seven-year-old Danil, had just kicked the ball straight into the rosebush she’d been tending for three years. The other, nine-year-old Maksim, was shouting something loudly about a goal and victory. “Here they … Read more
“Marish, come quickly!” Stepan shouted from the garden, and I dropped the half-mixed dough right into the sourdough starter. I rushed out onto the porch — my husband was standing by the old apple tree. And next to him… two small children: a boy and a girl. They were sitting in the grass between … Read more