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“Yes, I own my own home. Yes, I earned it myself. No, I am not required to sell it in order to meet your ‘standards’!” “What next? Are you going to give her peacock feathers? Or a life-sized golden statue?” Katya looked up from her tablet and stared at Ulyana as though she had suggested […]

“You have an obligation to help your younger sister—she has children!” Klavdia Petrovna exclaimed indignantly, theatrically pressing her plump hands to her chest. “Have all those numbers made you completely heartless? We’re family! You’ll just have to make the sacrifice!” Marina silently looked at her mother, feeling the familiar tight, cold spring of conditioned guilt […]

Igor was head over heels in love. Beautiful, stylish, and university-educated, Vika had completely bewitched him. He would have laid all the treasures in the world at her feet, but for now, he had nothing except a job as a design engineer and a monthly salary of sixty thousand rubles. Instead of taking her to […]

Galina found a notary’s business card in her husband’s jacket. On the back was the name of a woman she did not know. In three days, everything was supposed to be settled. Galina found the card on Thursday. She reached into the pocket of his jacket for the garage keys and pulled out a white […]

Four thick place cards lay on Zoya Fyodorovna’s kitchen table, each labeled that morning in her neat handwriting. On three of them, she had written the names of her son and grandchildren: “Roman,” “Yegor,” and “Varya.” The fourth remained blank, even though seven chairs stood around the table and eight guests were expected. Zoya Fyodorovna […]

Saturday morning began for Katya at five o’clock, while a deep blue darkness still hung outside the window and the house slept, wrapped in silence. Barefoot, she walked into the kitchen, careful not to make the floorboards creak, and switched on the soft light above the countertop. Today was Dima’s birthday, and Katya planned to […]

“Dasha will stay with you. We’ve already decided to clear out some space in the guest-room closet,” Inga announced casually. She speared a slice of roulade with her fork as though she were planting a flag on conquered territory. I didn’t even blink. I didn’t drop my cutlery. I simply felt as though an invisible […]

“I bought the apartment before we got married. Explain to me why your mother decided she has the right to act like the mistress of this place?” Olga asked. She closed the front door without slamming it, yet the sound still felt heavy. The hot July stairwell smelled of dust, heated metal, and other people’s […]