“Why are you all sitting here like everything has already been decided? We’re going to divide the money!” Tamara threw her bag onto a stool and sat down at the head of the kitchen table herself. As if it were her kitchen, her table, and her—Tamara’s—stools. Olga had only just turned off the tap; she […]
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“I don’t understand. Why did you show up an hour early?” Lyudmila Yuryevna was standing at the stove with her back to me. “The bus schedule changed,” I said, carefully hanging my raincoat on the hook. “Where’s Kirill?” “He’s sitting in the room. Hungry, by the way. Because of those shifts of yours at the […]
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“Polina, why did you drag yourself here in that gray sack again?” Tamara Ilyinichna’s voice rose above the clinking of glasses. “People are celebrating a sixtieth birthday, and you’re sitting there as if you’re at a funeral.” I tried to straighten my shoulders, but they felt as if they had been filled with lead. After […]
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“We’ll sell your apartment and buy a shared one. I’m not going to live in your place like some tenant!” Matvey declared. Anna could not believe her ears. “But you said this was the perfect option for us,” she said quietly. “I wasn’t thinking about the future!” Matvey got up from the table. “What […]
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“Sell Your Apartment and Stop Making a Scene — We’ll Build a House and Bring Mom to Live With Us,” My Husband Said About My Premarital Apartment “Sell the apartment and stop putting on a circus,” Sergey said in a tone as if we were talking about an old bicycle. “We’ll use that money to […]
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“From this day on, I forbid Dima from helping you! No shopping. No cleaning. Let her get used to it — she’s a woman! Her direct duty is to take care of your household. If she can’t manage, then let her quit her job. Nobody needs her career if she can’t fulfill her natural purpose!” […]
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“She’s the mother of my children. It just so happens that on your special day, I’ll be by her side. Don’t take it personally,” Kirill said, looking gently at his fiancée. “What do you mean, don’t take it personally?” Lena nervously snapped a toothpick in half. “I’ve been by your side for almost two years, […]
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“Could you tell me, do you happen to have a tablespoon?” Maxim was standing beside the dismantled stove, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other and staring at his empty hands. The trouble had happened the previous evening: while Olga was preparing dinner, the burners had suddenly stopped responding when she turned them on. […]
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The evening had promised to be quiet. Outside the window, a fine October rain was drizzling, tapping against the metal sill. The apartment smelled of roasted chicken and fresh bread. Nadya was sitting at the table beside her seven-year-old daughter, checking her math homework. Alisa was carefully writing numbers in her notebook, sometimes furrowing her […]
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“You are my wife, and you are obligated to support my masculine decisions.” My husband took out a loan behind my back, then demanded my salary. “So, you are seriously suggesting that I transfer my entire salary to your card, and then write you a written justification in messenger for bus fare and coffee?” I […]
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