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  Marina spooned out portions of chopped Olivier salad onto the plates, trying to make them all look the same. Her hands trembled slightly—not from exhaustion, though she’d been in the kitchen all day, but from an uneasy feeling in her gut. It was her father-in-law’s fifty-fifth birthday, and the whole clan had crammed into […]

  Svetlana lived with her husband, Artyom, in a house that belonged to her—neat, well cared for, and legally registered in her name long before she ever married. The home stood in the suburbs, in a quiet neighborhood with paved streets and tidy yards. A two-story cottage with gray walls, white trim around the windows, […]

  “You can see I’m losing strength, and you can’t even fix my pillow?” Valera’s voice sounded like he was dictating his last will to a notary. Even though the digital thermometer betrayed him shamelessly: 37.2°C. I fluffed the pillow without a word. Valera suffered on a grand scale. If a man’s temperature creeps past […]

The wedding procession sped through the city, the driver turned on lively music and honked non-stop. The bride was all in anticipation, constantly adjusting her veil and fiddling with her wedding bouquet. She was charming: light makeup, blonde curls styled into a beautiful hairdo, the veil adding a touch of mystery. And a happy smile […]

  Anna hurried up the stairs of the notary’s office, nearly half an hour late for the appointment. The traffic in the city had been terrible, and the bus had broken down halfway there. Her heart was pounding—not only from walking fast, but also from anxiety. Today the inheritance matter after her grandmother’s death was […]

I knew this conversation would happen sooner or later. Dmitry was sitting in the kitchen, turning a cup of cold coffee in his hands and clearly trying to work up his nerve. In ten years of marriage I’d learned to read him like an open book—especially when it came to his sister, Olga. — “Len, […]

I stood at the entrance to the restaurant, holding my daughter’s hand. Kira was tired after the clinic, cranky, and hungry. We had just gone in for her vaccination, and I had promised her something tasty afterward. The restaurant was nearby, and I also wanted to check how things were going there. I hadn’t been […]

  By the way, I never told you. My folks are coming next week. For about a week.” The words dropped into the kitchen like heavy, dirty stones thrown into a clear stream. Irina froze, her hand holding the carton of milk suspended halfway to the refrigerator. The crinkle of the paper bag on the […]