Valery had just pulled up to the house and was parking in the courtyard when he heard the scream of his wife, Alyona. The man could not be mistaken, it was definitely his spouse. «Damn, what happened again?» he thought anxiously and hurried to finish parking. The elevator, as if to spite him, was slow […]
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I never understood my parents. They had two wonderful daughters, but only one mattered to them. I always thought there should be a unique approach to each child, that parental love should be equal for all. Unfortunately, maternal and paternal attention passed me by. I was the first child in our family. The child they […]
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My mother-in-law had a big appetite. And I’m not talking about an appetite for food, but an appetite for money and other people’s achievements. My mother-in-law’s audacity knew no bounds, but I didn’t let her destroy everything. It all started when I married Vadim. We were young and naive. There wasn’t much money, but it […]
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The tender rays of the setting sun gilded the rooftops of the cottage village. Xenia, leaning on the terrace railing, watched Artem, who was intently fanning the coals in the grill. Four-year-old Lera, proudly calling herself «the main assistant,» brought her father tongs and spices, while eight-year-old Maxim energetically kicked a football into the makeshift […]
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A cold winter morning had enveloped the land with the thinnest layer of frost, as if someone with an invisible hand had dusted it with tiny diamonds. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was so clean that it seemed crystalline. Each breath stung the nose and cheeks, a reminder: winter was […]
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Irina stared blankly, seeing through the window the blurred edges of snowflakes descending in St. Petersburg. On the other end of the phone, her husband’s voice, a tone she knew too well, filled her with a routine emptiness. Yura was in Moscow, on another «business trip.» Their conversation, like their last dozen calls, was about […]
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Marinka, have we run out of normal food? Why did you heat up yesterday’s chicken for me?» Maxim yelled from the kitchen, dissatisfied. «And am I supposed to just flush it down the toilet? You’re forever unhappy about everything; how much longer can this go on? Maybe you should get a job? Starting tomorrow, you […]
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«I need surgery…» my voice trembles, like a thin thread ready to snap. «The doctors say that if I don’t, my legs might completely fail me…» My sister’s laughter, cold and prickly like an icy wind, cuts through the air: «You’re almost a cripple already, what’s the difference?» There’s malice in her words. «You should […]
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Anna stood by the window, holding her son, who had just begun to recognize her face. The difficult day was drawing to a close, and the evening light barely made its way through the curtains. The house was nearly empty: an old sofa, a worn-out nightstand, and a baby crib bought with the last of […]
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Not a child, but a real punishment! You’ll grow up just like your mother, and then you’ll torment some poor woman’s nerves, just like your mother torments me!» grumbled Elizabeth Viktorovna about her daughter-in-law’s daughter, Oksana. The girl sat at the table and looked at the plate, which had a smear of mashed potatoes on […]
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