Marina froze in the middle of the kitchen with a towel in her hands. She had just finished making dinner—stewed chicken with vegetables, her husband’s favorite. Plates were already on the table, the cutlery neatly laid out. She had tried to create a cozy atmosphere after a long day at the medical center, where … Read more
Anna parked her black BMW by the gates of the country house and let out a long breath. It had been a brutal day—an audit meeting, urgent reports for her father, a tense call with the bank about the loan to expand the warehouse. All she wanted now was a glass of dry red wine, … Read more
“Irina, I wanted to talk to you about something important,” Igor tapped his fingers nervously on the table, avoiding his wife’s eyes. Irina tore herself away from her laptop and looked at her husband closely. Something in his voice put her on guard. “About what?” she asked, closing the lid. “You see, my mom needs … Read more
Marina’s kitchen was exactly the kind every woman over thirty dreams of: spacious, spotless, the tiles gleaming, a tablecloth on the table—not stained with borscht—and food in the fridge that you wouldn’t be ashamed to serve even your mother-in-law. Though, of course, for Tatyana Petrovna you could serve it on a golden tray and she’d … Read more
Marina’s kitchen was exactly the kind every woman over thirty dreams of: spacious, spotless, the tiles shining, a tablecloth on the table that wasn’t splattered with borscht, and a fridge stocked with food you wouldn’t be ashamed to serve even to your mother-in-law. Although, of course, for Tatyana Petrovna you could serve it on … Read more
Marina was drying her hands on a kitchen towel when the phone rang. The number was familiar—Lena Sokolova, her classmate from the design faculty. They hadn’t spoken in over three years, ever since Marina went on maternity leave. “Marish, hi! How are you, how’s the baby?” Lena’s voice sounded energetic, almost infectious. “Listen, I’m … Read more
The taxi smelled of gasoline and a tiredness not its own, soaked into the seats. The driver glanced a couple of times in the rearview mirror at Katya and at the white envelope in her hands, but kept quiet. Wise guy, or just indifferent. Katya watched the city lights flicker by, smeared into dirty streaks … Read more
Girl, do you even realize what you’ve done?!” Semen shouted, waving a ladle. “Soup on the floor, the customer splashed, and you’re just standing there like a statue!” Alyona looked at the dark stain on the man’s expensive suit and felt her insides tighten. This was the end of her job. Six months of effort … Read more
I had always believed that life is not a straight road, but rather a winding path full of unexpected turns. Sometimes it leads you to a sunny clearing, and sometimes into a dense, impenetrable forest. My path led me to a small, cozy café called Melody, where I worked, keeping everything clean and in order. … Read more
“For three years I’ve been divorced from your son, so let his new wife help you now. I won’t lift a finger,” I told my ex-mother-in-law the day before and hung up. My hands were shaking with anger. Nadezhda Petrovna had already called me three times that week, each time with the same request—to help … Read more