Natasha and her husband were leaving the restaurant where they had celebrated his birthday. The evening had been wonderful. Many guests had come, including relatives and colleagues. Natasha met many of them for the first time, but if Dmitry had invited them, he knew what he was doing. Natasha was one of those people who…
Anna had never trusted her husband. Therefore, she had to rely only on herself. That’s how things had turned out in their married life. Her husband Viktor was as handsome as a poppy flower. He was also the life of any party. He drank alcohol in moderation, didn’t smoke, and wasn’t obsessed with football, fishing,…
For 17 years, I raised Olivia as my own, convinced we were a family. But just three days after my husband’s funeral, she destroyed that belief. “You were never my real mother,” she said—then kicked me out onto the street. Homeless and devastated, I was left with nothing. But I wasn’t ready to give up.…
I suggest we live together as a threesome,» my husband declared to me. «I’ve always dreamed of this. Tanya, why are you being so stubborn? I’ve thought it all through! Look, Alya will move in here, into your house. You’ll help her until the baby is born, and then the three of us will raise…
Blood froze in my veins when I heard the click of the lock on our front door. It was her again—without warning, without a ring, like a ghost from the past materializing in my new life. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried to set boundaries, Galina Petrovna always found a…
Sveta watched with mild envy as parents picked up their children to go home. “Misha, don’t cry, we will come back here tomorrow,” one of the moms reassured. “Kolenka, dad is waiting for us at home. Let’s go quickly,” another hurried. “Katyusha, the sand won’t disappear. We’ll play again tomorrow and then we’ll bake some…
The phone rang at half-past two in the night. Matvey, having just dozed off after an exhausting shift at the clinic, mechanically reached for the nightstand. The screen displayed “Mom.” — Matvey… son…— Aglaya Dmitrievna’s voice sounded unusually bewildered. — Sorry for the late call. I just… can’t sleep. You remember the day after tomorrow,…
“Who is a child without roots? No one. A ghost that accidentally found a physical body.” “Does that mean you always felt like a ghost?” Mikhail asked, stirring his coffee in my sleek kitchen. I met his gaze—my only friend who knew the entire truth. The man who helped me search for her. The one…
When Willa’s mother-in-law undermines her daughter’s first vacation in the most petty way possible, Willa chooses patience over conflict. But as karma begins to weave its own form of retribution, Willa realizes some battles don’t need to be fought because the universe has already got her back. I’ve always been cautious about who I give…
June sunshine bathed the spacious kitchen in light, where Anna was leisurely preparing her morning coffee. The foam was rising in the cezve, and the apartment was filled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed drink. Igor appeared in the doorway, nonchalantly buttoning his shirt. “Good morning! It smells wonderful!” Anna poured the coffee into…