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I Thought My Husband Was Supporting His Three Daughters from His Previous Marriage—But He Wasn’t. I Decided to See Them for Myself.

For months, I thought my husband was dutifully sending child support to the three daughters from his

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You Stay Home with the Baby—I’ll Go Alone to My Brother’s Wedding: When My Husband’s Financial Worries and My Mum’s Reluctance Left Me Feeling Trapped at Home

Stay with the baby. Im going to my brothers wedding on my own. My husband got in from work yesterday

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Who Would Ever Want You? Toothless, Childless, Plain Old Clara – A Heartbreaking 15-Year Goodbye, a Life-Changing Transformation, and the Sweetest Revenge on Lost Love

Who would ever want you? Toothless, barren, pedigree-less plain old Claire. Who would ever want you?

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I’m a Pensioner – While Selling Bagels at My Usual Corner, Two Suit-and-Tie Con Men Tried to Scam Me

I remember it well, though it must have been decades ago when I was a pensioner selling buns down by

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I’ll Get Married, But Definitely Not to This Handsome Guy – Yes, He’s Wonderful in Every Way, But He’s Just Not for Me “Again Mum’s come home with her boyfriend—and some other bloke. Already drunk,” Irina squeezed herself into the corner behind the cabinet. “Nowhere to hide, and it’s snowing outside. I’m so sick of this. In summer I’ll finish my GCSEs and move to town. I’ll get into a teacher’s college and become a teacher. It’s only six miles to the city, but I’ll live in student housing.” Mum and the guests settled in the kitchen. There was the glug of liquid being poured into a glass, the smell of sausage. Irina swallowed. “Wait a minute, you!” Mum’s voice rang out. “Why are you playing hard to get?” “There’s two of you…” “Not their first time in a group,” came Mikhail, Mum’s boyfriend. There was a crash of falling dishes. Scraping, panting. Irina pressed herself further into the corner. The noise suddenly died down. “Listen, Nikita, she’s asleep,” Mum’s boyfriend called out. “You said she’s a good girl, but I’ve got a thing for her…” “Listen, she’s got a daughter…” “What daughter?” “Ira, she’s grown up. Probably hiding in her room.” “Go get her,” Nikita said gleefully. “Ira, where are you?” Mum’s boyfriend entered the room, spotted Irina, and grinned. “Come on, sit with us!” “I’m fine here.” “Don’t be shy.” Mikhail tried to hug her. Irina grabbed a vase from the cabinet and brought it down on Mum’s boyfriend’s head. There was the crash of glass. Irina broke free and ran out of the room. “Get her!” Mikhail shouted. But Irina was already at the front door. No time to grab shoes, so she sprinted into the snow in just socks, old shorts, and a t-shirt. The men chased after her. The village street was empty. Where do you run at night in the snow? She heard shouts behind her. At the huge house she passed, a dog barked—a man’s voice shouted at the dog. Irina rushed to the gate and knocked. A man in his forties opened the door. “Please help me,” she said softly, making eyes at him. “Come in!” He tugged her inside and shut the door. “Oleg, who is it?” A woman stepped onto the porch. “Here,” Oleg nodded towards Irina. “She’s being chased by some blokes.” “Quick, get inside!” The woman grabbed Irina’s hand. “You can tell us everything.” “Ira, come out and don’t cause trouble!” Mikhail’s voice rang out. “Oleg, don’t get involved!” the woman shouted. “Get in here!” The shouts from the street, barking from the yard. “We need to call the police,” the woman pulled out her phone. “Polina, don’t. I’ll handle it myself. They’re locals.” “How do you plan on handling them?” “Nicely. Calm the girl down!” Oleg grabbed a carrier bag, went to the fridge, and dropped in a bottle and a chunk of sausage. Out in the yard, he patted the dog and they stepped into the street. Mikhail ran toward him. “Hand over Ira!” “Here, have these and go home.” The men opened the bag, smiled at the bottle and sausage, nodded, and left. *** “Alright. I’m Polina Sergeievna,” the woman said, putting the kettle on. “Come sit, tell us who you are and what happened.” “I’m Irina,” she started, teeth chattering. “I live on this street, at the end.” “You’re Kira’s daughter?” “Yes.” “We haven’t lived here long, but we’ve heard about your mum.” Irina lowered her head and sobbed. “There, there—don’t cry!” the woman said, pressing Irina to her chest. Irina clung to her, sobbing harder. “Alright, alright! Let’s have some tea.” The man returned. “All sorted.” “What do we do about this pretty girl?” Polina smiled at Irina. “Let’s talk tomorrow! Tea first, and she needs a bath.” “Hungry?” Polina set a mug before Irina, smiling. “I can see you are.” Sandwiches and leftover cake appeared on the table. “Eat, eat!” Oleg smiled too as Irina looked longingly at the food. They didn’t question Irina further, trying not to make her uncomfortable. After dinner, Polina led Irina to the bathroom. “Wash up, put this dressing gown on!” *** All Irina wanted was not to be thrown out into the street tonight. How lovely the warm bath felt, compared to the freezing outside. But she knew she had to get out—the hosts were waiting. She emerged. The couple sat together on the sofa. She smiled apologetically. “Thank you!” “Listen, Irina,” Polina began. “From what I see, no one’s coming to look for you. You don’t want to go home.” Irina lowered her eyes. “Tomorrow morning, we have to drive out early…” “I understand,” Irina bowed lower. “You’ll be alone. Don’t open to anyone! Our Jack won’t let anyone in the yard. Got it?” “Yes!” Irina said, unable to hide her emotion. “You can make borscht while we’re gone,” Oleg smiled slyly. “Can you?” “I can,” Irina said quickly, still afraid she’d be tossed out. “I’m good at cooking. And I can clean too.” “Clean downstairs if you like,” Polina agreed. *** She woke with the hosts in the morning, lying still in bed, always worrying she’d be kicked out. The car made noise in the yard, then it went quiet. She got up, washed, found hot tea, bread, sausage, cheese, and pork ribs waiting. She ate, cleaned the table, wiped everything down, scrubbed the floors. In the hallway she spotted a vacuum, turned it on, and started cleaning. Just as she turned it off… “And what’s all this about?” came a voice behind her. She spun around. A tall, handsome boy of about eighteen, curiosity gleaming in his brown eyes. “I’m cleaning,” Irina mumbled. “Who are you?” “Well…” The boy shook his head, pulled out his phone. “Mum, I’m home. Who’s this?” “Son, let this girl stay for a while.” “Fine by me.” He put the phone away, eyed Irina up and down, and headed to the kitchen. “Would you like tea?” she asked. “I’ll sort myself out.” *** Irina put away the vacuum, started dusting, listening for every noise from the kitchen. The boy ate, went to the bathroom. Emerged freshly shaved, smelling of aftershave. “Oi, mate, give us another bottle!” yelled someone outside. “What’s this?” The boy went to the window. “Don’t open for them!” Irina cried in panic. He looked at her with interest, then smiled for some reason, heading for the door. Irina darted to the window—by the fence stood Mum’s boyfriend with his mate, shouting. She was scared. The son stepped out. The men rushed him—and suddenly landed face-first in the snow, both at once. The boy bent over them, said something, and they slunk off toward Mum’s house. *** The boy returned, watched Irina freeze in fear. Approached: “What, you scared?” Unthinking, Irina buried her face in his chest and cried. “What’s your name?” he asked. “Irina.” “I’m Ruslan. Don’t worry. They won’t come back.” *** Ruslan headed upstairs to his room and stayed there till evening. Irina made borscht, sat at the kitchen table, deep in thought. She longed to stay in this house with these kind people, but knew she’d crossed every line of propriety. The hosts returned. Polina Sergeievna looked around at the spotless kitchen in amazement. Oleg Romanovich smiled approvingly at the borscht. “I’d best go home,” Irina said with resignation. “Thank you for everything!” “Irina, stay a few more days!” “Thank you, Polina Sergeievna! I’ll go home,” Irina repeated, heading for the door and pausing. Ever since yesterday, she’d worn a borrowed dressing gown and slippers. “Come on!” Polina guided her to the lounge. Opened the wardrobe, rummaged through clothes, brought out jeans, a jumper, a warm sports jacket. “Put these on! We’re nearly the same size.” “You really don’t…” “Can’t have you going home half-dressed! Just put them on. I won’t miss them.” She did. Sneaked a look in the mirror—she’d never had such nice clothes before. At the door, Polina made her put on a wool hat and boots. “Irina, wear them in good health!” “Thank you so much, Polina Sergeievna!” *** Life returned to its old routine. Not quite the old routine. Mum found work at a farm. Her boyfriend vanished, taking his mate with him. Spring arrived. One day, Irina was at home doing her homework when someone knocked at the gate. She peeked out the window and couldn’t believe her eyes—it was Ruslan. He nodded—come out. She didn’t just come out—she flew. “Hi!” Ruslan smiled. “Hello!” “Mum wanted to invite you over.” *** Soon she was back at the house where she’d spent such a happy day. “Hello, Irina!” Polina greeted her at the door with a hug. “Hello, Polina Sergeievna!” “Come in! Let’s have some tea.” As they sat, Polina got serious. “I’ve got a favour to ask. My husband and I are off to Turkey for a month,” she smiled. “My son’s barely at home. Would you look after the house? Feed Jack and the cat, water the flowers. I’ve got loads of plants.” “Of course, Polina Sergeievna!” “Excellent.” She brought some money. “Here’s two hundred quid.” “Polina Sergeievna, you shouldn’t…” “Take it! We won’t miss it. Now come, I’ll show you everything!” Irina carefully memorised the locations of plant pots, cat food, meat for the dog. Then Polina called out, “Ruslan!” He appeared from his room. “Introduce Irina to Jack!” “Come on,” Ruslan gently laid a hand on Irina’s shoulder. They went out, unleashed Jack, and went for a walk. Ruslan chatted about uni, karate, his dad’s business. Irina’s thoughts were elsewhere. She felt there was a gulf between her and Ruslan—a gulf like the one between her mum and Ruslan’s parents. Yes, they were kind, good people, but this wasn’t a Cinderella story—this was life. “In two months I’ll take my college entrance exams, and I’ll pass. I’ll study, work, hustle, but I’ll make something of myself. I’ll get married, but definitely not to this handsome guy. Yes, he’s wonderful in every way. But he’s just not for me! I’m grateful to Polina Sergeievna for the clothes and the £200. At least I’ll manage when I first move to the city.” With a sort of sixth sense, the girl knew that at this very moment, her difficult childhood had come to an end. And adult life was beginning—not any easier, but where everything depended on her alone. They reached the house. Irina stroked Jack’s neck, smiled at Ruslan, and headed home. Tomorrow her job at the house would begin. Just the job—nothing more!

I will never marry, least of all to that handsome fellow. Yes, he is a fine young man in every respect

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The Day I Went to Get Divorced Dressed as a Bride: How Turning Up to Court in My Wedding Dress—and My Husband in His Suit—Made Everyone Stop and Ask If This Was Really the End

The day I went to get divorced dressed as a bride. When my husband told me he wanted a divorce, I walked

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Raising a Wimpy Kid, or Why Did You Enroll Him in Music School?

Raising a Push-over Why did you sign him up for music lessons? Margaret Thornton breezed past me, tugging

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Raising a Wimpy Kid, or Why Did You Enroll Him in Music School?

Raising a Push-over Why did you sign him up for music lessons? Margaret Thornton breezed past me, tugging

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Who Would Ever Want You, Toothless, Childless, and Unclassy Clara? — The 15-Year Marriage that Ended with Spiteful Words, an Elegant Husband’s Departure, and a New Life with Roses and True Love in London

Who would ever want you? Toothless, childless, plain old Brenda. Who would ever want you? shouted Paul

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My Brother’s Pregnant Wife Demanded That We Hand Over Our Two-Bedroom Flat to Them Because We Don’t Have Children – Then Blamed Me When Things Went Shockingly Wrong

My brothers pregnant wife demanded we hand over our flat. Ive been married for ten years now.