The Inscription the Author Never Wrote
I gave my husband a signed book by his favorite author. When he wants to thank the writer in person, I must explain why the inscription says much more about me.
194 short stories
Deception
Page 3 of 7
Unspoken messages, double lives, and the moment the truth comes to light.
Stories on this page
Half a Small Prize
Two friends agree to share any prize, but after the draw one suddenly remembers differently what a joint ticket means.
The Date He Moved Back
While trying to rebuild their relationship, a man reveals that he places their agreed separation before the day it actually happened.
The Second Envelope from My Aunt
A young woman accepts a wedding gift her aunt has already given and lets someone else's uncertainty fund her silence for several days.
The First Marriage I Erased
A woman tells her partner she has never married, then must explain why she removed eight important months from her past.
The Experience I Did Not Have
A woman arrives for a babysitting interview with a résumé that turns other people's references into her own experience.
Eyes That Had Seen Nothing
I told my friend I had seen her partner with another woman. When she asked me to repeat the story in front of him, I could no longer hide how little I knew.
The Ring from a Workshop That Never Existed
Ivana loved her simple wedding ring and the story of how her husband had chosen it. The ring was real. The workshop and long conversations with its craftsman were not.
Money for the Woman Who Never Came
Denis thought they were paying for help at home. Tamara really was cleaning the apartment, but she had invented the woman she supposedly hired.
The People Who Came to Help
Nataša feels perfectly well, but friends keep asking about her recovery. For months, her husband has been accepting help for an illness she knows nothing about.
The Wife Nobody Knew
When she discovers that her married lover never had a wife, Jasna loses the excuse she has spent months using against herself too.
Gifts after Forgiveness
Ivana says she has decided to remain married, although she has begun accepting her husband's remorse as a source of another kind of benefit.
The Smaller Share of a Shared Bill
Adnan and Mirna share household costs according to income, but only one knows the arrangement has long been inaccurate.
The Morning I Claimed Not to Remember
Damir has learned to avoid difficult decisions by claiming conversations never ended the way his partner remembers.
The Price I Was Not Supposed to Learn
Selma trusts a friend to sell a family object, unaware that another arrangement stands between them.
Coffee with His First Wife
Suspecting her husband is cheating, Ivana seeks answers from the woman whose marriage she once helped break.
The Man Who Could Not Sew a Button
Vesna returns home early and finds her husband doing precisely what he has claimed for years he cannot manage.
A Chair for a Neutral Man
Maja agrees to talk with the man her partner presents as an impartial mediator, but soon recognizes an invisible alliance at the table.
A Perfect Match for Two Strangers
An agency assures Zora and Emil they have an exceptional amount in common until they speak without its help.
Twenty Minutes Early
Nina thinks she has finally stopped being late until she discovers her partner has moved time around her.
The Car without a Past
While her partner sells a car to pay for their honeymoon, Amra hears an important journey disappear from his account.
An Agreement Made Too Late
Lejla wants to change the rules of her marriage but conceals that she has already crossed their old boundary.
The Friday Off That Never Existed
To avoid a tedious gathering, Emina invents a work shift she then has to perform for the entire group.
A Beginner with Four Aces
Mira joins a beginners' card class, concealing both her skill and her real reason for attending.
A Gift with a Delayed Question
After a breakup Faruk learns his former partner has been sending his mother gifts in his name for months.
The Song He Dedicated to Everyone
A young singer discovers the love song supposedly written only for her already belongs to two other women's memories.
The Years She Erased
On their first shared birthday Alma must admit she is not the age she entered in her dating profile.
The Morning After the Holiday
Two old friends return from a trip where they crossed a boundary, and ordinary life reveals that the secret did not remain at the hotel.
A Reservation for One
Dina discovers her partner canceled her ticket for their shared trip, convinced he knows which opportunity matters more for their future.
The Lessons He Concealed
Jelena believes her husband works extra Saturdays until she unexpectedly sees him dancing with a former partner.