Galina Petrovna heard the familiar sound of car doors closing and involuntarily tensed. Friday, half past six in the evening. Like clockwork. She didn’t even approach the window—she already knew what she would see: Nikolai’s blue Logan, from which his whole family was already climbing out, and behind it, Svetlana’s battered Lada with her brood […]
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The road home stretched out like an old film reel stuck in a projector—slowly, with crackling sounds, with the feeling that every kilometer demanded something new from her: trembling fingers, pain in her chest, tears she did not allow herself to shed. Svetlana was rushing along UDO Street—a street that led to the past, to […]
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Negotiations with the client ended an hour and a half earlier than expected. That sometimes happens—when people immediately understand each other, there’s no need to waste time on idle chatter. Irina stood in the middle of the parking lot, twirling her car keys in her hands. Where to go? It was too early to go […]
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— Ninochka, hello,” said the mother-in-law, entering the hallway. “How are you? How’s the renovation going?” “Almost done,” Nina replied, closing the door. The mother-in-law slowly walked around the apartment, peeking into every room, then sat down at the kitchen table. Nina noticed how carefully she was inspecting everything. “Is there any tea?” Valentina Petrovna […]
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Yulia looked up from her laptop screen when her phone vibrated. Kirill usually didn’t call from work. — “Yul, I have news,” her husband’s voice sounded tense. “Not very good ones.” — “What happened?” Yulia pushed the reports aside. — “Mom called an hour ago in a panic,” Kirill sighed heavily. “Her landlord decided to […]
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— Maxim, Dad called today. Kristina said this just as he was lounging back into the soft cushions of their new sofa, scrolling through his phone with a satisfied expression. The warm evening glow from the floor lamp fell across his face, highlighting the smug, well-fed smile of a man who believed he had made […]
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“You’ll love it, sweetheart. This is the best Transformer in the store,” a voice came from behind the shelf. Yekaterina was putting children’s socks into her shopping basket when she heard a familiar voice in the next aisle. Her husband’s voice. She froze, listening. Through the shelves of toys, Yekaterina saw Igor. He was holding […]
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The gravel crunched uneasily beneath my car’s tires as I turned onto the familiar dirt road. I was smiling. Igor thought I was meeting friends in the city — but I was rushing to him instead. Surprise. He said there was an emergency at the dacha — a critical project that required total focus. Our […]
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— Here. Mom wants this one. Andrey’s voice—lazy and self-satisfied—burst into the cozy quiet of the evening, ripping it apart like a blunt needle piercing thin fabric. Yulia slowly lifted her eyes from the book. He was looming over her chair, thrusting his phone at her, the screen glowing with a cold, deathly light. She […]
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— “Ver, I’ve got news! Fantastic news!” Anton burst into the kitchen, beaming as if he’d just won the lottery. Like he owned the place, he lifted the lid and peered into the pot where the soon-to-be stew was gently bubbling, then loudly inhaled the aroma. “Whoa, smells amazing! Listen, you won’t believe what I […]
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