Anna hurried up the stairs of the notary’s office, nearly half an hour late for the appointment. The traffic in the city had been terrible, and the bus had broken down halfway there. Her heart was pounding—not only from walking fast, but also from anxiety. Today the inheritance matter after her grandmother’s death was […]
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I knew this conversation would happen sooner or later. Dmitry was sitting in the kitchen, turning a cup of cold coffee in his hands and clearly trying to work up his nerve. In ten years of marriage I’d learned to read him like an open book—especially when it came to his sister, Olga. — “Len, […]
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I stood at the entrance to the restaurant, holding my daughter’s hand. Kira was tired after the clinic, cranky, and hungry. We had just gone in for her vaccination, and I had promised her something tasty afterward. The restaurant was nearby, and I also wanted to check how things were going there. I hadn’t been […]
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By the way, I never told you. My folks are coming next week. For about a week.” The words dropped into the kitchen like heavy, dirty stones thrown into a clear stream. Irina froze, her hand holding the carton of milk suspended halfway to the refrigerator. The crinkle of the paper bag on the […]
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Outside the window, the colors of the short winter day were slowly draining away, while warm lights came alive in our living room. A table lamp spilled a soft glow, painting cozy shadows across the walls where expensive reproductions hung in flawless order. The air was thick with the comforting, savory smell of meat […]
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Katya sat on the windowsill of her two-bedroom place, looking down into the courtyard where teenagers in sneakers were kicking a soccer ball around. A couple of times it nearly smashed into someone’s window, but the boys only laughed, like the whole neighborhood belonged to them. Katya sighed—she used to run around like that too, […]
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Svetа’s new perfume hit me the second I walked in—sharp, syrupy, the kind of scent worn by someone who already feels like she’s won. “Katyusha—oh my God, I’m so happy!” Svetа, my best friend, squeezed me in a tight hug. Her movements were quick, almost predatory. The nervous fussiness I’d always mistaken for warmth […]
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The heavy oak door of the “Empire” restaurant yielded only after a struggle, as if it didn’t want to let random people inside. From deep in the dining hall came a thick, deafening roar of voices, sliced through by clinking glasses and the clingy pulse of pop music. Elena stopped at the threshold, feeling […]
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When I accidentally discovered $3,250 stuffed inside my 13-year-old son’s piggy bank, panic hit me like a wave. Where could a kid that age get that kind of money? Determined to find out, I followed him after school… and uncovered something that shook me to my core—yet somehow also brought relief. It had been three […]
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Anton tapped his fingers irritably on the steering wheel, watching the endless stream of pedestrians crossing the street. “When will this ever end?” he ground out through clenched teeth. “The whole city’s clogged with some poor souls without cars.” Bored in the traffic jam, he started looking around. To his left, a luxury SUV […]
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