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The silence was crystalline, fragile, and bottomless, like a lake on a moonlit night. Veronika was sinking into it as into a fluffy cotton cocoon, desperately clinging to each moment of precious oblivion. After twenty-eight days of an endless marathon at work—where reports blurred before her eyes into one continuous gray canvas and the open … Read more
Everything turned out to be simpler than I’d thought. I just went in, tried on a couple of things, asked the salespeople a few standard questions, and left. That evening I filled out the report and got a small fee. Then came other checks—restaurants, car dealerships, even medical centers. I got into the rhythm of … Read more
— Katya, I’ve got bombshell news! My folks are coming soon! Gena burst into the kitchen, shining like a freshly polished samovar, and tossed his backpack onto a chair. Katya, who was stirring vegetables in the pan, glanced back for just a second, noting that his boots had once again left a trail of street … Read more
Andrey Nikolaevich leaned back in his chair and finally allowed himself a deep, long exhale. The week had dragged on as a heavy procession of endless tasks: reports, inspections, documents that had “needed his signature yesterday.” He rubbed his temples with his fingers, as if trying to erase the fatigue, and, squinting slightly, swept his … Read more
Lena stood on the threshold of her bedroom, staring at the wreck Valentina Petrovna had made of her closet. Half the shelves gaped empty, as if a hurricane had blown through. On the bed lay a neat stack of survivors—gray blouses, dark knee-length skirts, nondescript cardigans. Everything her mother-in-law deemed fit for a married woman. … Read more
Masha nervously twisted the ring on her ring finger, staring at the notification in her banking app. Negative again. Once more she had to choose between a week’s groceries and new sneakers for Alisa. The girl was growing like a weed, and children’s shoes cost an arm and a leg. “Mom, when are we going … Read more
Sister-in-law Lena had always loved tossing snide little jabs at her brother’s wife. But today she outdid herself. “ You know, Katya,” the relative drawled, elegantly slicing a piece of charlotte cake, “if you were to suddenly disappear, no one in the family would even notice. You’re a complete nonentity!” The table fell silent for … Read more
It happened just six months after his own wedding. How could he have rushed like that! Wouldn’t it have been better to wait a little? But no—he fell in love and decided to get married right away! When Sasha Danilov saw his brother’s wife, he was stunned—he had never encountered such breathtaking beauty, as if … Read more
“Like a parasite, for God’s sake…” Natalia Petrovna said quietly, anger in her voice. “Olya, do you remember we’re going to Mom’s for her birthday on Sunday?” her husband asked over breakfast. “As if I could forget… You’ve drummed it into my ears. And the mother-in-law reminded me four times just this past week… You … Read more
Alexei knew this conversation was inevitable. When he saw Igor’s number on the screen, his heart skipped—not from joy at hearing his younger brother. Igor’s voice trembled with agitation, his words spilling out like peas from a torn sack: an accident on the Garden Ring, the car smashed, but he was alive and that was … Read more