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“Natasha, just don’t get upset, okay? I think I’ve found a really good option for us.” Natalia was putting work papers into a folder when Sergey called her from the living room. Vika was in her room doing homework. Natalia had only wanted to finish her reports and get to bed early. “What kind of … Read more

“Mom says you owe her money,” Igor announced the moment he stepped through the door. He leaned heavily against the doorframe without even taking off his jacket. There was no accusation in his voice, only the dull confusion of a man who had just come home after an exhausting shift at the factory and been … Read more

“Ask the secretary to leave. We need to discuss serious matters.” He didn’t even look at me. He simply nodded in my direction the way someone might gesture toward an empty wineglass for a waiter to refill, then turned back toward the window. Beyond the glass, construction cranes stood soaked beneath the cold November rain. … Read more

“Alright, let’s sort out the rooms. Aelita and I are taking the corner one with the mountain view. The rest of you can have whatever’s left.” Rostislav said it before he had even climbed out of the car. He rested one arm on the open door and surveyed the guesthouse grounds as though he already … Read more

“You know, Vika, I thought for a long time before coming here,” Maria Glebovna said, setting her cup down on the saucer with a quiet but distinct clink. In the sudden silence of the kitchen, it sounded almost like the first rumble of thunder. “I kept trying to figure out what kind of person you … Read more

The papers lay in a neat stack on the coffee table, and Vera was reading the same line for the third time. Certificate of inheritance. A two-room apartment on the second floor, with windows overlooking the courtyard where Aunt Rita had once planted three lilac bushes. “I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Vera … Read more

The neighbor from the next property caught Alina by the gate just as she was setting a bag of seedlings down on the ground. The woman glanced around as though she were afraid even the fence might overhear her, then started speaking quickly and quietly, swallowing half her words. “Alinochka, you know I’m not one … Read more

Two suitcases stood in the hallway, hastily zipped shut, with the sleeve of her favorite sweater sticking out from beneath one of the zippers. Nearby, Kirill was dragging a cardboard box out of the room, balancing it awkwardly against his chin. Polina stood a couple of steps away and didn’t move. There was no reason … Read more

The voice message arrived at twelve minutes past one, while Irina was standing in the hallway with a laundry basket in her hands, trying to remember where the missing half of a pair of socks had disappeared to. Her phone buzzed on the shelf. The name on the screen read: Stepan. She pressed play without … Read more

The new three-bedroom apartment still smelled of fresh renovations and freedom. There was barely any furniture yet: a sofa, a child’s bed, two chairs, and cardboard boxes stacked on top of one another like a tower. Vera sat on the floor, measuring a wall with a tape measure for the wardrobe they planned to buy. … Read more