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Natasha stood in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a bank statement in her hands. The numbers blurred before her eyes, but she kept rereading the same line for the tenth time — a cash withdrawal of forty-eight thousand rubles. That was exactly the amount they had saved for their trip to the sea. “Vadim,” … Read more

Galya slowly lifted her eyes from the evening newspaper. In the living room of their two-room apartment, the usual Friday silence reigned — the television was off, and the lights of neighboring buildings shimmered outside the window. Dmitry stood in the middle of the room with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatpants, … Read more

Anna stood at the kitchen table, methodically chopping vegetables for a salad. The sound of the knife tapping against the cutting board created a steady rhythm that helped her focus. Their three-room apartment in a new residential complex had once been their shared dream — spacious, bright, with high ceilings and a modern renovation. Sergey … Read more

Tatyana stood in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a bank statement in her hand. The numbers blurred before her eyes, but she stubbornly read them again and again, hoping she had made a mistake. Two million rubles. TWO MILLION had disappeared from the account where, only a week earlier, the money from the sale … Read more

Zoya was standing at the stove, stirring a vegetable stew, when she heard the front door slam. From the heavy footsteps alone, she knew Alexey had come home in a bad mood. Only three weeks had passed since their wedding, yet the atmosphere in their home had already become unbearable. “Why am I only finding … Read more

Part 1. A Feast of Vultures The living room looked like a showroom in an expensive furniture store: too sterile, too pompous, and completely devoid of life. Rostislav sat at the head of the table, studying everyone gathered there as if they were defective specimens in his private insect collection. He twirled the stem of … Read more

Part 1. The Dust of Ages and the Smell of Roast Duck The hallway did not smell like home. It smelled like someone else’s feast. The thick, greasy aroma of duck roasted with apples mixed with the sour, heavy stench of an unwashed body and medicine drifting from the far room. Nina pulled off her … Read more

Inga sat at the kitchen table, sorting through the apartment documents. Two property certificates — the reward for four years of brutal work at the construction company MegaStroy. Back in the 2000s, she had practically pulled the company out of a financial pit on her own, created a new sales strategy, and brought in major … Read more

Eduard sat at the kitchen table, calmly spreading butter over a slice of bread. His movements were slow and measured, as if he were talking about the weather rather than a decision that could change their entire life. “She’ll sleep on the sofa in the living room,” he said calmly, taking a bite of his … Read more

Veronika stood by the window, looking out at the Moscow courtyard below. The June sun flooded the room with golden light. In her hands, she held two plane tickets — two weeks in Cyprus, the vacation she had dreamed about all year. Her work at the architectural bureau had drained her completely, and this trip … Read more