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Vera poured herself a coffee and walked over to the window. Dawn was only just breaking, yet her head was already swarming with thoughts about the day ahead. First up was a meeting with a supplier, then a review of the accounting reports, and after lunch—​a call with a client from Tver. Her schedule was … Read more

In the middle of the night the telephone rang sharply. Anna flinched and, fighting off anxiety, grabbed the receiver. She had always had a panicky fear of late‑night calls from unfamiliar numbers. It had happened to her only twice before—when her mother died and when her husband was killed in a car crash. — Anna Sergeyevna? — an … Read more

On the kitchen table lay the wedding invitations—impeccable, polished down to the tiniest detail, as though this weren’t a simple wedding for Olya and Maksim but a royal affair. Olga counted them yet again, as if the disappearance of even one could cancel the celebration and send every guest rushing to return their tickets. “Twenty‑eight… … Read more

The kettle had been boiling for several minutes, yet Anya still sat on the sofa with her arms folded, unable to move. She had found the kettle in a dumpster—someone had thoughtfully placed it in a cardboard box with “WORKS” scrawled on the side in black marker. And it really did work, except it wouldn’t … Read more

Snezhka, we finally made it!” Marina burst into the new flat, clutching a huge cake box. Snezhana smiled as she took the gift. Five years of dreaming had at last come true: their own two‑room apartment in a new building. It might be on the edge of town, but it was theirs. “Come on in! … Read more

ou wouldn’t throw your husband’s own mother out, would you?” The mother‑in‑law narrowed her eyes and cocked her head, as if scrutinizing Vera. Her voice was gentle—almost tender—but it made Vera uneasy. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen, the smell of dinner still hanging in the air. The mother‑in‑law had just finished a … Read more

I’ve taken two weeks’ vacation!” Igor sat at the table without lifting his eyes from his dinner plate, as if the conversation were routine. “I spoke to Mom today—she and Dad are coming the day after tomorrow. They’ll stay with us!” Galya froze, her fork halted midway to her mouth. Lowering her hand, she stared … Read more

— My God, who is this out in such a blizzard? — Anna threw back the blanket and shivered as a cold gust ran across her bare feet. The knock on the door came again—insistent, demanding. The wind outside howled like a wounded beast, battering snow against the windowpanes. — Ivan, wake up, — she … Read more

Quickly prepare the operating room!” someone barked, and the medics immediately wheeled in a stretcher through the wide doors of the military hospital. On it lay a soldier with his leg tightly bandaged. Young surgeon Katya immediately approached the stretcher. The paramedic from the ambulance, panting, reported: “Shrapnel wound to the leg, seems not too … Read more

God, please let everything go well,” Anzhela thought for the hundredth time, smoothing the creases in her new dress. The pale‑blue silk shimmered in the light of the setting sun. In a small box on the dressing table lay a brooch—the very one her mother‑in‑law had been harping on about for the past six months. … Read more