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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

Nastya stopped counting the trips on the fourth day. Every morning, she got up at six and traveled across the entire city to see Zinaida Pavlovna, Viktor’s mother, who had fractured her hip two and a half weeks earlier. The surgery had gone well. The damaged joint had been replaced with a titanium implant, but … Read more

Veronika turned off the music about three kilometers before the turn, simply so she could listen to the gravel crunching beneath the tires. It had been a long, honest day: two tour groups, a hundred and eighty steps down, then the same number back up, a flashlight, a hard hat, and eight people squealing with … Read more

Saturday morning began with the rustle of wrapping paper. Tatiana was arranging presents for her newborn nephew across the sofa: a tiny romper, a soft giraffe with ridiculously floppy ears, a set of baby bottles, and a large box containing a moon-shaped night-light. She had spent three weeks collecting everything, choosing each item carefully and … Read more

The anniversary celebration had gone well, which in itself felt like a small miracle. The candles had gone out on the first try, the cake with the golden numbers had arrived intact, and nobody had argued over where to sit at the table. Ksenia was heading home in the lightest mood she had experienced in … Read more

But before he ever said those words, there had been three happy months. And everything had started very differently. Part One. Grandfather’s Apartment The boxes were stacked like a little tower in the hallway, and Igor nudged the bottom one with the toe of his shoe as if he were a footballer preparing for the … Read more

— Your leaving is not up for discussion. Pack your things and move out, — her husband said coldly. The large living room smelled of vanilla. A handmade garland of paper flags stretched across the wall, something Lena had spent two evenings putting together. The flags were slightly crooked, but each one carried a letter, … Read more

Balloons were tied to a bench in the courtyard, and a dozen children were racing around a table covered with paper plates. Someone in the neighborhood was celebrating a birthday outside—nothing fancy, just loud, cheerful, uncomplicated fun. Elena stopped beneath the archway with a bag of pears in her hand and watched the commotion for … Read more

Alina froze in the middle of the kitchen. Her hands moved instinctively toward her stomach, one palm settling over the already visible curve as though she could shield her baby from the words she had just heard. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Not long ago, this very man had driven over to pick her … Read more

“Are you taking the bus today?” Anna asked calmly, holding out a transit card to her husband. Igor looked at her in surprise and instinctively reached for the car keys that usually lay on the shelf beside the hallway mirror. “No, darling.” Anna gently but firmly picked up the keys before he could reach them. … Read more