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Marina was sitting in the hallway on a low bench, holding a cup of cold tea in her hands. She had left the room to get her phone charger and stopped when she heard Dmitry’s voice coming from the kitchen through the door that had been left slightly ajar. He was speaking quietly, evenly, in … Read more

Marina came home close to eleven at night. Her legs ached, her back throbbed, and her head buzzed from the endless day behind her. She kicked off her shoes, walked into the kitchen, and put the kettle on, while reaching for the phone she had forgotten on the table that morning. A notification glowed on … Read more

“Tanya, are you deaf or something? I’ve been waiting ten minutes for you to put the kettle on!” Andrey shouted irritably from the living room, without taking his eyes off the morning TV show playing on the screen. “I’m not your servant, to come running with a tray every time you bark,” Tatiana snapped from … Read more

The morning was peaceful and homey. On the kitchen table stood a plate of vanilla pancakes, along with butter, jam, and a cup of hot tea. Vera sat on a stool with one leg tucked beneath her, scrolling through her phone and reading the news. Dmitry was finishing his second cup of tea and slowly … Read more

The phone was lying face up on the kitchen table. A vibration nudged it toward the edge, and Marina caught it automatically, the way one catches a falling cup. The name “Mother” flashed on the screen. Her finger slid across the notification, and the message thread opened from top to bottom. Marina read quickly, scrolling … Read more

The morning began as it always did — with a silence Natalia had long ago learned to value more than any words. She stood at the stove, stirring porridge for the children, listening as the house slowly woke up behind the wall. Misha was dropping his schoolbooks. Katya was humming something in her little bed. … Read more

Irina dialed her husband’s number for the third time that evening. The line rang for a long while, as if the phone were lying somewhere on the edge of a table and Sasha was in no hurry to reach it. She leaned back against the pillow in her hotel room, closed her eyes, and pressed … Read more

Friday silence filled the apartment like a reward. Marina had been cleaning since morning — until her lower back ached, her knees throbbed, and she reached that state where all you want is to lie down and not move. The apartment sparkled. Dmitry had left for his night shift, her mother had picked up little … Read more

Valentina went out into the courtyard half an hour later. Arthur stayed at home — “to work,” as he put it. She knew perfectly well that he was probably frantically rereading his messages and checking what his wife might have found. Let him check. She hadn’t found anything on his phone. She had found something … Read more

The piercing voice, rising almost to a shriek, shattered the familiar silence of the apartment. Yana flinched so hard that the hot coffee in the mug she was holding nearly spilled onto the keyboard of her expensive work laptop. She turned around sharply. Standing in the bedroom doorway, breathing heavily and glaring with fury, was … Read more