Arseny stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his twenty-fifth-floor office, frozen like a statue, a heavy crystal glass in his hand. Amber whiskey swayed inside, catching the last glints of the dying day. Beyond the glass, veiled by the first mist of rain, the giant metropolis was slowly sinking into evening twilight. Myriads of lights … Read more
The air on Flight 628 from Atlanta to New York hung heavy—stale oxygen, caffeine breath, and a low hum of impatience. Passengers thumbed through feeds, nursed paper cups, traded complaints about knees and inches of space. No one saw the small girl tucked into the very last row: twelve-year-old Kiara Brooks, scuffed sneakers, half-unzipped backpack, … Read more
I stood in the doorway of the banquet hall with a bouquet of white roses in my hands and couldn’t believe my eyes. At the long table, draped with golden tablecloths and set with crystal glasses, sat all of Igor’s relatives. Everyone except me. There wasn’t a place for me. “Lena, why are you standing … Read more
They had urged her many times to put a period at the end—gently, with sorrowful sighs, or bluntly and harshly. To end a life that, from a logical standpoint, was meaningless. One close friend, who had once been her support, said words that seeped into her soul like a cold poison: “Veronika, she’s just a … Read more
Sofia took a slow, very deep breath, trying to master the unruly tremor that ran through her knees. She could feel her heart pounding faster, like a little bird trapped in a cage. This interview at the large and well-known company “Stalmonstroy” was not just an opportunity for her—it was the only bright ray of … Read more
After her workout, Vika hurried home—she’d promised her husband she’d cook fish soup. When she walked into the apartment, she saw her husband, Leonid, sitting in the kitchen drinking wine. “Wow, drinking alone, huh? Lenya, couldn’t wait for me? Let me at least make some snacks…” “Don’t. Sit down, we need to talk.” Vika had … Read more
— I’ll burn it. Right here, in front of your eyes. Alevtina Ignatyevna’s voice—my mother-in-law—was dry as old parchment. She stood in the middle of the living room Rodion and I had furnished together, holding a thick, unmarked envelope. Her face showed nothing. The icy mask she’d worn since the day of the funeral. “You … Read more
The earth smelled of grief and damp. Every clod thrown onto the coffin lid thudded dully somewhere beneath my ribs. Fifty years. An entire life lived with Dmitry. A life filled with quiet respect, with habit that had grown into tenderness. I didn’t cry. My tears had dried up last night, when I sat by … Read more
Julia shut down her computer and stretched. It had been a tough day—the client presentation dragged on, then a meeting, then contract edits. Her head throbbed and her shoulders were stiff. She wanted to get home, take a shower, and collapse on the couch with a book. The two-room apartment on Leninsky Prospekt had become … Read more
Hot dishes hadn’t even been served yet, but the air at the table was thick enough to cut with a knife. Zinaida Arkadyevna Voropaeva, the lady of the house, folded her linen napkin with an unreadable face. Her movements were precise and measured, like a surgeon before an operation. She took a pen from her … Read more