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— Anyway, get ready, Sveta. Tomorrow morning we’re going to Mom’s dacha, — Andrey said matter-of-factly, hooking a forkful of mashed potatoes and putting it into his mouth. He spoke as if it were something settled long ago—obvious, unquestionable. Svetlana went still. Her fork, with a piece of chicken on it, hung halfway to her … Read more

— “Sveta, come on… why are you blowing up right away? Mom only asked what we were having for dinner,” Denis coaxed, his voice soft and almost pleading. He could already feel the air in their tiny kitchen turning thick and sticky, like jelly setting. Sveta didn’t reply. She kept stirring in silence—slow circles in … Read more

“Kostya, why does the app say ‘passenger validation error’? Are you sure you entered the passport details correctly when I asked you to check?” Arina spoke without lifting her eyes from the laptop, her fingers tapping nervously against the touchpad. The room was filled with that particular restless chaos that always comes before a major … Read more

“Why didn’t you answer your phone for the last three hours?” Sveta’s voice wasn’t loud—just thick and muffled, as if it were coming from inside a barrel. She stood in the hallway, leaning all her weight on her healthy left leg, twisting the right one at an awkward angle to keep pressure off the swollen … Read more

Oleg came into the apartment and slammed the door so hard the walls seemed to answer back. His tie was loosened, his suit jacket tossed over his arm without a care. His face was glowing with excitement — that very day, the company had officially appointed him head of the sales department. And in a … Read more

Vera stood by the kitchen window, watching the neighbor’s kids play in the courtyard below. Their bright, ringing voices drifted in even through the closed panes, filling the May air with careless joy. Inside the apartment, the scent of freshly brewed tea—mint and cinnamon, her favorite combination—hung warm and sweet, the kind of smell that … Read more

Irina stood at the kitchen counter, steadily slicing vegetables for a salad. The knife in her hand moved with a cold, practiced rhythm, as if she’d done the same motion a thousand times. Viktor sat across from her, scrolling through his phone. An ordinary evening in an ordinary family—except the silence between them felt louder … Read more

“Galya’s expecting us Saturday at nine, so don’t plan anything,” Viktor said in a flat, everyday voice, popping a piece of fried potato into his mouth without even looking at his wife. “We’ll need to get up early so we can buy primer.” Oksana froze with her fork in midair. The brutal warehouse shift—twelve hours … Read more

“— Who’s that huffing like a locomotive? Seryozha, are you sick?” Veronika called out loudly as she tossed her keys onto the little table in the entryway. No one answered, but the sounds from the bedroom didn’t stop. It was heavy, strained breathing, broken by a weird rustling and creaking—like someone was trying to cram … Read more

“Kolya, are you deaf? I’m asking you for the third time—where are the clothes from the left section? Where is my black floor-length dress and my beige trench coat?” Olga stood in front of the wide-open sliding wardrobe, her gaze—normally sharp and observant—now drifting uselessly across empty space. Just a week earlier, garment bags with … Read more