Yana pushed open the apartment door and immediately caught the low hum of voices coming from the kitchen. Her husband, Igor, was in there with his mother—Valentina Stepanovna—who had shown up that morning and, as usual, made the kitchen her base camp. “So what’s with the TV?” Igor was asking. “It’s ancient,” his mother complained. … Read more
— Chris, will you talk to your parents? I asked you to. Oleg’s voice, usually soft and enveloping, now sounded to Kristina like an old engine idling — monotonous, buzzing, and provoking a dull irritation. She sat in an armchair with a book, but for the last ten minutes she’d been reading the same page. … Read more
— “Could you keep it down a little? My head is splitting.” Roman’s voice from the living room wasn’t loud, but it carried that particular, icy note that made something in Anna’s stomach unpleasantly clench. She froze for a moment with the knife poised above the cutting board, listening. The kitchen smelled of fried onions … Read more
— That’s it! I’ve had enough! The cheap plastic remote hit the laminate with a dull thud and bounced under the coffee table. The sound wasn’t dramatic—more pitiful, fitting the whole scene. Maxim sprawled on the couch, laced his fingers behind his head, and stared at the ceiling with the air of a martyr being … Read more
— Can you imagine, Verunya, this has to be something grand! Not just sitting around in a café. I’ve already found a country venue with a big veranda overlooking a lake. A pearl wedding, thirty years together—that’s a whole era! First, a light outdoor reception while the guests arrive. A saxophonist playing something unobtrusive, you … Read more
“Are you… together now?” the young man said quietly, his gaze shifting between Emily and the man standing beside her. “Yes,” her face lit with a gentle smile. “Isn’t that what you wished for? For me to find my happiness and move forward…” Outside the small apartment in one of Rome’s old neighborhoods, a fine … Read more
— “And what is this supposed to be?” Alexey’s voice—steady and cold as a scalpel—sliced through the cozy evening quiet. Larisa, absorbed in her reading, didn’t look up right away. He stood in the living-room doorway, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on a small paper bag with a bookstore logo lying on … Read more
Viscous, sticky silence filled the apartment, saturated with the scent of incense and fading lilies. Marina sat on the edge of the sofa, hunched over as if an invisible weight pressed on her shoulders. The black dress itched, reminding her of the reason for this wordless hush—today she had buried her grandmother, Eiroyda Anatolyevna, the … Read more
Olga was leafing through a cooking magazine with rapt attention, making notes in the margins. A new recipe for French julienne struck her as especially interesting. “I should try adding porcini instead of button mushrooms,” she thought, imagining how she would surprise her husband with the unusual flavor. Cooking had always been her passion. The … Read more
Anna Sergeyevna stood at the foot of a huge glass building where a special, fast-paced life reigned. The height of the structure seemed endless, and the reflection in its walls looked distorted and alien. She adjusted the modest, frayed bag on her shoulder and took a deep breath. The air was cold and unwelcoming. The … Read more