Go back to your village then,” her husband said irritably, without turning to her. Artyom’s voice was even, but in it she heard cold and exhaustion, as if all feeling had frozen over during the long years of silent evenings and unspoken grievances. He stood by the window, looking at the grey November sky, covered … Read more
The office world of “Horizont-Stroy” was a small universe with its own unwritten but ironclad rules. The main law of this universe was simple: remain invisible to Viktor Sergeevich whenever storm clouds passed over his face. And they passed over it almost constantly. The air in the spacious hall, smelling of expensive wood and freshly … Read more
Outside the office windows on the twenty-third floor, a real storm symphony was raging. Dense streams of rain drummed tirelessly against the sturdy glass, spreading into bizarre, winding rivulets that hurried downward, merging into a single muddy flow. Artyom Voronov leaned back in his massive leather chair, a barely noticeable but immensely satisfied smile playing … Read more
The office air was thick and stale, smelling of old papers and of dust that had settled on the system units. The rays of the setting sun timidly filtered through the blinds, laying long golden stripes across the threadbare carpet. In this silence, disturbed only by the steady hum of the computers, there sounded the … Read more
Sofiya froze on the threshold of her apartment, her fingers clutching the handle of an old, battered suitcase. Outside the window, an autumn rain had fallen over the city—fine and persistent, drawing the streets into a trembling, translucent veil. Droplets slowly slid down, leaving winding wet trails on the glass, like those invisible paths that … Read more
“Vitya, your wife didn’t give me the money you promised me! Sort things out with her as soon as possible, or I’ll tell Mom and Dad everything and you’ll have to have this conversation with Dad!” Alina’s voice, thin and sharp like a shard of glass, hit Viktor at the very moment he turned the … Read more
“I’m here!” That phrase, flung from the doorway in a firm, no-nonsense voice, hit Ksenia like a blast of icy wind. She hadn’t even had time to fully register who was standing there before the massive figure of her mother-in-law was already seeping into the hallway, rudely pushing Ksenia aside with her shoulder. Yevgeniya Petrovna … Read more
Yulia walked out of the bank with the apartment papers and stopped in the middle of the street. Her hands were shaking. Three years. Three long years of saving, saying no to herself, extra shifts. And now at last—a certificate of ownership in her name. A two-room apartment in a nine-story panel building on the … Read more
“Mom, we’re going to the seaside for two weeks! Here are the keys, can you keep an eye on the apartment?” Anton stepped into his mother’s stuffy hallway, smelling of valocordin and old parquet, and it felt as if the sun itself walked in with him. He wore a light linen shirt, was a little … Read more
The universe is arranged in a remarkable way. Sometimes it seems you’re walking along a clearly marked path, and then something happens that turns your whole existence upside down. And you realize that all the previous years were only preparation for this meeting, for this very moment that split your life into “before” and “after.” … Read more