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Alyona stood in front of the mirror in the hotel room, adjusting her veil. Two months ago she had married Dmitry Volkov, and that day had seemed the happiest of her life. The wedding was small—about thirty guests, a modest reception at a café—but everything felt heartfelt and warm. After the celebration, the newlyweds went […]

Alyona stood in front of the mirror in the hotel room, adjusting her veil. Two months ago she had married Dmitry Volkov, and that day had seemed the happiest of her life. The wedding was small—about thirty guests, a modest reception at a café—but everything felt heartfelt and warm. After the celebration, the newlyweds went […]

Alina closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it with her back. Her head was splitting after yet another scandal. Three years of marriage had turned into an endless chain of fights, resentments, and icy silence. Sergey was sitting in the kitchen, furiously typing something on his phone. Probably complaining to his mother […]

Nadezhda was sitting in the kitchen, looking out the window and watching the neighbor’s dog wander around the courtyard. Behind her came the clinking of dishes—she was washing cups after dinner. Sergey appeared in the doorway with his phone in his hand. “Mom’s coming tomorrow,” he announced. Nadezhda flinched and turned around. “Again?” “Oh come […]

Oksana stood by the panoramic window of her living room and looked down at the city spread out below. Thirty-five years old, a successful career at an IT company, her own three-room apartment in a new building. She had earned it all herself, without anyone’s help. The road hadn’t been easy. After university she worked […]

Larisa was picking up the broken plate from the floor when the doorbell rang. Nine in the evening—she wasn’t expecting anyone. The shards clinked into the trash can—just like two years ago, when Igor used to hurl dishes and shout, “A beauty salon! You can’t even get yourself looking decent!” She looked through the peephole […]

Marina opened the door and froze for a second. On the threshold stood her father and mother—older, drawn, wearing some nondescript jackets she had last seen on them three years ago. Her father was more hunched than she remembered, and her mother nervously fidgeted with the handles of a worn bag. “Hi,” Marina said dryly, […]

Candles. Definitely candles. I placed them all over the table, trying to create that very atmosphere I’d been dreaming about all year. A white tablecloth, crystal glasses we’d received as a wedding gift and never once used, a bouquet of white roses in the center. Everything had to be perfect. My birthday—December twenty-third—always got lost […]

I stood at the entrance to the restaurant, holding my daughter’s hand. Kira was tired after the clinic, cranky, and hungry. We had just gone in for her vaccination, and I had promised her something tasty afterward. The restaurant was nearby, and I also wanted to check how things were going there. I hadn’t been […]

“Andrew, please bring me some water…” Marina’s voice sounded чужим—dry and brittle, like last year’s leaves. It barely pushed through the cottony blanket that had covered her completely. Her body had turned into one solid, aching clot of pain. Everything throbbed—from her fingertips to the roots of her hair. Her skin burned, but underneath it […]