— Nastya, come in,” came Igor Petrovich’s voice — casual and weary, as though he were being distracted from something more important. But Anastasia, who had worked at the company for twenty years and had learned every nuance of her boss’s intonations, instantly sensed — something was wrong. This wasn’t just a summons. She stepped […]
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The maternity ward of Saint Thorn Medical Center was unusually crowded that morning. Though Amira’s delivery was progressing normally, the room filled with twelve doctors, three senior nurses, and even two pediatric cardiologists. Not because of any complication — but because the scans had raised questions no one could answer. The fetus’s heartbeat was almost […]
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Anna pulled the keys from her bag and pushed the door open carefully, trying not to wake Sergey. The hallway was dark, filled with a warm, spicy aroma—he must have reheated delivery pilaf again, probably late at night. His boots were abandoned in the middle of the floor, one knocked over as if kicked off […]
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Yulia straightened the tablecloth and moved a plate a couple of centimeters to the right. The eighth time in the last ten minutes. The perfect dinner wasn’t working out. She heard the front door slam. “Pasha, is that you?” she called from the kitchen. “No, it’s the robbers!” her husband chuckled as he walked into […]
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Sveta knew for sure—their keys were gone. She had turned the entire entryway upside down, checked the pockets of her jacket and Andrei’s jeans, even looked under the doormat. Nothing. “Andrei! Have you seen our keys?” she shouted nervously, opening yet another drawer. “Which ones exactly?” Her husband appeared in the kitchen doorway with a […]
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Anya didn’t even notice when new tenants moved into the apartment of old Baba Katya, who had passed away. She simply bumped into them one morning on the landing. She was locking her door when the neighboring one opened: first a man appeared, followed by a little boy with an enormous backpack hanging off his […]
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She walked the dog along the park alley, feeling the tension in her shoulders turn into a dull, aching pain. Duke was lunging forward, nearly yanking the leash from her weakened hands. Every pull echoed inside her with the words of her son and daughter: “selfishness,” “so much time,” “hard to help?” Coming toward her […]
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“Mom, did you forget what day it is today?” Tears welled up in Andrei’s eyes, but he held them back. After all, he had just turned twelve. At that age, a boy was ashamed to cry like a little girl. “Wednesday. Why? Do we have a doctor’s appointment or something?” Anzhelika tore her eyes away […]
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The SMS from the bank came at 7:15 a.m.: “Debit transaction in the amount of…” I swiped the notification away without opening it. Dima often transferred money for building materials for the dacha. That was normal. The second message arrived a minute later. The third—while I was pouring water into the kettle. The phone vibrated […]
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Olesya frowned at the phone screen. A message from Vadim was short: “Filed for divorce. Take the kids and move out by Friday.” “What? Divorce?” She almost dropped her cup of tea. The phone rang immediately. Her mother-in-law’s name lit up on the screen. “Hello, Tamara Petrovna?” “Olesya, you already know, right?” The voice sounded […]
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