Tatiana woke up early in the morning, as always. This habit had formed in her over the years, gradually, as if engraved on the skin of time. Her husband — Vladimir — was a man of strict rules and firm life principles. He didn’t like being late, couldn’t stand disorder, and always got up at […]
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“Mishenka, son, pass me that shrimp salad,” Svetlana Borisovna sang out to her son with the kind of tone as if he had just returned from a battlefield, victorious over an entire army. Her voice was soft, almost melodic, but behind it hid not just a request — it was a command no one dared […]
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Andrey remembered that day with extraordinary clarity, as if it had happened just a few hours ago. The autumn wind, chilling to the bone, drove yellowed leaves across the asphalt, as if reminding of the approaching end of the year. In the pocket of his worn-out coat lay the last bun — the only food […]
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A sharp smell of burning burst into sleep without warning — like a night thief who doesn’t knock but breaks in with force. Grigory suddenly sat up in bed, his heart pounding wildly as if trying to break free. The night outside was unnaturally bright — an anxious, flickering glow illuminated the room, casting long […]
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— Mommy, are we going to live here now? — Lisa’s small voice trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind. Svetlana hugged her daughter by the shoulders and looked at the little house. It was crooked, old, with peeling window frames, resembling a tired person whose eyes had long stopped marveling at the world. […]
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The phone suddenly trembled in the silence — like a frightened creature coming to life amid the calm. Zinaida Alekseevna flinched in sync with it, as if an invisible connection linked her to that sound. Straining, she reached toward the edge of the table, grabbed the receiver, and pressed it to her ear, as if […]
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Valentina sat staring at one spot, unable to look away. No, this simply couldn’t be! And with her too — this should not be happening. She kept rereading the message her husband had obviously sent to the wrong woman by mistake. The text was short but painfully clear. Fyodor was explaining to his mistress that […]
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The call came on Saturday morning when Yulia was still lying in bed with a cup of coffee. The screen showed the name of her mother-in-law — Valentina Petrovna. Usually, that didn’t bode well. “Yulechka, dear,” came the syrupy sweet voice, “how are you? How’s your mood?” “Fine,” Yulia answered cautiously. When her mother-in-law started […]
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— Kira, this is simply outrageous! The baby is already six months old, and you still carry her around like a crystal vase. At your age, I was already raising two kids, working, and managing a thirty-acre garden! — Berta Alexandrovna’s voice on the phone was, as always, categorical. Kira took a deep breath, trying […]
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Lera turned off her phone and leaned back in the armchair in her friend’s living room. Outside, the July sun blazed, but inside something was slowly tearing apart. I don’t know how else to explain this feeling… It was as if she had been living with a stranger all these months. Artyom changed so gradually […]
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