Larisa stood by the kitchen window, watching the neighbor load a stroller into the trunk of her car. Forty-one years old, and still dependent on public transport and the rare chance to use her husband’s car. Design projects were scattered all over the city, clients wanted meetings at inconvenient times, and there she was, suffering […]
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Yana ran her finger over her smartphone screen, scrolling through photos of resort hotels. Sea breeze, white-sand beaches, cocktails by the pool—that was what she dreamed of after a hard year in the office. Accounting reports and tax returns had long turned life into a gray routine, and only thoughts of vacation helped her hold […]
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Artyom found out about the layoff on a Friday, right before the weekend. The boss called him into his office, explained about “staff optimization” and a crisis in the industry, handed him a notice and severance pay. The thirty-year-old software engineer went home with a heavy feeling in his chest, but tried to stay optimistic. […]
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Anna Sergeyevna always came to work fifteen minutes early. Not out of zeal or a desire to impress—just because it felt right. While other employees were hastily finishing their coffee in the hallway, she was already sorting the mail, preparing documents for signature, and checking the director’s meeting schedule. Her workstation—a small desk outside the […]
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The shadow of the tall poplar outside had already fallen across half the yard when the worst thing in all sixteen years of the Beketovs’ life together began. The air in the living room—thick with cigarette smoke and mute tension—felt like you could slice it with a knife. Artyom Viktorovich, a man with hands etched […]
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“Don’t touch me! Let me go! Don’t!” That desperate cry rang out over the river’s smooth surface and died away—heard by almost no one, understood by no one—swallowed up by heat thick as honey. The languid, exhausting swelter pressed the grasses to the ground, silenced the birds, and muffled sound itself, as if brushing aside […]
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Natalia woke to the insistent ringing of the phone. The clock read just before eight on an August Monday. Vitaly beside her grumbled and pulled the pillow over his head. “Hello?” Natalia’s voice was hoarse with sleep. “Natalya dear, it’s Valentina Ivanovna, your mother’s neighbor,” came the anxious voice of an elderly woman. “Sweetheart, be […]
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Natalia stood in front of the bedroom mirror, assessing her appearance. The dark-blue dress with an elegant stand-up collar fit her perfectly, accentuating her waist and concealing small imperfections. It hadn’t been cheap—Natalia had spent almost half of her monthly salary as a design engineer on it—but her mother-in-law Raisa Dmitrievna’s jubilee seemed a worthy […]
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Larisa wiped the sweat from her forehead and set the bucket of water aside. The August heat made working in the garden especially hard, but the tomatoes needed watering. The house she had inherited from her parents sat on the edge of town, and the plot that came with it let them grow vegetables for […]
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Rain drummed against the café windows where Kira was waiting for Pavel. A year of dating is no small thing, and at last the guy had decided to introduce his girlfriend to his mother. Kira was nervous, adjusting the dark blue dress she’d bought especially for the occasion. She wanted to make a good impression. […]
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