Oleg sat at the very last desk in the stuffy classroom, wilting from the heat and the monotonous droning of the lecturer. May was in full swing — just like the last semester, the last lectures, the last hours before the long-awaited freedom. The lazily buzzing fan barely moved the warm air, which felt more […]
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Three years have passed since the day pain stormed into Irina’s life—not just any pain, but the loss of everything that made her life worth living. In an instant, like a snapped cable over an abyss, she was deprived of the two closest people: her husband Oleg and their little son Timur. At first glance, […]
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In one of the large business centers, where day after day bustling business activity took place, worked a woman named Maria. Her profession — cleaning lady — was not associated with anything remarkable in the eyes of most employees. To everyone, she was simply part of the familiar background: the soft rustle of a brush […]
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The young woman quietly hummed by the dishwashing sink, lost in her thoughts and music. Every time she started to sing, time seemed to slow down. Her voice—soft, pure, sounding like a gentle breeze amid the kitchen bustle—filled the space with unexpected harmony. She had no idea that behind her stood a man whose name […]
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For Nina Petrovna, her son’s wedding was supposed to be one of the brightest days of her life. But just hours before the celebration began, she heard words that seemed to tear everything apart inside her: — Who is she anyway? A homeless woman… The mother of my bride… What a disgrace. These words were […]
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The text message arrived just at the moment Emma sat down on her favorite bench in the small city park. She glanced at the phone screen — and immediately frowned. Only from him! What does he want? That old stingy bore who still thinks he has the right to write? She looked around the park. […]
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“Have you not heard?” Her voice trembled, as if something inside it was cracking. “What exactly?” I asked, already holding the handle of the front door with one hand. The bag with medicines almost slipped from my fingers. Lidiya Pavlovna, 84 years old, a widow with eyes full of lived years and unspoken sorrows, stood […]
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The phone vibrated as if someone was trying to punch a hole in the table with it. I looked at the screen — “Mom.” The fourth missed call in half an hour. Usually, she didn’t pressure me like this, unless she wanted to discuss how I had forgotten to congratulate our cousin aunt on her […]
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Valentina woke up to silence. Strange how quickly you get used to loneliness at fifty-eight. For thirty-five years, every morning began with Peter’s grumbling: the coffee wasn’t strong enough, or the shirt wasn’t perfectly ironed. And now — silence, piercing and cold, like the wind outside the rented room’s window. She slowly got up from […]
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Ira, repeat what you just said? But keep in mind, I hope to hear at the end: ‘It was all a joke!’” Yaroslav struggled to stand up but immediately had to sit back down in the armchair because his legs felt like cotton and refused to hold his heavy body. “I’m not going to repeat […]
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