Rita stared at her phone screen, where a message from a colleague glowed: “I saw some girl in Artyom’s office today. They were sitting very close, laughing.” The phone suddenly felt unbearably heavy in her hands. Ten years. Ten years of life together flashed before her eyes like frames of an old film reel. Rita […]
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Elvira stood by the window, looking out at the rainy October street. Three days earlier, the money from selling her late grandmother Raisa’s apartment had hit the bank account. Twenty million rubles—a sum that could change a life. The deal had been done officially through a notary; all the documents were in a folder on […]
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Baby, can you transfer me five hundred? — came a voice from the living room. “I can. What do you need it for?” Alina asked, standing at the mirror and touching up her lashes with mascara. The rising sun was shining brightly outside. The young woman was getting ready for work. “I want to pick […]
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“Hi, Liza!” Anton—Liza’s brother—barreled into the hallway with his whole family. “We were just passing by and thought we’d drop in. You won’t turn us away, will you?” “Hello, Anton! Of course, come in!” Liza was a warm, welcoming hostess. She was always glad to have guests: her salary let her feed, water, and shower […]
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Natalya gripped the set of keys tightly—the ones her parents had just ceremoniously handed to their daughter. The October wind rustled the yellow leaves in the courtyard, and the air smelled of autumn coolness and new possibilities. A one-room apartment on the seventh floor of a panel building—the gift she had been waiting for for […]
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The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sweet hint of baked goods hung in the air, creating a cozy atmosphere that contrasted sharply with Anna’s inner state. She had ducked into this café for a quick lunch — a rare luxury in her hectic schedule lately. Home-cooked meals had become an unattainable dream, giving […]
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Misha banged the cold cup of coffee down on the table and pressed the coffee machine button. Five minutes before they had to leave. Their old apartment had become a cramped box to him, every corner reminding him of twenty years of marriage. A marriage he’d decided to end three months ago. — “You didn’t […]
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“Good riddance! — his voice thundered through our tiny entryway. — Without you, I’ll only be better off!” He was so sure he was right. So drunk on his sudden “freedom.” He had no idea he’d just signed, with his own hands, a death sentence for his business and his future. He thought he’d gotten […]
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Olga lined up three yogurt cups — raspberry, peach, and blueberry. Exactly in that order. A rule is a rule. The yogurts stood close together. Proper. Neat. The sound of a key in the lock broke the silence. Viktor came home from work earlier than usual. “Ol, you home?” her husband peeked into the kitchen […]
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Anna stood by the stove, stirring julienne in individual clay pots and silently running through the evening’s plan. She’d need to take the pots out in ten minutes; the salads were already done; the meat in the oven would finish right as the guests arrived. Same as always. The perfect family dinner for her husband’s […]
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