Lena loved the morning. She would get up early, make herself a strong coffee, and open her laptop to start working on another article. In those moments, she felt confident, in control of every detail of her life. But with each passing day, that feeling of control slipped away. Artyom had changed a long time […]
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Katya suddenly jumped up, her whole body trembling. The old sofa creaked plaintively, protesting the sudden movement. The girl threw it a worried glance — hoping it wouldn’t collapse completely. Then she looked around the walls. Winter was relentlessly approaching, and she had no idea what to do next. She had left her native village […]
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My name is Marina. I’m 29 years old. I’m Anya’s older sister — the one who was always held up as an example to her in childhood. Until one day, I simply stopped being noticed as soon as the younger sister was born: bright, loud, irresistible. Anya always knew how to be the center of […]
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— Alright, I get it. You won’t sign. Then maybe you’ll lend me money? — How much? — A million. — Are you serious? — I’ll pay it back,» Olga insisted. Alina opened the door without even being surprised. Olga stood in the doorway, shifting nervously from foot to foot, wearing a gray coat that […]
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Are you even listening to me?” Anna’s voice sounded sharp as she repeated her question for the third time. Maxim looked up from his phone and gave a guilty smile. “Sorry, I was distracted. What did you say?” Anna sighed deeply, brushed crumbs off the table, and folded a towel. Lately, Maxim had clearly been […]
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The call from the notary’s office caught Varvara off guard. The spoon with her morning porridge froze halfway to her mouth as soon as she heard the first words about her grandmother’s inheritance. Alexey, Varvara’s husband, turned away from the stove with a questioning look. «Yes, yes, I understand. In six months, I’ll have to […]
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The alarm rang exactly at six in the morning. Vika opened her eyes but didn’t move. Next to her, her husband was peacefully snoring, wrapped up in the blanket over his head. The alarm kept ringing desperately, but Arthur didn’t even twitch. Vika reached out and turned off the alarm. Time to get up. Her […]
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Grandma Lyuba struggled to lift the bucket of icy water from the pump and, heavily shifting her feet, walked along the well-trodden path to the house. The frost tickled her face, her fingers slipped uncontrollably on the rusty handle. Right at the door, she stopped to catch her breath: she placed one bucket on the […]
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Konstantin sat stunned, unable to grasp how he’d gotten himself into such a mess that now he couldn’t tell his head from his tail. Although, to be honest, he’d brought it on himself. He knew Rimma was married, but hadn’t given it much thought — he didn’t care. More than that, it was convenient: fewer […]
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The phone rang just at the moment Ella was taking off her noise-cancelling headphones — sharp, piercing, as if someone suddenly threw open a window in a quiet room. “Hi, Ellochka,” Vera’s voice sounded too cheerful, with that very intonation behind which unpleasant words usually hide. “Listen, my mom and I were thinking… You know, […]
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