Anna opened the door and froze. On the threshold stood her mother-in-law with two strangers and a bouquet of wilted chrysanthemums. — Anna, meet them! — Elena Petrovna beamed. — This is Roman and Svetlana, Sergey’s first cousins. They’re passing through the city, and I decided… — Hello, — Anna replied coolly, not moving from […]
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— Here. Mom wants this one. Andrey’s voice—lazy and self-satisfied—burst into the cozy quiet of the evening, ripping it apart like a blunt needle piercing thin fabric. Yulia slowly lifted her eyes from the book. He was looming over her chair, thrusting his phone at her, the screen glowing with a cold, deathly light. She […]
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“Mom, I need to talk to you. It’s important,” Oleg said the moment he stepped into the living room. Alina Ivanovna didn’t look away from the television. “What now? You’re so serious, it’s almost frightening.” “I’ve taken an important step in my life,” he began. “I have a fiancée. Her name is Vika. We’ve already […]
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It all began in the noisy hallway of an elementary school, where children’s laughter bounced off the walls and the air carried the mingled scents of hot lunches — cutlets, burnt bread, and something sweet. Amid the chaos of chatter, footsteps, and games, a little girl named Lilia noticed what no one else seemed to […]
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