While visiting her daughter at the cemetery, the mother saw an unfamiliar girl sitting on a bench, whispering something to the portrait on the headstone. Her heart froze.

Through the heavy curtains, the last rays of evening light seeped in, spreading across the expensive Persian rug in weary, dull streaks. The air in the living room—usually scented with rare flowers and exquisite perfume—felt heavy today, electrified, charged with the sense that a storm was coming. “Katya again? Valery, do you seriously think I’m […]

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— “My mom’s jubilee is in two days, so clear out for a week—she can’t stand you,” her husband declared…

— “Mom’s turning sixty in two days, so clear out for a week—she can’t stand the sight of you,” my husband announced… Tatyana absentmindedly ran her finger over the fogged-up window, tracing strange patterns as the October evening slowly settled over the damp courtyard. The radiators hadn’t been turned on yet, and a clammy chill […]

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— Lyubov Andreevna, don’t be so brazen! And let me decide myself whom to register in my own apartment! — the daughter-in-law was no longer hiding her irritation.

— “What does pity have to do with it? Temporary registration is a serious legal step. You understand there could be problems…” she said, trying to stay calm, though the story of a friend kept circling in her mind—how that friend once took in relatives “temporarily,” and five years later still can’t get them deregistered. […]

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