“Alla’s calling again,” Victoria glanced sideways at the screen. “I can already feel it—something urgent. Like the cat sneezed and has to be rushed to the vet immediately, preferably through Lobnya.” She wasn’t even answering anymore. She simply sat at the kitchen table with a cup of morning coffee, wearing an old T-shirt stained with […]
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“Mom, why are you up so early?” Andrei walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. “It’s not even six yet.” “The cake isn’t going to make itself.” Lyudmila Dmitrievna was already separating the egg yolks from the whites, her movements quick and practiced. “Your birthday celebration is tomorrow. Have you forgotten?” “Twenty-eight isn’t exactly a […]
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Anna heard the familiar sound of keys turning in the lock and involuntarily tensed. Tuesday, half past six in the evening—Dima was supposed to come home from work alone. But the footsteps in the hallway sounded somehow different, as if someone were moving cautiously, trying not to trip. “Anya,” her husband called, guilt evident in […]
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