— Daughter, go play, — Svetlana asked little Lena. The girl obediently ran out of the kitchen and immediately disappeared into the nursery. Oleg was watching his wife carefully. If she hadn’t sent him a text yesterday saying “we’ll talk in the morning,” he would have shouted and demanded to know what happened. — I … Read more
Tamara looked at Valentin Konstantinovich and was once again convinced: her attitude toward him had remained the same — not changed even slightly. And he, as always, met her with the same piercing, full of hostility gaze. Once, a long time ago, before she foolishly got involved in that situation and ended up behind bars, … Read more
Svetlana looked sadly at the moon, barely visible through the thick cover of misty clouds shimmering in its ghostly light. Her heart was full of pain — the last few months had turned into an endless eclipse for her since her husband disappeared. Life had become gray and joyless: colors had faded, and happiness had … Read more
The evening light reluctantly filtered through the tulle on the windows when Mikhail threw open the apartment door with such force that it slammed against the wall. Anna flinched, not tearing her eyes away from the laptop screen where she was once again rereading the technical assignment from a client in Moscow. The woman had … Read more
— Where do you think you’re going? We can manage without sour cream!” the mother-in-law tried to stop her. “Come on, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes on my bike!” Dasha was already rolling her iron horse out onto the porch. “Who eats borscht without sour cream anyway?” Anna Vasilyevna smiled, shaking her head after … Read more
“Is he alive? Is he really alive?” Stephanie asked, trying to see the newborn behind the backs of the doctors. “Yes,” replied Dr. Hilary Rumez. “He is alive. But he is… unusual.” When Stephanie and her husband Duke Crudz were leaving the maternity ward with two girls in their arms, no one — neither the … Read more
— Liza, what is this?” Tamara Sergeevna held a box of crystal glasses in her hands. Liza’s hand trembled, breaking the rhythm of dusting the shelf. It was impossible to guess what Tamara Sergeevna would dislike today. “— It’s a wedding gift from my godmother,” Liza tried unsuccessfully to smile. “Crystal, Czech.” Tamara Sergeevna pursed … Read more
Semyon stood by the window as if rooted to the floor. His heart froze, his breath stopped. Outside the glass, in the dim light of the evening sky, there was a light burning in the house. Not a bright, ordinary one — no. The light was strange, soft, as if a lamp was burning on … Read more
Every night, the girl sleeps on a hard bench — it’s her only way to shield herself from the cold and bad weather. Curled up into a ball, she tries to keep warm and dreams of having her own home where she could sleep in warmth and safety. She has no parents and must face … Read more
Margarita had long sensed that this day would come, but when it did, she was still taken aback. She stood there, not knowing what to do next. Roman, her husband, just shrugged: “You’re not fifteen to be asking such questions. It’s time for you to figure things out on your own.” “So, I have to … Read more