Late autumn. The wind lashes against the shoulders, driving fallen leaves between the tombstones. The sky is low and gray, like a hospital sheet hung out to dry. The cemetery feels forgotten here: no living voices, no movement — only withered grass and heavy silence. By one of the graves stand three people. Maria stands … Read more
Anna’s salary was enough only to pay for utilities and the minimum set of groceries. Two weeks before payday felt endless. The one-room apartment, bought before her marriage to Sergey, was small but hers. Anna was proud of this achievement. Sergey moved in with her even before their wedding. He earned a little, working as … Read more
Anna sat in the car, fastening the collar of her coat with trembling fingers. It was May outside, but inside felt like February: her heart raced, her mouth was dry, and her hands were cold. She knew this evening would end badly—she just didn’t know how badly yet. Outside the window was a sign: “Avtotechnik … Read more
Alina stood in the middle of her brand-new two-room apartment with gray walls and windows overlooking an equally gray new building opposite. The apartment still smelled of concrete dust, but she already loved it. Here would be a kitchen with a blue set, a living room with a large sofa, and a bedroom — finally … Read more
The wife and her lover called a taxi to secretly go to a cozy café on the outskirts of the city — a place where no one knew them, where they could just be two people hiding from the public eye. She was dressed neatly but tastefully, lightly made up, with a barely noticeable scent … Read more
A knock on the door sounded just as I was about to toss another batch of burnt pancakes into the trash. Three in the morning isn’t exactly the best time for culinary experiments, but insomnia mixed with VK video recipes is a dangerous combination. — If it’s Petrovich again with his homemade moonshine, I swear … Read more
Ivan always considered himself a man who knew what he wanted. His life seemed predetermined to him: a successful career, stability, family — but somewhere deep inside, a feeling of dissatisfaction smoldered. He believed that happiness was the pursuit of new emotions, that true passion should burn brightly like a flame, not smolder within the … Read more
The call caught Natalia at the moment she was trying to hang a picture. Five months of solitude in her small apartment were gradually becoming cozy. This painting—a mountain landscape—she and Andrey had bought in Crimea back in the nineties. During the division of property, it had almost accidentally ended up with her, and now, … Read more
Evening was slowly settling over Petersburg, covering the streets with a soft twilight. In a three-room apartment on the city’s outskirts, Alla Petrovna was inspecting the kitchen with a critical eye, running her finger over the recently cleaned stove. Her face froze into an expression as if she had just discovered something unpleasant. “Sveta, how … Read more
Sitting in his office, Vyacheslav leaned back in his comfortable chair with a satisfied smile playing on his face. He couldn’t stop marveling at how his restaurant, now the pride of the entire city, had gained such great fame. The restaurant owner ordered a homeless old woman to finish her bread and leave immediately! But … Read more