I. The Accident It was a quiet Saturday morning when Vera had just finished clearing the breakfast table. The sound of the clinking plates echoed in the kitchen,...

I. The Request “Babe, I just got back from Mom’s. She’s decided to start a renovation.” Ethan dropped his keys onto the entryway table and walked into the...

I. The Interrogation The apartment was quiet, steeped in the soft hum of evening — the low buzz of the refrigerator, the occasional sigh of the heating pipes....

I. Homecoming “Victor, I’m back! I grabbed your favorite cinnamon buns for tea—want some?” Lauren’s voice floated into the apartment before she did—bright, hopeful, almost singing. The sound...

I. The Empty Morning The bank’s text came at 7:15 a.m. “Debit transaction in the amount of…” I didn’t open it. David often wired money for lumber, paint,...

I. The Toss of the Keys “Oleg tossed the line out as casually as he’d fling his car keys onto the hall table.” He threw that sentence into...

Yana was at her breaking point. She slammed the deck of cards onto the table with a mix of frustration and anger. “I’m sick of carrying you all...

The quiet hum of the city outside their window seemed like a distant memory now. Inna and Kirill had sat through yet another evening in their cramped kitchen,...

The door creaked again — a long, plaintive groan that seemed to slice through the apartment’s heavy air.In the living room, Igor twitched as if struck. He was...