The Life Vista

Chapter 1 — The Summons The message came in a tone she had known for twenty years. Short. Polite. Cold. “Nastya, come in.” Igor Petrovich’s voice carried through...

I. The Call It began with a phone call that didn’t sound like the world I was living in. The office was buzzing with the same pale rhythm...

Chapter 1 — The Surprise Elaine shifted the paper bags from one arm to the other as she waved goodbye to the cashier. The automatic doors opened, and...

Chapter 1 — The Delay Ava was sorting laundry when Ethan appeared in the doorway.His expression — half-guilty, half-apologetic — reminded her of a boy who’d forgotten his...

“So, I’m supposed to congratulate your mother on every holiday, buy her expensive gifts, while you can’t even send my mother a message? Is that it?” Sarah’s voice,...

“If you’re really as poor and miserable as you say, then you can live on dried bread and water. Don’t ask us for any more money!” The voice...

Ilya’s voice was sharp, as if every word was a blow. “You’re a parasite! Go get a job!” he shouted, his anger bubbling over. The words hit Svetlana...

I wasn’t sure how it all came to this moment. The evening I had spent years envisioning had arrived, and yet, I wasn’t prepared. The mirror in the...

The doorbell rang just as Marina was wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. She’d been cooking soup—a habit she’d developed ever since she married Egor, her husband...