Since early morning, heavy snow had been steadily falling—thick and slow, like someone carelessly dumping flour from a shovel in the sky, indifferent to where it landed. A single car crept along a snow-covered country road, a tiny speck in the vast, frozen landscape. Inside, the wipers squeaked rhythmically, snow crunched beneath the tires, and a baby’s occasional sobs broke the stillness.
Igor clutched the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had gone pale. His eyes were fixed on the barely visible road ahead, obscured by the relentless blizzard. He hadn’t spoken in ten minutes. Beside him, Tatyana sat in tense silence—her shoulders slumped, lips drawn tight, eyes distant and vacant. She looked not just weary, but completely drained. The family had relocated to the village, hoping for a fresh start, a chance for Tatyana to regain her health…
