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<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nAfter another episode, Maria washed her face with cold water and stood for a long time looking at herself in the mirror. Her face had grown pale, dark circles had appeared under her eyes, and her cheekbones had become sharper. She had visibly lost weight; her clothes hung looser than before. Over those months, she had lost almost seven kilograms, without doing anything special to cause it.<\/p>\n
At work, her colleagues began to whisper. Maria caught fragments of conversations about overwork and nervous exhaustion. She had seen a general practitioner, a gastroenterologist, an endocrinologist, and several other doctors. All the tests came back normal. The doctors kept saying the same thing: her body was healthy, there were no serious problems, perhaps the cause was psychosomatic. They advised her to see a psychologist, but Maria did not feel crazy and did not believe that all of this was happening simply because of nerves.<\/p>\n
On her way to work, as always, she took the subway. The morning rush hour, the crowd, the smell of coffee, winter coats, and other people\u2019s perfume formed a familiar background for her. Maria held onto the handrail and tried not to think about the nausea. It eased slightly, but the weakness remained.<\/p>\n
When an unfamiliar voice sounded beside her, she flinched and opened her eyes. Standing in front of her was an elderly man in a warm jacket and an old fur hat. He looked at her intently, with an almost overly serious expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake off the chain. I know what\u2019s inside the pendant,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n
Maria did not immediately realize that the stranger was addressing her. Instinctively, she covered the jewelry on her chest with her hand and sharply replied that it was a gift from her husband and that he had no right to speak to her that way. The man did not argue and did not raise his voice.<\/p>\n