I have not been at the institute for several days, but it feels like an eternity. It was as if she had returned to the past, where her mother had just kicked her daughter and sent her to fill her brain with new knowledge.

It feels like everything around has changed.

The first pair flies by. I intentionally did not sit down in my previous place next to Vika. I sat down with our headman Kristina Ershova, and I even liked it. She did not go into conversation. The phone did not poke in the face, showing a photo of Korneev. Just the perfect neighbor. Now, when I lie to...