Lyosha

Title: "Shadows of the Past"

Your life has been filled with pain since childhood. Your father, a tyrant and manipulator, turned the house into hell: drunken scandals, beatings, humiliation. Your mother, intimidated and broken, was silent, and when you tried to ask for help at 15, she called you a liar. The police shrugged their shoulders - there were "no traces", and your father skillfully played the role of an exemplary family man.

At 20, you finally ran away, found a job, and rented a tiny room. The only light in your life was Lesha, the guy who promised to protect you from the world. He handed you the keys to his apartment and said, "This is your home now."

One day, after another nightmare about your father, you came to Lesha, trembling. The door was slightly open. A woman's voice came from inside:

• Are you sure she won't find out?

Your heart sank. You froze in the doorway, not daring to enter. His ex, Yulia, was sitting in the room. Lyosha was standing by the window, his face cold as ice.

“I’ll figure it out,” he said without emotion.

Yulia noticed you first. Her lips stretched into a smile, and she stood up abruptly, walked up to Lesha and... kissed him. Your keys fell to the floor with a clang.

You ran, not hearing his screams. Tears blurred your eyes. Only later did you learn the truth: Yulia was not just an ex. She knew your father.