2. Horrific News From Kazan

Moscow, Russia.

In an apartment in the heart of Moscow, heavy rain lashed against the large windows overlooking the streets that were beginning to empty. The great city looked gloomy that afternoon, as if sharing the weight in Liliya's steps as she returned from her university.

Her thick jacket was soaked through, and her usually neat, long hair was plastered to her face. Quickly, Liliya unlocked the door to her warm apartment and tossed her bag onto the sofa, feeling exhausted after a long day at campus.

"Ah, it's so cold," she murmured softly, hurrying towards the bathroom inside her room.

She locked the bathroom door and immediately took off her soaked clothes. The heavy rain outside the window continued to be heard, creating a calm but lonely atmosphere. Warm water from the showerhead soon touched her skin, providing much-needed relief after hours of activity outside.

Liliya closed her eyes, letting the water wash away all the weariness of her mind and body. When she was finished, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked to her room, gently and carefully drying her hair.

After putting on casual clothes, the beautiful girl walked towards the kitchen. The room was small but very cozy, filled with the aroma of toast that she often made herself. Liliya prepared a cup of hot chocolate and started the toaster. The soft sound of the toaster turning on filled the silence in her apartment.

"At least, hot chocolate can warm me up a little," she said with a faint smile, though her eyes looked very tired.

Once her hot chocolate and toast were ready, Liliya took everything to the living room. She sat on the soft sofa, placed the cup on the small table in front of her, and grabbed the TV remote. Casually, the girl began searching for a TV channel that could catch her attention. However, nothing really pleased her that afternoon. Liliya kept changing channels, until suddenly a news broadcast caught her eye.

The TV screen was showing a large blaze, and the reporter was speaking quickly about a fire in Kazan, Liliya's hometown. Her expression immediately changed, her full attention focused on what was being shown on the television screen. Fire was seen engulfing a house that looked very familiar to her.

"No ... isn't that ...?" Liliya murmured, her mouth suddenly feeling dry.

A clearer image from the broadcast camera showed that the burning house was her home. The house where she grew up. Liliya froze for a moment, unable to say anything. She reached for the TV remote and immediately increased the volume.

"Today's fire incident in a house in the City of Kazan resulted in two fatalities, Mr. Vadim and Mrs. Disca, who were the owners of the house," the reporter's voice began to explain the chronology of the events that had occurred.

"Both were found dead at the scene," the reporter added.

The glass of hot chocolate that Liliya was holding suddenly slipped from her hand, falling and spilling its contents onto the carpet. Liliya's hands began to tremble violently. Her eyes, which had been closed due to tiredness, were now wide open, filled with tears that began to flow uncontrollably. She still couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"It's not possible ... this can't be happening!" Liliya murmured repeatedly, her voice trembling violently. Still not believing what had happened.

"Papa ... Mama ..." she cried, starting to call out the names of her parents.

Her sobs began to break, her trembling body causing her to slump on the sofa. The rain that continued to lash against her apartment window seemed to emphasize the feeling of sadness and devastation that now dominated her heart.

"Why did the fire happen? Papa, Mama! I can't believe this misfortune has befallen you!" she cried again, increasingly in disbelief.

Tears flowed even more freely from her eyes. The girl was truly devastated to hear the news that her parents had left her forever.

It had been almost six months since Liliya had returned to Kazan. She was too busy with her studies in Moscow, too busy to make time to meet with her parents. And now, without warning, they were gone and had left her alone.

"Why didn't I go home to Kazan sooner? I didn't even have time to call Papa and Mama?" she sobbed softly.

A deep sense of regret suffocated her chest, shattering every part of the peace that had remained in her life.

Liliya tried to reach for her phone, which was lying on the table, her hands still trembling. She opened her contact list and searched for her father's number. In a panic, she pressed the call button, even though she knew in her heart that there would be no answer from her father.

"The number you are calling is either inactive or out of range." The automated voice from the operator only added to her sadness.

Liliya immediately tried to call her mother, but the result was the same. Both numbers could no longer be reached, as if confirming that they were truly gone forever, leaving her alone in this world.

"Papa ... Mama ..." Liliya cried incessantly, her hands holding her phone tightly.

The girl suddenly remembered the happy moments with her parents, where they were laughing together in the house that had now been consumed by fire.

Liliya suddenly remembered how her father always called her "my little daughter" and her mother who always reminded her to take care of herself while pursuing her education in Moscow. All of that was now just a painful memory for Liliya.

There was no longer any sound in Liliya's apartment except for the pattering of rain outside that was beginning to turn into a drizzle and the sound of her sobs that were slowly subsiding. She felt empty, as if the world around her had collapsed.

The girl sat in silence, her eyes staring at the television screen that was still showing the news of the fire, as if wanting to deny the reality that was in front of her at that moment.

"If only I could meet them again, just once, to see Papa and Mama," she whispered softly, regretting all the time that had passed without being able to be relived.

The rain continued to pour over the city of Moscow that afternoon, growing heavier as Liliya's tears continued to wet her cheeks. Pressure and sadness increasingly pressed down on her in the silence of the apartment, leaving her devastated with a deep sense of grief. Liliya seemed to realize that her life would never be the same again, and the departure of her parents would always leave a wound that would surely be difficult for her to heal.

The girl huddled further onto the sofa. She was truly confused about facing reality. Liliya didn't know what to do, she had fallen deeper and deeper into a pit of sadness that might have no end.

"Papa, Mama, how do I continue this life without you by my side?" she said amidst her increasingly strong sobs on that cold afternoon.