The morning of February 24 began for Nataliia with a call from her son-in-law — and a short but chilling question: "Do you understand?" She had already heard the explosions outside her window... She decided to stay in Kyiv — her students were waiting for her. It seemed it would all end soon. But after witnessing the explosion near the TV tower with her own eyes, she had to leave for Verkhovyna. It was relatively quiet there, but the calm was deceptive — her son-in-law went to the front, and since then Nataliia’s life has been filled with waiting: for phone calls, for news, and for the greatest hope — that one day the heroes will return home forever.