Tania discovered her husband’s infidelity by chance.
As is often the case, wives are usually the last to know. It was only later that Tania realized what those strange glances and whispers behind her back from her colleagues meant. Everyone at work knew that Tania’s best friend, Vera, had begun an affair with Vyacheslav. Tania didn’t suspect a thing.
She learned the truth the evening she unexpectedly returned home. Tania had been working as a doctor at the local hospital for some years. She was supposed to work a night shift that day. However, at the end of the workday, a younger colleague, Lena, approached her with a request:
“Tania, could you switch shifts with me? I’ll take tonight, and you can cover for me on Saturday… if you don’t have other plans. My sister’s wedding is this Saturday.”
Tania agreed. Lena was a nice, helpful young woman, and the reason was understandable.
That night, Tania returned home in high spirits, hoping to surprise her husband. But the surprise was on her. As soon as she entered the flat, she heard voices coming from the bedroom. One was Slav’s, and the other… she recognized too – it was her best friend Vera’s, which she never expected to hear in such a context. There was no doubt about the nature of their relationship.
Tania left the flat as quietly as she came in and spent the night sleepless in the hospital. How could she now face her colleagues? They all knew, and she was blinded by her love for Slav, trusting him completely. He was the focus of her life, and she was willing to do anything for him. She even gave up her dream of having a child because every time she mentioned it, Vyacheslav said he wasn’t ready, wanting more time for just the two of them. Now Tania understood he was never serious about their family.
During that sleepless night, Tania made what she considered the only right decision. The following morning, she filed for a leave of absence, intending to resign afterward, then went home and packed her things while her husband was at work. She headed for the train station. Her grandmother had left her a small cottage in the countryside, and Tania decided to go there, quite sure her husband wouldn’t think to look for her there. At the train station, she bought a new SIM card, throwing her old one away, thus severing ties with her past and stepping into a new life.
In just a day, she stepped off the train at a familiar station. The last time she had been there was almost ten years ago for her grandmother’s funeral. Everything looked like she remembered—quiet and hardly any people. “Just what I need right now,” Tania thought.
She caught a ride to the village and then walked another twenty minutes to her grandmother’s house. The yard was overgrown with bushes, making it difficult for Tania to reach the front door.
It took a few weeks for her to tidy up the house and garden. She couldn’t have managed on her own, but the neighbors helped her a lot. They all fondly remembered Tania’s grandmother, Zinaida, who taught elementary school for over 40 years in the local school. She had helped village children learn to read and write for generations. Many were eager to help Tania as a tribute to their beloved teacher.
Tania didn’t expect such a warm reception and was very grateful to everyone who assisted with repairs and settling in. Soon enough, word about Tania being a doctor traveled quickly around the village. One day her nearest neighbor, Nancy, came over in distress.
“Tania, I can’t help today. My youngest is unwell. She must’ve eaten something bad; she’s had a stomach ache since morning.”
“Let me take a look at your daughter,” Tania offered, gathering her medical kit and following Nancy.
Young Valerie had food poisoning. Tania helped the girl by setting up an IV and explaining to Nancy how to care for her daughter moving forward.
“Thank you, Tania,” said Nancy gratefully. “I didn’t know you were a doctor. The nearest hospital is 60 miles away. We had a resident paramedic, but they left a year ago and haven’t sent a replacement.”
From then on, villagers began turning to Tania for medical help. She couldn’t say no, especially after they welcomed and aided her so warmly.
When word about the doctor reached the authorities, Tania was offered a job at the district clinic.
“No, I’m not going to the district,” Tania replied firmly. “But if you let me manage a medical post here in the village, I’d be more than happy to.”
The management was puzzled—a city doctor with such experience wanting to work in a village medical post. But Tania was unyielding. Eventually, the medical post reopened, and Tania started seeing patients.
One evening, Tania heard a knock on her door—a late visitor, though she wasn’t surprised as people sometimes needed help after hours. She opened the door to a stranger. His appearance hinted at some trouble.
“Miss Taylor,” he said. “I’m from Oakwood, about 15 miles from here. My daughter is severely ill. I thought it was just a cold, but her fever hasn’t subsided for three days. Please, come with me and help my daughter.”
Tania started gathering her things, asking the man questions about the girl’s symptoms as they went. Upon arrival, she saw a small, pale girl lying in bed, breathing heavily, her lips cracked, and hair tangled, her eyelids fluttering with each breath.
After examining her, Tania said, “Her condition is serious. She should be in a hospital.”
The man shook his head.
“It’s just the two of us. Her mother passed shortly after childbirth. This girl is all I have. I can’t lose her.”
“In the hospital, she’ll get help much quicker. There’s nothing I can do here. I don’t have the medicine.”
“Tell me what she needs, and I’ll get it. Please, don’t take her to the hospital. There’s an all-night pharmacy in the district. I’ll get the medicine quickly. But… I couldn’t leave her alone.”
Tania could see the man was scared and worried. Now she could finally observe him properly. He was about her age, tall, lean, and with a handsome head of chestnut hair. His eyes were a deep green, and his long eyelashes were enviable.
“I’ll stay with her,” Tania said. “What’s her name?”
“Annie,” the man said tenderly, looking at his daughter. “And I’m Edward. Thank you, doctor!”
Tania wrote out a prescription, and Edward drove off to the district center.
The fever persisted, and the girl writhed in her sleep, crying and calling for her father. Tania held her and sang a lullaby until Annie calmed down.
Hours later, Edward returned with the medicine. Tania administered the injection and tiredly said, “Now we just wait.”
They spent the whole night by Annie’s bedside. By morning, her fever began to drop, and a slight sweat appeared on her forehead.
“That’s a good sign,” Tania noted. She was exhausted but satisfied that she had turned the illness around.
“Thank you, doctor,” Edward repeated over and over.
A year passed. Tania still worked at the village clinic, treating her neighbors and those from surrounding hamlets. But now she lived not in her grandmother’s old cottage, but in Edward’s lovely spacious house. They married six months after that terrible night when Annie’s life hung by a thread.
They spent several more weeks battling Annie’s illness, but she recovered. She became very attached to Tania, and Tania loved Annie with all her heart. Yet, each time she held the girl, Tania thought about the chance she had once missed to be a mother.
In the evenings, Tania returned tired but happy to her new home, where two of the most precious people awaited her. Tonight, Edward met her at the doorstep, hugged her, and asked,
“Well? Did they approve your leave? I’ve planned a trip; the three of us will go on an adventure.”
Tania smiled mysteriously and replied, “They approved my leave, but we’re not going as three—we’re going as four.”
Edward gazed at her in confusion for a moment, then scooped her up and spun her around in the yard.
