Tanya discovered her husband Alex’s infidelity quite by accident…
As is often the case, wives tend to be the last to know about their husbands’ affairs. Only later did Tanya realize what all those strange glances from her coworkers and the whispers behind her back meant. Everyone in the office knew that Tanya’s best friend Megan was having an affair with Alex. Tanya had no clue.
She found out everything that evening when she unexpectedly came home early. Tanya had been working as a doctor at the local hospital for several years. That day, she was supposed to be on the night shift. But at the end of the workday, her young colleague Lucy approached her with a request: “Tanya, could you swap shifts with me? I can cover tonight, and you can take my shift on Saturday. Unless, of course, you have other plans. My sister is getting married on Saturday.”
Tanya agreed. Lucy was a pleasant and considerate girl, and a wedding was a pretty good reason.
Late in the evening, Tanya returned home feeling uplifted and wanting to surprise her husband. However, a surprise awaited her instead. As soon as she entered the apartment, she heard voices coming from the bedroom. One voice was Alex’s, and the other… She recognized it but did not expect to hear it in such a situation. It was her best friend Megan. What Tanya overheard left no doubt about the nature of their relationship.
Tanya quietly left the apartment, as quietly as she’d entered. She spent the night at the hospital, unable to sleep. How would she face her colleagues now? Everyone had known, and she had been blinded by her love for Alex, trusting him completely. He was everything to her. She had even put her dreams of having a child aside because every time she brought it up, he said he wasn’t ready, that they should enjoy life. It suddenly dawned on Tanya that Alex didn’t want kids because he wasn’t serious about their family.
That sleepless night, Tanya made a decision that seemed the only logical one to her. In the morning, she wrote a leave notice followed by her resignation. Then she went home, packed her belongings while Alex was at work, and headed to the train station. She had inherited a small house from her grandmother in the countryside. Tanya believed that Alex wouldn’t come looking for her there.
At the station, she bought a new SIM card and discarded her old one, severing all ties with her past and boldly stepping into a new chapter.
A day later, she got off the train at the familiar station. The last time she had been there was nearly a decade earlier for her grandmother’s funeral. Everything looked the same—quiet, scarcely populated. “Just what I need right now,” thought Tanya.
She hitched a ride to the village and then walked another twenty minutes to reach her grandmother’s house. Over the years, the garden had grown so wild with bushes that it was difficult for her to reach the front door.
It took her several weeks to set the garden and house in order, a task she couldn’t have managed alone. Her neighbors were incredibly helpful. They all remembered Tanya’s grandmother, Edith, who had taught at the local primary school for over 40 years. Many villagers owed their literacy to Edith, and now, in her memory, they wanted to help Tanya.
The warm reception surprised Tanya. She was very grateful to everyone who helped her settle in.
The word about Tanya being a doctor spread through the village quickly. One day, her nearest neighbor, Lucy, came running in a state of panic. “Tanya, I’m sorry, I can’t help you today. My youngest doesn’t feel well. Maybe it’s something she ate, her stomach’s been upset since morning.”
“Let’s go see your daughter,” Tanya suggested, grabbing her medical bag and following Lucy.
Little Emily had food poisoning. Tanya helped the child with an IV drip and explained to Lucy how to care for her daughter.
“Thank you, Tanya,” Lucy said, overwhelmed with gratitude. “You’re a doctor, and the nearest hospital is 40 miles away. We used to have a local nurse, but they left a year ago, and no replacement has come.”
After that, villagers began turning to Tanya for medical help. She couldn’t refuse, not after everyone had been so welcoming, helping her settle in.
When news of the doctor reached the officials, Tanya was offered a job at the district clinic.
“No, I won’t go to the district,” Tanya said firmly. “But if you’ll trust me with the village health post, I’d be glad to take it.”
The officials were surprised—a city doctor with such experience wanting to work in a village post. But Tanya stood firm. And after a while, the village clinic was up and running again, with Tanya seeing patients.
One evening, there was a knock at her door. Tanya wasn’t surprised by a visitor at such an hour—people fall ill at all times.
When she opened the door, she found a man she didn’t recognize. His appearance made it clear something was seriously wrong.
“Tanya,” he began. “I came from Oakwood, about ten miles away. My daughter’s very ill. First, I thought it was just a cold, but she hasn’t gotten better after three days. Please, come with me and help my daughter.”
Tanya hurried to get ready, asking the man about the child’s symptoms on the way.
Upon arriving, Tanya saw a frail-looking girl in bed. The child was breathing heavily, her lips cracked, hair matted, and her eyelids fluttering slightly in sync with her breaths.
After examining her, Tanya said, “The situation is serious. She needs hospital care.”
The man shook his head. “We live alone, just the two of us. Her mother died shortly after she was born. This girl is all I have. I can’t bear to lose her.”
“But she’ll get better care at the hospital. There’s nothing more I can do here without the necessary medicines.”
“Tell me what she needs, and I’ll get it. Just don’t take her to the hospital, please. There’s a 24-hour pharmacy in the district; I can bring back everything. But… I have no one to leave her with.”
Tanya saw how scared and desperate the father was. Only now did she fully take in his appearance. He was about her age, tall, trim, with a lush mane of auburn hair. His eyes were a deep green, framed by long lashes any girl would envy.
“I’ll stay with the child,” Tanya said. “What’s her name?”
“Anna,” he said tenderly, looking at his daughter. “And I’m Mark. Thank you, doctor!”
Tanya wrote out a prescription, and Mark headed to the district center.
Anna’s fever didn’t decrease, and she tossed and turned, crying and calling for her father. Tanya picked her up, humming a lullaby while pacing the room until Anna calmed down.
A few hours later, Mark returned with the medicine. Tanya gave the girl an injection, then with an exhausted voice said, “Now, we wait.”
They both spent the night by Anna’s bed. By morning, the fever began to break, and beads of sweat appeared on the child’s forehead.
“That’s a good sign,” Tanya noted. She was exhausted but satisfied knowing she had helped turn the tide.
“Thank you, doctor,” Mark repeated, grateful.
A year passed. Tanya continued working at the village clinic, tending to her neighbors and those from nearby hamlets. But she now lived not in the old house, but in a spacious, beautiful home with Mark. They got married six months after that fateful night when Anna’s life hung in the balance.
It took some more weeks to completely overcome Anna’s illness. The child recovered and grew very attached to Tanya. Tanya loved Anna dearly, but every time she hugged her, she thought about the chance she once missed to become a mother.
In the evenings, a tired but happy Tanya returned to her new home, where two dearest people awaited her with love.
On this day, Mark met her at the doorstep, hugged her, and asked, “So, did they approve your holiday? I’ve planned a little trip for the three of us.”
Tanya gave a mysterious smile and replied, “Yes, they did. But it won’t be the three of us, we’re going as four.”
For a few moments, Mark stared at her in bewilderment, then he swept her up in his arms, spinning her around in the yard.
