o your lessons, I ended up here!» he smiled.

«And he immediately dialed the chief doctor’s number.»

The call paid off. Soon, the question of the surgery was decided positively, and Tamara was literally brought back from the brink of death. In the meantime, Dmitry was enjoying his vacation at a resort.

He rejoiced in his cunning: «It worked out perfectly! I hooked a rich heiress while her parents were dead, and she was grieving. I just had to show some concern, help with the funeral, appear as a faithful friend… And now—I’m on their money.»

But his dependence on his wife still weighed on him.

She was starting to notice his affairs, suspect his true intentions. And then her illness—a gift from fate. Now, he would become a free widower.

«I won’t marry smart women anymore,» he thought, stroking his mistress’s thigh. «Better a dumb beauty, someone I can lead by the nose.»

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was the nurse from the clinic.

Dmitry frowned: «Too early… too soon. I’ll have to cut my vacation short.»

«Dmitry Arkadievich!» the voice trembled. «Your wife had the operation… and she survived.

They say she’s out of danger.»

«How did they do it?! What do you mean ‘out of danger’?!?» he roared, drawing puzzled stares from the vacationers. Realizing that now it was his own life at risk, Dmitry frantically packed up to go home.

His mistress didn’t understand: «Dimka, where are you going?»

«My vacation is over. I need to sort this out!»
At home, he demanded an explanation from the chief doctor. He had paid to ensure Tamara’s de:at:h, but instead, he got the opposite.

They just shrugged: «We didn’t act on our own. There were people more influential than us, and they made the decision.»

«Who could it be? Who needs her?» Dmitry shouted in fury.

The chief doctor pointed to Konstantin, laying the blame on him. That was enough for Dmitry. The young surgeon was fired, his reputation ruined so thoroughly that he could forget about medicine.

Konstantin almost hit rock bottom, but he was saved by a chance encounter with Ivan Vladimirovich. The latter offered him a job: «At the cemetery. Don’t look at me like that—it’s better than falling all the way.

You saved someone’s life. That’s worth a lot.»

Konstantin agreed. There was no other way.

Tamara gradually recovered. Each day, her strength returned. Death retreated.

Now, she had to reclaim her former life. She began to investigate. Her husband grew cold, almost never visiting, not rejoicing in her recovery.

Her colleagues also acted strangely—there was a lot they weren’t saying. But the most important thing she already felt: it was time to change the rules of the game. Tamara slowly began to understand: her problems at work were far more serious than even her illness.

At first, her employees tried to shield her from the truth, but at some point, the chief accountant couldn’t hold back, burst into tears, and confessed everything:

«Tamarochka Alekseevna, things are bad! Dmitry Arkadievich started a game—he replaced everyone, seized all the power. Now his people are in charge, and they’re untouchable.

The only hope is on you—once you recover, you’ll get everything back. And if not… I can’t even imagine what will happen then.»

Tamara was upset, but still too weak to take any action. She tried to calm the accountant down:

«Don’t worry, I’ll recover soon, and everything will be back to normal.

Just hang in there, and don’t let him see anything is wrong.»

It was easier to calm others than herself. Right now, only two people were supporting her: Ivan Vladimirovich, her former teacher who had become the cemetery keeper, and Konstantin Petrovich—the doctor who insisted on the surgery. She was waiting for a meeting with them, needing their support and simply their human presence.

But suddenly, they stopped coming. Dmitry was faster this time—he gave another bribe to the doctors, demanding that they limit visitors and outright ban those two from seeing Tamara. He felt they were a threat to his plans.

When Ivan Vladimirovich and Konstantin realized they were no longer welcome at the clinic, Ivan remembered his former student—the influential official. But he discarded the thought:

«It’s awkward to ask again. And why?

To be allowed to visit the sick woman? Let’s wait. I’m sure everything will change once Tamara gets stronger.»

«What if it’s too late?» Konstantin said gloomily.

«She’s now among her enemies. It’s dangerous for her there.»

Tamara felt it too. Lying in the ward, she realized her helplessness.

Her husband was clearly preparing to take full control. Perhaps he was already preparing documents to declare her incompetent. If that happened, it would all be over.

It was almost impossible to talk to Dmitry—he stopped visiting after their last conversation when she began asking uncomfortable questions. «Looks like they’re still giving you too strong a medicine,» he said coldly. «Now I get it,» Tamara realized.

He had already started to act. Now he wanted to present her as someone incapable of controlling her own life. The doctors remained silent, shrugging at all her questions.

Tamara had not yet regained enough strength to resist. Neither employees nor friends were allowed near her. Konstantin was tormented by anxiety, but now he worked as a gravedigger—he had lost everything he had hoped for after being fired.

Occasionally, he helped Ivan Vladimirovich at the cemetery, though his heart ached with thoughts of Tamara. One day, at a funeral, something happened that turned everything around. They were burying an elderly businessman.

There were many people at the ceremony, farewell words were said, and family mourned. Konstantin stood aside, waiting for his moment, when he absentmindedly glanced at the deceased—and suddenly realized: the man was alive! Pushing through the crowd, he grabbed the «dead» man’s hand.

There was a pulse! Weak, but it was there. «Get the madman away!

What’s he doing?!» screamed the young widow. But Konstantin didn’t hear. Commanding in a firm voice, he ordered: «Make way!

Fresh air! Call an ambulance quickly!»

He managed to revive the man. A few minutes later, he was taken to the hospital.

It turned out that the woman—his new wife—had been trying to poison him to inherit his fortune. But she hadn’t finished the job. Thanks to Konstantin, he was alive.

This man turned out to be not just a wealthy entrepreneur—he was the major shareholder of Tamara’s company. Upon hearing who had saved his life, he immediately contacted Konstantin and heard the story about Tamara. «Seriously?!» he exclaimed upon hearing her name.

«She’s my best partner!»

The businessman immediately took control of the situation. After his intervention, the company was returned to Tamara. Dmitry, stripped of his influence, disappeared with his mistress as if he had never existed.

The chief doctor and department head were fired and lost their licenses. No medical institution would trust them anymore. And Konstantin got a chance to return to his profession.

First, he was taken back to the clinic, but not for long—Tamara decided to open a private medical center and appointed Konstantin as its director. Over time, real feelings developed between them. Six months later, they got married, and the most honored guest at their wedding was Ivan Vladimirovich—the former teacher who had become everything to them.

Soon, the couple shared the happy news: Tamara and Konstantin were expecting a baby. «I hope the little one won’t be bothered by Grandpa?» Ivan Vladimirovich joked with a smile, looking at the happy newlyweds.