In one of the wards of an expensive private clinic, a young woman was quietly fading away. The doctors moved around her cautiously, as though afraid to disturb death itself. Periodically, they cast worried glances at the monitors, where the vital signs flickered weakly. It was clear to them: even the largest sums of money couldn’t always bring someone back from the other side.
Meanwhile, a tense meeting was underway in the chief doctor’s office. Doctors in immaculate white coats sat around the table in the dim light. Beside them sat her husband, a well-groomed businessman in an expensive suit, sporting a stylish haircut and golden watches. Young surgeon Konstantin was particularly agitated: he was passionately insisting on an operation.
«Not everything is lost yet! We can save her!» he almost shouted, sharply tapping his pen on the table.
Then her husband spoke up: «I’m no doctor, but I am Tamara’s closest person,» he began theatrically with grief. «And that’s why I am categorically against the surgery. Why subject her to more suffering? It will only prolong… her agony,» he said with such feeling that even the most cynical people in the room shed a tear.
The chief doctor mumbled uncertainly: «You may be wrong…»
But Konstantin jumped to his feet, his voice trembling with anger: «Do you even realize you’re denying her the last chance?!»
However, Dmitry—this was the husband’s name—remained unshakable, like a rock. He had his methods for influencing decisions, and he used them without hesitation. «The surgery will not be performed,» he said firmly. «I’ll sign any refusal.»
And he signed it. One swift stroke of the pen—and the woman’s fate was sealed.
Only a few knew the cruel reason behind such a choice. Although, if you looked closely, everything was obvious. Dmitry had become wealthy thanks to her—her connections, her money, her intelligence. And now, as she teetered on the edge of life and death, he was already anticipating the moment when he could freely control her empire. His wife’s death was advantageous to him—and he did not hide it from those who might expose him.
He passed the chief doctor a «reward» that was impossible to refuse—to ensure the operation was not supported. Dmitry had already chosen a plot at the cemetery for the living woman!
«Excellent plot,» he mused, walking among the graves with the air of a real estate expert. «Dry place, an elevation. From here, Tamara’s spirit will be able to gaze at the city.»
The cemetery keeper, an elderly man with deeply set eyes, listened to him with confusion. «When are you planning to bring… well, the body?»
«I don’t know yet,» Dmitry replied indifferently. «She’s still in the hospital. Still hanging on.»
The man involuntarily choked. «So, you’ve chosen a place… for a living person?»
«Well, I’m not planning to bury her alive,» Dmitry scoffed. «I just know she’ll soon be out of her misery.»
Arguing was pointless. Dmitry was in a hurry—he was expecting a vacation abroad and a long-legged mistress. He dreamed of returning just in time for the funeral.
«What a lucky calculation,» he thought, settling into his Mercedes. «I’ll fly in, everything will be ready, the funeral—and freedom.»
The cemetery keeper said nothing more. All the paperwork was in order, the money had been paid—no questions, no objections.
Meanwhile, in the ward, Tamara continued to fight for her life. She could feel her strength fading, but she didn’t want to give up. Young, beautiful, craving life—how could she just leave? Yet the doctors remained silent, their eyes lowered. To them, she was already like a dead leaf.
The only person who stayed on her side until the end was Konstantin Petrovich—the young surgeon. He stubbornly insisted on the operation, despite constant friction with the department head. And the chief doctor, in order to avoid ruining his relationship with the head of the department, always sided with him, who, as they said, was like a son to him.
Unexpectedly, Tamara got another defender—the cemetery keeper, Ivan Vladimirovich. Something about the request for a burial plot raised suspicion. After studying the documents, he froze: the maiden name of the dying woman seemed familiar.
She was his former student—top of her class, smart and promising. He remembered how her parents had died several years ago. Then he heard that the girl had become a successful businesswoman. And now, her name appeared in the documents for the grave…
«And now she’s sick, and this pampered parasite is already eager to bury her,» thought the old teacher, recalling Dmitry’s smug face. Something didn’t feel right. Especially considering that Tamara’s husband, apparently, didn’t have any special talents—everything he had acquired was thanks to his wife.
Without hesitation, Ivan Vladimirovich went to the clinic. He wanted to at least say goodbye or try to change something. But he wasn’t able to speak with Tamara.
«There’s no point in talking to her,» the tired nurse dismissed him. «She’s in a medically induced coma. It’s better this way—she’s not suffering.»
«But she’s getting proper care, right?» the teacher asked anxiously. «She’s so young…»
He tried to speak with the department head, then with the chief doctor—everywhere he heard the same thing: «The patient is hopeless, the doctors are doing everything they can.» Realizing he wouldn’t get the truth, Ivan Vladimirovich left the clinic, struggling to hold back tears. The pale face of his former student, once so full of life and energy, haunted him.
Just as he was leaving, the young surgeon Konstantin called out to him—he was the one who had passionately insisted on the operation during the meeting.
Ivan Vladimirovich explained why he was so deeply affected by the situation: «I can’t believe she’s doomed… It seems to me her husband deliberately wants her dead.»
«I completely agree with you!» Konstantin exclaimed. «She can be saved, but it will require decisive action!»
«I’ll do anything for Tamara!» the teacher replied.
The solution came suddenly. Ivan Vladimirovich began recalling his former students, hoping to find someone influential. And he found one—one of his former students had become a high-ranking official in the healthcare sector. He contacted him and told him all about Tamara.
«Do you understand, Roman Vadimovich, her life depends on you. She must live!»
«Ivan Vladimirovich, why are you using ‘you’ and ‘Vadimovich’? Thanks to 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.
Meanwhile, Dmitry was enjoying his vacation at a resort, relishing life. Sitting under the blazing sun, 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 death, 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.
