Zhenya, I don’t understand why you’re bringing up this conversation again. I’ve explained a hundred times why I don’t want to sell this house. I can repeat it for the hundred and first time. This is not just my only home – it’s a memory of the people I love. I told you how I had to sell the apartment in the center to pay for my mom’s treatment. Here, the apple trees and berry bushes she planted with her own hands are still bearing fruit. For me, this is like a connection with her.»
The man nervously clenched his jaw, trying to appeal to logic: «Vika, listen. Right now, my friend is offering a great price for the house. He was recommended to breathe fresh air by the doctor. This money will be enough for the down payment on a mortgage and rent for an apartment he’s willing to rent to us at a minimal cost. Why be stubborn? No one else will offer such terms, we could miss the chance. Plus, the house needs constant investments – one thing or another breaks down. But there will be a comfortable apartment. If you want, we can choose one in the city center, not on the outskirts.»
«Evgeny, enough. We won’t discuss this topic again. If you want, offer your apartment in the old building to your friend – it’s also on the outskirts if he cares so much about fresh air. But I’m not selling our house.»
Victoria realized she had harshly reminded him of his place in the dilapidated house, but she couldn’t hold herself back any longer.
The conversation about selling the house, which was so dear to her heart, had been brought up by Evgeny with annoying consistency for the past month. First, there were hints, then complaints about the high maintenance costs, and for the past two weeks, he had been persistently suggesting they move.
The man left the kitchen and began walking between the porch and the gate. Furious, Victoria watched him until she noticed that the pilaf on the stove was starting to burn – she had completely forgotten about the cooking during the argument. But after this conversation, she had no appetite anyway.
Turning off the gas, the woman sank into grim thoughts. When she met Evgeny, life seemed hopelessly dark. After her mother’s death, despite all the doctors’ efforts and enormous costs, her small family with modest income found itself in a difficult situation. Mass layoffs had started at work due to an industry crisis. Childless Victoria didn’t even contest the management’s decision to fire her. The only reason she kept going was her mother’s ten-year-old dwarf poodle, Charlick. After losing its owner, the dog seemed to be fading away too. Vika understood that no one but her would care for the aging dog, and this thought helped her move forward. She found a job with a decent salary, though not very prestigious, gradually adapting to her new life, and then Evgeny appeared. At that time, he seemed like a true hero.
He courted her beautifully, helped with household tasks that were too difficult for one woman, and quietly became a part of their daily routine.
He had a neutral relationship with Charlick. The dog pointedly ignored Evgeny’s commands and refused to take even its favorite treat from his hands. But Vika hoped that, over time, they would become friends.
Now, she understood that she wasn’t truly in love at that time. She just wanted to find support in someone who cared about her. She hastily got married without properly understanding Evgeny’s character, without even discussing where they would live.
Now, she had to pay for this rash decision made just over a year ago.
Vika decided to resort to the tried-and-true method – get in the car and drive wherever her eyes led her. She used to walk with Charlick, but two weeks ago, the dog mysteriously got poisoned.
The veterinarian said it was due to rat poison, and the woman blamed herself for possibly not watching over her pet during the walk.
«I’ll just go for a short drive,» Vika finally told Evgeny, who was standing next to the car.
«Okay,» he replied flatly.
Vika drove out on the dirt road, gradually picking up speed. As she approached a turn, she decided to slow down, but then the brake pedal suddenly gave way, offering no resistance. The car swerved off the road and flipped several times.
Vika didn’t even have time to be scared. A sharp pain shot through her neck and arm, and then she fell into darkness. She felt like she was asleep, unable to wake up, with memories coming in fragments.
Her mind replayed scenes: the last moments of Charlick’s life, then Evgeny walking around the house, moving between the gate and the porch. She thought she heard his voice, saying to someone: «Wait a bit. It didn’t work out the first time. It was easy to damage the brake hoses, but I miscalculated a bit. What can you do, if Vika turned out to be so resilient? She’s lying there calmly in a coma, but soon I’ll solve this for good. After that, we’ll live the way we’ve always dreamed, and no one will stop us.» Evgeny’s voice sounded as if coming through water, and Vika lazily thought that she needed to watch fewer detective shows before bed to avoid imagining such stories.
When she woke up, she didn’t recognize her surroundings. Instead of familiar walls, there was clearly a hospital setting.
By the distinct signs, Victoria immediately realized she was in a medical institution, in a private room.
Her right arm was in a cast. She nervously moved her legs and sighed in relief – they responded.
Running her left hand over her head, she felt a bandage and began to recall the events of that evening, when, apparently, the accident had happened.
Soon, a doctor entered the room with a friendly smile. «Hello, Victoria Alekseevna. My name is Semyon Petrovich, and I’m your attending physician. I’m very glad you’ve woken up after a week in a coma. The injuries were severe, but that’s not surprising given the nature of the accident. It could have been much worse. Your right arm and throat were severely injured. The fracture was complex, but the surgery went well. I must warn you that for a while, you will have to do without your voice. However, the prognosis is generally favorable. We will conduct tests, and if, as I hope, everything is fine, we can prepare for discharge in a couple of days once we get the results.»
Vika tried to thank him, but, as Semyon Petrovich had warned, she had no voice. She placed her healthy left hand on her chest to express her gratitude. When she tried to nod, her temples responded with sharp pain.
The doctor noticed her condition and hurried to stop her. «Thank your husband. Thanks to him going out to look for you, your wrecked car was found just in time for help to arrive. You’re lucky with him. He’s been paying for this room and visiting almost every day.»
After praising Evgeny, the doctor quickly left to attend to other patients, leaving Victoria to think over what she had just heard. Lying in bed, she began to realize that her «dream» with her husband’s unusual conversation might not have been a nightmare, but a real confession from someone who had planned to get rid of her.
It became clear to her that during her time at the house, Evgeny could have easily damaged her car to stage an accident. Overcome with the injustice of everything happening, Victoria burst into tears.
The tears flowing down the patient’s cheeks were noticed by the nurse who had come to clean the room.
Removing her gloves, she approached the bed, adjusted the blanket, and whispered softly, reassuringly, «Oh, sweetie, don’t cry, it’s bad for you. And anyway, since your name is Victoria, it means ‘victory.’ You’ll handle all the hardships, don’t doubt it.»
With a gesture that mimicked writing, Victoria asked the nurse for a pen and paper. Once she had them, she laboriously wrote the note with her left hand, tiring herself in the process. A brief note appeared on the sheet: «Don’t let my husband in, he might be involved in the accident.»
This confession took almost all of the woman’s strength, and now the patient, with a pleading look, watched as the nurse quickly skimmed through the note. «Listen carefully: you can’t worry now. I’ll try to fulfill your request. I’ll talk to the doctor personally. Who is your attending physician? Semyon Petrovich?»
Victoria weakly nodded, and the nurse hurried to reassure her: «He’s a great specialist and a wonderful person, truly a doctor sent by God, though still young. I think he’ll understand the situation. We won’t let anyone near you who might be involved in the accident. Right now, the most important thing is recovery. By the way, my name is Serafima, but you can call me Sima. When I’m done with my cleaning, I’ll come see you. And for now, know that there’s a nurse call button next to your bed. Use it if you need anything.»
Victoria nodded again, trying to express all her gratitude with her eyes to the woman who showed such empathy. Soon it became clear that the nurse was indeed taking the note seriously.
Under various pretexts – either for Vika’s tests, her exhaustion, or sleep – Evgeny was kept away from his wife. However, Serafima visited her several times a day and once shared her own story: «Don’t despair, dear. My life also collapsed in an instant. My husband, daughter (her name was also Vika, like yours), son-in-law, and little granddaughter died in a plane crash. I couldn’t fly with them – they wouldn’t give me time off. I worked my shift, wondering why the staff was looking at me strangely. After the last surgery, Chief Doctor Viktor Pavlovich called me in.
He poured strong alcohol into my tea cup, pushed chocolate candies toward me, and delivered the terrible news.
It’s hard to describe what I felt at that moment. I couldn’t even say goodbye to my loved ones – the identification was done through genetic materials. It sounds awful, but experiencing it… no one should wish that. I hoped they hadn’t registered for the fateful flight. But my prayers were just an attempt to deny reality.
When everything was confirmed, I broke down. I started drinking alone, not wanting to see anyone. I had money, there were savings. I was drunk for six months. I decided to end it in a semi-conscious state. My sister saved me – she came to visit and found me in the bathroom. Thanks to Palych: he’s the one who didn’t send me where I should have gone. He took me seriously. When I came to, he scolded me and said, ‘Enough.’ It was as if he put a period on the past. I had to say goodbye to my career as a surgeon, but for my past achievements, they took me in as a nurse.»
Vika listened intently to Serafima’s story, holding her breath. She felt incredible sympathy for this woman who had endured so much grief.
«Well,» the nurse said sternly, «don’t you dare cry. I didn’t tell you this to upset you. I just wanted you to know that life can be cruel, but you can’t give up.
If you allow me, I’ll speak to Palych. He has many influential acquaintances, including in the police. They are thoroughly investigating your accident.»
Victoria nodded in agreement, and soon she was giving written testimony to the investigator directly in her room. She wasn’t surprised when she learned that her husband had been arrested. It turned out that Evgeny had damaged the brake hose, hoping to inherit the house and land.
Before being discharged, Victoria wrote Serafima a note, asking her to be her personal caregiver, even temporarily, and the woman agreed. They became such close friends that even after Victoria fully recovered, they didn’t part ways.
Doctor Semyon Petrovich often visited his special patient, and romantic feelings began to develop between them. Three years later, at a festive table as the bridesmaid, sitting in her wedding dress was a radiant Victoria, with Serafima proudly fulfilling the role of the mother of the bride.
