Evgeny Vasilyevich slowly descended the steps of the courthouse, his heart heavy with sorrow. Every step felt like a burden, as if he literally carried the weight of defeat upon himself. He had lost the case — everything was gone: his reputation, his medical license, and along with them, the future he had built over many years. Faces of the patients he had helped came to mind, their grateful looks and words of appreciation. The irony was that his methods truly worked, but now no one wanted to admit it. There wasn’t enough evidence, and the prosecution’s case was too convincing.
As he walked down the stairs, Evgeny thought, “Maybe they’re right? Maybe I really am guilty?” — though he knew these thoughts were only echoes of bitterness and exhaustion. He recalled his former classmate Sergey, who sat in the courtroom watching the trial with undisguised triumph. Sergey had always envied Evgeny’s success, his knowledge, and his diagnostic intuition. Now, seeing his colleague’s downfall, he neither sympathized nor helped — instead, he even offered Evgeny a janitor’s position at the hospital. This offer was the complete opposite of his former life — humiliating, insulting… but there was no choice.
Evgeny decided to walk home on foot. He wanted to stroll, breathe the evening air, and try to clear his thoughts. On the way, he thought of Grace — his old faithful dog, who always greeted him joyfully, without judgment or words. Approaching home, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t bought dog food for a long time and turned into the nearest store.
Inside, about five people stood in line at the checkout. People were busy with their own affairs — some talking on the phone, others checking receipts. Suddenly, a young woman entered carrying a child. She was modestly dressed, her face showing extreme exhaustion. The child was crying.
“Excuse me, please…” she addressed those around her. “My boy is sick, I need to get him home as soon as possible. Could you let me go ahead?”
People began to grumble with discontent. Some made sharp remarks: “Why are you dragging a sick child through the store?” “Everyone’s kids get sick; it doesn’t mean we should break the queue.”
Evgeny couldn’t stand it. He stepped forward:
“Please, go ahead. Take everything you need. I’ll pay for your purchases too.”
He took both his basket and the woman’s, paid for both, and went outside with her. Behind them, the dissatisfied whispers remained, but he no longer paid attention.
“Tell me, what happened to the boy?” he asked, noticing how the woman anxiously held her son.
“I don’t know exactly,” she admitted. “We live in a shelter for the homeless and don’t have the means to see a doctor. Everything’s just been too complicated…”
Evgeny frowned. Such circumstances outraged him. He was a doctor, even if now he wore a janitor’s uniform.
“You can trust me. Come to my place. I’ll examine the child properly.”
The woman, who introduced herself as Larisa, agreed. She simply had no other option. The boy’s name was Vitya.
At the apartment, Evgeny carefully examined the child. His experience suggested it was more than a common cold — serious treatment was needed. He prescribed a course of medication, explained to Larisa which drugs to use and how to care for the boy. But what troubled him most was the place where these two lived.
“A sick child cannot stay in a homeless shelter. Stay with me until he recovers.”
“Are you serious?” Larisa was surprised. “You just take us in like that?”
“Didn’t you trust me when you followed me here?” he replied with a slight smile. “Sometimes a person simply has no other choice.”
Thus began their shared life. They became apartment-mates, but nothing romantic developed between them. It was more a meeting of two lost, lonely people to whom fate gave a temporary respite.
Evgeny continued working as a janitor in the very hospital where he had once been a respected doctor. Each day was hard. Colleagues who had greeted him warmly just yesterday now mocked or ignored him. Sergey was especially relentless, seemingly growing more confident in his own infallibility. Only Fyodor, the old janitor, treated him with respect — remembering how Evgeny saved his wife when she fell ill.
Larisa helped around the apartment: cooking, cleaning, walking Grace. Vitya quickly began to recover and regain strength. After a couple of weeks, Evgeny decided to go to his country house — he needed rest and a chance to restore his inner balance. Before leaving, he told Larisa:
“Stay here. I’ll feel better knowing the apartment is looked after.”
“I’m amazed at your trustfulness,” she couldn’t help but say.
“I have no reason not to trust you.”
When Evgeny left, Larisa was alone with her son. In the evenings, after Vitya fell asleep, she reflected on her life. She had been the only daughter of a wealthy father who loved her immensely. But after her mother’s death, her father remarried, and his attention became less frequent. Then she met Igor — an ambitious actor who spoke of great love and a bright future. She turned her back on her family and chose him.
“Either your family or him,” her father said.
Larisa chose Igor. But happiness was short-lived. When Igor found a new lover — a rich woman with useful connections — he simply packed his things and left.
“You’ll manage,” he said. “What children at our age?”
Then Vitya was born. The father didn’t even know about the birth. After the delivery, Larisa wanted to return to her father but received terrible news: he died when she was in the last months of pregnancy. She wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral — her stepmother claimed that it was because of Larisa that he had passed away. She was kicked out with her child, given only a small amount of money.
Years of wandering began: rented rooms, night shelters, then the homeless shelter.
Almost two months passed before Evgeny returned from the country house. Approaching his home, he saw a police car by the entrance. His heart clenched: had Larisa gotten into trouble?
Coming closer, he recognized the police officer as an acquaintance, who spoke with Larisa quite friendly.
“Well, you surprise me! I’ve been looking for you a whole month,” the man said. “Why didn’t you answer calls?”
“Dad said he doesn’t want to know me,” Larisa replied confused.
“People say many things in anger. Then they suffer themselves. He wanted to find you so you’d return the inheritance. Your stepmother treated you unfairly — she took not only the house but all the property, even what was rightfully yours by your father’s will.”
After the officer left, Evgeny asked Larisa:
“Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
“I didn’t want to burden you. The stepmother is a dangerous woman, and it’s hard to stand up to her.”
“Maybe so. But now give me the address. I’ll talk to her myself.”
Evgeny went to the woman’s place, but no conversation took place. However, he noticed a familiar car near the house — Sergey’s. Eavesdropping, he heard Sergey discussing shady dealings with the stepmother. Back at work, he began watching his former classmate.
Fyodor, the janitor, also brought important information:
“I accidentally overheard your Sergey talking with the head nurse. He said, ‘Don’t worry, no one will suspect us. I didn’t hire Zhenya (Evgeny) for nothing. Now there’s always someone to blame — a convicted man without a license.’”
These words sparked an investigation. Soon, the stepmother and Sergey were put on trial for organizing illegal drug trafficking. The charges were serious, and the evidence left no chance for acquittal.
Evgeny’s medical license was reinstated — it was proven he was not guilty of the case that had stripped him of the right to practice. Thanks to documents and testimonies, Larisa won back everything her stepmother had taken that belonged to her by her father’s will.
“Congratulations to both of us,” Larisa smiled as she was about to leave after the trial.
“My happiness will be complete only if you agree to become my wife,” Evgeny said.
The proposal did not surprise her. She had long felt that there was something more between them than mere coincidence of fate. So she answered “yes” without hesitation.
Soon they had a modest but beautiful wedding. Among the guests were Fyodor, Vitya, Grace, a few friends, and even those who once considered Evgeny fallen now looked at him with respect.
Sometimes life seems cruel, but it is through the hardest trials that people find their true purpose. So did they — lost and broken, they found each other when they had stopped believing in themselves and others.
