The widow secretly placed a photo of her husband’s mistress in his coffin — and a few days later, something happened that the entire village would remember for a long time.

Maria hated Anna. For two years, the young paramedic had been constantly around David — Maria’s legal husband. Anna always found a reason to be near him: an urgent call, a “chance” meeting near the store, or a long conversation after an examination. She smiled with too much confidence and looked at him as if his wife simply did not exist.

Maria did not stay silent. Several times, she directly told Anna to stay away from her family. But Anna calmly replied that David was an adult man and could decide for himself who he wanted to communicate with. Sometimes she would add with a smile that if a man was truly happy at home, he would not be looking for attention elsewhere.

Maria could never forget those words.

David had recently turned forty. He worked a lot and often traveled around the district. Then, one evening, his heart suddenly stopped. Everything happened quickly.

When Anna heard the news, she came to Maria’s house to say goodbye to the man she loved. At the funeral, she stood aside, not approaching the coffin. She understood that she had no right to be near him. She stood there pale, with red eyes.

The widow approached her and quietly said that she would never forgive her. She accused Anna of destroying their family and bringing David to his grave.

— “You will die soon, because I put your photo in the coffin with your lover.”

Anna said nothing and left.

And a few days later, something unbelievable happened ……

On the night of her husband’s death, Maria took an old photograph of Anna from a drawer. She stared at the picture for a long time, then quietly, while no one was home, walked up to the coffin and placed the photo on David’s chest. She believed that this was how she would punish her rival.

The widow herself told Anna about the photograph in the coffin. And she did it for a reason.

Maria knew that their village lived by rumors and superstitions. People there believed in signs, curses, and “black magic” more strongly than in doctors. That was exactly what she was counting on.

After the funeral, she approached Anna and loudly, so that the neighbors could hear, said that she had put her photograph in David’s coffin. She added that such things always come with a price.

People immediately became suspicious, started exchanging looks, and by evening the whole village was already talking.

But the real reason was different.

Maria decided to get rid of her rival quietly, in a way that no one would connect to her.

A few days later, Anna suddenly began feeling sick. First came weakness, then nausea and severe stomach pain. Within a day, she could no longer get out of bed.

Rumors immediately spread through the village. People whispered that it was the widow’s curse. They said that putting someone else’s photograph into a coffin was forbidden because the dead would take away the person shown in the picture.

The elderly women near the well crossed themselves and insisted that everything had happened according to the laws of “higher powers.”

Maria stayed silent. She pretended that she was surprised too. She even deliberately went to church so people would see.

But Anna did not believe in superstition. She was a medical worker and knew that her condition looked like poisoning. The symptoms were too obvious.

She remembered that in recent days neighbors had brought her food. Water had also been given to her through acquaintances. Anna stopped eating anything that came from other people’s hands. She switched only to supplies she bought herself and started drinking water from sealed bottles.

After a few days, she began to feel better.

Then she realized that someone really had wanted her dead.

And the only person who had a reason to do it had already loudly announced the “curse” to the entire village.