After leaving the room of her dying husband, Anna was already about to go home when she suddenly overheard a secret conversation between two nurses. Realizing what exactly they were talking about, the woman was truly horrified.

After leaving the room of her dying husband, Anna was already about to go home when she suddenly overheard a secret conversation between two nurses. Realizing what exactly they were talking about, the woman was horrified.

After saying goodbye to her dying husband, Anna left the hospital and didn’t even notice the tears running down her cheeks. She walked slowly, as if her legs no longer obeyed her, and stopped by the wall of the hospital building to catch her breath.

Just six months earlier, Mark had been a strong, confident man. He laughed, made plans, and promised that they had a long life ahead of them. Anna believed him without hesitation. He had always been by her side, always protected her, always knew what to say.

But now he was lying in intensive care. A white room, cold lights, tubes, wires, and machines breathing for him.

— Everything will be okay, — Mark whispered when she squeezed his hand. — We’ll get through this.

Anna nodded, even though she knew it wasn’t true. The doctors had been honest. The disease was progressing too quickly. A donor had still not been found. There was almost no time left.

She went outside. It was the beginning of winter. People hurried about their business. The world continued living — as if nothing had happened.

Anna sat down on a bench near the hospital building and covered her face with her hands. Tears flowed on their own. She didn’t try to stop them.

After a few minutes, she felt a little better. She took a deep breath and was about to stand up when she heard voices behind the wall.

Two nurses were standing near the corner of the building, unaware of her presence. They were speaking quietly, but every word was clearly audible.

When Anna heard what they were talking about, she was horrified……

— His wife isn’t suitable as a donor anyway, — one of them said tiredly.

— Yes, the tests are bad. It’s a shame… And honestly, he doesn’t have any other options.

Anna shuddered. Her heart started beating faster.

— You don’t know? — the other nurse continued in a lowered voice. — His mistress came yesterday. She was tested for compatibility.

— Seriously?

— Absolutely. She matches all the requirements. And her kidneys are completely healthy.

Anna found it hard to breathe. Her ears started ringing.

— Then why aren’t they doing the surgery? — the first nurse asked.

— The patient refused. He said he would rather die than let his wife find out about his mistress.

A short silence followed.

— What about anonymous donation? — one of the nurses asked uncertainly.

— Who knows… He’s stubborn. And after that, it’s no longer our problem.

— Poor wife…

The voices faded away, and Anna remained standing there, unable to feel her legs. The world around her seemed to freeze. Only her heart was beating heavily somewhere in her chest.

He wasn’t dying because there was no way out. There was a way. He had simply chosen silence.

Anna looked at the doors of the intensive care unit and didn’t know what she felt more strongly — the pain of knowing that her husband had betrayed and lied to her, or the relief that he could still be saved.