From that day on, silence settled in the house. The new daughter-in-law rarely went outside, avoided people, and spoke only to her husband, and then only when they were alone.

The neighbors whispered, speculated, and spread rumors. Some said she was a criminal, others that she was a witch.

The parents, too, were distraught. Every evening, they heard the woman quietly crying behind a closed door, and their son whispering something comforting to her.

One night, unable to bear it any longer, they decided to peek into the newlyweds’ room, where they locked themselves in after 11 a.m.

The daughter-in-law sat in front of the mirror, carefully removing the bandages from her face. And then the parents saw what their daughter-in-law had been hiding all this time

In the dim light of the lamp, it became clear—her entire face was covered in deep burns and scars.

The mother couldn’t hold back a scream.

The son woke up, jumped up, and immediately realized—all was revealed.

“Yes…” he said quietly, “now you know the truth.”

He told her that several years ago, he was caught in a terrible fire in the city. The dormitory was burning, and it was this woman who pulled him out of the flames. She saved his life, but she herself was burned almost beyond recognition.

“I couldn’t leave her,” he said, looking into his parents’ eyes. “I fell in love not with her face, but with her heart.”

After these words, the mother burst into tears and approached her daughter-in-law. She hugged her for the first time—carefully, as if afraid of hurting her.

And in the morning, the neighbors began whispering again. Only now, with respect.