18 Hours of Surgery Couldn't Save Our Marriage

After a devastating car accident, Derek is saved by his wife, Grace, a brilliant surgeon who spends eighteen hours in the operating room to rescue him. However, his first request upon waking is a divorce. While family members and Grace herself are baffled by his cold rejection of their happy life, Derek remains adamant. He claims his decision stems from a desire to shield her professional reputation, even as he faces intense pressure to reconsider. His hidden regrets drive him to push her away permanently.

Chapters

Chapter 3

I tilted my chin up defiantly. "What gives you the right to speak to me like that?"

Ryan was momentarily speechless, then said with concern, "Dr. Reed, don't bother with this jerk. Let's go."

"You all—" Mom was about to say something when she was interrupted by a commotion.

A middle-aged woman stormed in aggressively, pointing at me and cursing, "So, you're Derek, the ungrateful bastard? You make me sick! Dr. Reed delayed my son's surgery to save you! How dare you mention divorce? You animal!"

Getting more worked up, she grabbed the portable urinal from under my bed and splashed its contents all over me.

A pungent stench filled the air. I was stunned. Grace then rushed into the bathroom and returned with a towel to clean me off.

I did not appreciate the gesture. I snatched the towel from her and silently wiped the urine from my face and hair, cursing, "Damn it, this divorce is happening right now!"

Grace was slightly taken aback. "Derek, what's wrong with you? Please don't casually mention divorce. What have I done to upset you? Tell me and I'll change."

I replied firmly, "Change, my ass. Just divorce me already!"

She seemed shocked, probably because she rarely heard me use such crude language. Within ten minutes, Grace's extended family packed my hospital ward to capacity.

"Derek, have you lost your mind? Grace is such a wonderful wife, and you want to divorce her?" Her eldest paternal aunt, Margaret Reed, came in swinging.

"Exactly! Look at the state you're in! Without Grace, you'd be six feet under!" Her second maternal aunt, Dorothy Stone, chimed in.

"Grace gave up her opportunity to study abroad for you. Do you have no conscience?" Her third paternal aunt, Beverly Reed, joined the chorus of condemnation.

My mother-in-law, Helen Stone, sat beside the bed, crying dramatically, "Derek, you're trying to kill me! How can you treat my Grace like this? She's been so good to you, and you..."

I rubbed my throbbing temples, not wanting to deal with this group of women anymore. "This is between Grace and me. It has nothing to do with you."

"How does it have nothing to do with us?" Margaret jumped up immediately upon hearing this. "If you get divorced, how will this look for our family? Grace is the pride of our family!"

"That's right! If you dare divorce her, we'll go to your office and make a scene every day!" Dorothy threatened.

The cacophony of accusations made my head throb.

"Get out," I growled again.

Then, the group of women began physically attacking me. I knew I could not fight off so many of them.

The IV stand and everything on the table crashed to the floor. The nurses, who finally appeared after watching long enough, escorted them out.

At midnight, I was asleep when a sharp pain jolted me awake. I could not help crying out as my abdomen felt like it was about to explode.

I struggled to open my eyes and saw Grace's delinquent younger brother, Jake Reed, standing beside my hospital bed, holding a wooden stick.

"What are you doing?" I asked weakly.

"Damn it, you dare abandon my sister? I'll kill you!" Jake sneered viciously. "You have no idea what you're missing out on. I'll teach you a lesson!"

Before he finished speaking, the stick came down again, striking my head hard. Everything went black as I completely lost consciousness.

Continue to next part

After my second chance at life, I took the initiative to sever all possible ties with Rhett. When he chose to live in the east of the city, I bought a house in the west, putting a whole town between us. On the rare occasion he brought the child to my house for a meal, I would lock myself in my room and pretend to be sick, refusing to see him. When I heard he had volunteered to transfer to our area to work at the factory, I immediately submitted my resignation letter that very night. Seizing the opportunities of the economic boom, I headed south. In my previous life, I had loved him for forty years, and for forty years, he had belittled me. He constantly compared me to his unattainable ideal, blaming me for ruining his dream of becoming a factory director. Even as I lay dying, he shamelessly planned his wedding with his perfect fantasy. My stepson, whom I had raised with care, was busy helping with the wedding preparations, abandoning me to face death alone. Having lived through such a failed life once, I swore I would never endure it again.

Fantasy Modern Romance

8.4

After Mother Died, the Don Followed Her

8.4

After Mother Died, the Don Followed Her follows a young girl witnessing her mother’s terminal illness. As her father openly pursues another woman, her mother stops fighting and instead demands a million dollars for every night he spends away. While her health fails and she coughs up blood, she focuses on securing her daughter's inheritance. Despite her father's cold indifference, the mother spends her final days preparing her child for a future alone.

Billionaire Mafia Modern Romance

8.1

After My Best Friend Replaced Me with Her

8.1

For years, Lily and Sarah were inseparable, sharing every secret and milestone. However, their bond shatters when Sarah suddenly prioritizes her new boyfriend over their lifelong connection. Feeling abandoned and replaced, Lily struggles to navigate her senior year alone. As she deals with the sting of betrayal, she must find her own identity outside of their friendship. This emotional journey explores the painful reality of outgrowing the people you love most.

Modern Romance Young Adult

9.0

For Those Who Wait

9.0

The mystery story For Those Who Wait follows a woman who uncovers her fiancé's betrayal through an accidental identity swap with Raine Miller. She realizes Bruno Russell's five-year refusal to touch her wasn't out of concern for her heart, but devotion to another. His interest in their marriage was merely a scheme to acquire her father's corporation. Choosing independence over a lie, she sells her shares and disappears, leaving Bruno with nothing.

Billionaire Modern Mystery Romance

9.1

On My Brother's Bed

9.1

"You walked into my room, Astrid. No bra. No panties. What did you expect me to do? Pray?" "I expect you to look away." "Look away?" he chuckled in a low, dangerous tone as he trod toward me. "Baby, I've looked away for damn five years." ~ When Astrid returns home for summer, she's expecting chill nights and zero drama. Except her brother's best friend–Rhett Rivers–is crashing at their house. And he has grown into every bit of the trouble she shouldn't want. One time at a party leads them to an unforgettable one nightstand What if Astrid Cole realizes she'd not just had sex with her brother's best friend but also let him touch her in some kind of way she never felt?

Action Modern Romance

9.4

The Fallen Heiress's Debt to the Billionaire

9.4

I was once the princess of the Upper East Side, but now I’m just "debt wrapped in pretty skin." To keep my father alive in a federal penitentiary, I signed a contract I didn't fully understand. I thought it was about restoring my family's name, but producer Barnett Orr treated it like a bill of sale for my soul. Inside his limousine, the air smelled like gasoline and fear. Barnett didn't want a star; he wanted a victim. He bruised my jaw and ripped my vintage silk gown to shreds, laughing because he knew I couldn't fight back without signing my father's death warrant. "Don't forget who owns you, Felicity," he whispered. When he dragged me into Dewitt Knight’s penthouse party, I was a walking disaster. I huddled in Barnett’s oversized jacket, my lip bleeding and my spirit shattered. The elite crowd didn't see a victim; they saw a fallen girl selling herself for a role. A former rival poured red wine over me, and the room erupted in cruel laughter while Barnett told everyone he was just "testing my commitment." I looked up at the balcony, locking eyes with Dewitt Knight. He was a god in a bespoke suit, looking down at me with cold, lethal disgust. He didn't see the bruises or the desperation. He only saw a transaction he found beneath him. "So the rumors are true," he said, his voice cutting through the music. "The Aguilars really will do anything for money now. Even this." I was trapped between a monster who wanted to break me and a man who thought I was trash. No one cared that my father's life depended on my silence. When Barnett cornered me in a guest room later that night, his belt jingling like a death knell, I realized no one was coming to save a girl like me. I fought back with a crystal vase, shattering it against his shoulder, but I was drowning in my own terror. Just as Barnett lunged for my throat, the door was kicked off its hinges. Dewitt stood there, finally seeing the blood on the carpet and the map of purple bruises on my bare back. He chased the monster away, but I didn't feel safe. I locked the guest room door, wedged a chair under the handle, and slept with a silver letter opener pressed against my skin. When I crept into the kitchen at midnight and found him waiting in the shadows, I aimed the blade at his heart. "In this house, no one hurts you," he promised, his voice a low velvet rumble. But in a world where I had already been sold once, I knew that even protection came with a price I couldn't afford to pay.

Billionaire Horror Modern

18 Hours of Surgery Couldn't Save Our Marriage

Chapter 3

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