Dying Under His Golden Hands

My husband holds the scalpel that is about to cut me open. He is the God of Surgery, the man whose hands are insured for millions. Right now, he thinks Im the selfish wife who refused to sign the divorce papers. He thinks he is operating on a stranger to save the day, like he always does.

He has no idea that the dying patient under the sterile drape is me.

"Scalpel," he commands, his voice steady, cold.

He is rushing this surgery so he can make it to his wedding with Riley. He doesn't know that the moment he leaves this room to marry her, I will be gone forever. When he finally pulls back the sheet and sees my face It will be too late.

Let the nightmare begin.

Chapter 1

Caleb was a surgeon.

Not just any surgeon. The hospital staff called him "Golden Hands." He was a god in the OR, and gods are busy.

Too busy to come home. Just busy enough to text me a demand for a divorce.

Find time to sign the papers. Riley's spiraling. She can't wait.

I stared at the dinner table. The food was stone cold. The buttercream on the birthday cake was weeping, sliding down the sides like a slow, sugary tear. It looked just like our marriage. Ten years. From high school bleachers to the altar. Collapsed in a single second. Gone.

I called him. Once. Twice. He finally picked up on the fourth ring.

"What?" His voice was flat. Clinical. "I'm tied up right now."

My instinct was to apologize. He was a doctor. Lives were at stake.

Then I heard it.

A playful, feminine giggle echoed through the speaker. "Clothes are off, Caleb. Come here."

My blood turned to ice, then boiled up to my scalp. The phone shook in my grip. "Caleb we aren't even divorced yet."

He didn't even flinch. His tone remained maddeningly calm. "It's not what you think. We're washing Riley's dog."

I squeezed my eyes shut. My nails dug into my palms until they broke the skin. "Caleb. If we divorce, I disappear. Literally."

It was Nexus's core rule. Ironclad. No one could change it.

Silence on the other end. Then, the sound of footsteps. He was moving to a different room. His voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "Naomi, we've been over this. It's just a ceremony. A performance."

"Once she's satisfied, we remarry. Why do you keep using this 'disappearing' act to threaten me?"

He used my full name. That meant he was losing patience.

I didn't answer. I heard his breathing hitch. He hated it when I went silent.

"Naomi. Be rational."

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "You're at Riley's house in the middle of the night, telling me to be rational? Do you hear yourself?"

Legally, I was still his wife.

A long, weary sigh crackled through the speaker. Then, he delivered the final cut. "Naomi. Friday morning. Courthouse. Get it done. Or else."

I shoveled a forkful of melting frosting into my mouth. It tasted like wax. Bitter. Funny. He remembered to wash Riley's dog, but he forgot today was my birthday. His heart wasn't here anymore, so his memory had left the building too.

"Nexus. Do you know how to sing 'Happy Birthday'?"

"Negative," the AI replied. "I only have funeral dirges in my database."

I smirked. "Save it. Sing it when I die."

"Get me out of this world."

Extraction. That was the only way back to my original reality. In my real world, I didn't have a healthy body. But I had family who loved me. Friends who cared. I missed the smell of fresh bagels, the steam rising from a hot dog cart. I missed the corner diner's clam chowder.

Most of all, I missed Mom's warm, savory stew.

Here? I was the only one cooking. For Caleb.

Because he was a surgeon. His hands were for saving lives, for holding scalpels. They were precious. I never let him lift a finger.

Then I saw it. Riley's social media update. A photo.

Caleb's handsthose perfectly steady, million-dollar surgeon hands I protected like diamondswere peeling shrimp for her.

The caption read: Golden Hands only peel shrimp for me.

It made my decade of devotion look like a punchline.

"Host," Nexus interrupted. "You don't want to try one last time?"

"No."

My heart was already a corpse.

From the moment he chose the divorce, the mission was failed. It was just a difference between dying now or dying later. Why drag it out?

Nexus let out a digital sigh. "Self-extraction it's going to be painful. Good news is, you get to choose your exit strategy."

Chapter 2

I thought about it. Really thought about it. A faint, bitter smile touched my lips.

"Caleb never believed I would actually disappear. So let me die right under his Golden Hands."

I imagined the look on his face when he realized. It would be spectacular.

Friday came. I didn't make it to the courthouse.

The extraction sequence had initiated. My body was shutting down. My immune system collapsed overnight. The fever hit me like a freight train. My lips were cracked, peeling like dry paint.

"Caleb water."

The name slipped out before I could stop it. A reflex. In the past, if he was home, water was always there. Perfect temperature. Within reach. I was spoiled. I was used to his small acts of devotion.

Then I opened my eyes. The room was empty.

He moved out weeks ago.

The day he agreed to marry Riley.

"She's Mrs. Fitzgerald's daughter. I owe her mother everything. I have to look out for her. She's dying, Naomi. It's just a wedding ceremony. Can't you be generous? Just this once?"

I stared at him, numb. "If it's just a ceremony, why do we need a divorce certificate?"

He looked down. His handsome, sculpted face frosted over. "I can't let her be a mistress, can I?"

Right. If we weren't legally divorced, that's exactly what she would be. The other woman. He was committing to the performance. All the way.

I looked at him coldly. "Caleb. If we divorce, I'm never marrying you again."

He froze. Dropped his suitcase. He grabbed my arm. Hard. His fingers dug into my skin. "What did you say?"

"If you're not with me, who are you going to be with? You said it yourself. You're an orphan in this world. You have no one but me."

Maybe he didn't realize how hard he was gripping me. Tears welled up, hot and stinging.

I pounded his chest with my fist. "Let go! You bastard! You're the one throwing me away!"

He crushed me against his chest. My tears soaked the collar of his white shirt.

"Don't cry, Naomi. Please. It kills me. How could I ever not want you?"

He wiped my tears, frantic and clumsy. He kissed my forehead. My eyelids. My lips. He reminded me he was an orphan too. That Mrs. Fitzgerald raised him when no one else would.

He said Riley was just a sister.

I believed him. She had a rare terminal illness. She was dying. Who lies about something like that?

Nexus said I had three months to restore the marriage. The mission wasn't failed yet.

Until one week later.

I went to the hospital to drop off some nutrient-rich broth Id made for him. I walked past the open-air parking lot.

Riley was in the driver's seat. Windows down.

Caleb stood outside. Hands in his lab coat pockets. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Imposing.

Then he leaned in. And kissed his "sister."

It felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my soul. My lungs seized. I stood there, paralyzed. Watching.

He reached outthose long, pale fingersand ruffled her hair. Adoringly.

"Good girl. Go home and rest."

She said something coy, put on her sunglasses, and drove off.

It was so familiar. He used to do that to me.

He wanted to fulfill her wedding wish.

In that moment, terror clawed at my throat. Was this really just sympathy? Just responsibility?

Chapter 3

Maybe he was already gone. Maybe he found a loophole. A way to drift to another woman without technically breaking his vows. Rationalizing it. Justifying it. No wonder he was in such a rush to get the divorce papers signed.

That day, I threw the soup into the nearest trash can.

I threw my heart in there with it. The heart that had loved him without reservation.

The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

I was burning up. Delirious. I fumbled for the device, my hands shaking.

Caleb's voice was sharp. Annoyed. "Do you have any concept of time? I've been waiting for thirty minutes."

Right. The divorce. I forgot.

"I have a fever," I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. "Can we reschedule?"

I couldn't even crawl out of bed, let alone drive to the courthouse.

He laughed. A short, dismissive sound. "You're forgetting who you're talking to. I'm a doctor. You're healthy as a horse. A fever? Please. You're twenty-eight, Naomi. Not a child like Riley. Stop acting out."

I let out a bitter laugh. The sheer absurdity of it. "You might not know this," I wheezed, "but your 'little girl' is only two years younger than me."

He used to call me his little girl. Guess he got bored. Whatever. I didn't expect anything from him anymore.

Attempt number two. I stood him up again.

I tried. I really did. But something happened on the way.

I was at a crosswalk. A toddlerCarter, wearing a Paw Patrol T-shirttoddled into the street, chasing after his mom on stubby little legs. A car came around the corner. Fast. Too fast. Out of control.

I didn't think. I just moved. I shoved Carter toward the safety of the curb.

CRASH.

The impact felt like it shattered every bone in my body. The driver didn't even tap the brakes. She floored it. Sped off.

I turned my head, vision swimming. The license plate. I knew that plate. I'd seen it in the hospital parking lot.

Riley. It was her.

Carter was scooped up by his terrified family. He was wailing. "The lady! The nice lady is hurt!"

Pain. Pure, white-hot agony. Like my insides had been put through a blender. But no blood.

"Nexus. Am I dead?"

Not exactly part of the plan. A little disappointing. But saving a kid? Not a bad way to go. No regrets.

Nexus paused. Processing. "Congratulations," the AI droned, voice flat. "You are temporarily immortal until the scheduled extraction date. The damage from the crash is suspended. It will manifest fully the moment you leave this world."

Then, a shy addendum. "I pulled some strings for you. Call it a perk."

Cute.

I managed a weak smile. "Perfect. When the time comes, Caleb can see exactly what his new wife did to me."

Carter's familymom, dad, grandmaswarmed me. Kayla, the mom, was sobbing. "You saved my baby. You saved our whole world."

They looked ready to kneel on the pavement. I kept saying I was fine. They didn't buy it. They practically stuffed me into their car and drove me to the hospital.

"Fine? The car's bumper is dented! You think you're made of steel?"

I had no choice. I texted Caleb.

I was in a car accident. We have to reschedule again.

Chapter 4

Of course. They brought me to his hospital.

"Let me see the scans."

The voice came from above me. Familiar. Authoritative.

Caleb burst into the room like a storm. A sheen of sweat on his forehead. He looked like he'd just run a marathon.

Dr. Reed patted his shoulder. "Relax, Dr. Caleb. She's fine."

Thanks to Nexus.

Until the extraction date, I was medically invisible. No machine could detect the damage.

Caleb scanned every page of the report. His eyes darting back and forth. When he looked up, his gaze was sharp. Cold. Like a stranger's.

"No external trauma. No internal bleeding. What kind of sick joke is this? Naomi. You've bailed on me twice. What is this? A game?"

I folded my hands in my lap. "It was a car accident. Oh, and by the way? Your new wife was the one driving. Hit and run."

He didn't even hesitate. The defense was instant. "Impossible. Riley is innocent. She wouldn't do something like that."

"So I'm the liar? I'm the one who's not innocent?"

Silence.

We both froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. He realized it. I realized it. He trusted Riley more than he trusted me.

"Nexus," I thought. "Will she get caught?"

"Affirmative," the AI replied. "The law still applies here."

Good. Let the judge decide how "innocent" she is. Without Nexus, that impact would have turned me into a smear on the pavement. She was a criminal. Plain and simple.

I checked my watch. "Caleb. Let's go. Courthouse. Now. Or I won't have time."

He put his hands in his pockets. Casual. "What do you mean, no time?"

"I'm dying."

Three days. 4:00 PM.

I'd asked Nexus about the timing. "Ten years ago, at 4:00 PM, you met him."

Poetic. Start and end at the same second.

Caleb looked out the window, bored. Impatient. "Naomi. Go see a therapist. Seriously."

I laughed. A dry, humorless sound. "You're the one who's sick, Caleb. You want your cake and eat it too"

What a scumbag.

I turned to leave. He grabbed my wrist. His grip was warm. "You haven't been eating. You've lost weight. Eat first, Naomi."

I opened my mouth to tell him to go to hell.

His phone buzzed. The screen lit up. Riley.

He let go of my wrist like it burned him. I could hear her sobbing through the speaker. A nightmare. She was scared.

Caleb's voice softened instantly. Gentle. Soothing. He glanced at me, then back at the phone. "Yeah. I'm coming home. Soon."

He hung up. A shadow of hesitation crossed his face. "Naomi, go get some food"

I smirked internally. Nightmare? Or guilt? She knew she hit someone. She was terrified of getting caught.

Perfect.

Caleb chose her. Again. He just missed his last chance to have a meal with his wife.

I wondered would he regret this? Later? When he knew?

Chapter 5

The countdown.

I lay on the cold steel of the operating table.

Pain. It came in waves. My insides felt like they were being put through a meat grinder. It's okay. Just endure it. Soon, I'd be home. Mom's stew. Warmth.

Caleb's last voicemail played on a loop in my head. Pure rage. "Naomi, do you think I have infinite patience? Riley is dying. Can you just be a decent human being for once?"

I missed the appointment. Again. The third time.

I told him. I warned him. I'm running out of time. I'm dying. He just didn't believe me.

Ten minutes later.

Caleb walked in. Surgical scrubs. Mask. Eyes cold and detached.

This wasn't supposed to be his surgery. But Nexus rigged the roster. It had to be him.

"Nexus. What's the verdict? What's killing me?"

"Tumor resection. Caleb's specialty. His masterpiece." The AI sounded smug.

The anesthesia hit my veins. Cold fire.

Caleb was prepped.

Parker, his assistant, whispered, "Dr. Caleb are you sure about this?"

Parker knew. He knew who was under the sheet. The staff had been gossiping. Dr. Caleb is made of steel. Operating on his own wife? That's hardcore.

But Caleb? He had no idea. He didn't know the woman under the drape was the same woman he'd screamed at an hour ago.

He took the scalpel. A clean, practiced slice. Sixteen centimeters. Right across my abdomen. Routine. For him.

Even if I died, it wouldn't be malpractice. The survival rate was low. The tumor was complex. Failure was an option. But he was the best. He had this.

Until

The "accident."

Caleb froze. His hand stopped in mid-air. The team stared. This never happened. Not with him. Not when the patient was already open.

He was staring at the skin next to the incision. A faint, pink scar.

He knew that scar. He'd traced it with his fingers a thousand times. Kissed it during moments of breathless intimacy.

"Naomi. This scar is on your body, but it's branded on my soul."

I got that scar saving his life. Back when he was a resident. I brought him lunch. A patient's family member snapped. Grief turned to violence. He had a fruit knife. He was swinging wild.

Caleb was just a rookie. It wasn't his fault. He was helping someone up from the floor. His back was turned. The knife was coming for his gut.

"Look out!"

I shoved him. The blade sank into my lower abdomen instead.

Caleb's hands were on the wound instantly. Blood. So much blood. It gushed through his fingers, coating his hands in red. His face went paper-white. He scooped me up, stumbling toward the ER.

Later, after I was stitched up. The light came back into his eyes. Just barely. He buried his face in my neck. His eyes were red.

"Naomi. Seeing you bleed it kills me. I'd rather die myself."

I smiled, weak. "So you gonna be nice to me from now on?"

He kissed my earlobe. A vow. "I'd give you my life. Anything."

Chapter 6

That day, he held me like I was made of glass. Careful not to touch the bandages.

"Naomi. You're too good. Too kind. Promise me. Think about yourself for once. Please?"

He was the one who told me to be selfish.

Now? He was the one telling me Riley was "innocent." Telling me to be "generous."

"Dr. Caleb?" Parker whispered. "Is something wrong?"

Caleb didn't hear him. He moved. Fast. He ripped the surgical drape off my face.

His pupils dilated. Black holes swallowing the light. Terror. Pure, unadulterated horror.

"Naomi? No how is this possible