Chapter 24: Couple's Problem I (R18+)

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• Chasing my Bestfriend × Lover   Chapter 98: He's Alive and Thriving

  DAMIEN'S POVMy heart hammered in my chest, a frantic drumbeat against my ribs. It had been over a year, a desolate, agonizing year, since I’d last heard his name, since I’d last seen his face. A year I’d spent drowning in guilt and grief, believing him gone forever. But then, this morning, a mundane attendance sheet for a medical conference – of all things – had smacked me in the face with a name and a signature that ripped open old wounds and ignited a sliver of impossible hope: Adrian Gabriel Raines.I couldn’t believe it. Could it be him? The thought was a dangerous spark, threatening to ignite a forest fire of emotions I wasn't ready to confront. Still, I clung to it, a desperate man to a life raft. I had arrived early, staking out a prime spot near the grand entrance of the main hall, my eyes scanning every single person who stepped through the ornate double doors. The sheer volume of participants, a swirling tide of eager medics and researchers, made it a Sisyphean task. Faces

• Chasing my Bestfriend × Lover   Chapter 97: Her Protege

  ADRIAN'S POV The echoing words of Ingrid’s last plea, "You know it better than anyone. Please, Gabe. This is too important. Please don't let it go to waste," hammered against my skull. I was supposed to be in the audience, a silent supporter, watching Ingrid, my mentor, my friend, deliver what I knew would be a groundbreaking presentation to the international medical community. We’d spent months, and she, years, refining this research. It was Ingrid’s baby, her life’s work, and I was honored to have been brought along for the ride, to observe, to learn, maybe even contribute a little footnote here and there. Ingrid, with her sharp intellect and fiery passion, was a force of nature. She was the star, and I was… well, I was her protégé, her right-hand man, the one who knew the data inside and out, but never the one who would stand in the spotlight.But fate, or perhaps just a poorly lit flight of stairs, had other plans. A sickening thud, a gasp, and then Ingrid, amidst a heap of c

• Chasing my Bestfriend × Lover   Chapter 96: A Coincidence?

  DAMIEN'S POV The chill Paris air hit me like a slap the second I stepped out of Charles de Gaulle. The International Medical Expo. Just the name felt heavy, laden with expectations and… emptiness. It was the day before the main event, and the city buzzed in that frantic, stylish way only Paris could manage.I scanned the familiar surroundings. It was my third time here. The first, a lifetime ago, was a blur of childish wonder with Adrian clinging to my arm as we rode that damn carousel. His face, lit up with simple joy, the sound of his laughter… A pang of something sharp and agonizing twisted in my chest. The second… that was a mistake. A drunken hookup with a woman after a long conference day, while Adrian held down the fort back home. I still shudder at the memory of finding him pale and feverish in our penthouse, sick, overworked, and alone.Now? Now Adrian wasn’t here. And he never would be again.I heaved a sigh, the Parisian air doing little to lighten the weight on my chest,

• Chasing my Bestfriend × Lover   Chapter 95: Sudden Change

  ADRIAN'S POV Paris was everything I'd imagined and more. The architecture was breathtaking, the food was divine, and the air crackled with an undeniable energy. Ingrid, true to her word, threw herself preparing for the conference, Gayle and I, meanwhile, explored the city to our heart's content. We visited the Louvre, marveling at the Mona Lisa (and battling the hordes of tourists). We strolled through the Tuileries Garden, picnicking on cheese and baguettes. We climbed the Eiffel Tower, gazing out at the sprawling cityscape. But as much as I enjoyed the sights and sounds of Paris, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was searching for something else, something just beyond my grasp. I found myself drawn to certain places, certain moments. The smell of roasting chestnuts on a street corner. The sound of an accordion playing a melancholic tune. The sight of a couple holding hands on a bridge over the Seine. Each time, a flicker of recognition, a sense of déjà vu, would wash over me,

• Chasing my Bestfriend × Lover   Chapter 94: New Life

  ADRIAN'S POVGabe. A name foreign to me. It is myself before the hypnotherapy wants to call me. At least, it is now. Before, apparently, it was Adrian. It’s been a year since I landed in Norway, a year of crisp air, stunning fjords, and a life pieced back together from fragments. Six months since the hypnotherapy that was supposed to help me recover from… something. Ten years of memories, gone. Erased. Poof.I haven't pushed to get them back. There’s a reason my brain locked them away, a protective mechanism, I figured. Best to leave sleeping dogs lie, right? Except… the hollowness. It’s always there, a low thrumming ache in my chest, a feeling of incompleteness that no amount of Norwegian waffles or midnight sun can quite fill."He's gone, Adrian! Finally!" Gayle was practically bouncing off the sofa in her living room, her dark curls a chaotic halo around her head. "Dr. Olsen is gone! Fired! Lawsuit pending! Maybe even a revoked license! Can you believe it?"I grinned, the genuine r

• Chasing my Bestfriend × Lover   Chapter 93: Honor Him

  DAMIEN'S POV It’s been a year. A year of muted mornings and nights choked with silence. A year since Adrian was swept away, a year since I last saw his infuriatingly handsome face. A year of living with a guilt so profound it felt like a physical weight, pressing down on my chest, stealing my breath.I still couldn’t believe it. One year. Today.With trembling hands, I finally unlocked the door to his room. The cleaning staff had been in every week, dusting, vacuuming, making sure everything was pristine. A morbid ritual I insisted on, a futile attempt to keep him alive, at least in some small way.The air hung heavy, pregnant with ghosts. I stepped inside, the scent of lavender and sandalwood, his favorite, hitting me like a punch to the gut. My vision swam. He was everywhere. I saw him there, sitting at his desk, the lamplight haloing his blond hair, his brow furrowed in concentration as he pored over some medical reports. He’d always wear those ridiculously oversized glasses, per