All Chapters of He Played Poor To Chase Her, I Made Him Poor for Real: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

When I came out of surgery room, I found Adrian crouched over Chloe, dressing a cut on her arm.The door was wide open. He didn't move to close it. He glanced up as I came near, then bent back over her, blowing gently on the wound, tender as a man soothing a child.Chloe was tucked against his chest. The instant she saw me, the corner of her mouth lifted.A second later she buried her face in his shirt and said, in a voice already breaking, "Adrian, I don't want to wreck someone's family. I should go."Two seconds, start to finish. I saw the whole switch.I didn't make a scene.I turned, unsteady on my feet, and walked to the restroom to splash cold water on my face.He followed me in. He used a director's authority to clear everyone out, and only then did I say, "So we've dropped the humble-assistant act now?"To chase Chloe, Adrian had told the whole hospital he was nothing but "an assistant just back from working overseas." He'd even moved his office to the worst corner of the inpat

The road to Annie wasn't far, and it wasn't close.Running it, with my insides feeling like they might drop out of me, time crawled.Then I saw her, and time tore forward.I'd have given anything for more of it, to fix this.The doctor said Annie needed Adrian to operate, immediately.I called him, again and again, until the sun was going down and someone finally picked up."Ms. Lowell, Adrian's still chatting with my father.""Chloe, I don't care about your father, I need Adrian here now. Now."I broke, pleading. "Chloe, I don't care what's wrong with your father. I need Adrian here to save Annie. Something's happened with her heart."A soft little "oh" from Chloe. Then, slow and unhurried: "Do you know how Adrian talks about Annie to me? He says she's your bargaining chip, the thing you use to keep him. Every time she gets sick, it's just you sending him a signal."It felt like a knife going through me. I nearly screamed. "Put him on the phone.""Sure," she said, easy.I heard her ha

After I reported in, my mother called me out of the blue and told me to come home immediately.When I landed, Adrian was standing beside her, still holding the cake I'd bought."Why did you divorce Adrian?"This time my mother's fury came laced with shock and panic. She'd just learned that Adrian had walked away with nothing under the old prenup, three overseas villas, $860 million in shares, not a cent kept.She threw the divorce papers in my face, shaking. "Do you understand he kept nothing? He's living in a hospital dorm. Has he lost his mind? Have the two of you lost your minds?"My mother had spent her career in politics, surrounded by men who put their own interests first. She could not begin to grasp why Adrian would truly give up over a billion for another woman. The only explanation she could land on was that this girl must have some terrible hold on him.I bent, picked up the divorce papers, and, while Adrian and my mother watched with relief blooming on their faces, tore the

Frederick's voice came easy from beside me."Strange, isn't it. Black smoke pouring up over there, and over here some man named Frederick runs around in white."Strange didn't cover it.It was strange to step off a plane and start stitching torn, bloodied skin.It was strange that the occasional shell out past the wire wove itself in with the beeping of the machines.All of it felt wrong."No," I lied. "What I'm not used to is your name. You look mid-twenties and carry yourself like an old soul. With an old soul's name to match.""An old soul."It was a peaceful name, Frederick thought, and she was the first to hear the quiet folded into it, and trace it back to him."You—"My phone cut him off."Sorry."I stepped aside and picked up."Vivi—"Adrian's voice."Why... why didn't you tell me."He was hoarse, the words coming in broken pieces, like they cost him everything to say.I swallowed and let my eyes rest on the cigarette in Frederick's hand. If I smoked, the ground would've been a

I looked down and pulled the coat tight around me.I glanced at the soldiers holding the stretcher and said, lips pale, "Sorry. I'm hurt, I can't treat a patient. Take him to another tent.""No, Vivi—"He hissed; the surge of feeling had clearly pulled at the wound on his leg."Vivi, I want you to do it."Seeing my face go whiter as he spoke, Frederick set the stretcher down. "I'll handle it."The two men behind Adrian sagged with relief. "Then patch him up, Dr. Cole, and send him out on a crutch.""Done."Frederick took the scissors and tore open Adrian's pant leg, rough.Adrian flinched like a cat with its tail stepped on. "I'm a doctor too. You don't have to be this heavy-handed."Frederick gave a short laugh and said nothing, but his hands moved faster and harder."Who are you? Because unless I'm wrong, you were just putting your hands on my wife."I looked over at Adrian. "Ex-wife."He went silent. I went on. "He's treating my wound."It hit him then, the strange pallor of my face