On the seventh day of my hospital stay for a broken leg, I was in the rehab ward playing cards with a few other patients when Rowan called.
“Where are you?”
“Out of town for work. I’ve told you that already.” I focused on the cards in my hand, trying to sound casual.
The patient sitting across from me suddenly said, “Olivia, look up.”
I did.
Rowan stood in the doorway in deep blue scrubs, his face a thundercloud. He strode to my bedside.
“You broke your leg. Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come to Lakefront Medical for the surgery? Why lie and say you were on a business trip?”
One of Chicago’s top orthopedic surgeons, looking for all the world like a jilted boyfriend. I let out a short, bitter laugh.
“Dr. Ashbourne is busy.”
He’d reminded me more than once. He was busy. I shouldn’t bother him with every little thing. I shouldn’t always need him around.
“It’s just a fracture. I took care of it. There was no need to take up your time.”
He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 42 I watched him pull a small, velvet-covered box from his pocket. “I know that starting over doesn’t erase what happened before. And I know that you saying yes to me now doesn’t mean you have to say yes to me every time.” He opened
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 41 The kitchen in the new apartment was small, but the living room had an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the lake. When I walked in, sunlight was falling in a perfect square on the bare hardwood floor. “It’s close to the theater,” Rowan
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 40 By the time the awards ceremony and after-party were over, it was nearly midnight. I walked out into the lobby, clutching the heavy award. A familiar car was parked at the curb. Rowan was still in his scrubs, a coat hastily thrown over them.
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 39 On the night of the awards ceremony, Rowan got called into an emergency surgery. He called that afternoon to tell me. “I might not make it.” The background was chaotic, voices calling out medication names. A flash of our anniversary dinner two years ago
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 38 He stared at me for a long time, then signed the papers. As I stood to leave, he said suddenly, “Rowan never used to come back.” I stopped. “What?” “After he left home, no matter how hard things got for him, he never came
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 37 Once the nomination was announced, the final leg of the tour sold out almost overnight. For the first time, the theater company’s bank account showed a real surplus. Jenna pushed the financial report across my desk. “We can repay the entire Ashbourne investment now.
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 36 He started with clinic hours and post-op follow-ups. It was a long time before he was cleared to return to the OR. On the morning of his first scheduled surgery, he woke up at five. His tossing and turning woke me. “Nervous?” “No.” “Your
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 35 “They’re still at Jenna’s.” “You said you’d come home.” “I said we could try again. I didn’t say we’d go right back to how things were.” He was quiet for a moment. “Okay.” I looked at him. “Really okay?” “No. I want all of
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 34 Once Rowan’s arm healed, the first thing he did was reapply for his position at Lakefront Medical Center. He told me while we were grocery shopping. “Why?” He picked up a bunch of cilantro, read the label, then put it back. “Because I want
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He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 33 “Which sentence in the retraction wasn’t true?” Her face went pale. “If it weren’t for you, Ro wouldn’t be treating me like this.” “Rowan’s right across the street.” I glanced outside. He’d just had a follow-up for his arm and had promised to pick
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