Broken: A Billionaire Love Story Read Online Free PDF

hair, and he had a thick German accent that made it hard for Shane to make out everything he said.
    Very quickly, Dr. Strauss revealed that Shane seemed to be recovering well from the sort of coma he was in.
    “What do you mean,” Shane asked. “I was in ‘sort’ of a coma?”
    The doctor shrugged. “I’m not sure. I wasn’t your attending. We have a medical facility in the adjacent facility. You understand, yes? Not so many surprises here. People respond to drugs wrong, or they sneak some in, or the delirium tremens, the DTs, they kick in too hard...it’s a good thing we have this extra facility. They moved you over here last night. Do you remember that?”
    “No.”
    “Well. Some of the medicine that is used to treat the DTs can have a stuporific effect. Particularly, of course, when a patient is in dire straits.”
    “So that put me in a coma?”
    “Some combination of the DTs and the medicine, yes. You’ll likely have some slow control back over your facilities as you go forward. But for all intents and purposes, you’ve been sober now for about ten days.”
    Shane didn’t know how to respond to that. Ten days? He couldn’t even fathom the last time he had spent such a long time without a drink. How did you go ten days—more than a week—without a drink? Insanity.
    In a sick way, it made sense he had been in something of a coma the whole time. That was the only way he could imagine not having alcohol in his system.
    “If you have any questions about your treatment or its methods, I want you to feel free to ask me. You will be taking some medication while you’re here—just to make sure that you have no adverse effects from your withdrawals. But most of our treatment is therapy-based, both in groups and one-on-one.”
    “So I’ll be seeing you more often?”
    “No. You’ll be working with Olivia Martin.”
    “She’s a therapist?”
    “The term we use for her is counselor. Someone who has experience with cases such as yours, with so much abuse. She is very good.”
    “So why am I talking to you?”
    Shane was a little combative already. He would have been more so—he had always hated authority, even doctors—but his mind haze slowed his thoughts down, even the agitated ones.
    Dr. Strauss shrugged. “You are to be here for thirty more days.  It is my belief that you have a right to know who is in charge. As I said, I don’t want you to be afraid to come to me if you have an issue. Particularly, your uncle insisted that I give you this access, but truth be told, it is available to everyone.”
    “My Uncle.”
    Arthur. Shane’s shady recollection was confirmed, then.
    “Yes. He had a list of demands when it came to your recovery. One of them is that your identity remain a secret. You are on the logs here as Shane Richards. That is how everyone will know you. Your appearance has...changed, shall we say? Since the last time you were in the public eye. I don’t think anyone will recognize you.”
    That made sense. Shane had lost weight, cut his hair, grown a beard. He certainly looked the worse for wear—and there were a few more tattoos, besides. As he had made it a habit to stay out of the public eye as much as possible even when he hadn’t been actively trying to disappear himself, it wasn’t too hard to accept that people didn’t recognize him. He liked it better that way.
    Shane again found it hard to focus on much of what the doctor said. His brain was as the doctor mentioned—not in full control of its facilities. He was glad to know, at least, that it was because of medication running its course through his body and not any permanent brain damage or anything like that.
    They left each other with a quick, sloppy handshake. Shane could barely manage holding his hand out in front of his body.
    After that, as before, he sleepwalked through the day’s schedule, not participating in meetings or speaking up when relevant thoughts occurred to him. Part of him just felt