They Regretted It After I Gave Up Chapter 01

They Regretted It After I Gave Up Chapter 01

Before I went into the operating room, I took all the cash I’d saved over the years—birthday money, holiday gifts—and put it into the time capsule my childhood friend and I buried years ago. I added all my notes for the Larkin Scholars program too.

I didn’t tell Mom and Dad I’d signed the surgical consent form by myself.

I hoped this so-called minor procedure would be my way out. I just wanted to slip away under anesthesia, so I wouldn’t have to live through another year like this.

But the second the anesthesia mask touched my face, I heard Beckett Santoro’s voice.

“This is the last time. Once Tessa’s Larkin interview is over, we won’t have to give Kat any more injections.”

Mom’s voice was rough from crying.

“But Kat’s only eighteen. What’s going to happen to her?”

Beckett lowered his voice.

“Auntie, it won’t ruin her life. It’s just one year. Once Tessa gets into Harvard, I’ll stay with Kat while she recovers and help her apply next year.”

“I’ll help her catch up on everything. Any college she wants, I’ll be there. It’s just a year. She can make it up.”

Dad’s voice shook when he spoke.

“So… does she still need the shot today?”

Beckett hesitated for a few seconds.

“Yes. Let her sleep another month. She just has to miss this interview. Once Tessa gets in, I’ll give Katerina her life back.”

That’s when I understood.

I never had chronic fatigue syndrome.

My muscles were failing because of those fake experimental injections.

The so-called herbal supplements were what made me drowsy all day.

Beckett said he’d make it up to me in a year.

But he had no idea. Before I even stepped into the operating room, I’d drunk an entire bottle of antifreeze.
…..

The lights in the operating room were blinding, bright enough to hurt.

I lay on the operating table under a thin, green sterile drape. The fabric felt cold against my skin.

The anesthesiologist approached with a clear mask in his hand.

“Don’t be nervous. Just take a few deep breaths. You’ll be asleep in no time.”

I nodded.

The small, empty bottle was still clenched in my palm.

Half an hour earlier, in the changing room, I had drunk every last drop of the antifreeze inside.

No one had noticed.

Mom and Dad were in the waiting area.

Beckett was there, too.

He was my neighbor, the boy I’d grown up with. We had known each other for eighteen years.