Drowning Him In Regret

Chapter 5 Bad Luck

The doctor held my gaze for an eternity, his eyes probing, searching for some crack in my resolve.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, he slid the surgical consent form across the desk."You sure you're good with this? If things go south in there, it's gonna be a hell of a mess to clean up."

"Doc, I'm betting on you. I mean it."I grabbed the pen, my fingers trembling just enough to betray me, and scrawled my name across the dotted line.

My life, my death-they were mine to wager, weren't they? No one else got a say anymore.

He opened his mouth, probably to talk me out of it, but before he could get a word out, the door slammed open with a force that rattled the walls.

A mob poured in, their shouts hitting like a tidal wave. Someone knocked into me -hard-and I staggered, my head smacking the sharp corner of the desk.

The world tilted, then dimmed. Warmth trickled down my forehead, thick and sluggish, stinging as it seeped into my eyes and blurred the madness around me.

The room was a war zone. Voices clashed, sharp and venomous, drowning each other out.

"What kind of bullshit 'chief physician' are you? We paid out the ass for this, and now you're saying she needs another surgery?"

"You swore the tumor was gone! How the hell does it just come back? You're nothing but a goddamn con artist!"

"Money-grubbing quacks! No soul, no shame-I oughta beat the shit outta you!"

I pressed my palm to my forehead, pain pulsing hot and relentless. My legs were jelly, useless, refusing to hold me up.

Someone's shoe pinned the edge of my shirt to the floor, and no matter how I tugged, I was trapped, stuck in the chaos like a bug under glass.

The office was a whirlwind of fists and fury, and it felt like forever before security finally barged in, barking orders that cut through the haze and forced the fighting a halt.

Then came a scream, shrill enough to pierce the fog in my head. "Holy shit, she's bleeding! Is she fucking dead?"

Every eye in the room swung to me, their stares heavy, like I was some kind of spectacle.

The crowd took a nervous step back, leaving me sprawled there, raw and exposed.

A young nurse, barely sturdy enough to keep herself upright, was the first to kneel beside me, her voice trembling."Ms. Watson, oh God, are you okay? Come on, let's get that cut cleaned up."

Her hands shook as she tried to hoist me up, but she was too slight, and I was too far gone, my body sinking under its own weight.

Then the doctor was there, his grip strong and steady as he pulled me to my feet.

I caught a glimpse of him-his glasses cracked, one lens completely shattered, his neat hair now a wild mess. Angry red scratches crisscrossed his cheek, proof he'd taken a beating.

I wanted to muster a smile, to wave it off, to show I wasn't as fragile as I looked. But my body betrayed me, heavy and hollowed out, like it was already slipping away.noveldrama

The doctor sighed, guilt etched into every line of his face. "Jesus, I'm so damn sorry. You got caught up in my mess. The surgery... it's gotta wait now."

I shook my head slowly, the motion sluggish, wanting to tell him it didn't matter. What was one more delay? Another day, another hour—it was all just borrowed time.

No one was waiting for me to make it through. No one would miss me if I didn't. The thought sank its claws into me, sharp and cold, but I shoved it down, locking it away where it couldn't cut any deeper.

By the time the cops showed up to take statements, I'd scraped together enough of myself to sit upright, though every breath felt like dragging air through broken glass.

A female officer crouched beside me, her eyes soft with a pity that stung worse than the gash on my head.

"Your condition's no joke, honey," she said. "The assholes who started this shit are locked up now. You can hit 'em up for damages later.

"We reached your family. They'll be here soon."

I blinked, her words hitting like a slap I hadn't seen coming. "Who? My family?"

"Yeah, well, your husband's secretary answered, but don't worry-he'll show."

I dropped my gaze to my hands, fingers twisting together in my lap until my knuckles whitened. Would he come? I wasn't sure.

If the police were involved, maybe he'd drag himself over to keep up appearances. Maybe.

It wasn't just me who'd been caught in the chaos. Two other patients had been in

the room, but somehow, only the doctor and I ended up bloodied.

One of them, a guy slouched against the wall, caught my eye and smirked, muttering that I must've pissed off the universe itself-everyone else walked away fine, and here I was, a walking trainwreck.

He wasn't wrong. Bad luck clung to me like a second skin, and it wasn't letting go.

I'd clawed my way to this surgery, scraping together every cent for a chance to keep breathing, only for it to be yanked out of reach. My body was fading, though flickering like a candle burned down to the wick. I could feel it in the way my pulse stuttered, in the bone-deep exhaustion that wouldn't lift. I wasn't sure it would wait for a second chance.

The emergency room buzzed with people, every one of them flanked by family, and it hit me like a punch to the chest. Why did everyone else get someone?

I watched a doctor's wife and daughter cling to him, their eyes puffy from crying, while he murmured soft comforts.

Envy burned in my throat, raw and relentless. We used to have that-me, Mom, Dad. A real family. But they were gone, and that warmth was just a ghost now.

I sniffed hard, shoving down the ache, and braced for a long, lonely wait.

Then, out of nowhere, Jude showed up-Vivian hot on his heels, like always. I'd just gotten a single stitch in my forehead, and the doctor wouldn't stop yammering.

"Lucky it's buried in your hairline," he said, threading the needle. "A scar on a pretty thing like you? Be a crying shame."

I caught my reflection in the glass behind him-skinny as a rail, cheeks hollow, looking like death warmed over. Pretty? What a load of bullshit.

That's when Jude stormed through the door. Vivian, naturally, jumped in first, grilling the doctor like she's running the show.

When she heard it was just one stitch, her face screamed loser.

"You've gotta be kidding me, Ada," she said, practically sneering. "One little stitch and you're playing the martyr? You know Jude had to blow off a massive deal because of your drama? Way to fuck everything up."

The doctor's jaw tightened, but he kept his mouth shut.

"What the hell are you doing in a hospital?" Jude barked, looming over me like I was some annoying errand he forgot to cross off his list.

"I have to stay," I said, my voice flat. Cancer's eating me alive. Surgery's coming.

The words burned in my throat, begging to spill out, but I clamped them down. Why waste my breath? He'd just roll his eyes.

Vivian let out a laugh that could've curdled milk. "Stay? For one tiny stitch? God, Ada, could you be any more of a drama queen?”

She sidled up to Jude, standing shoulder-to-shoulder like she was staking her claim. "You're always screwing things up for him. One call from you, and he blows off a deal that could've made bank. Who's gonna eat that loss, huh? You?"

I flashed back to what the cops said about calling Jude. My gaze slid to Vivian, and a slow, smug grin tugged at my lips.

"I didn't call him," I said, letting the words hang. "You know that."

Her eyes went wide for a heartbeat, panic flickering before she smoothed it over. Jude didn't notice he was too busy shooting me a look that could freeze hell.

"Damn, Ada," he said, his voice low and cutting. "Didn't think you had it in you to play this dirty. Pulling some sob-story stunt for attention? That's next-level."

He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Using the fucking dog? You're a piece of work."

I blinked, thrown for a loop, then let out a dry, bitter chuckle. Oh, he finally noticed Toto had been crashing with the neighbors? Took him long enough.

"Ada!" he snapped, lunging like he was about to grab my shirt. "You're laughing? I didn't know you were this kind of person."

A nurse smacked his hand away before he could touch me. "Hey, sir, back off!" she snapped. "You don't know anything about what Ms. Watson's "

She didn't finish. Vivian yanked at Jude's sleeve, her voice all soft and pathetic now. "Jude, I'm itching like crazy," she whined. "Think I'm allergic to something."

He spun to her, his whole vibe shifting-gentle, worried, like I didn't exist anymore. Her arm was red, splotchy, angry.

"Shit, Vivian, that looks bad," he said, soft as hell, his hand cradling her like she was made of glass. "I told you to stay away from that damn dog. Come on, let's find a doctor."