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Speaker 1: I'll start by saying that if I had known what

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this would lead to, I never would have touched it.

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I would have kept dragging myself through the exhaustion and

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creeping dread that had settled over my life. I would

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have let it crush me instead. But at the time

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it didn't feel like a mistake. It felt like salvation.

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I was barely keeping it together mentally, physically, and emotionally.

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Work was draining the life out of me. Every morning

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I woke up with the same exhausted groan, accompanied by

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the all too familiar, dull pain behind my eyes as

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the realization that I had to get through another day

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of this hit me. My life had become a loop

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of meaningless emails and passive aggressive meetings. My social life

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had deteriorated into scrolling through other people's happiness on Instagram.

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My body felt sluggish, and so did everything else. Then,

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out of nowhere, I got a text from Jason. He

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was a guy I used to work with before he

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burned out worse than me. I hadn't heard from him

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in almost a year. Ever since he quit his job,

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went through a brutal break up and spiraled into some

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kind of depressive abyss. He wanted to meet up, and

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when we did I barely recognized him when he walked

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into the bar. Jason had always looked horrible, but as

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he stood in front of me, he looked like he

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had been reborn. His skin was clear and glowing, his

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eyes were sharp and full of life. Even the way

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he moved was different. I couldn't stop staring. What the

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hell happened to you? I finally asked. Jason just smiled,

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leaned back in his chair and figured it out. He

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reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, nondescript

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pill box. White. It looked like Ibroprofen at first glance.

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He set it on the table between us. I frowned,

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what's that? Jason slid the box toward me. The answer.

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I picked it up, popped the lid open. Inside were

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dozens of small, white pills, perfectly uniform, no logo, no label.

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They could have been anything. I raised an eyebrow. You

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selling me drugs now, Jason laughed. No, I don't sell them.

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I don't even know where to get more. I let

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out a dry chuckle and told him that this sounded

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like some rich Silicon Valley guy's new tech bro drug,

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some dumb arpttermized performance crap. But Jason just shook his head.

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So where'd you get them? He hesitated, just for a moment.

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Then he exceled like he'd made peace with something. I

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can't explain it, not in a way that'll make sense.

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But I don't need as many as I have, and

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I don't want to leave without giving you the chance leave.

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Jason nodded, I'm moving other side of the world. I

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don't think I'm coming back. That hit harder than I expected.

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Jason had been one of the few people who understood

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how miserable our lives had been. I set the pill

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box down. Jason, man, I don't know about this. He

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held up a hand, cutting me off. You don't have

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to take them. I'm not pushing anything. Just try it

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one one time. If you don't like it, toss the rest.

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He looked so at peace, and I was so tired.

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I took the pill that night. It was instant. The

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moment the pill dissolved on my tongue, I felt something

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unlock inside me. Not a high, not like being drunk

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or stoned, clarity, pure undiluted euphoria. My thoughts became razor sharp,

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every idea crystal clear. My body felt light. Every single

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inch of me just worked. I felt entirely unstoppable. I

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lay back in my bed, staring at the ceiling and

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realized I was smiling. A deep, unshakable contentment filled my chest.

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For the first time in years. I felt alive. After that,

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there was no crash, no sluggish come down, just the perfect,

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dreamless sleep. The next morning, I had woken up from

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the best sleep of my life, but better, like my

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body had been completely reset, like every ounce of exhaustion,

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every creeping doubt, every bit of background stress I've been

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carrying for years had been scrubbed away. I breathed through

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work like it was nothing, every task effortless. I finished

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my entire workload before lunch. My boss even pulled me aside,

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eyes wide. I don't know what's gotten into you, but

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keep it up. This is some of the best work

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I've seen from you. It wasn't just work. People noticed more.

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Conversations flowed easier, my jokes landed harder. I felt sharper, funnier,

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more confident than I ever had. By the end of

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the day, my phone was blowing up. Friends I hadn't

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talked to in months, reaching out, wanting to hang out.

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I wasn't invisible anymore. That night, as I lay in bed,

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i'd a thought circling around in my head, why wouldn't

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I take another? But I also did not want to

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depend on this, so I would hold off for a

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while see if anything went wrong. I'd convinced myself that

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I would only use it when things got really bad,

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a boost to get me back on track. Maybe it

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was even some kind of placebo effect, my brain waking

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up for the first time in years and tricking itself

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into feeling superhuman. But the next morning, when I rolled

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out of bed and felt the familiar drag of exhaustion

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pulling at me, I knew it had worn off. I

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hesitated for a while, I even went through the motions

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of a normal mourning, But it wasn't the same. That

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sharp clarity I felt yesterday was gone, like a door

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had been shut in my brain. The temptation was there,

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whispering in the back of my head. Just one more?

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What's the harm? I gave in easier then, I'd like

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to admit. The second pill hit just like the first.

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There was no slow build up, no waiting period. The

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moment I swallowed it, my mind clicked into place, like

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someone had turned the lights on inside my skull. The

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heaviness in my limbs vanished. I was instantly unburdened by

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hesitation or doubt. I was alive. Then I blinked and

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an hour was gone. I stood in my bathroom, staring

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at my reflection. The last thing I remembered was taking

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the pill, checking the time, and heading toward the sink

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to brush my teeth. But now it looked like I

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had just got done taking a shower. The water was running,

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and the clock on the wall said it was past eight.

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I turned off the FORRCET and robed to my face,

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trying to shake off the feeling of something being missing.

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But I felt better than fine. My body was humming

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with energy, the same exhilarating sensation I had felt before.

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Maybe I'd just sowned out or fallen into some kind

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of hyperfocus state. I wasn't about to overthink it, not

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when it felt this good. I moved through chores and

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work like there was second nature. Problems that would have

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normally taken me hours to work through now came with

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obvious solutions, as if my brain had already worked them

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out in the background. When my bar dropped an urgent

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project at my desk, expecting it to take the rest

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of the day, I had finished it before lunch. That afternoon,

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he called me into his office. If you keep this up,

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we might have to talk about a real promotion. I nodded,

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acting cool, but inside I was thrilled. I had been

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stuck in this job for years, grinding through the same routine,

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and now in less than a week, I was suddenly

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the best employee in the room. The pill was working.

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I decided to go out with some of the people

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that had written me off a long time ago, after

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I had bailed one too many times or let text

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sit unanswered. And when I showed up, I wasn't the

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quiet guy in the corner. I was the one keeping

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conversations going, the one people actually wanted to talk to.

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That's how I met Mia. It wasn't anything special, at

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least not at first, just a random conversation at a bar,

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a mutual and introducing us over drinks. But unlike every

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other time I had tried to flirt with some one,

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there was no awkwardness. The words came easily, the laughter

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felt natural. By the end of the night we'd exchanged numbers.

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By the end of the week, we'd gone on two dates.

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At night, I stood in front of my mirror, studying

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my own reflection. I looked so much more confident, the

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same way Jason had. I wasn't going to stop, not

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when I had a whole box left. The night I lost.

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The week, I was supposed to meet mea for dinner.

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I'd been looking forward to it all day. But as

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I stood in front of my mirror fixing my shirt,

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I felt something I never wanted to feel again, sluggishness.

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My limbs felt heavy again, my thoughts weren't as sharp.

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It was nothing extreme, but it was noticeable, the kind

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of creeping exhaustion I had all but tried to forget about.

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I knew what I had to do. I grabbed the

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pill box from my dresser and popped one into my mouth.

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It sat on my tongue for a moment before dissolving,

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and just like that, the fog lifted, my heart beat steadied,

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my mind lit up. That was the last thing I remembered.

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I woke up in my bed. The first thing I

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noticed was the morning light bleeding through my blinds. That

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didn't make sense. My date had been at seven p m.

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I reached for my phone, blinking against the brightness. The

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screen showed the date. It was seven days later. I

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sat up so fast I nearly fell out of bed.

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My first thought was Mere, I had missed our date.

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She must have been furious. And work. I had been

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out for a whole week. My boss was going to

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kill me. My bills, my emails, my texts, everything was

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probably in ruins. I unlocked my phone, dreading what I

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was about to see, but there were no miscalls or

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panicked messages. I tried looking for a sign that anything

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was wrong, but I couldn't find anything. I scrolled through

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my texts, breath catching in my throat when I saw

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an unread message from Mere. Last night was amazing. I

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feel like I've known you forever. I can't wait to

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see you again. I stared at the message, rereading it

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over and over. We had gone on another date, I

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had been there. I checked my care log. I'd spoken

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to people, texted them, replied to emails. My work schedule

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was completely normal, no absences. It was like I'd lived

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the week perfectly, except I didn't remember any of it.

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My hands were shaking when I decided to dial my coworker.

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I had to know what was going on, and I

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had no other way of getting information that I could

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think of. He picked up almost immediately. Yo, what's up.

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I forced the casual tone. Not much, man, just checking in.

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How was work this week? There was a pause, then

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a chuckle rough, but you should know you were there.

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My stomach dropped. I tried again, Yeah, of course, just

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you know. It was a blur, But remind me what happened.

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He started listening off projects, meetings, conversations we'd had. I

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hung up and called a close friend next, same thing.

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You good men, They asked, you've been on fire lately?

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Haven't seen you this sharpen years. I could barely respond.

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My mouth had gone dry. Everyone remembered a week that

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I didn't live. My body had been awake, but I

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wasn't in it. The next number I called was Jason's.

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This number is no longer in service. I tried again,

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and again nothing. Jason was gone, probably already living life

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in that other country he was talking about. That night

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I dumped the pill box into the trash. I wasn't

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touching it ever again. But the moment I made my

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decision my body betrayed me. It started with what felt

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like a mild headache pressing against my skull. By the

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next morning, the ache had grown into a full body fever.

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My muscles felt like they were shredding themselves apart. My

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skin was too tight, too hot, crawling with a thousand

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unseen insects. I called up on my couch, drenched in sweat,

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gripping my stomach as waves of nausea row. I thought

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it would pass, but it didn't. By the second day,

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I couldn't think straight. My brain felt fractured, like there

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was something inside it trying to dig its way out.

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My thoughts wouldn't connect, My vision blurred, My hands shook

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violently whenever I tried to hold anything. At one point,

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I swore I heard someone whispering my name. I turned

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my head so fast my neck cracked, but there was

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no one there. By the third day, I wasn't sure

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what was real anymore. I stopped showing up to work.

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The job that had felt effortless now felt impossible. Every

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email I tried to write came out as nonsense. I

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would stare at my screen for hours, my fingers frozen,

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my brain refusing to cooperate. My boss sent me a

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single message, What's going on with you? You were doing so well.

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I didn't answer. My friend stopped reaching out. At first,

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they checked in asked if I was okay, but I

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was moody, volatile, paranoid. I would snap at them for

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no reason, then apologize the next day. Eventually they stopped

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texting back. Mia was the last to go. She stuck

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around longer than I expected. She tried to be patient,

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but I could see it in her eyes. She didn't

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understand what had changed. One night, she came over, sat

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next to me on my couch and said, you're different now.

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I didn't even argue. She left, and I didn't try

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to stop her. By the end of the week, I

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was completely alone. I had lost everything the pill had

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given me, my job, my friends, my mind, my body.

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The worst of all, I had lost who I could

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have been because I wasn't just feeling withdrawal. I was

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feeling hollow, like whatever had been inside me for that

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missing week had taken something with it when it left,

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and the only way to get it back was to

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take another pill. I held out as long as I could,

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I really did. I locked myself in my apartment, trying

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to sweat it out. To fight through it. I promised

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I wouldn't touch it again. My body moved, I could

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stop it. I dug through the trash, hands shaking, tearing

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open the bag, searching for the pill box. Halfway through,

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I realized how out of control I was. Yet I

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couldn't do anything about it. I held one of the

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pills in my palm, staring at it. I didn't want

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to take it, but I didn't have a choice. I

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put it on my tongue and swallowed. I woke up

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to the smell of fresh coffee, inexpensive perfume, soft morning

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light filtered through the sheer white curtains. The bed beneath

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me was impossibly soft, the kind of mattress that swallowed

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you whole. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming.

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Then I turned my head. A woman was sleeping beside me.

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Mir My pulls spiked. I sat up too fast, the

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sheets tangling around me. As I struggled to get free.

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My body felt different, stronger. This wasn't my bed. The

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realization settled in my stomach like a stone. I swung

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my legs over the side and stood up, scanning the room.

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It was massive, a high rise apartment, modern and sleek,

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floor to ceiling windows overlooking a glittering city skyline. I

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had never been here before. There was a walking closet

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to my left, the door slightly ajar. Inside, racks of

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expensive suits and designer shoes lined the walls. The shelves

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held watches that cost more than I rent used to.

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None of it was mine, but it was. I opened

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the bedside draw and found a wallet with my ID,

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my name, my face. I turned to the nightstand and

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grabbed my phone, fingers trembling as I checked the lock screen.

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The date stared back at me. One year later. I

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stopped breathing. A year, not a week, a full year.

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The room blurred around me, A sudden rush of nausea

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climbing up my throat. I gripped the edge of the dresser,

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struggling to keep myself upright. One year I had lost

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an entire year, but somehow I had still been here.

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I unlocked my phone with a shaking hands, scroll through

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months of text messages I didn't recognize. At the top

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was a chat with mire. My breath hitched. I opened it.

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We had kept dating, we had traveled together. She had

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sent pictures of us at expensive restaurants on boats in

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different countries. There were videos of me smiling, laughing, talking

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about how amazing life had been I had proposed to her.

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There was a photo of her hand, a diamond ring

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shining against the skin. I read the messages, trying to

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force a single memory to the surface, but there was nothing.

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I was looking at someone else's life, a better life,

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a perfect life, and I hadn't been here to live it.

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I backed out of my text checked my bank account.

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The balance nearly made me drop the phone. Millions. I

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had become insanely wealthy. Whatever had been using my body

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for the past year, it had played the part flawlessly.

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I scrawled through emails. I had a high powered job now,

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something in finance, something I knew I had never been

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qualified for. I had clients, colleagues who respected me. I

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was a completely different person, and nobody seemed to notice.

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Mia stirred in her bed. I flinched. She sat up,

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stretching her hair falling in waves over her shoulders. She

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turned to me with an easy familiarity, smiling like she

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had done this a hundred times before. Warning, baby, she murmured,

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voice heavy with sleep. I felt like I was going

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to be sick. I stumbled out of the bedroom and

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into the hallway, my breath coming fast and shallow. The

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apartment was pristine, enormous. Every service was sleek and polished,

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every piece of furniture meticulously chosen. I made my way

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to the kitchen, hands gripping the counter as I tried

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to steady myself. What was I supposed to do? I

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couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't say, Hey, I actually haven't

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been here for the past year. Can you tell me

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what happened? My life was perfect and everything I had

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ever wanted, but none of it belonged to me because

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I was the one who had built it. I took

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a shaky breath, trying to think. Could I fake it,

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just pick up where my body had left off, learn

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the routines, read through my messages, figure out how to

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become this version of me? Or should I try to

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stop it, find out what really happened, make sure it

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never happened again. I wasn't sure what the right answer was.

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But then my hand moved, not on its own. I

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could feel myself doing it. I was reaching, but I

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wasn't making the choice. My fingers brushed against something cold

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and smooth on the counter. I looked down the pill box,

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the same one Jason had given me, the same one

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I had thrown away, the same one I had sworn

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off forever I was waiting. I stared at the pill

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in my hand. I knew what would happen, but even

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as I tried to resist, I felt it that pull,

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that impossible temptation. I had taken one to lose an hour,

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one to lose a week, one to lose a year,

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And now, as the pill pressed against my lips, I

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wondered how much would I lose this time?