Chapter 37 Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens on New Year’s Eve at a beachside hotel. Garrett and Katarina are alone on the sand when Heath appears, interrupting them and accusing them of being together. Garrett tries to explain, but Katarina steps in, choosing to stand beside Garrett and take his hand. She turns on Heath, demanding to know what right he has to be jealous, insisting he is nothing to her. The champagne she has drunk gives her the courage to speak more boldly than she had earlier in the evening. She challenges Heath’s implication that she ever belonged to him, and she asks where he has been for three years, noting that he could have been dead for all she knew. Heath replies that they can never go back to the way things were, and that Katarina made sure of that.

Bella arrives from the party, wearing a shimmery gold bandage dress that resembles a sexier version of her Cleopatra costume. She tells the three of them that the skaters are wanted by the rink for the midnight champagne toast. No one moves, and the tension remains thick. Bella asks what is going on, and when she suggests it might be about a kiss, Katarina snaps that not everything is about Bella. Bella looks genuinely wounded, though Katarina is only repeating words Bella had said to her hours earlier. Heath defends Bella, telling Katarina not to speak to her that way. Katarina then reveals that Heath always hated Bella, and that she always defended him. Heath counters that he never hated Bella, but that he hated who Katarina became around her.

As the countdown to midnight begins, Katarina drops Garrett’s hand and steps close to Heath, whispering into his ear. She tells him that he hated that she was better than him, that she didn’t need him, and that he hated himself because he knew he was never enough for her—and still isn’t. Heath’s nostrils flare and his fists clench, but he says nothing. Bella and Garrett stand on either side of them like seconds in a duel, but they might as well be ghosts. At the stroke of midnight, fireworks explode, people cheer and kiss, and the quartet plays “Auld Lang Syne.” The year is 2006, the year of the Torino Olympics. Katarina resolves that this will be the year all her dreams come true, and the year she makes Heath Rocha regret everything.

Key Events

Heath interrupts Garrett and Katarina on the beach, accusing them of being together.
Katarina chooses to stand with Garrett and verbally attacks Heath, demanding to know where he has been for three years.
Heath states that they can never return to the past, and that Katarina made sure of that.
Bella arrives in a gold dress and summons the skaters for the midnight toast, but the argument continues.
Katarina and Bella exchange sharp words; Heath defends Bella, and Katarina reveals that Heath always hated her.
Heath clarifies that he hated who Katarina became around Bella, not Bella herself.
During the countdown, Katarina drops Garrett’s hand and whispers a series of cutting accusations to Heath about his jealousy and inadequacy.
At midnight, fireworks and cheers mark the start of 2006, the year of the Torino Olympics.
Katarina silently vows to make Heath regret everything.

Character Development

Katarina emerges as the dominant force in this confrontation. She actively chooses Garrett, but then abandons that choice when she drops his hand to whisper to Heath. Her anger is fueled by abandonment—Heath disappeared for three years without explanation—and by a need to assert that she belongs to no one. The champagne gives her the courage to say what she had been holding back, and her final whisper reveals a deep well of resentment: she believes Heath hated her because she was better and didn’t need him, and that he was never enough. Her resolution to make him regret everything sets a vengeful, ambitious tone for the coming Olympic year.

Heath is portrayed as jealous and defensive. He interrupts Garrett and Katarina, implying a claim over Katarina, but then retreats when she challenges him. His line about hating who she became around Bella suggests he sees her transformation as a loss, not a gain. He is visibly furious—his nostrils flare and fists clench—but he does not retaliate verbally, leaving Katarina’s words to hang in the air. His silence may indicate shock or a recognition that her accusations have some truth.

Garrett remains largely passive. He tries to defuse the situation, but Katarina overrides him. He is present as a witness and a prop in Katarina’s choice, but he does not assert himself. His role as a “second” in the duel imagery underscores his secondary status in the emotional conflict between Katarina and Heath.

Bella serves as a catalyst. She interrupts the argument, but her presence only escalates it. Katarina’s jab that not everything is about Bella, and Heath’s defense of her, reveal the complicated dynamics among the three. Bella’s gold dress and her role as the one summoning the skaters tie her to the celebratory surface of the night, while the real drama happens beneath it.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Jealousy and resentment: Heath’s jealousy over Garrett and Katarina’s closeness, and Katarina’s resentment over Heath’s abandonment, drive the entire confrontation.
Abandonment: Katarina’s repeated question “Where were you?” highlights the three-year gap and the emotional wound it caused.
Choosing sides: Katarina initially chooses Garrett, then drops his hand to confront Heath, showing that her loyalty is fluid and self-directed.
Past vs. present: Heath’s statement that they can never go back to the way things were emphasizes the irreversibility of their rift.
Champagne courage: The champagne gives Katarina the boldness to speak her mind, linking alcohol to temporary bravery.
New Year’s symbolism: The midnight countdown and fireworks mark a fresh start, but Katarina uses it as a launchpad for revenge rather than reconciliation.
Duel imagery: Bella and Garrett flanking the pair “like seconds in a duel” frames the confrontation as a formal, almost ritualistic conflict.
Ghosts: The description of Bella and Garrett as “ghosts” suggests that the real battle is between Katarina and Heath, with others fading into the background.
Revenge and ambition: Katarina’s final vow to make Heath regret everything ties her personal grievance to her Olympic ambitions.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the novel’s emotional arc. It brings the long-simmering tension between Katarina and Heath to a head, forcing them to confront the unresolved past. Katarina’s whispered accusations are not just a personal attack; they redefine her self-image as someone who does not need Heath and who is determined to surpass him. The chapter also sets the stage for the Torino Olympics, establishing that Katarina’s primary motivation for the coming year is not just athletic success but also the desire to make Heath suffer. The duel imagery and the ghost-like presence of the other characters emphasize that this is a private war, one that will likely shape the rest of the story. For readers, this is the moment when Katarina’s revenge plot is formally declared, making it essential for understanding her subsequent actions.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Katarina drop Garrett’s hand during the countdown, and what does this action reveal about her priorities?

Katarina drops Garrett’s hand to step close to Heath and deliver her whispered accusations. This action shows that her emotional investment is still with Heath, even though she had earlier chosen to stand beside Garrett. Her priority is not maintaining a romantic alliance but asserting her superiority over Heath and wounding him. The gesture signals that her need for revenge outweighs her connection to Garrett in that moment.

2. How does Heath’s response to Katarina’s accusations differ from his earlier behavior in the scene?

Earlier, Heath is confrontational and accusatory, interrupting Garrett and Katarina and implying a claim over Katarina. He also defends Bella and makes a cutting remark about hating who Katarina became. However, when Katarina whispers her final accusations, Heath does not speak. His physical reactions—flaring nostrils and clenched fists—show anger, but he remains silent. This shift suggests that her words strike a nerve, and he may be unable or unwilling to counter them.

3. What role does the New Year’s setting play in Katarina’s resolution at the end of the chapter?

The New Year’s countdown and the arrival of 2006, the year of the Torino Olympics, provide a symbolic fresh start. Katarina uses this moment of transition to declare her intention to make Heath regret everything. The fireworks and celebration contrast with the bitterness of her vow, highlighting that while others are celebrating new beginnings, she is channeling her energy into revenge. The setting also ties her personal goal to the upcoming Olympic year, making her ambition concrete and time-bound.