After a few minutes of overthinking who to read first, I decided it should be Rebecca's letter. I figured I spent more time with her than with Ezekiel—ahem, or maybe I was just too nervous to read his.
I opened the envelope, and Rebecca's letter contained only one line:
Take care of him.
That was all.
Her handwriting was shaky, and I could tell she had struggled to write it. She barely had the strength to hold a pen, yet even then, her thoughts were still on her son, the one who stayed behind to keep working.
"Alright, I'll try my best,"
I whispered to myself.
Even if I felt sorry now, it wouldn't change anything. All I could do was move forward and try to help them however I could.
Now... it was time to read Ezekiel's letter.
My hands trembled as I opened the envelope. His letter was long—so long that only a tiny bit of space remained at the bottom of the page.
I read it slowly.
Inside were all the things he wanted to say to me.
He thanked me for staying by his mother's side and helping out with the hospital bills, even though I didn't have to. He said I didn't owe him anything for saving me, that it was just the right thing to do.
He admitted that he never tried to meet me again because he was ashamed. He was afraid that if he did, he might scare me.
Toward the end of the letter, he asked me not to get involved with him anymore. He said he knew about my online activity, that I was EzekielsFollower101. The only user famous online to be the only Ezekiel defender. It was apparently obvious to him. He could tell just by the tone of my letters and the posts I made online.
(Gosh. How embarrassing. I never even expected him to read those. I didn't even think he had social media in the first place.)
He said it might affect me if people found out that it was Viola Silva—the idol—behind that account.
He was afraid my reputation would suffer because of him. So, he asked me to cut off all contact with him. Even with his mother. He told me to just live my life.
From the tone and words in his letter, I could tell he has a big heart.
How could someone so kind, so selfless, be treated like a villain by the world?
And now… he wanted me to forget him.
I closed the letter and sighed.
What could I even do? If I pushed myself into his life , I'd just be disrespecting his wishes. I'd be selfish.
So I decided… this would be the end.
The end of my fangirling. The end of my hopes. The end of my hero's story in my life.
Out of respect, I focused on my life. I studied harder. I worked harder. I didn't post as much on my old account anymore, but I still checked in from time to time. I still defended him in comment sections, responded to blogs that twisted his story and tried to drag his name through the mud.
I thought doing that was enough. That it was my way of 'taking care of him'. But I was mistaken. So mistaken, that I wanted to throw myself into the pits of fire when *that time* finally came.
Years passed
I graduated. I became a nurse, just like I always dreamed. I kept working in showbiz too, here and there. Small concerts. Light acting roles. Nothing too demanding. I just wanted to help people now.
It was a dream I had promised my grandmother. She once told me I would be a great nurse, just by the way I took care of her. And now… that dream burned brighter. Because I also wanted to save people the way he saved me.
Through the years, I never forgot Ezekiel again. I continued to admire him even though I don't even meet him.
I was relieved that the hate toward him had started to fade. Not completely, but enough to breathe easier. The world moved on, and life started to feel peaceful again.
One day, I had a rare break from both my jobs.
It was an ordinary afternoon. I wore an oversized hoodie and a cap, hiding my face, just enjoying a cup of iced coffee while walking through the city square.
I stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the signal.
Then the LED billboards began to shift from their usual ads to a breaking news alert.
I barely glanced at it. I was too busy sipping my drink.
Then I heard a strange sound—everyone's phones buzzing and chiming all at once.
It was so odd. Why would everyone get a notification at the same time?
Curious, I glanced up.
The moment my eyes met the screen on the building across the street… the world around me disappeared.
I froze.
My coffee slipped from my hands and hit the pavement with a soft splatter.
There was no way I could be mistaken.
That face.
That name.
No. No. No.
This had to be a joke. Some kind of mistake.
Oh God, please no.
Please, not like this.
Please, not him.
My legs gave out.
The sounds of the city disappeared.
I couldn't hear the traffic. I couldn't feel the cold breeze. I couldn't even cry.
It felt like my entire chest had been crushed, like something sacred had been torn from the world and I wasn't even allowed to scream.
He was gone.
After everything.
After all those years of silence. All those hardship. All the things he endured.
He died
And I never got to see him again.
I never got to tell him thank you properly in person.
I never got to repay him personally.
I never got to say goodbye.
And just like that… my hero was gone forever.