A Dying Man's Final Thoughts
The alley was dark, suffocating, drowning in the stench of damp concrete and stale cigarette smoke. Rain drizzled down from the night sky, soaking his trembling body, mixing with the thick, warm blood seeping from his waist. The puddle beneath him turned crimson, spreading outward like ink spilled on old paper.
His body lay sprawled against the rough brick wall, broken and discarded, just like everything else in his life. His breaths were shallow, each one burning through his lungs, each heartbeat a slow, agonizing reminder that he was still alive—but barely.
A bullet had ripped through him, tearing apart flesh and bone. But that pain… it was nothing.
Not compared to the hollowness clawing at his chest.
Not compared to the unbearable weight of betrayal.
His name was Elly.
And he had just been killed by the only person he had ever loved.
His vision blurred, his mind sluggish, but the scene replayed in his thoughts, over and over.
Alex.
The warmth in her gaze had long since vanished, replaced by something distant, something cold. Those same eyes that once made him believe—maybe, just maybe, he was loved—had looked right through him, devoid of even an ounce of hesitation as she uttered the words that sealed his fate.
"Get rid of him."
Three words. So simple. So final.
The person he had dedicated himself to, the one who had given him a sliver of light in his miserable life, had thrown him away without a second thought.
Had it all been a lie?
Every smile? Every whispered word of kindness?
Or had he been fooling himself from the very beginning?
---
"A Life of Being Unwanted"
Elly had never been wanted.
From the very moment he was born, he was a burden—an inconvenience left behind in a world that had no place for him.
He grew up in the suffocating walls of an orphanage, watching other children be picked, be chosen, while he remained behind, unwanted and forgotten. Every time new parents came, he sat in the corner, hoping… just hoping that maybe, this time, someone would take him.
They never did.
They wanted babies, not a boy with dull eyes and a quiet voice. Not a child who had already learned that love was a privilege meant for others—not for him.
But he still dared to hope.
The day a couple finally adopted him, he thought—maybe this is it. Maybe I can finally have a family.
That fragile hope shattered the moment he stepped into his new home.
They hadn't taken him in because they wanted a son.
They had taken him in because of the government benefits.
His new father was a drunk, a man who reeked of cheap alcohol and failure. His mother? A woman who saw him as nothing more than a tool.
From the moment he arrived, he was given chores. Cooking, cleaning, errands. It didn't take long for his new 'parents' to start sending him to steal from market stalls, from strangers on the streets. If he hesitated, if he failed—there were punishments. A slap. A kick. A reminder that he wasn't really their child, just a thing they owned.
He should have run away.
He should have fought back.
But he didn't.
Because some part of him still believed—if I just work harder, if I just try more, they'll love me.
So he endured.
He forced himself to be better. To be useful. To do whatever they wanted.
But no matter what he did, it was never enough.
And one day, they simply cast him aside—just like the others.
---
"A Cycle of Betrayal"
Even after being abandoned, Elly kept trying.
He told himself that if he just became better, if he could make himself valuable, someone would care.
So he became useful. He was always the one people could rely on. The one who helped, who listened, who gave without asking for anything in return.
And for a while, it seemed to work.
He made friends. Or at least, that's what he thought.
Until one by one, they left. They took what they needed—his time, his effort, his unwavering loyalty—and when they had enough, they disappeared.
No goodbyes. No explanations.
Just silence.
He should have learned.
He should have known.
But the loneliness—the unbearable emptiness inside him—made him keep trying.
And then, he met her.
---
"Alex: A Lie He Wanted to Believe"
Alex was different.
She was kind. She listened. She never treated him like he was a burden.
She was from an influential family, someone untouchable, someone who lived in a world far beyond his reach. But unlike the others, she never looked down on him.
For the first time, he felt seen.
She made him believe that maybe, just maybe, he could have something real.
And Elly, the fool that he was, fell for it completely.
He devoted himself to her.
It didn't matter what she asked of him—legal or illegal, right or wrong. He would do it.
Because she made him feel alive.
But in the end, she was just like the rest.
No—she was worse.
Because she had given him hope before ripping it away.
---
"The Moment of Truth"
The truth had been there all along.
The way she only called when she needed something. The way her kindness had conditions.
But he ignored it.
Until the day he overheard the conversation.
"He's useful, but that's all he is. A dog that follows orders."
Something inside him broke.
He confronted her.
She didn't deny it. She didn't even try to explain.
She just smiled that same beautiful, practiced smile, then turned to the men standing beside her.
"Get rid of him."
And just like that, everything ended.
---
"The Final Realization"
Lying in the alley, blood draining from his body, Elly felt numb.
Not from the pain.
But from the crushing weight of the truth.
His whole life had been one endless cycle of hoping, trying, being used, and then discarded.
And now, at the very end, he was alone.
No one would mourn him. No one would care.
Even as he lay dying, some foolish part of him still wished—someone, anyone, please… just care.
But no one came.
The rain fell harder, washing away the blood around him.
His body grew colder.
His thoughts faded.
And in these final moments, he realized—
There was no such thing as unconditional love.
Everything had a price.
And he had been too desperate to see it.
Why?
Why had he wanted love so badly? Why had he chased it, begged for it, when all it had ever brought him was pain?
Couldn't he have been enough for himself?
Couldn't he have loved himself instead of searching for love in others?
But now, it was too late.
His eyelids grew heavier. His breath slowed.
His heartbeat faded.
And then—there was nothing.
Nothing at all.
"But unbeknownst to him, in these final moments of realization, something inside his soul began to change. It was subtle at first, like a spark waiting to ignite, but it was there—growing, shifting, becoming something new.
This change was beyond anything he could have expected, something that would soon take him by surprise in ways he never could have imagined."