The Weight of Guilt and Silence

The official story was an accident. Ollie tripped, hit his head on the curb, and died instantly. The police barely investigated. Damian's father, a powerful Assemblyman, made sure of that.

Ethan knew the truth—but what could he do? The message was clear: if he spoke, he and Izzy wouldn't live long enough to see justice.

Ollie had been his best friend since childhood. They'd met in the second grade, bonding over their shared love of comic books and games. Ollie had always helped me no matter what the situation, the voice of reason, while Ollie... Ollie had been fearless. Maybe too fearless. 

The day he died, Ethan had warned him."Don't underestimate them, Ollie. They can do anything to us."

But Ollie had only laughed, brushing off Ethan's concern like it was nothing. He always thought, that they wouldn't dare cross a line. He believed in justice, in fairness, and in the idea that some things were too far even for them.

He was wrong.

And now, he was gone.

At Ollie's funeral, Ethan stood in front of Rebecca and Daniel Kade, his best friend's parents. The grief on their faces crushed him. They looked hollow, like they had lost a part of themselves—because they had. Ollie was their only son. Their everything.

Rebecca clutched a damp tissue in her shaking hands, her face pale and worn from endless nights of crying. Daniel stood beside her, his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful, his hands curled into fists as if he were holding himself together by force. Rebecca's voice broke as she whispered,

[Rebecca] "How did this happen?"

Ethan opened his mouth. The truth was right there, burning in his throat. He wanted to tell them. They deserved to know.

But then he saw them. Jay. Rick. Damian. Standing near the entrance, watching. Smirking.

Damian had the audacity to wear a black suit, pretending to grieve while his cold blue eyes gleamed with amusement. Jay nudged Rick, whispering something that made them both chuckle under their breath.

Ethan's stomach twisted.

He looked back at Rebecca and Daniel. Their faces blurred as his vision swam with unshed tears. He lowered his head.

[Ethan]"I—I don't know," he whispered.

A coward. That's what he was. A pathetic, useless coward.

The guilt consumed him. It followed him everywhere, a shadow that never left. It clawed at his chest every time he closed his eyes. Every time he heard Ollie's name. Every time he saw Damian and his friends laughing in the school hallways like nothing had happened.

Ethan barely slept. Barely ate. Izzy noticed. She always noticed.

One night, as he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall, Izzy grabbed his wrist. Her grip was firm, desperate. Her dark eyes were filled with worry.

[Izzy] "Ethan, you're scaring me," she said. "Talk to me."

But he couldn't. Because the truth wouldn't bring Ollie back. The truth would only get Izzy killed. And he couldn't lose her too. One week later, Ethan decided he couldn't take it anymore.

The Last Fall

St. Helena General Hospital.

The place where Ollie was taken. The place where they claimed it was an accident. The place where Ethan's world shattered.

He walked through the hospital entrance, unnoticed. People were everywhere—patients waiting, doctors rushing, nurses tending to the sick—but no one spared him a second glance. It was as if he didn't exist.

He moved past the reception, past the crowded halls filled with quiet murmurs and beeping machines, past the tired staff who had seen too much suffering to notice one more lost soul. Up the stairs. One floor. Two. Three.

A nurse spotted him. [Nurse] "Hey, boy! There's nothing up there, just the rooftop!" she called after him.

He didn't respond. He didn't even slow down. It was like she wasn't there at all. She hesitated before following him, her footsteps quickening as she reached the top. She barely made it past the stairwell when she saw him—standing at the very edge of the rooftop wall.

The cold wind howled.[Nurse] "Hey! It's dangerous up here!" she shouted, her voice laced with panic.

Ethan didn't move.

He just stared down at the world below, his hands hanging limply at his sides. The city lights blurred beneath him, distant and unreal.

He thought of Ollie. His laughter. His stubbornness. His loyalty. He thought of Izzy. The only person he had left. The only person he was about to leave behind.

His heart pounded. His chest ached. The nurse took a step forward. "Please, step down! Talk to me!" Ethan closed his eyes.

And stepped forward.

"STOP!" the nurse screamed. The wind roared in his ears.

Then—impact.

Screams filled the hospital courtyard. A doctor dropped his clipboard. Nurses rushed forward, their faces pale with horror. Blood spread across the pavement beneath his broken body.

"Boy! Stay with us!" The nurse who had followed him dropped to her knees, gripping his limp hand as they loaded him onto a stretcher.

Inside, the ICU team worked frantically. Bright lights. Voices overlapping. Tubes. IVs. Hands pressing against his shattered ribs, trying to bring him back. But the damage was too severe. Ethan's vision blurred. The beeping of the monitors grew distant.

The world faded. The last thing he saw was Ollie, standing at the foot of the bed, smiling.

"You're finally free, idiot," Ollie said softly.

Then everything went dark. Isabelle "Izzy" Graves arrived at St. Helena General Hospital ten minutes later, only to be met with chaos.

A nurse screamed. Doctors rushed into the ICU. Izzy pushed through, her heart hammering.

"No, no, no…"

Her breath hitched as she saw him. Ethan lay motionless on the bed, pale and broken. The monitors flatlined. The scent of antiseptic and blood filled the air.

[Izzy] "This isn't real. This can't be real."

Dr. Leonard Voss stepped forward, his face grim.

 [Dr.] "I'm sorry. We did everything we could, but…"

Izzy collapsed to the floor.

A strangled sob tore from her throat. But as her teary gaze landed on Ethan's arms, her grief turned into something darker.

Bruises. Old and new. Cuts. Marks that didn't come from self-inflicted wounds.

She looked at Dr. Voss with wide, desperate eyes.

[Izzy] "Tell me the truth. Was this just a suicide?"

Dr. Voss hesitated. "There were… other injuries. Signs of prolonged abuse."

That was all she needed. Her grief turned to rage. She wiped her tears, breathing hard, then turned on her heel and stormed out of the hospital.

She went straight to Lieutenant Alexander Carter.

 The Testimony

Lieutenant Carter leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. His sharp eyes studied Izzy as she spoke.

She told him everything.

The bullying. The threats. The way Damian Holt, Eric "Rick" Dawson, and Jayden "Jay" Carter had tormented Ethan for years. The truth about Ollie's death.

Alexander hesitated. His nephew—Jayden Carter—was involved.

"Damn it, Jay."

For a moment, he considered his options. His cousin —Jay's father—was a powerful businessman who he doesn't like much cause he thinks that many can buy anything.

"I never thought that Jayden will turn out like his dad"

Damian and Rick's families had power too. If he pursued this case, there would be consequences.

But Alexander was an upright man. He clenched his fists. No. Not this time.

He met Izzy's red-rimmed eyes and spoke with quiet resolve.

[Alexander] "I swear, I will do everything possible to give justice to Ethan and Ollie. No matter what."

Izzy exhaled shakily.

[Alexander] "But," he added, voice tight, "I need to be careful. If I move too fast, they'll cover their tracks. I need evidence. Real, undeniable proof."

[Izzy] Izzy nodded. "Then let's get it."

Alexander thought for a moment. Then he picked up his phone.

[Alexander] "I need to do interrogations without anyone knowing. If we play this right, we can bring them down before they see it coming."

Izzy clenched her jaw.

"Justice is coming."

As they were talking outside the hospital there was an accident outside of the hospital a man died after he got hit on the road by a truck.

Ten minutes after Ethan was pronounced dead, a nurse entered the ICU to clean the room.

Then she screamed to call the doctor quickly.

Dr. Voss ran in, expecting the worst.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

Ethan's body, still motionless. But the machines connected to him started flickering again. His heart started beating again—as if God had given him a second chance.

Izzy, still outside, clutched her chest as an unbearable chill filled the air.

Some of the workers and ICU team brought a dead body on a stretcher from outside. They were talking about how he got hit by a truck and died on the spot. They were taking his body to the mortuary room. Right behind the dead body, a girl was walking in like she was someone close to him.

Izzy thought about approaching the girl, but before she could, Lieutenant Carter got to her first.

[Lieutenant Carter] "Is there something wrong?"

The girl's eyes got a little teary, but she held it in.

[Mia] "It's okay. Nothing happened."

He then took her to meet Izzy.

[Lieutenant Carter] "This is my daughter, Mia."

Before Mia could say hello, Dr. Leonard came out of the ICU with a shocked but happy expression—he had just witnessed a miracle.

[Dr. Leonard] "A miracle has occurred in the ICU room. Your younger brother, whom we declared dead... his heart started beating again. It looks like God has given him a second chance."

Izzy's eyes widened in shock. Then, as the weight of the news settled, she collapsed. But this time, it wasn't from despair—it was from relief, joy, and happiness. Tears welled up in her eyes.

[Izzy] "Doctor, is it true? Is he alive? Is my brother really alive? Is he okay? I... I need to see him! I need to meet him right now!"

[Dr. Leonard] "Hold yourself together and calm down, Izzy. I know you want to see him, but even if he is alive, he is still unconscious. It looks like he has fallen into a coma. You can meet him, but you need to stay strong and be there for him."

[Izzy] "How long will it take for him to wake up?"

[Dr. Leonard] "I'm not certain. It could be a week, a month, a year... or forever. This is the first time someone has come back to life after being declared dead. For now, you need to take care of him and make sure he doesn't stress himself."

[Izzy] "Yes, Doctor. Thank you, thank you so much!"

[Lieutenant Carter] "It's great that your brother is still with you."

[Mia] "I'm also happy for you, Izzy."

[Izzy] "Thank you, Mia. Thank you, Lieutenant Carter."

[Lieutenant Carter] "We should take our leave now. Let's go, Mia."

[Mia] "Yes. Izzy, take care."

Lieutenant Carter and Mia left, leaving Izzy alone in the ICU room, standing before Ethan.

[Izzy] "I promise that I will make them pay for this. Justice will be served—for Ollie and for you, Ethan."

From that moment on, Izzy dedicated herself to taking care of Ethan.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Carter worked in the shadows. The official story was an accident. But Carter never trusted official stories—especially when they involved powerful people.

He started at St. Helena General Hospital, questioning the staff who handled Ollie's case. A few nurses hesitated, glancing at each other before speaking. The doctor who signed the death certificate was reluctant, his voice tense. "Blunt force trauma. No struggle. Just a tragic accident." His words were careful, rehearsed. Too clean. Too perfect.

Carter took notes but didn't press—yet. He had other places to be.

Next, he visited the alley near the scene of the so-called accident. The bloodstains had been washed away, but Carter had seen enough crime scenes to know how to look deeper. He examined the pavement, the position of the security cameras, and the angles of impact. A fall like that wouldn't have been instant. Something was off.

Somewhere else, Mia sat alone in her dimly lit bedroom, gripping her camera tightly. The soft glow of the screen illuminated her tense expression as she replayed the footage—again and again. Each frame sent a shiver down her spine. The truth was there, hidden in the details, in the shadows.

Her fingers trembled as she paused the video. There. A blurry figure. A movement that didn't match the official story.

Her heart pounded.

"I'll reveal the truth," she whispered, determination hardening her voice.

She was on her own mission now—one that no one else knew about. And she wouldn't stop until justice was served.

Days, weeks, and months passed.

Six months later…