After that day,
everything in Phat's life
stopped.
Not the world—
but her.
The clock kept ticking.
People kept living.
Phones still rang.
But her—
she didn't move.
Phat sat on the couch,
the same spot
since yesterday.
Sunlight shifted from morning to evening,
then disappeared.
But she was still there.
She wasn't crying anymore.
It was as if
her tears had run out.
Her eyes were empty,
staring ahead
without seeing anything at all.
Her phone lay beside her,
the screen dark.
No one called.
Or maybe—
someone did.
But she didn't care.
Silence.
It wasn't just quiet.
It pressed down on her,
until it was hard to breathe.
Phat tried to stand,
but her body felt heavy,
like something was pulling her back.
In the end,
she lay down on the couch.
Not sleeping—
just closing her eyes.
Because she didn't want to see anything anymore.
"If I open my eyes…"
a voice in her head whispered,
"it will still be the same."
No father.
No mother.
No one.
The thought wasn't loud—
but it was clear.
Too clear to escape.
Phat curled into herself,
as if trying to make herself smaller.
Her hand clenched her shirt tightly.
Her breathing began to shake.
"That's not true…"
she whispered.
Even though she knew it was.
Tears started falling again.
Not violently—
but they wouldn't stop.
She didn't know how long she cried.
She only knew
it didn't help at all.
It didn't bring anyone back.
It didn't fill the emptiness in her chest.
It didn't make her feel better.
Not even a little.
"How am I supposed to live…"
The question slipped out,
soft and fragile.
No one answered.
Because no one was here anymore.
Phat turned her face toward the wall.
The same corner
where a family photo used to be.
Now—
it was gone.
But the image in her mind
was still there.
Smiles.
Voices.
Words.
Everything was still clear.
Clear enough to hurt.
"I haven't done enough…"
her voice grew faint.
Guilt slowly crept in.
"I haven't given anything back…"
Her hands trembled.
"Then why…"
The question caught in her throat.
She couldn't finish it.
Because she already knew—
there was no answer.
Phat closed her eyes again.
This time,
not to run away—
but because she no longer had the strength
to open them.
In that darkness,
there was nothing.
No sound.
No people.
No feelings.
And maybe—
that was better.
Because at least,
it didn't hurt.
That day,
Phat didn't try to be strong.
She didn't try to stand up.
She didn't try to do anything at all.
She just—
let herself sink
into the emptiness.
With no strength left
even to pull herself back up.