Ghosted? Or Something Much Worse?
We Never Really Know What’s Happening Behind the Screen
I had an online friend.
We never met in person, but he felt closer to me than many people I saw every day.
We’d talk late at night, share secrets, complain about life, and send each other the dumbest memes.
In the strange way online friendships work, he became part of my daily routine — a comforting constant in the chaos of life.
Press enter or click to view image in full size Then one day, he vanished.
No warning. No fight. No explanation. Just silence.
At first, I thought maybe he was busy. Then I thought he was bored of me.
When days turned into weeks, I convinced myself he was just another person proving that online friendships are temporary.
I even got angry.
I cursed him under my breath for disappearing without a word. I typed out a long, bitter message.
Months later, I decided to clean my inbox. That’s when I saw an unread message…from a name I didn’t recognise.
It was from his sister. She had found my messages while going through his phone.
The truth completely horrified me.
I learned he’d been in an accident.
That “he was gone”.
That she just wanted me to know… because she had seen how often we talked, how much we made each other laugh.
I stared at the screen for what felt like hours.
While I was here, feeling ignored and abandoned… he was already gone.
That’s the thing about online connections.
We only see the parts someone chooses to show us — a profile picture, a “last seen” timestamp, a few words on a screen.
The rest is hidden.
Sometimes they don’t reply because they’re busy.
Sometimes because they’re hurting.
And sometimes… they’ll never reply again.
So if you’re reading this, please…
Don’t always assume the worst.
Don’t let pride keep you from being kind.
Because on the internet, you never know which conversation might be your last.
By Team Writory, for Writory.
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