Ethan looked at his old notebooks, once brimming with ideas, now collecting dust. Each page held the echo of a life he had never lived, stories that would never touch hearts. Anger mixed with grief as he tossed one into the fireplace. Watching the flames consume his words, he realized he had been burning not just paper, but hope itself.
Memories of his younger self, wide-eyed and determined, haunted him. He had once believed in miracles, in destiny, in the power of his voice. Yet every rejection, every missed opportunity, every lost connection had chipped away at that faith. The fire roared, devouring dreams, and Ethan cried for the boy he had been, the life he had lost.